(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Ruth Stage is roaring back to the Jersey Shore Arts Center with a theatrical event of rare significance: Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo — the complete and fully realized version of The Zoo Story, presented with the approval of the Edward Albee Estate. Performances take place January 15-17, 2025 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center.
Following Ruth Stage’s acclaimed September run of The Zoo Story, the Estate has entrusted the company with the continuation of the saga, granting access to Albee’s powerful prequel Homelife — allowing audiences to experience the full emotional journey for the very first time in Asbury Park.
This explosive revival stars a powerhouse trio of stage and screen talent: Christian Jules LeBlanc — Three-time Emmy Award winner & star of The Young and the Restless; Nancy Lemenager — Broadway leading lady (Chicago, Movin’ Out, Never Gonna Dance); and Matt de Rogatis — Acclaimed Off-Broadway star of Ruth Stage’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Helmed by the Oxford-trained director and filmmaker Theo Devaney, this production promises a visceral, psychologically charged experience as domestic intimacy collides with feral desperation — culminating in the now-legendary park bench encounter that changed American theater forever. At Home at the Zoo is a blazing portrait of marriage, loneliness, masculinity, power, and the human need to be seen.
This exclusive and limited three night only event takes place January 15th at 7:00pm, January 16th at 8:00pm, and January 17th at 8:00pm with audience talkbacks featured on January 15th and 16th. All shows will be performed at the Jersey Shore Arts Center (66 South Main Street) in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Tickets start at $59 with VIP packages available for $79. Tickets are available for purchase online.
At Home at the Zoo marks the next milestone in Ruth Stage’s multiyear Asbury Park Residency Initiative, a bold plan to build Asbury into the company’s creative home base and a launching ground for future New York City transfers. Returning with a larger cast, more ambitious staging, and a fusion of Hollywood, Broadway, and Off-Broadway talent — Ruth Stage continues to forge a new cultural identity for the Jersey Shore.
Biographies
Matt de Rogatis (Jerry) is a critically acclaimed New York stage actor and 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 (59E59), Richard III in Austin Pendleton’s Wars of the Roses (124 Bank Street Theater), Tom in The Glass Menagerie (Wild Project) and Roy in Lone Star (Theatre Row). Regional credits include Jerry in The Zoo Story (Jersey Shore Arts Center). Many thanks to Theo Devaney, Christian Jules LeBlanc, Christian Specht, Frank Danieli and Bob Lamb.
Christian Jules LeBlanc (Peter) is a three-time Daytime Emmy winner and twelve-time nominee, best known for his long-running role as Michael Baldwin on CBS’s The Young and the Restless. In 2022, he made his New York theater debut starring as Big Daddy in Ruth Stage’s groundbreaking Off-Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His other stage credits include Ladies in Retirement opposite Julie Harris and Eileen Brennan, No Orchids for Miss Blandish, and appearances at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. On television, he starred in In the Heat of the Night and appeared on As the World Turns, Perry Mason, and Cheers. Also an award-winning visual artist, Le Blanc has exhibited work in Los Angeles, D.C., and New Orleans. Originally from North Carolina, he now lives in Los Angeles and is a proud member of the Rogue Theater Company.
Nancy Lemenager (Ann) appeared last season on Broadway in McNeal starring Robert Downey Jr. at Lincoln Center Theater. Other Broadway credits include, Chicago, Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out, Never Gonna Dance, Kiss Me Kate, Dream, How to Succeed…, Guys and Dolls. NY Theater: Dakar 2000 (MTC), Letters of Suresh (Second Stage), How to Transcend a Happy Marriage (Lincoln Center). Regional Theater: Billie Jean (Chicago Shakespeare), Love All (La Jolla Playhouse), Sweat (Cleveland Playhouse), Other Desert Cities (Pioneer Theater), Sex with Strangers (Cincinnati Playhouse), God of Carnage (Engeman Theater), Romeo and Juliet (Virginia Stage). On TV she played Elena Andrews in “City on A Hill”, Beth Maskins in ABC’s “For Life”, and Alix Abrams in HBO’s “Girls On the Bus” Additional TV includes, “Poker Face,”“We Crashed,” “FBI,” “Power,” “Madame Secretary,” “Jessica Jones,” “Elementary,”“The Good Wife,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Law & Order,” “SVU,” “Criminal Intent.” Nancy can also be seen in the films, Ocean’s 8, and The First Purge. She is an Adjunct Professor at Pace University and a member of The Actors Center.
Theo Devaney (Director) is a British-Italian actor, filmmaker, director, and acting coach whose career spans London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and New York. A graduate of the Oxford School of Drama, he spent years performing in classical, regional, and contemporary theatre across the UK, eventually founding his own company to produce bold new works. Known for Supernatural, Netflix’s A Christmas Prince trilogy, and voicing Sherlock Holmes in Moriarty the Patriot, Theo now runs the Theo Devaney Acting Studio near NYC - mentoring a community of over 100 actors via ongoing classes & 1:1 coaching. For more info go to www.theodevaney.com or find Theo on social media @theodevaneyactingstudio
Christian Specht (Lighting Designer) Originally from Leesburg, GA. Lighting design credits (selected): Off-Broadway credits: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Theatre St. Clements), Lone Star (Theatre Row)/Ruth Stage; Regional: The Zoo Story (JSAC) Ruth Stage; Do Re Mi, Smile, Zorba the Greek (AMD Theatre) J2 Spotlight Musical Theatre Company; 9 to 5, Gypsy, Guys and Dolls, Ragtime, The Music Man, Crazy for You, Hello Dolly, Brightstar, Cabaret (SSTI); 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Spongebob the Musical, Spamalot (Peach State Summer Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Penn State University) Peter and the Starcatcher, 1776, (Samford University); Glen Campbell, The Manhattan Transfer, Mandy Patinkin: Dress Casual, Ann Hampton Callaway (Angelina Arts Alliance); Ain’t Too Proud/intern (Kennedy Center) Freaky Friday/ALD, Around the World in 80 Days/ALD (Alley Theatre); Titanic the Musical/ALD (Signature Theatre)
Edward Albee (Playwright) was born on March 12, 1928, and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), The Lady From Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding The Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play About The Baby (1997), The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2000, 2002, Tony Award), Occupant (2001), Peter and Jerry: Act 1, Homelife; Act 2, The Zoo Story (2004), and Me, Myself and I (2007). He was a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and President of The Edward F. Albee Foundation. Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. In 2005 he was awarded the special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Ruth Stage (Producer) Founded in 2017 by Bob Lamb, Ruth Stage is a bold nonprofit professional theater company dedicated to reimagining classic works through a modern psychological lens. Under the visionary leadership of chairman and creative director Matt de Rogatis, the company specializes in emotionally raw, high-impact productions that excavate the mental health, trauma, identity, and human behavior embedded within iconic literary texts. Ruth Stage is best known for its groundbreaking Off-Broadway premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which drew national attention for its visceral reinvention of Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece. The company continues to redefine the theatrical canon by fusing rigorous dramatic craft with contemporary themes of loneliness, addiction, repression, and the search for meaning—making old stories newly dangerous, urgent, and relevant. Beyond the stage, Ruth Stage champions social impact through partnerships with veteran and cancer support organizations, leveraging the power of theatrical storytelling to build community, foster empathy, and inspire healing. Ruth Stage’s productions are designed not just to entertain, but to provoke, confront, and start conversations—cementing the company as one of the most fearless and innovative voices in American independent theater.
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