Tina Howe’s The Art of Dining a delicious comedy

Date of release: 11/04/05

SAN MARCOS – The Texas State University-San Marcos Department of Theatre and Dance presents Tina Howe’s The Art of Dining, a comedy of food and relationships, Nov. 15-19 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. on the main stage in the Theatre Center on campus.

Directed by Richard Sodders, a chic gourmet restaurant is the setting for The Art of Dining. Owners Cal and Ellen have put their life savings, reputations, and marriage on the line to open The Golden Carousel. While chef Ellen agonizes over the quality of the food, Cal worries about recouping their financial investment. As tensions between the couple come to a boil, seven diners obsess over body image, discuss their personal hungers, and reveal their love/hate relationships with food.

The New York premiere of The Art of Dining was hailed as “the funniest play I have seen in a long time” (Village Voice).

Ticket prices are $10 for general admission and $5 for students with a valid Texas State ID. For further information, contact the Texas State Box Office at (512) 245-2204.

Tina Howe's The Art of Dining, a comedy of food and relationships, runs Nov. 15-20 at Texas State University�s Theatre Center. (Photo by Don Anders)

Additional Information
Tina Howe is one of America’s most distinguished playwrights. The recipient of numerous awards for playwriting, Howe’s best known plays include Painting Churches (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Coastal Disturbances (Tony nomination for Best Play), and Pride’s Crossing (Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play).

Howe has described her plays as follows: “The motivating factor in all my works is a hopeless infatuation with extravagance. To me, the theater is an arena for celebrating excess--outrageous settings, lush language, and intense emotions.”