Beverly Hills' The Wallis and Deaf West Theatre Join Forces on 'Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo'

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Deaf West Theatre (DWT), the performing arts organizations behind the Tony Award-nominated and Ovation Award-winning revival of "Spring Awakening," reunite to bring multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright "Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo" to life in an innovative and new production.

"Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo" begins previews on March 7 and will open in the Lovelace Studio Theater at The Wallis on Friday, March 10. It will run through March 26. This production is made possible by the generous support of Meeghan and Michael Nemeroff.

"Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo" combines Albee’s groundbreaking 1959 short play "The Zoo Story" with his acclaimed prequel "Homelife" written in 2004. Together these short plays form Edward Albee’s "At Home at the Zoo," the complete story of publishing executive Peter, his wife Ann, and Jerry, the volatile stranger Peter meets in the park.

The Wallis’ Artistic Associate Coy Middlebrook revisits his celebrated 2007 Deaf West Theatre production of "The Zoo Story," with the new addition of "Homelife." The cast includes deaf and hearing actors including Troy Kotsur as Peter and Jake Eberle as the voice of Peter, as well as Amber Zion as Ann and Paige Lindsey White as the voice of Ann. Russell Harvard will play the role of Jerry from March 7 – 15; Tyrone Giordano will play the role of Jerry from March 16-26, and Jeff Alan-Lee will voice the role of Jerry throughout the run.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Deaf West Theatre after the great success of 'Spring Awakening,'” said Paul Crewes, The Wallis’ Artistic Director. “Edward Albee was one of the great American playwrights, and this particular piece explores ongoing themes across his own career, combining two master works — 'The Zoo Story' and 'Homelife' — that really bookend Albee’s life. This collaboration between The Wallis and Deaf West Theatre will be a powerful and engaging theatrical experience for all.”

“The success that came from 'Spring Awakening' has renewed our vigor in educating the world at large about our language and our culture while also advancing the appreciation of sign language theater,” said Deaf West Theatre’s Artistic Director DJ Kurs. “It’s the projects like 'Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo' that excite me the most. We are not only adapting one of the classic works of the American stage but also performing it before an audience that, more than ever, is unified in an understanding and appreciation of what deaf actors bring to the material.”

-- News release from The Wallis. Photo via Shutterstock