Dead Man’s Dinner opens tomorrow, and we are really, really excited about it! This is our third mainstage production with resident playwright W.M. Akers, whose work, as you’ll see at Theater for the New City over the next three weekends, is always a delight. Here’s a taste of how the play came about, and why it’s a story that needs to be told.

What was your inspiration for this play?

I wanted to find a way to explore what would happen if people in New York City, or anywhere in America, were confronted with war, famine and starvation. They’re problems that seem so far away, and are so hard to really imagine while you’re just reading the newspaper, so my goal here was to make the as immediate and terrifying as they really should be.

Do you feel that humans would turn to cannibalism in time of crisis?

I think that if someone is hungry enough, yes, they will always turn to cannibalism in the end. It’s a pretty well-documented phenomenon, although not one that people like to talk about.

How do you feel about this production?

Watching this play gives me chills. The team that Kathryn and Brandi have put together are all so exquisitely talented—they scare the hell out of me, and by the end of the show, I find myself freezing cold and very hungry. It’s an intense thing.

What do you hope the audience takes from their viewing experience?

I hope people leave this play hungry! I hope they walk down First Avenue and see all the restaurants and delis and grocery stores, and remember how lucky they are to always have food at hand.