JW3 has announced its first major theatre commission in nearly a decade – Allan Leas’ play Trudy Zeller Lives Here.
It explores the legacy of the Second World War through two main characters: Trudy, a Jewish psychoanalyst who has spent her life distancing herself from her childhood in Nazi Germany; and Hilde, a retired concert pianist who survived the bombing of Cologne.
The pair strike up an unlikely friendship which prompts them to confront and reveal the secret of their pasts to their adult children.
It is set in post-Brexit Britain and combines serious and thought-provoking themes with moments of comedic relief.
First gracing JW3, in north-west London, as a rehearsed reading in 2024, the production is returning for a limited run between March 7 and18, 2027.
It is JW3’s first extended production aside from its annual pantomime in almost a decade; the institution says it “reinforc[es] a renewed commitment to original Jewish theatre”.
The plot is inspired by the relationship between writer Leas’ German mother-in-law and her Jewish neighbour.
Leas is the son of a Lithuanian Jewish refugee and was granted political asylum in the UK after fleeing apartheid South Africa. He has spent more than 30 years working in refugee protection, including as a consultant to the United Nations.
“After the reading in 2024, it’s enormously exciting to see Trudy Zeller Lives Here come to life on stage,” Leas said.
“It’s a play about the unexpected connections between people, the secrets we carry, and the ways in which art can open doors we thought were firmly closed. I can’t wait to share it with the JW3 audience.”
Experienced theatre director Joe Harmston will helm the production.
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