Just Another Day at the Zoo at Open-Door Playhouse

In the short play Just Another Day at the Zoo, we’re introduced to two characters, Cell Phone and Old School. They’re from different generations and different worlds. Meeting at a park bench, they begin to engage in conversation, but perceive that the cultural gaps between them are formidable. Can these two polarized figures possibly bond?

            The metaphors for the larger conversations that we are having in the 21st Century are apparent.

            The playwright is Leo Cardez, which is a pseudonym for an incarcerated writer. The play is being presented as part of Open-Door Playhouse;s collaboration with the PEN America Prison Writing Program.

            Cardez says, “This is not based on a true story. It is inspired by many.” He suggests that his piece is (freely) adapted from Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, although the earlier play is more of a jumping-off point.

            Open-Door Playhouse founder and Artistic Director Bernadette Armstrong directs Just Another Day at the Zoo.

            Amir Abdoulla portrays Cell Phone. Daamen Krall plays Old School.

Photo: Playwright Leo Cardez.