The Other Room / The Zoo Story at Gallery Theater

“The Other Room,” by Ariadne Blayde, is directed by Soren Smithrud. Austin is a brilliant teenage astronomer who happens to have autism. Lily is his popular classmate who happens to have an interest in astronomy. When a chance encounter after school leads to a growing connection between them, Austin's imagination, intelligence, and constant struggles to connect with the world are revealed in the form of four characters representing his inner life. By turns funny and heartbreaking, The Other Room is a compelling and sensitive glimpse into a unique and misunderstood mind.

“The Zoo Story,” by Edward Albee, is directed by Emily Matsuda. To escape his wife, two daughters and two parakeets, Peter sits on a bench in Central Park, reading and thinking. Jerry joins him, having just been to the zoo. He draws the unwilling Peter into conversation and extracts information from him. In return Jerry supplies Peter with a curious medley of information about his wanderings in New York. The outcome of the meeting is a willing death for one of them.