Hylton Family Series brings Imago Theatre's wild and wacky "ZooZoo" to Manassas

Wildly successful in its inaugural season, the 2011-2012 Hylton Family Series concludes this spring with a fantastic and enchanting menagerie of animals real and imagined when the internationally acclaimed Imago Theatre brings its wacky and whimsical production of “ZooZoo” to the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 2 p.m. The New York Times describes the production, featuring a series of short works about four to seven minutes in length, as “a cross between a circus, vaudeville and the zoo.”

“ZooZoo” features a talented cast playing mischievous animals and inanimate objects that adopt human characteristics, performing without dialogue to an original score by Katie Griesar. This exciting performance brings a captivating cast of characters that include penguins playing musical chairs, a cat trapped in a giant paper bag, hippos with insomnia, anteaters as waiters, edgy frogs, dancing polar bears, playful rabbits, an acrobatic larva and much more—all contributing to a fresh and innovative perspective on performance art for audiences of all ages. 

Founded in 1979 by Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad in Portland, Ore., Imago Theatre strives to put form and design at the heart of theater creation, while incorporating a distinctive physical energy and stunning masks and disguises into each production.

The company has been hailed for its ingenuity and creativity on its tours across Asia, Europe, Canada and the United States. Two of Imago Theatre’s most celebrated productions, “ZooZoo” and “FROGZ,” have appeared several times at Broadway’s New Victory Theater.

, which kicks off on Oct. 20 with the hysterical musical duo Trout Fishing in America. The Emmy-nominated Pushcart Players bring two delightful performances of "Peter and the Wolf" on Feb. 2, while gifted artist and mask-maker Michael Cooper brings his mesmerizing new show, "Masked Marvels & Wondertales" on March 3. The 2012-2013 season concludes on April 21 with "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," starring its beloved longtime host, Peter Gros, who brings tales of his adventures and some of his exotic animal friends to the Hylton Center.

Tickets for IMAGO THEATRE’S production of “ZOOZOO” are $15 for adults, $5 for children. Visit the box office or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit hyltoncenter.org. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va., 20110. Free parking is available in the lot next to the Hylton Center.

For more information about this performance or the 2012-2013 Hylton Family Series performances, please visit hyltoncenter.org.