Photo by Chris Loupos
by Emma Sylvia
There’s an acute sense of wonder as the scarlet curtains on a stage are pulled back, denoting a performance’s beginning. Perhaps you’re due to hear a pink-clad witch reminisce about her green-skinned friend or a Shakespearean tragic figure soliloquize to a skull. The mystery and sense of anticipation in the moment is palpable, and it’s just one of the things that makes theater as an artform so enticing. There is magic in it. No one knows this better than Matt de Rogatis, the chairman and creative director of Ruth Stage, a New Jersey-based nonprofit that’s just launched a residency in the Asbury Park area, bringing a new brand of unique theater to the Jersey Shore. Ruth Stage will mount their next production, “At Home at the Zoo” by famed playwright Edward Albee, at 7 p.m. on Thursday January 15, and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, January 16 and 17, at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove.
A Mentorship Births a Partnership
de Rogatis is originally from East Hanover, though he moved to the Jersey Shore when he was young. He spent stints in Miami, Orlando and New York City before settling in the Dark City. He’s an actor himself, known for his many performances, including an acclaimed off-Broadway run of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
de Rogatis’ interest in acting began at a young age, as he found himself enthralled while watching the 1987 film “Like Father Like Son.” His parents hired an agent for him, but as a kid there were many other distractions, and he didn’t stick with it. It wasn’t until he was 25 years old that he decided he wanted to break back into the field once more.
“I saw an audition for a production in Freehold for “The Mousetrap,” he recalls. “The director of the show, Bob Lamb and I hit it off, and he became my mentor for the next 14 years. He was like a third parent to me.”
Lamb taught de Rogatis everything he knew about teaching, production and acting. Together, in 2017 they founded their own theater company, Ruth Stage. Their homebase was in Freehold, but expanded into New York City as well especially after de Rogatis took the reins after Lamb’s passing in 2019.
“Bob passed, unfortunately, in 2019,” de Rogatis says. “Without him, I wouldn’t be doing any of this. I probably would’ve given up a long time ago. Doing this has given me a lengthier career. I love self-producing. Because I’ve taken control of my own destiny, I think that’s what’s helped me achieve that longevity.”
The organization is named after Lamb’s mother Ruth, who introduced him to theater as a young man. Ruth Lamb passed away in 2014.
After his mentor passed, de Rogatis proceeded to inject his own “flavor” into Ruth Stage, embracing edgier, darker productions, all while keeping the spirit of the original company to honor his past.
The Classics — With A Twist
As mentioned previously, de Rogatis is best known for his role of “Brick” in the 2022 off-Broadway production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (after having put on a production of “The Glass Menagerie” off-Broadway as well). Ruth Stage was the first group in United States history to get the rights for the Tennessee Williams classic play for off-Broadway.
“For us to get one of the most famous plays ever written? It was huge,” he says.
Following rave reviews from The New York Times and boosts from TV spots and Times Square billboards, the production catapulted in popularity, and they were afforded a return engagement in 2023 for more performances. After the success of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” de Rogatis was approached by audience members who mentioned that the play seemed “brand new.”
“We’re putting a new spin for younger audiences and getting them to come in,” he says. “We talk about mental health, whether it’s personality disorders, alcoholism or depression. If you see a Ruth Stage production, you’ll get a very intense reimagining of classics, bringing you into a psychological vortex.”
One of de Rogatis’s personal, long-term goals is to obtain the rights to perform “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and produce and star in it as "Stanley," which would make him the first performer ever in New York City to headline as all three of Williams’s male leads - having already done “Brick” in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “Tom” in “The Glass Menagerie.” Of course, their version would have its own spin as well.
“Our mission statement is to reimagine classic works with a focus on the human condition in the literary text. We’re bringing Broadway-level talent, productions and celebrities to the Jersey Shore. It’s a different brand that we’re trying to establish here,” he promises.
The Nitty Gritty
Though it began in Freehold, Ruth Stage has grown tremendously in recent years and has now obtained a residency at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove, just mere steps away from the bustling arts scene in Asbury Park. “My next-door neighbor ended up being the executive director at the Jersey Shore Arts Center. He wanted to have more of a rebellious vibe and do bigger shows. It was the perfect marriage,” he says.
The big question on de Rogatis’s mind was what production to bring first to the Asbury area? He turned to Christian Jules LeBlanc - a longtime friend, three-time Emmy winner and 30-year star of “The Young and the Restless.” LeBlanc also played opposite him, off-Broadway, as “Big Daddy” in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
“I said to him, ‘Why don’t we do “The Zoo Story”’? It was such a success [this past September] that we established the residency.”
de Rogatis is ecstatic to bring theater to Asbury, which he describes as a “cultural hub.” Bringing atypical theater to a community is a risky endeavor, but de Rogatis was eager to receive feedback from the audience during their post-show talkbacks.
“The Asbury audience seemed so happy we were doing theater here. The feedback [for “The Zoo Story”] was great. They know so much about theater here and are really dying for something like this. There’s theater all over, but nothing really gritty.”
The incredible response to “The Zoo Story” this past September has prompted Ruth Stage to raise the stakes this winter with an ambitious double bill experience: “At Home at the Zoo.” Presented at 7 p.m. Thursday January 15; and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, January 16 and 17, at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove, the evening pairs Edward Albee’s rarely staged prequel “Homelife” with a return engagement of “The Zoo Story,” offering audiences the full, explosive arc of Edward Albee’s vision in one night.
Those in attendance will witness a brutal collision of domestic repression and raw human desperation, exposing what happens when civilized life is forced to face the animal inside. The cast features 10-time Broadway veteran Nancy Lemenager (“Chicago,” “Movin’ Out,” “McNeal”) opposite LeBlanc in “Homelife”, before de Rogatis and LeBlanc reunite for the searing confrontation of “The Zoo Story” in the play’s second half.
With only three performances and a powerhouse cast, “At Home at the Zoo” is positioned to be one of the must-see cultural events of the winter at the Jersey Shore.
After their Albee production wraps in January, Ruth Stage will return in April with a production of “The Night of January 16th”, a drama about a murder trial that brings audience members up into the jury box to deduce their own opinions on if the accused is indeed innocent or guilty.
In July, they’re also planning a large, three-night festival in both Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. With food, beer trucks and live music, Ruth Stage will partner with the local veterans organization, Ma Deuce Deuce, and conclude the festivities with the Vietnam War play, “Lone Star,” all in honor of the US’s 250th birthday. In the fall, they’re mounting a full-scale production of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, “Macbeth.”
“In between those shows, we have fundraisers – golf outings, high stakes raffles, cigar nights and Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments,” de Rogatis says.
Ruth Stage also plans to take some of their Asbury productions up to New York for off-Broadway and Broadway runs, but for now, the success at the Jersey Shore has been reaffirming. As de Rogatis puts it best: “It’s what Asbury wants.”
Tickets to “At Home at the Zoo” start at $55 and can be purchased on EventBrite or ruthstage.org. Use promo code RUTHSTAGE for a discount.
To find out more about Ruth Stage, visit Ruthstage.org or @officialruthstage on all social media platforms.
