West Orange Theater Extends Play’s Run After Controversy In Montclair

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A nonprofit theater company in West Orange is extending a run of its critically acclaimed production, “Rift or White Lies,” which has stirred up some controversy in the Montclair Public School District.

Luna Stage will be performing “Rift or White Lies” through Sunday, March 10. It was originally slated to close on March 3, but “sold-out houses” have prompted an extended run, the nonprofit said.

Here’s what the play is about, according to Luna Stage:

“In RIFT, two brothers – one a progressive novelist, the other a convicted murderer and high-ranking member of a white supremacist prison gang – are united through their traumatic childhood. Now adults, these men navigate the edges of their brotherly bond. Are they truly so different? Is it possible to love someone whose beliefs you hate? A work of fiction, ‘RIFT or White Lies’ is inspired by [playwright] Gabriel Jason Dean’s relationship with his brother, a currently-incarcerated high-level member of the alt-right. The two had been estranged since Dean’s discovery of his brother’s affiliation in 2010. In creating the piece, Dean reconnected with his brother to explore the roots of their ideological differences and try to find common ground.”

Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road in West Orange. Learn more or purchase tickets here.

The play has caused some controversy in the Montclair Public School District, which abruptly ended a performance of “Rift or White Lies” for students at Montclair High School earlier this month, Montclair Local reported.

“Due to the explicit and violent description of sexual assault as well as misogynistic and homophobic language in the text, it was collectively decided by administrators and faculty to stop the play in order to ensure the safety and social-emotional well-being of all students,” MHS principal Jeffrey Freeman wrote in an email to the school community.

Luna Stage’s artistic director, Ari Laura Kreith, and Gabriel Jason Dean, the playwright, both defended the production in statements to Montclair Local, saying that the material that administrators object to is important to the context and overall message of the play.

“Censorship is not the answer,” Dean said. “Our conversation is the answer.”

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