ZERO POINT Thriller Debuts at ALZA Festival with Broadway Veterans

Broadway veterans Kristine Covillo, Ben Davis, and Clifton Samuels are joining forces for Zero Point, a new cinematic vertical microdrama thriller created by Covillo that will make its festival debut at ALZA Festival in New York City, October 18, 2026 at 8pm at AMC 19th Street East 6.

Created and starring Kristine Covillo (Death Becomes Her, Chicago), Zero Point brings together an accomplished Broadway ensemble for a suspense-driven story at the intersection of science, murder, politics, business, and human ambition.

Ben Davis, most recently seen as Hades in Broadway's Hadestown and previously in Ragtime, and Clifton Samuels, whose Broadway credits include Elf and Follies and whose screen credits include FX's Feud, join Covillo in the series alongside Kim Hoffman (Crashing HBO) and with Mike Holt (Tires Netflix, Mr & Mrs. Smith).

Zero Point is written by Jenny King, directed by Vanessa Butler and produced with ReelArc Productions.

From Broadway to the Vertical Screen

At the center of Zero Point is a brilliant former scientist who walked away from her career after discovering an equation she believed was too dangerous to pursue.

When a string of physicists connected to that work are systematically murdered, she is drafted by the Feds and forced back into the world she rejected. But the investigation soon reveals something far more dangerous: the killer is deploying the very equation that drove her out of science—one capable of shattering space, time, and reality itself.

The series began with Covillo's fascination with the zero-point energy theorem and a simple question:

What would happen if someone really discovered a way to have limitless clean energy?

That question became the foundation for a thriller about what could happen when a potentially world-changing scientific discovery collides with political power, corporate interests, and human ambition.

'I've always been drawn to high-stakes stories at the intersection of science, politics, and business, with deeply human stakes and complicated characters,' says Covillo. 'I also wanted to create a story with a strong, smart female protagonist.'

A New Format for Broadway Storytellers

For Covillo and the creative team, the vertical microdrama format offered an opportunity to approach suspense in a distinctly different way.

'Every episode needs to pull you forward, reveal something unexpected, and leave you needing the next piece of the puzzle,' says Covillo. 'Zero Point was conceived to embrace that rhythm—short, cinematic bursts of suspense that build into a larger story.'

Rather than simply adapting a traditional television structure to a vertical screen, the series was designed around the immediacy of the format, with each episode delivering a new revelation or cliffhanger while contributing to a larger cinematic story.

Inspired by Science and Real-World Questions

While Zero Point is a fictional thriller, the project was sparked in part by Covillo's interest in real-world science and accounts of murdered scientists.

The series uses those ideas as a jumping-off point for a fictional story about scientific ambition, secrecy, power, and the human consequences of discovery.

ALZA Festival Debut

Zero Point will make its festival debut at ALZA Festival in New York City, Sunday Oct. 18 at 8pm at AMC 19th Street East 6, Theater 5. There will be a Q & A following the screening.

'I'm thrilled to share Zero Point with audiences at ALZA Festival, and especially excited to do so alongside this extraordinary cast,' says Covillo. 'Together, we brought these characters to life with the hope that audiences will be entertained, intrigued—and perhaps question the hidden motives and narratives behind what we see in the papers.'

About Zero Point

Zero Point is a cinematic vertical thriller about a renegade scientist, a series of murdered physicists, and an equation capable of changing the nature of reality.

Combining science fiction, murder mystery, political intrigue, and human drama, the series explores what might happen if humanity discovered a source of limitless clean energy—and what people might risk to control it.

Created by: Kristine Covillo
Written by: Jenny King

Directed by: Vanessa Butler
Produced with: ReelArc Productions
Starring: Kristine Covillo, Ben Davis, Clifton Samuels, Kim Hoffman, Mike Holt
Festival: ALZA Festival
Location: New York City - AMC 19th Street East 6, Theater 5.
Dates: October 18, 2026 at 8pm