Image courtesy Chris Gavaler
Zombies have no responsibilities. Zombies feel no guilt, shame or emotional pain of any kind. Zombies are free of racism, sexism and all other forms of prejudice and bigotry. These are three of the seven principles of “The Zombie Life” conversion program that will be addressed when Firehouse Theatre presents the world premiere of the eponymous play Aug. 18-29.
The production resembles a self-help seminar where a well-meaning therapist offers a solution for life’s troubles by turning people into zombies. It’s an original work written by author, comic writer and analyst, and Washington & Lee University associate professor of English Chris Gavaler and directed by his sister, Joan Gavaler, who is a professor of dance and director of dance production at William & Mary and co-founder of Aura CuriAtlas Physical Theatre.
Chris adapted the play from a short story he had written many years prior to the pandemic called “The Zombie Monologues.” Wanting a way to connect and stay in touch with Joan after the death of their mother, Chris knew Joan was a talented performer, choreographer and director and had the idea to work with her to create a production of “The Zombie Life.” Joan also knew Joel Bassin, the producing artistic director of Firehouse Theatre. She showed Bassin the script, and the theater picked up the production.
“To create a whole play, it’s certainly the biggest thing we’ve ever done together,” Joan says. “It really did give us a way to turn on creative energies that we both have, [and] more than anything I’d say reaffirming our relationship [through working together has] been a wonderful gift.”
Given that the performances, originally set for last year, were postponed due to the pandemic, this paradoxical look into one’s own humanity and dealing with life’s hardships is well timed. “We’ve had a social distance pandemic where we’re all just isolated, and we’ve lost touch with each other,” Chris says. “My understanding about the play is all about relationships, that’s it. So, if you withdraw, if you self-isolate, if you lose those relationships, you’re dead, you might as well be a zombie because you’re not human anymore.”
Joan notes that these are not the zombies typically depicted on television and film. “These are real zombies,” she says. “Zombie is a state of being that, during the show, which is set up as a seminar, discusses becoming a zombie as a way to overcome human pain.”
Joan says the cast has had a lot of fun acting out very human stories through their “zombieness.” The six-person cast (half of which was recast due to scheduling conflicts after the production was postponed) comes from a variety of different backgrounds, and Joan says they each bring their own strengths to the production, including stage combat, which she says has been great for the play. “We’re bringing in a group of actors who all have something different to offer, and so that’s incredibly valuable,” she says.
The Gavalers agree that the extra year has provided them added time to workshop the play, and the fact that it’s an original work has allowed them to make modifications on the fly to improve the production during rehearsals. “Producing new work and the development of it, that’s the opportunity Firehouse has provided,” Joan says.
“The Zombie Life” will have a limited run of eight performances, and tickets are $33.
