1998 - The Art of Dining

UThe setting for "The Art of Dining" by Tina Howe is a cold winter evening in the newly opened "Golden Carousel Restaurant" The owners and operators of the restaurant are Ellen, the gourmet cook, and her husband Cal, the entrepreneurial waiter.

The guests include a trio of young women, out for a night on the town, a married couple celebrating their anniversary, and a neurotic writer, who is meeting her publisher for the first time. When Cal eats many of the key ingredients for the gourmet food that Ellen is preparing, the evening gets out of hand. We learn much about the personal problems and eating habits of all concerned.

"The Art of Dining" was directed by Dorothee Roth. It is an actors play, with a tenuous plot and wonderful, difficult dialogue. It was a challenge for the group and it worked. We didn't know if we had customers for a play like this, but had to install extra seats for the last performance!