Culture in brief: Mrs. Stern (Hannah Arendt) at Luna Stage

Jenny Lyn Bader’s “Mrs. Stern Wanders The Prussian State Library,” inspired by events in the life of 20th-century political philosopher Hannah Arendt, begins its run at Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road, West Orange, tonight, Thursday, Oct. 17.

The play takes place in 1933, after Hitler has declared a state of emergency. Martial law is in effect, with a new secret state police in formation, and political activism has become a capital crime. One young police officer, Karl Frick, gets promoted from the criminal division to the new political division. In his first week at his new job, he arrests Johanna Stern, a graduate student seen copying documents in the library. Karl has no idea that Mrs. Stern will become one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, known better as Hannah Arendt. Is Mrs. Stern an innocent who pressed a button on the mimeograph machine at the wrong moment? Or is she an enemy of the state?

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Featured cast include Guiliana Carr, Brett Temple, and Karl Kenzler. Luna Stage Artistic Rirector Ari Laura Kreith of Montclair directs. For tickets and information, visit lunastage.org or call 973-395-5551.