Zoe Walpole. Photo Courtesy of Zoe Walpole.
Mosaic Theater Company is premiering a new comedy, “Precarious,” by Steph Del Rosso, about new starts and family relationships. It focuses on Vi and her daughter Tillie as Vi tries to find a life change and Tillie seems to be thwarting Vi’s “new path.” The climate crisis also is involved in the Del Rosso’s message as well as distinct generational views of the world. The production is directed by Jaki Bradley and features Jonathan Del Palmer as Drew, Kim Schraf as Vi and Zoe Walpole as Tillie.
Zoe Walpole (Tillie, she/her) was last seen at Mosaic in “Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies.” DC area credits include “Agnes of God” (Factory 449, Helen Hayes Award – Outstanding Supporting Performer), Elaine May’s “Adult Entertainment” (The Klunch), and “The Member of the Wedding” (1st Stage.) She currently lives in Los Angeles where she is a company member at the Echo Theater and City Garage.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hey! I’m Zoe Walpole, an actor originally from Washington, DC and now based in Los Angeles. I didn’t study theater formally until after college when I took a single voice class at the Studio Acting Conservatory. One thing led to another and I finished their three-year program, while working full time, and built up my confidence to audition around town. I was working consistently when the pandemic shut theater down temporarily.
I decided to move because I wanted to experience living in another city. LA has been a great challenge and a wonderful place to live but DC still feels like an artistic home.
What attracted you to “Precarious” and Mosaic Theater Company since you live in Los Angeles?
I had my first professional job at Mosaic! Happy to say I have grown as an actor a lot since then. Mosaic remains a stalwart for plays about the complexities of social justice in our world and continues to champion the development of new plays, which is where I find myself most often. The artistic leadership team, including AD Reg Douglas, Serge Seiden, and Chelsea Radigan, have made me feel so welcome. They really just hire the best team, and the whole staff at Mosaic is a dream to work with.
Tell us a bit about your character Tillie. How are you like her? How are you different?
It will be easier to start with where we are different. Tillie lives in New York and I live in LA, ha! One thing that attracted me to Steph (Del Rosso)’s writing is that “Precarious” captures the stress of spending your 30s in an expensive city without the reasonable expectation of being able to afford a home or guaranteed career advancement and still loving it there.
During table work, our director Jaki (Bradley) talked a lot about the complex personal math that goes into making decisions. I, like Tillie, have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I can live with in terms of my individual environmental choices. Acknowledging that someone else’s math could take them to a completely different answer has been on my mind a lot. Plus, the ways Tillie and her mom, Vi (played by the wonderful Kim Schraf), clash mimic the way we all clash with people we love so beautifully. That aspect of the story feels fresh and familiar to me all at once.
What is your favorite role besides this one?
I’ve been really lucky (and grateful!) to work with some amazing fixtures of the DC stage. From Kim in this show, to Deidra LaWan Starnes in the “Member of the Wedding,” and what has to be my favorite role, playing opposite Felicia Curry and Nanna Ingvarsson in “Agnes of God” with Factory 449. This was before Rick Hammerly took over at Virginia Rep. He directed and put together the most amazing team on a relatively small budget. Kenny Neal, who’s also doing the sound design for “Precarious,” lent this otherworldly sound to the stage and we had an amazing handmade blood rig by our costume designer, Alison Johnson. Of course, awards were the furthest thing from our minds while we were working but it doesn’t hurt that we got some love at the Helen Hayes that year. It was the most wonderful lesson in what is effective on stage.
What are your plans in the dramatic arts in the future?
I always joke that I’ll do whatever people pay me to do. But the truth is that I love storytelling, and I’m happiest when I get to cobble together my living as an actor. I’m passionate about other actors knowing that the financial landscape of being an actor is constantly changing and constantly challenging, so I really wouldn’t rule anything out. There is so much time, energy, and money that goes into working in any medium.
I’ve been incredibly lucky, because luck does go into it, that commercials have helped pay my bills since I’ve been in LA. I’ve been working towards building film and TV credits, I am a company member at two small theaters and also working a restaurant job so I can afford to take on passion projects. I’d love to do more classic theater and to come back to the DC area on a regular basis.
“Precarious” runs through June 28, 2026 at Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 13333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 202.399.7993, x501, Tuesday-Sunday: 12pm-6pm, 1 hour prior to the performance, or go online.
