BWW Interviews: Houston Zoo VP of Education Chance Sanford Talks AVENUE ZOO

It is definitely summertime in the city and the perfect time to head to the Houston Zoo, where there is always something new to see and experience. This summer is no exception! For the first time ever, two of Houston's most prominent nonprofit organizations, The Houston Zoo and Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) have pulled their talents and resources together to bring patrons the best of both worlds in their production of AVENUE ZOO. Taking place at the Houston Zoo and utilizing Houston's local talent, AVENUE ZOO is an opportunity for zoo-goers and musical theatre lovers to see some top quality singing, dancing, and puppetry while learning about some different animals. To give us a deeper look, Chance Sanford, Houston Zoo's VP of Education took time out of his busy schedule to talk about the partnership between the Zoo and TUTS and what audience members can expect from AVENUE ZOO.

BWW: This is the first partnership between the Houston Zoo and TUTS. What inspired the two organizations to put their heads together and come up with AVENUE ZOO?

Chance Sanford: So, AVENUE ZOO was originally a production that ran at the Bronx Zoo. I believe it was last year. When our chief marketing officer was out at the Bronx Zoo not too long ago, he got to talking with their marketing department, and they talked about this cool theatrical performance that they were doing called AVENUE ZOO. He came back and started talking to me about the opportunity, and it just seemed like a natural fit. We wanted to reach out to an organization, especially another non-profit that is as well respected as TUTS is, to see if we might be able to partner up to be able to acquire the talent that it would take to pull off a production like this. Not only is it the first partnership between the two organizations, and the first partnership of its kind for us from that prospective, but it is also one of the first performances that would require us to have more professional actors. We knew that we needed some assistance to be able to make that a reality.

BWW: AVENUE ZOO takes place all summer long, running from June through mid-August. After it wraps up, can Houstonians expect anything else as a collaboration between Houston Zoo and TUTS?

Chance Sanford: I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of something like that. I think we've seen so far that our patrons to the zoo, our guests, have been really pleased with the opportunity. I mean I know from an organizational standpoint that we have been really pleased with the partnership with TUTS, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility that there wouldn't be something else coming down in the near future.

BWW: Regarding AVENUE ZOO, is there an ideal age-group that AVENUE ZOO will appeal to, or is it a fun-for-all show?

Chance Sanford: I think it is a fun-for-the-whole- family type of show. I definitely think that the music, the songs, and the puppetry are really appealing to younger ages. But, we also see that there is humor that is interspersed within it that would appeal to the families and the adults who are accompanying their kids.

BWW: Great! I am hearing you mention song and dance numbers, and that's exciting. I know song and dance typically appeals to everybody. I mean who doesn't have fun with song and dance, right?

Chance Sanford: That's right. And there are plenty of Houston references, so I think everyone always gets excited when you hear about your hometown.

BWW: What do you hope that audience members will learn from a production like AVENUE ZOO?

Chance: AVENUE ZOO is just one other way that we hope to engage our guests as they experience the Zoo. Regardless of the situation, whether or not they just come and explore and have a good time, or when they go and see our animals on exhibit, or whether they stay and get to see a cool presentation and performance like Avenue Zoo, we hope to inspire change for the future in people's behavior. We hope that they're going to want to go out and conserve their wildlife and wild places. So ultimately, that's our goal with pretty much anything we do at the Zoo. We hope to inspire them to care, and to want to preserve and conserve the natural world.

BWW: Without giving away too much, I know we talked about song and dance numbers, what else can audience members expect from the AVENUE ZOO production?

Chance Sanford: They are going to get to meet some really cool animals that call Avenue Zoo home. It is a story about Zoe, whose father was just transferred from New York to here in Houston. She gets off at the wrong stop of the METRORail and ends up at Avenue Zoo. It's a little bit about her experiences at Avenue Zoo and how that appeals to her because she has a love and she liked going to the Zoo where she was in New York. It's all about her experiences, and the audience members will get to meet some really fun animal puppets and get to hear some really cool song numbers too.

BWW: Great, this sounds like a great show! So my last question for you, and I guess it is kind of a personal question, what is your favorite part about AVENUE ZOO?

Chance Sanford: My favorite part about AVENUE ZOO is that we have been able to pull together these two really large staples, non-profits, which are within the Houston area to make this amazing performance. It is just that it has gone over so well. The families and audience members who come to it are really excited, and they come away jusT Loving the Zoo and appreciating it even more. They have an appreciation for the performers and the actors that are coming from TUTS. So, I think the thing that I have enjoyed the most is the collaboration that we have been able to put together with TUTS.

BWW: That's great! Before we wrap up the interview up, is there anything else that you want to add about AVENUE ZOO?

Chance Sanford: I don't think so. I just think that people will be really excited to see the way in which puppets are used because it is a live action puppet. It's not the traditional kind of person behind the curtain type puppetry. It is real-life. You see the people there beside the puppets, so it's really kind of a cool performance.

It seems that AVENUE ZOO has the perfect recipe for fun, and there is no doubt that this collaboration between Theatre Under the Stars and the Houston Zoo will be a memorable one. AVENUE ZOO is currently running at the Houston Zoo and is presented Thursday through Sunday with productions at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day (weather permitting) from June 13 through August 18. The performance lasts approximately 25 minutes, and is included in the price of Zoo admission. For more information about AVENUE ZOO, please visit http://www.houstonzoo.org/avenue-zoo/ or http://www.tuts.com/Education/AvenueZoo/tabid/659/Default.aspx.

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