Photos: ZOMBIES, INC. at The Edmonton Fringe Festival

What if you were already living like a zombie—before the outbreak began? That’s the hauntingly hilarious premise of ZOMBIES, INC., the newest musical comedy from New York’s acclaimed Live & In Color. Developed in their renowned new works incubator, the show makes its world premiere at the 2025 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, bringing Broadway-caliber talent back home to Canada. 

ZOMBIES, INC. will run at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival from August 14–23, 2025. Check out photos below!

In ZOMBIES, INC., the apocalypse has arrived—and Ray still has quarterly sales targets to hit. Trapped inside a jewelry store in 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Ray—played with charming desperation by Edmonton’s own Damon Pitcher—clings to dreams of promotion, love, and the perfect life, even as the undead scratch at the doors. A hilarious, dark, and unexpectedly hopeful one-person musical, ZOMBIES, INC. is a theatrical survival guide for anyone who's ever felt like they were on autopilot.

With its genre-bending original score and laugh-out-loud script, the show seamlessly blends comedy, pop music, social satire, and genuine emotion to explore capitalism, connection, and awakening to your own life, even in the midst of the end.

Directed by multi-award-winning New York director Devanand Janki, ZOMBIES, INC. marks a homecoming for the celebrated artist, who was born and raised in Edmonton. Janki is best known for directing Off-Broadway’s Zanna, Don’t!, and Little Girl Blue, and for co-writing and directing the world premiere of With Bells On! The Musical at Theatre Network in Edmonton. He now returns with this bold new project, bringing his Broadway experience and unique artistic vision to the Edmonton stage once again.

The show was developed through Live & In Color, a NYC and CT-based company founded by Janki. The company is internationally respected for championing inclusive stories and nurturing underrepresented voices. Their alumni include dozens of emerging and mid-career artists whose work has gone on to major productions across the U.S. and beyond.

Director Devanand Janki on developing this new piece: “ZOMBIES, INC. is the kind of smart, scrappy, and heartfelt musical I live for. Only in Edmonton could I premiere a zombie show that’s equal parts apocalypse, pop ballad, and existential crisis—and have it feel like a homecoming. Marcus and Kim are brilliant new voices, and I’m so proud we developed this wonderfully weird piece through Live & In Color.”

The ZOMBIES, INC. creative team also includes two breakout musical theatre voices: Marcus Perkins Bejarano, a Bolivian-American writer whose work has been featured at Goodspeed, La Jolla Playhouse, and Nickelodeon, where he is currently a Writer-in-Residence and Kim Jinhyoung, a Korean-Mongolian composer based in Brooklyn, NY, and NYU Tisch graduate whose work has appeared at Lincoln Center, 54 Below, and Joe’s Pub. The team also includes Musical Director Ryan Sigurdson and Stage Manager Phoenix McLeod, with Annika Schultz (Costume Design), Jordyn Gozjolko (Props Design), and Keira Roberts (Lighting Design).

Together, their music and book for ZOMBIES, INC. deftly balance biting satire with emotional resonance. Content warning: Adult Language/Content, Violence, Mild Gore, Existential Dread (and hope)