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Eating Their Words Weds Chefs and Playwrights in Country’s Most Innovative Matrimony of Food and Theater

NEW YORK, NY  August 18, 2008  --   Eating Their Words, reinventing the concept of “dinner theater” by wedding a seasoned chef with prominent playwrights for an integrated evening of new cuisine and new plays, will next stage World Premieres by award-winning playwrights Neil LaBute, Brooke Berman and Steven Levenson September 16^th at the Michelin-starred Country restaurant.  A culinary treat, a cultural fix, and a supper-club social, the events offer attendees the World Premiere of three new plays written explicitly for their evening, coupled with the inherent theatricality of a one-of-a-kind meal inspired by the writers' work. The event's forum is the chef's restaurant.  The intimate evening delivers these plays, set at a dinner table, an arm’s length away from audience members.  Attendees surround the performance table, voyeuristically overhearing a “conversation” at a neighboring table.  Following each play, set over a meal, the audience indulges in the course they just watched the actors experience.  Each course was created by the chef after reading and interpreting the playwrights’ scripts. 

The innovative company  launched in March of 2008 at The Tasting Room, and followed with a June event at the iconic Peacock Alley, located in the Waldorf = Astoria.  It is the only theatrical or culinary event of its kind.

The Country Event piques the palate on Tuesday, September 16th, at 7pm.  Under the theme "Lawless Cuisine", the evening will be staged on a candlelit private balcony in Country's exquisite dining room.  The unique evening features Executive Chef Willis Loughhead’s original food and wine pairing, inspired by the work of collaborating playwrights Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Reasons to Be Pretty), Brooke Berman (A Perfect Couple, Hunting and Gathering), and Steven Levenson (The Language of Trees at The Roundabout Underground this fall). The evening features performances by Tony Award nominee Pablo Schreiber (Awake and Sing!, Reasons to be Pretty), Drama Desk Award winner Marylouise Burke (Fuddy Meers, Sideways), acclaimed actress Maria Dizzia (Eurydice), and Broadway veteran Victor Slezak (The Graduate, Suddenly Last Summer).  Artistic Director and Eating Their Words founder, Marlo Hunter (Williamstown, Long Wharf, Ensemble Studio Theatre), directs. 

Loughhead, a graduate of Boston University, honed his culinary skills through extensive travel and cultural immersion in North Africa and Asia. Prior to joining Geoffrey Zakarian at Country, Loughhead oversaw culinary operations at Andre Balasz’s Sunset Beach, and served as Chef de Cuisine at The Modern.

The one-woman start-up was founded by Artistic Director and Manhattan-based director and choreographer, Marlo Hunter, to explore the relationship between playwright and chef.  The Princeton graduate launched the company to see whether she could build a business solely upon the things she loves most.  The company will feature new plays and original menus at restaurants of note in and around Manhattan, monthly.  The company also creates private events for companies and individuals who are looking for a unique, high-end event concept. 

Tickets for the September 16th event ($295) are extremely limited and can be purchased through the Eating Their Words website at www.eatingtheirwords.com.   VIP tickets ($325) ensure that attendees will be seated with a playwright or actor throughout the evening.