Life on the Moon is a socio-political family drama about Spencer, a young infantryman in the U.S. army, returning home for Christmas to visit his parents and Piper, his eighteen-year-old sister with autism. As Spencer and his parents struggle to celebrate the holiday, it’s Piper who notices what everyone else misses, but is unable to communicate her observations or frustrations.
Awards
Semi-Finalist for Playwriting Fellowship, Meditative Writing, 2023
Finalist for Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting, Association for Theatre in Higher Education, 2023
Semi-Finalist for Play With Male Lead Contest, Southwest Theatre Productions, 2020
Winner of Inkslinger Contest, Southeastern Louisiana University, 2017
Winner of New Play Contest, Triad Shakes Theatre, 2017
Publications
Act I published in ProPlay, 2024
Monologue included in Smith & Kraus' Best Male Monologues of 2023 anthology, 2023
Full text included in McGraw Hill's 12 Plays/2500 Years anthology, 2021
Excerpt included in American Theatre magazine's podcast "The Subtext," 2020
Excerpts published in literary journal Wordgathering, 2018
Production and Development History
Production, Baker Theater Workshop, December 2025 (forthcoming)
Professional Production, Detroit Repertory Theatre, November-December 2022
Staged Reading, Theatre UNO, University of New Orleans, April 2021
Production, Southeastern Louisiana University, March 2018
Production, Gallatin Theatre Troupe, New York University, March 2015
Workshop, Gallatin Theatre Troupe, New York University, September-December 2014
Workshop, Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, New York University, September-December 2013
Production stills from various Life on the Moon productions. From left to right: Detroit Repertory Theatre (2022), Southeastern Louisiana University (2018), New York University (2015).
“Tatelman doesn’t shy away from portraying the challenges faced by a person with disability and those who live with her. This is not a sappy Hallmark story filled with tired and meaningless sentiment. She illuminates the tensions it causes in relationships – whether between spouses, siblings or parents and child. The characters she creates are all sympathetic – the antagonist in this story is not an individual, but the circumstances, the frailty of relationships and the difficulty of growth.”
“It really is sort of like you’re in the living room and dining room with this family… I think this play is gonna resonate with a lot of people. In the last quarter of a century, the percentage of people with autism has dramatically increased… I think this is a very rare, accurate portrayal of what it’s like, and I think audiences are gonna get a lot out of that.”
“This play is a powerful piece that really highlights the importance of healthy communication in a family. Even if one member of the family has difficulty with communicating. As someone on the Autism Spectrum, it brings me great joy to see a play like this that really brings forth a uncommon topic in the theatre world. If you want to read a story that is heartwarming, thought-provoking, and an overall great read and play, then this play is the one for you.”
“[Life on the Moon] is a deeply moving story, and universal in its depiction of a family struggling with understanding, hearing, and seeing each other.”
“[Tatelman] vividly creates the language and behaviors of a young autistic woman. But she also turns her focus to the impact that her language and behavior has on the family unit as a whole. As the play progresses, you are starkly reminded that disability has far reaching impact, that it can mean that the suffering and pain of siblings goes unnoticed, that marriages are tested and strained by the presence of a character who has a demanding and even oppressive rhythm all her own. The family at the center of Anna’s play are imprisoned by one another, by their love and loyalty, and need to reach a kind of ungraspable normalcy.”
“This play has a lovely combination of complex characters, timely issues, and great structure. It kept me engaged and intrigued as a reader, and I'm sure audiences would also be enthralled.”