Local Arts | Luna Gale at Saint Francis Theater
What does it take to raise a child? In Rebecca Gilman’s drama Luna Gale, two teenagers struggle with drug abuse while trying to raise a child. Caroline, an esteemed social worker believes she has a typical case on her hands. Stuck in the middle of this custody battle, Caroline can’t help but connect deeply with the case. On one side, she sees the love that the mother and father have for each other and their baby, but is wary of their sobriety. On the other side, she sees a grandmother filled with love and compassion, but soon realizes her main priority is to prepare for the coming rapture. Little does she know that her involvement in the case opens doors that are maybe best left untouched. Heart wrenching, gripping, and estranged, Luna Gale takes the stage at Tucson’s very own local Saint Francis theater on October 13-29, 2017. “Luna Gale is a compelling drama,” director Mark Klugheit says. “It has no villains. It has seven people, each of whom are intensely driven by what they feel is right. And when you have people who have a strong sense of what is right, there are clashes, there’s drama.”
In preparation for the show, the cast visited a Drug Court to get firsthand experience. Meeting with the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, the cast got to see the real-life struggles of parents trying to get clean and reclaim their children. “Each of the people we saw in Drug Court had their own story and their own reasons for being in rehab,” says Joanne Robertson, who plays the role of Cindy the grandmother, “But everyone seemed to be working to the best of their ability to stay sober and reunite with their child. For me, this reinforced the way Gilman created the characters in Luna Gale. Each character, including Cindy, may be flawed and may have made mistakes in their life, but they each believe they are doing what’s best for Luna.”
There are over 400,000 children in foster care or group homes in the United States. More than 60,000 of these children have their biological parents’ rights permanently terminated. Luna Gale explores hard hitting questions of faith, trust, doubt, and hope. No matter what walk of life you are from, this formidable drama has a little something in it for everyone. Learn more about this fascinating play by visiting the St. Francis Theater website.