Eating Their Words brings America's most exciting playwrights, the country's most innovative and established chefs, and the finest stage and screen performers to your guests for an unprecedented synthesis of the performing and culinary arts. Reinventing "dinner theater" as an artistic collaboration between chef and playwrights, the diner experiences three short plays happening at the table next to them, voyeuristically overhearing a conversation (the short play) taking place over meal. In between each short play, the guests enjoy the sumptuous course inspired by the play they just watched. We have featured the finest Broadway and screen talent in new work by playwrights such as Neil LaBute, Theresa Rebeck, Brooke Berman, Annie Baker and Beau Willimon; in turn, these playwrights have collaborated with chefs David Bouley, Marco Moreira, Colin Alevras, and Sam Mason, among others.


America's current social, economic and cultural climate has been likened, for better or worse, to the 1st century Roman Empire. It is here that Eating Their Words receives its inspiration, modeled upon the great Roman ban­quets or convivia (translated literally from the Latin as "sharing life together") which birthed the concept of haute cuisine, and provided a forum for playwrights to recite their newest work. It often served as a platform for satirizing the political and social climate of the time. Many convivia were structured under the umbrella of an all-encompassing theme. When like Rome...

Inspired by this lost artistic and social forum, Founder and Artistic director, Marlo Hunter, created Eating Their Words to satiate her mutual love for developing and directing new plays, and eating really good food. Intrigued by the inherent theatricality of a meal, she wanted to see what would happen if she stirred the two forms of story-telling together. She is delighted to report that the sum is greater than its ingredients. A theater director and choreo­grapher based in Manhattan, Marlo’s gen­uine passion for both theater and cuisine is infectious, as is her desire to bring people together in this im­per­son­al day and age. She is also a very, very talented eater.

Since the company's launch in March of 2008, Eating Their Words has collaborated with some of New York's finest chefs, challenging them to think outside the box and create original menus inspired by the work of the country's leading playwrights. It began at The Tasting Room with Chef Colin Alevras, with subsequent events at the iconic Peacock Alley in the Waldorf =Astoria with Chef Cedric Tovar, Country with Chef Willis Loughhead, Tailor with Chef Sam Mason and Mixologist Eben Freeman, and Tocqueville with Chef Marco Moreira. We have commissioned and produced World Premiere plays by playwrights Neil LaBute (reasons to be pretty), Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius), Brooke Berman (A Perfect Couple), and Beau Willimon (Farragut North) among many others. This phenomenal work was performed by Tony Award winning actors, and renowned Broadway, film and television artists. Eating Their Words has also been the subject of multiple features -- read about us!  You can also view photos and menus from each incredible evening on the Events page.

Eating Their Words caters to foodies and theater lovers alike; we tell a story with words and food.  For each public event, three well-established playwrights (Pulitzer Prize winners, Tony Award winners -- high caliber talent) are commissioned, each to write a new play.  Artistic Director and playwrights meet with the chef to discuss his/her philosophy and approach to cooking, the kind of cuisine he/she creates, and what the story of a meal means to him/her.  The playwrights learn about the way in which the chef works to create a full theatrical experience for his/her guests, from ambiance, to service, to the food itself.  After exciting discussion and viewing the space, we determine a general theme for the evening.

Each playwright then chooses which course he/she will be writing for.  Chef and playwrights part ways, and the playwrights begin their writing process with a few parameters:  their plays must be set at a dinner table in that very restaurant, they can be no more than 20 minutes in length, and be written for 2-4 characters.  After some dialogue between playwrights and chef, the completed scripts are handed over to the chef, who creates each course inspired by the corresponding play.  The actors are hired, the plays rehearsed, and the menu set.  We are ready for the most important ingredient:  You.

When you arrive at an Eating Their Words event, you’ll mingle with your friends and meet other guests, with whom your party will be seated.  All seating promises close proximity to the performance table, which is located an arm’s length away, in the center of the room.  If you have purchased Premium Tickets, a playwright or actor will be seated at your table, and dining with you between plays.

The first play begins at the performance table, right next to you, as though you are eavesdropping on a conversation at an adjacent table; yet it’s the World Premiere of a new play featuring acclaimed actors.  During the piece, the actors are engaged in a course of the meal.  At the end of the play, you are served the same dishes you just watched the actors consume and interact over.  And so on and so forth for each course. Between each play there is ample time to enjoy your original cuisine, and socialize with guests and artists alike.  And the cherry on the cake:  the Chef will approach every table for each course, to explain how and why he or she created these dishes inspired by the plays.  It is a full integration of the culinary and dramatic arts.   We guarantee you have never experienced anything quite like it.

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If you would like to hire Eating Their Words for a private event in a restaurant, home, or event hall, please view the Private & Corporate Hire link.

We look forward to welcoming you to one of our unforgettable evenings