Urban Death

Ur ban Deat h I nt er v i ew by St ac y Ann Rapos a As I sit in the coffee shop waiting for Jana to arrive, I wonder what she will be like. I?m familiar with the name Zombie Joe?s Underground Theatre Group; I?ve heard a little about some of the weird and creepy stuff they do, but not much.

Having produced and directed theatre in North Hollywood just blocks away from ZJU for the past several years, it?s a little strange that I?ve never seen one of their productions. When I talked to Zombie Joe on the phone, he radiated a warmth and a kindness that I didn?t expect, well? from someone named Zombie Joe. We talked a little bit about the fact that we?ve never come across each other and how unlikely it was since we?d both been part of the NoHo theatre scene for ages.

He invited me to come see Urban Death and I promised I would. He seemed like a really cool, genuine guy.

My interviewee arrives and I immediately feel comfortable with her.

Which, in L.A., is a huge relief. When you?re meeting someone for the first time that has any association with ?The Biz,? or as I prefer to say, ?The Performing Arts,? you never know what you?re gonna get. There are a lot of creeps. A lot of people that make you feel horrible about yourself if you don?t look like you just fell off the cover of a magazine, and a lot of people that are so high on themselves, you fear what will happen if (or when, as the case may be) they fall. Anyway, I thanked the universe that this was not one of those times. My first impression of Jana was exactly the impression I got on the phone from Zombie Joe: she seemed like a really cool, genuine chick.

Jana Wimer is originally from Fresno, but

moved to L.A. in 1999, so she?s been here a while and knows what?s up. She holds a degree in theatre and her ?true love? is Horror Theatre. ?I?ve always loved horror, and I blame channel 26 in Fresno, CA? KPMH? because starting at noon on Saturdays, they would show horror films. So, I?d get up and watch cartoons, and then I?d watch horror movies.? She remembers people asking her why she loved horror, but could only respond with ?I don?t know, I just do.?

Good enough for me.

When asked how she first became involved with Zombie Joe?s, Jana sets the stage, so to speak, for me: It?s 2003.

Although she?s never been to Zombie Joe?s, it?s close by and a friend is performing in a show there. Describing the experience, she remembers ?It was just completely over the top ridiculous

and I was like I have to do something at this theatre. It?s so bizarre!? A few days later, she happened to be looking through Backstage West, which she has admittedly done ?like 4 times in my life? and saw they were having auditions. She got cast and that was the beginning of her journey as one of ZJU?s artists.

One of the things Jana is most proud of is her role as Co-creator of Urban Death, one of ZJU?s staple shows. ?Zombie came to me in 2005 and was like ?I want to create a horror show.?And I was like okay, and then I started thinking. The first thing that really struck me when I went and saw that first show there was the blackout. The lights went out in that theatre and it?s pitch black. Pitch. Black.

And so when I was thinking about a Horror show, all I could think of was using that blackness. And so we came up

"It?ssosatisfying sittingoutsideand hearingpeopl ejust scream." with: lights come up and you see something, it?s like a moment in time.

You just see a little snippet in the middle of something that?s happening. And the lights go out, and it?s pitch black. Then

the lights come up and you see something else.? Zombie and Jana took that idea and ran with it and created a hugely successful cult hit. A typical Urban Death show consists of about 45 vignettes in under an hour. There is no dialogue, only imagery is used to portray the stories. They also produce a Halloween version, ?Urban Death Tour of Terror,? a ?Haunted Theatre Attraction? in which they transform the lobby into maze and you see a short version of an Urban Death show. This year, Jana tells me, the crowds have been nuts. ?I?m always trying to explain Urban Death to people, but it?s really hard to explain, you have to experience it. It?s a trip. It?s so satisfying sitting outside and hearing people just scream.?

Phot os by Mar t i

Mat ul i s

What?s really interesting to me though, is when Jana describes the process of creating the show. It?s not a scripted piece that is written and then performed.

It?s more like a workshop. The actors are involved in creating the pieces. It?s a very unique process which includes actors being ?all over each other. A lot of nudity. A lot of weirdness.? This resonates with me on a deep level. The process by which Jana creates this show is insanely similar to a show that I create.

There are so many parallels between what we do and I think to myself, ?This chick gets it.? She knows what theatre can be, and I love that.

Jana?s dream is to ?travel the world and create.?

Since there?s no dialogue in Urban Death, it can easily translate. She?s off to a good start, having already taken the show to NYC and South Africa.

Zombie Joe?s is one of the few theatres in NoHo that is constantly producing several shows at a time.

They produce an average of 35 shows a year; a feat which Jana tells me Zombie Joe ?doesn?t recommend to anybody.? As a producer myself, I can vouch for the truth in that statement. Producing theatre is an exhausting? and sometimes thankless? job. Kudos to anyone who can do that 35 times in a year.

When asked about her favorite part about being involved with JZU, Jana tells me, ?The people. One of Zombie?s biggest strengths is just finding cool people.? Amen to that.

And her second favorite thing? ?Doing weird stuff; stuff you would not be able to do anywhere else.?

I?m going to see Urban Death tomorrow night. I figured I?d go as close to Halloween as possible. I can?t wait.

For more info on Zombie Joe?s Underground Theatre Group and Urban Death, go to zombiejoes.com