THE ZOO STORY Plays The Saturni Theatre Next Month

Brand new fringe theatre company, the Saturni Theatre Troupe, debuts with their inaugural production of The Zoo Story, by Edward Albee. Isolated and marginalized for his homosexuality, Jerry violently strains against the conventional world to make a connection with Peter, a mild-mannered bookworm. Alienated by Peter's own prejudice, Jerry must break the boundaries between them by transforming an act of violence into an act of love.

"Don't you see? A person has to have some way of dealing with SOMETHING! With a bed, with a cockroach, with a mirror...no, that's too hard, that's one of the last steps...with love, with vomiting, with crying, with fury...with making money with your body which is an act of love and I could prove it, with howling because you're alive; with God." - Jerry, The Zoo Story

One sunny Sunday afternoon, Jerry leaves his cramped, rotting tenement apartment on a mission: to tell someone about "what happened at the zoo" - and that someone happens to be the affluent, quiet Peter, a man who seems to have everything in the world, and yet is unhappy. Their encounter at a park bench is at once two polar opposites at war with one another - the rich versus the poor, the normative versus the marginalized - as well as the making of a love story as violent and tragic as Romeo and Juliet.

"I've put up with you long enough. I've listened to you because you seemed...well, because I thought you wanted to talk to somebody." - Peter, The Zoo Story

Orphaned as an infant, Edward Albee was adopted into a family of prolific theatre practitioners, yet their treatment of him was cold and distant. His mother in particular would remind him of his adopted status as a means to punish him. At around the age of thirty, Edward introduced himself to New York City's diverse neighborhoods while working as a telegram deliverer. His own personal experience with isolation and his knowledge of New York culture would inspire him to write his debut play, The Zoo Story, which was an immediate artistic success. Considered the first American absurdist play, The Zoo Story breaks the boundaries between realism and absurdism, of redemption and hopelessness, just as its characters break the boundaries between themselves. Originally conceived as a one-act, Albee later incorporated The Zoo Story into a full-length play titled "At Home at the Zoo." Now only non-professional companies can produce The Zoo Story as it was originally performed.

"We must try to claw our way into compassion." - Edward Albee

The Saturni Theatre Troupe currently exists on the fringe of Austin's theatre scene. Their aim is to create timeless works of theatrical art that inspires and affirms others, and become a platform where all voices may be heard.

Directed by Rachel Stanford, The Zoo Story stars Gabe Meyer (Isabelle and the Runaway Train) and Trenton Olds. Originally conceived as a guerilla performance, The Zoo Story will now perform at Southpark Meadows' The Grove Amphitheatre. Performances are June 3-4 and 10-11 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15.

Please email saturnitheatre@gmail.com or text 512-643-2405 for tickets and information

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