World Premiere of THE STARVING Begins Tonight at Barter Stage II

"The Starving," a never-before-seen tale of food shortages and generational oppositions, will begin playing at Barter Stage II tonight, April 21. It was the critic's selection of Barter's 2013 Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, and is part of Barter's Shaping of America Series.

"The Starving" imagines a world where massive food shortages push people to make extreme choices, pitting generations against each other for survival. In the not-so-distant future, the young have risen up against the old. Two representatives, Marion and Murphy, have been chosen to negotiate the future of all society. With the fate of all humanity resting on their shoulders, Marion and Murphy look for answers to the greatest of questions. Discover who will triumph and if winning is even an option.

Barter's Shaping of America Series began in 2011, and produces one play per year focusing on where America came from and where it is headed. In the year 2026, when the program will complete, it will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of The United States. "The Starving," is the fourth play to be produced as part of this series, which is designed to create a 15-play volume of work describing who America is today.

"The Starving" is the first play in the Shaping of America Series to look forward in the future of America rather than looking to the past for answers.

Nicholas Piper, director of this production, said, "I believe 'The Starving' is one of the most relevant plays we've offered in our Shaping of America Series. It offers us a chance to imagine the future and think about how we might make it better."

Emelie Faith Thompson, Michael Poisson and Emily Grove will appear in "The Starving."

David L. Williams, the author of "The Starving," has written more than 25 plays and musicals, four of which were selected for the New York International Fringe Festival. "Williams' work has been produced throughout the country," says Piper, "We are thrilled to debut this talented playwright's original work."

"The Starving" will begin showing on Barter's Stage II on April 21, for a limited run ending on May 9.

"The Starving" is made possible by corporate sponsor Big Weenie Productions. The Barter Theatre is funded in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.