Interview: Matt de Rogatis and A ZOO STORY Presented by Ruth Stage 9/4 to 9/6

Ruth Stage has announced its next bold theatrical endeavor: Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, coming this September to the historic Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Performances begin Thursday, September 4th at 7:00 PM, with additional shows Friday, September 5th at 8:00 PM and Saturday, September 6th.

This searing one-act revival stars three-time Emmy Award winner Christian Jules Le Blanc and acclaimed Off-Broadway actor Matt de Rogatis, best known for his explosive turn as “Brick” in Ruth Stage’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Directed by Oxford-trained filmmaker Theo Devaney, this intimate staging promises to strip Albee’s early masterwork down to its raw, unnerving core—where civility erodes, isolation festers, and words become weapons. Known for reimagining the classics with psychological edge, Ruth Stage brings its signature intensity to this modern American classic, reigniting The Zoo Story with urgent relevance.

Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing Matt de Rogatis who will be playing Jerry in Ruth Stage's production of A Zoo Story.

Matt de Rogatis is a critically acclaimed New York stage actor. He is the Chairman and Creative Director of Ruth Stage, the boundary-pushing nonprofit behind Off-Broadway’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, where he earned praise from The New York Times for his powerful performance as “Brick.” Other notable credits include Frederick Clegg in The Collector, Richard III in Austin Pendleton’s Wars of the Roses,  Tom in The Glass Menagerie, and Roy in Lone Star. 

Oh man, that was a horrifying experience I'll never forget. It was a community theatre production of The Mousetrap in Freehold, New Jersey. I played the role of Detective Sergeant Trotter, a policeman, who comes into the mansion during a snow storm to try and solve a murder. My character didn't come onto the stage until about 45 minutes into act 1. The way the set was, I had to hide on the stage, behind the walls and wait for my cue. There was nowhere for me to go. I say that because I was terrified to go out there and perform. I remember thinking to myself "why am I doing this to myself? I could be home, inconspicuous, watching TV. Instead I'm putting myself through this terror." When I tell you my only escape was to actually enter the set, in front of the audience, that's the truth. I had nowhere to run. If there was a door back there, behind the set, I would've ran out and never looked back. My acting career would've been over before my first cue. But I had no choice. To be honest, I still get scared going out there, all these years later, but nothing ever like the first time I performed.

Who do you credit with inspiring your theatrical career?

Bob Lamb, no doubt. He directed me in The Mousetrap and many, many shows after that. Not only did he inspire my acting career but he taught me so much about producing and running a company as well. He was the best friend I've ever had. Literally someone who would have and did do anything for me. Like a parent. I love him and miss him. He is the one who founded Ruth Stage, named after his mother Ruth - whom he credited with inspiring his love for theatre. When he passed in 2019 I took over as chairman of the nonprofit but without him, I would not have had the successes I've had so far in the theatre. He instilled so much in me not only as an actor but as a person, as well. 

We’d like to know more about Ruth Stage.

Ruth Stage is ever evolving. As mentioned it was founded in 2018 by my mentor, Bob Lamb, but then he passed shortly after in 2019. I didn't officially become the chairman and creative director until the end of 2019 and then Covid happened so the first shows we ever did under my leadership were the off Broadway premieres of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It was a big leap from anything we had previously done. 

Those productions, the billboards, the TV spots, the New York Times review, the great actors working opposite me as "Brick" - it really put Ruth Stage on the map. It's been kind of hard to top that in the last 2.5 years but we are working on some big things and that's why we have been a little quiet. Things take time. 

Also, as someone who has a huge interest in psychology I am in the process of changing the mission statement of the company. Right now Ruth Stage is known for re-inventing the classics through a modern lense but we are looking to take things a step further now. I have my own method of acting, it's kind of a two step approach that I call Diagnostic Immersion. First, I identify the diagnosis of the character. What's he dealing with? Are there personality disorders present, alcoholism, mental health issues? Once I'm certain, I then inhabit the diagnosis. In a broader context that's where I'm looking to take Ruth Stage. Still reimagining the classics but with an emphasis on mental health, for better or worse, within the literature. The Zoo Story is certainly perfect for that.

Tell us an about the team bringing A Zoo Story to the stage.

Well my co-star is Christian Jules LeBlanc who plays Peter. He's a 3x Emmy Award winner and an icon of daytime TV - having starred in "The Young and the Restless" for the past 30 years. Christian played Big Daddy in our off Broadway premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in New York City and also in New Orleans when we did it together at the Tennessee Williams Festival. He's a great actor and all around great guy and we have a great chemistry that is going to make the show really great. 

Our lighting designer is Christian Specht who is the official designer of Ruth Stage having lit Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as well as Lone Star, off Broadway in 2023. Theo Devaney, an esteemed acting coach and Oxford trained director helms the production and my good friend Santo Scardillo is doing all of the graphics, photography and creating all of the marketing materials. It's a bare bones production with emphasis on acting and lighting. No set design. This is going to be a standard practice forward with Ruth Stage. Simplicity. 

How are you preparing for your role as Jerry in the show?

Well I run the nonprofit almost entirely by myself and so that means day to day fundraising, marketing, PR, producing, grant writing - it's exhausting and sometimes I forget that first and foremost, I am an actor. Honestly, right now I'm just trying to memorize my lines. Albee wrote so much for the character of Jerry in a one act including the longest monologue ever written for an actor, I believe. I SHOULD be off book in a few days. Not sure when this article comes out but let's call it August 10th I plan to have my lines all down. That'll give me about 3.5 weeks of freedom to do what I do and dive into the psychology of the character as discussed before. 

One thing I've done with Jerry is add, what I think, is a very interesting quirk. I won't give it away, readers will have to come see it but I think it solves one of the shows big issues which is: why does Peter stay and talk to Jerry for so long? Why not just get up and walk away from this crazy person?! I think I've found a way around that in my process and as the weeks continue to pass, I'll no doubt discover more about Jerry - particularly learning about his mental health issues as I mentioned before. 

Why do you think the timing is right to present this play?

It's funny I get asked these types of questions alot when I produce a show. "What are you trying to say?" and "What statement are you trying to convey?" and "What do you want audiences to take from this?" The truth is I don't even think about that when I'm putting on a show. Occasionally I'll spin it for the sake of PR and be like "Oh yes, we are doing this because of this or because of that." The truth is, I'm drawn to complex psychological characters and the classics. So whenever I find a character who I want to dive into, I do it. It's more about my preferences as an actor/producer more than anything else. And then I just kinda find people who wanna do it with me. Whether this is the right timing or not to present the play doesn't make a big difference to me. Acting is a gigantic learning experience. You learn about history, human behavior and yourself. So whenever I can find a character, like Jerry, that can teach me something - I go all in. That's my primary motivation in all the roles and productions I choose. Of course I want the audiences to love it, like it, believe it - but the only statement I ever try to make is with my own performance and continuing to create high quality theatre for Ruth Stage without a socio-political agenda attached to it.

What would you like audiences to know about the show?

I want them to know that this is a classic. One of the most famous plays ever written even though alot of people may not be familiar with it. I've been surprised so far how many people don't know about this play. I tell them, it was written by the same author as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I want everyone to know that even though the play is going to be taking place at the Jersey Shore, at the Jersey Shore Arts Center, this is going to be a very high caliber, edgy Off Broadway production the likes of which you would see on 42nd street in New York. The show is visceral, fast moving and edge of your seat. It's got that mental health aspect to it as well, that has become a staple of all Ruth Stage productions. It's a classic play, on the beach, in the summer, with dark psychology and a bonafide TV star - that's what I want you to know.

Can you share any of your future plans?

Well I've got a lot of long term goals for the company which include a new forthcoming website, a merchandise line, some big Off Broadway shows in '26 and '27 as well as the development of a TV series. But in the short term, if The Zoo Story goes well here in Asbury Park, you can expect to see Ruth Stage back there much, much sooner than later. We are already planning a follow up to The Zoo Story this November and for those who liked Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - another familiar face might be showing up in the next production, too. I also want to thank Frank Danieli of the Jersey Shore Arts Center. He and I are in the process of facilitating a unique partnership where the JSAC serves as our New Jersey home where we can tinker with shows and work out the kinks before bringing them into New York. This is a really exciting development for both of us, I think.

You can follow Matt de Rogatis on social media @themightydero and follow Ruth Stage @officialruthstage.

The Zoo Story will be presented at the Jersey Shore Arts Center, 66 South Main Street, Ocean Grove, NJ.  Performances will be on September 4th, 5th, and 6th.  Tickets are priced at $40 and can be found on http://www.ruthstage.org and on Event Brite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-zoo-story-by-edward-albee-tickets-1413544954009?aff=oddtdtcreator. Use promo code: RUTHSTAGE for discount tickets.

Photo Credits: Headshot by Chris Loupos; Poster by Santo Scardillo