Famished, by Eugenia Woods

Stove top, microwaved; organic, free range, genetically-modified; omnivore, vegan; trans-fat, low-fat, low-cal, no carb, gluten-free; breast fed, bottle fed; savory, sweet, healthy, forbidden; pierogi, pizza, salad, curry; Thanksgiving, Hannukah; breakfast, lunch, dinner…. Whether it’s satisfied by a home cooked meal, soup tipped from the can, a Happy Meal, or a burrito grabbed from a cart, our hunger is inescapable, inevitable, and essential. Food is who we are.

Equal parts drama, documentary, social experiment, [Gallagher,] and installation, Eugenia Woods' new play Famished reveals a view of the relationships we develop with and around food and the often convoluted ways we seek to satisfy our essential hunger. Derived from dozens of interviews and performance-based interaction with Portland audiences, FAMISHED reveals the rules, rituals, traditions and sheer pleasures of nourishing ourselves and others. Jan 19 - Feb 5 by Portland Playhouse, performing at 17 SE 8th (Imago Th.), $14 - 23.

"pretentious kale eater"

"I experience my hunger sometimes as a weakness, sometimes as a high"

"sometimes I can crave something & not actually be hungry"

"poly ambiguity"

"it was exhausting trying to earn your desire"

"the memory is in the hunger, the hunger is in the memory"

If you're obsessive about food, the content may trigger you (actor squirming in delight while eating junk food). It seemed, to me, to be very well rounded regarding the various forms of dysfunction and extra baggage that gets attached to food, including a few venues I hadn't pondered.

Word to the wise: When you enter theater, there are all-red attached seats on left. SIT THERE! We sat on the right and missed the overhead projections.