Playwright Siena Marilyn Ledger and director Hayley Procacci have produced a new play, Man and Moon, which premieres at Madison Street Theater in Oak Park on October 21 and will run through November 13. The play is set in an oncology unit and is a dialog between a transitioning transgender man named Aaron (played by Peter Danger Wilde) and 12-year-old youth Luna (played by Clare Wols).
In this video interview, we talk to playwright Ledger and director Procacci just before the rolling world premiere reaches Chicago. They discuss the main characters and the themes that run through the work as well as the significance and timing of a play about identity shifts during a politically charged era. Delightfully, director Hayley Procacci is pleased to report on the moments of joy and playfulness that emerge in this moving piece about finding a starting point.
Man And Moon is produced by the 16th Street Theater NFP as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, which lets three or more theaters mount the same play within 12 months to allow playwrights to develop work with multiple creative teams across different communities. Partner theaters are Good Company Theatre (Ogden, Utah) and Oregon Contemporary Theatre (Eugene, Oregon).
The 16th Street Theater NFP is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funds are provided by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the Driehaus Foundation, the Oak Park River Forest Future Philanthropists Program and the Arts Midwest GIG Fund.
All tickets are $25, with virtual performance tickets available for $10 starting October 27, available online or at 708-795-6704. The theater is offering a free teen night st 4pm on Saturday, October 22.