Belleville is “a stylish psychological thriller predicated on the idea that the person closest to you may in fact be a complete stranger” (LA Times). Young Americans Zack and Abby have the perfect ex-pat life in Paris: a funky bohemian apartment in an up-and-coming Belleville, a stable marriage and Zack’s noble mission to fight pediatric AIDS. But when Abby finds Zack at home one afternoon when he’s supposed to be at work, the questions and answers that follow shake the foundation of their seemingly beautiful life.

“Belleville is both a tragedy and a thriller,” said Jou, noting that Herzog’s writing astutely observes the ways Abby and Zack distort their own visions of themselves and each other. “The play offers us a lot to contemplate: what it means to know ourselves, when do we know when something is over and what happens next?”

Herzog is an American playwright whose works have earned her numerous awards, including the Whiting Writers Award and the New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award. Her dramatic comedy 4000 Miles won an Obie Award for Best New American Play and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Belleville was commissioned by Yale Rep, where it premiered in 2011. The play received a Drama Desk nomination and led Herzog to be a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training prepares to open its second show of this season, Amy Herzog’s Belleville. Directed by Jesse Jou, the show runs Jan. 5–23, with a pay-what-you-can preview on Jan. 4.

More about the FSU/Asolo Conservatory Season