Family Dinner at the Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre

Michele Willens' new play, Family Dinner, will open at Theatre Row's Beckett Theater on 21 Jun 2010, following previews from 17 Jun and will run through to 3 Jul 2010.

In the first act of Family Dinner, we meet the Wells family in its suburban Southern California home in 1963, a seemingly typical family that reflects the American values as we understood them at that time: father Howard's business is enjoying unexpected growth, mother Jane remains at home to look out for their three school-age children. The family sits down to dinner together every night, with the cocktails and casseroles that were the order of the day in the early 60's.

Act 2 revisits the Wells family 40 years later (the daughter in the first act is the mother now and the family is located in post 9/11 NYC), and the tradition of conversation and word-play at the family dinner are long-forgotten. In fact, the very idea of a such a dinner is seemingly impossible.

Family Dinner is a about one family, several generations, modes of communications, and the repercussions of finally telling the truth.

Directed by Jamibeth Margolis, Family Dinner features Lily Corvo, Rick Desloge, Patrick Riviere, Mary Ellen Ashley, Daniel Pollack, Marshall Pailet, Mary McGloin, Tommy McKieran, Nancy Nagrant and William Broderick.

Scenic design for Family Dinner is by Josh Zangen, lighting design is by Joel Silver, costume design is by Janell Berte and sound design by Drew Levy.