REMEMBERING DR. KING

Craig Alan Edwards performs "The Man in Room 306," envisioning the last hours of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.

In Montclair, Luna Stage revisits The Man in Room 306, written and performed by Craig Alan Edwards. The play had stunning reviews at its world premiere at Luna in 1995, and will now open on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Dr. King's death.

The production will run April 3 through May 4, 2008. In keeping with Luna Stage's 15th anniversary theme to explore the past and present of our national identity, artistic director Jane Mandel feels that "Dr. King's message of hope and determination is perhaps even more profound now and continues to resonate among us all."

Playwright and actor Edwards stars in the one-man performance that finds King alone in his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on the night of his final and most prophetic speech -- April 3rd, 1968, the evening before his untimely assassination. Shown is a side of the revered civil rights leader rarely seen by the public - a man rather than an icon, a man struggling with personal doubts and limitations, and the changing tide of politics and the civil rights movement.

Edwards is rejoined by his creative partner, director Cheryl Katz. Katz's direction of the premiere production was called "inspired." Luna Stage is delighted to have for this production the support of The National Civil Rights Museum, which is housed in Memphis' historic Lorraine Motel.

A native of Philadelphia, Craig Alan Edwards is an accomplished actor/writer and one of the nation's leading portrayers of Dr. King. After working as a marketing executive for IBM, he was compelled to pursue a career in film, TV, theatre and writing. Mr. Edwards graduated with honors from Boston University and currently acts, writes and resides in New York City.

Cheryl Katz is in her fifth season as director of play development at Luna Stage. She has developed and directed over thirty new plays in the New York area, including In a Person is a City by Amy Guggenheim and The Fastest Woman Alive by Karen Sunde at Luna Stage.

Performances of The Man in Room 306 are Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM, and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM. Ticket prices range from $20 to $30 with discounts available for seniors and students. Luna Stage is located at 695 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. For further information call the box office at 973-744-3309 or visit www.lunastage.org.