JW3 has announced Trudy Zeller Lives Here as its first major theatre commission outside its annual pantomime in almost a decade, marking a renewed commitment to developing original Jewish theatre.
The new play, written by Allan Leas and directed by Joe Harmston, will run at JW3 from 7 to 18 March 2027, following an earlier rehearsed reading at the venue in 2024.
Described as a serious comedy, Trudy Zeller Lives Here explores the unlikely friendship between two elderly German women and examines the enduring impact of history, family secrets and human connection.
Set in post-Brexit Britain, the play centres on 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. As a friendship develops between the neighbours in a north London apartment block, long-buried truths emerge, forcing both women to confront the past and the impact it continues to have on their families.
Inspired by the relationship between his German mother-in-law and her Jewish neighbour, Leas draws on personal history in a work that explores the legacy of the Second World War and the role of humour in helping people navigate difficult circumstances.
Leas said: “After the reading in 2024, it’s enormously exciting to see Trudy Zeller Lives Here come to life on stage. 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.”
Leas is the son of a Lithuanian Jewish refugee and was granted political asylum in the UK after fleeing apartheid South Africa. Alongside his writing, he has spent more than three decades working in refugee protection for the United Nations and other international organisations.
The production forms part of JW3’s 2026 commissioning programme, which supports the creation of new Jewish stories with the potential to resonate beyond the venue’s own stage.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
