Harold Pinter's

The Dumb
Waiter

Edward Albee's

The Zoo
Story

A pair of relentlessly suspenseful one-acts, The Dumb Waiter and The Zoo Story explore the flipsides of killing time. Premiered in 1960, the plays concern the desperate need to communicate (or not) that drives us to violence and beyond.

Echoes of Waiting for Godot reverberate through The Dumb Waiter as two professional killers pass time waiting for their next macabre assignment.

The Zoo Story depicts a clash of classes as a young vagrant recounts his visit to the zoo to a well-to-do family man and draws the listener into his own primal urges.

Directed by ensemble members Ronan Marra and Aaron Snook

featuring ensemble members Christopher Prentice, Joseph Stearns and Philip Winston

set: Ronan Marra, costumes & stage manager: Devon MacGregor, lighting: Julie E. Ballard, sound: ensemble member Anthony Ingram, props: Sarah Elizabeth M.

Outstanding Actors 2006: Christopher Prentice as Jerry in The Zoo Story— Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times

Highly Recommended "The discoveries the company makes are amplified by exacting, astonishingly expressive performances" — Mary Shen Barnidge, Chicago Reader

"Signal Ensemble earns praise for clean direction and strong acting" — Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald full review

Critics' Pick "...Solid performances ... perfectly fine start to Signal Ensemble's fourth season" — Novid Parsi, Time Out Chicago full review

Highly Recommended "Signal Ensemble Theatre once more shows why they are among the finest non-Equity troupes in Chicago." Tom Williams, chicagocritic.com full review

"One of the best up-and-coming non-Equity theatre companies in Chicago...this double scoop of Pinter and Albee is thoughtfully and admirably executed"— Joe Stead, steadstylechicago.com full review