Albion Theatre Department Presents Only Second Live Production of Ogden’s 2AZ Zombie Thriller

The year is 2 AZ: Two years after the zombies came and the whole world fell apart. You’ve seen zombie horror before but never live on stage.

November 8, 2023

The year is 2 AZ: Two years after the zombies came and the whole world fell apart. You’ve seen zombie horror before but never live on stage.

Albion’s Theatre Department delivers a gory action spectacular about who survives and what they become after the world ends in its production of 2AZ. The play was originally developed and world-premiered by Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre Company in 2015. Albion’s production is only the second staging of 2AZ.

Performances of this edge-of-your-seat thriller run from Nov. 9 through Nov. 18.

“At its heart, 2AZ is a gory parable about how citizens and governments respond in a time of crisis; something we’re all acutely in tune with today,” said Zach Fischer, assistant professor and chair of theatre and director of 2AZ. “Michael Brian Ogden’s script dynamically captures the essence of a world that has lost its guardrails at the hands of a plague, and asks us to consider who we become when our societal fabric is shredded. Who survives, who can be trusted, and what is still worth fighting for after the world ends?”

“We are so grateful to the Purple Rose team and especially to playwright Michael Brian Ogden for generous collaborative support throughout our process,” added Fischer.

The cast includes:

• Ayaina Singletary as “Riley”
• Orion Hower as “Kelly”
• Brady Zalac as “Jeff”
• Ciara Funk as “Kristina”
• Alaya Swoope as “Rachel”
• Seph Cartier as “Channing”
• Nico Alfahed as “Porter”
• Kat Voogd as “Sanford”
• Ashvin Sharma as “Billy”
• Zayy Cummings as “James”
• James Walker as “Charlie” and
• Chenier Crawford, Cassi Grooten, Alison Harvey, Jane Raven, Kaelyn Ruiter, Alaceia Simmons, and Amyrah Simmons as “Zombies”

Scenic and sound design is provided by Kiah Kayser, costume design by Stephanie Henderson, and lighting design by Joel Klain. Ambling Nymph Productions provided special arrangement production.

Performance dates and times are as follows:

• Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. (post-show discussion with the Cast & Crew)
• Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (two performances)

All shows are at the Herrick Theater in the Dow Center, and admission is free. The show is for mature audiences only.