A Test of Taste at Chain Theatre

A Test of Taste, a play by Kendra Jones, is set to return to New York City this month.

Co-directed by Jones and Emily M. White, the production will be presented as part of the Chain Theatre’s Summer One-Act Play Festival at the Chain Theatre (312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018) as part of Program 10, with performances Fri., July 18 at 8:30pm; Thurs., July 24 at 8:30pm; and Sat., August 2 at 2pm. On July 24th, the production of A Test of Taste will be livestreamed, with a talkback to follow. Livestream tickets can be purchased here; noting that A Test of Taste is in Program 10.

Tickets ($23) are available for advance purchase online and should be purchased using the code TASTE25.

A Test of Taste stars Kevin Cheng (Dear Diary, Sunset Diner), Jennifer Analise Roberts, Caleb Dunaway, Kellie Williams, and Sara Beneke.

A Test of Taste premiered at A.R.T. New York as part of Script Club NYC’S Places in Ten One-Act Festival in September 2024.

“My goal with this piece is to explore the version of ourselves we allow in work settings vs. the version of ourselves we hide—the performances we put on in public spaces,” says Jones. “A Test of Taste is inspired by my real experiences as a professional taste tester. What has always been most fascinating about the gig is that I’ve see the same Panelists every day for years, but the real self only emerges when we are at our most vulnerable and emotional states.”

A Test of Taste brings together a group of New Yorkers (hired off a Craigslist ad) to taste test products together in a Manhattan office space for a company working to predict tasting palettes. Each day is different and unexpected. 

The Chain Summer One-Act Festival is now a cornerstone of New York City's theater scene. Past festivals have featured works by Academy Award winner Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, A Real Pain), Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck, Doubt: A Parable), Tony Award winner David Rabe (Sticks and Bones, HurlyBurly, Casualties of War), as well as Emmy winner Cady McClain, who is returning this summer to star in John Thompson’s WHAT HAPPENED WAS, directed by legendary Obie and Drama Desk Award-winner Austin Pendleton (Between Riverside and Crazy, Orson's Shadow).

Kendra Jones (Playwright, Director) is a writer and educator based in New York City. She completed her MFA in nonfiction writing at Columbia University. Originally from the cornfields of Pennsylvania, Kendra graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a BS in biology, a BA in professional writing, and a minor in creative writing. Kendra reviews Off and On-Broadway shows for The Front Row Center and is an NCAA Women’s Basketball Official. She is a Member Resident at Woodward Residency. A Test of Taste, inspired by personal experiences, premiered in 2024 at A.R.T. New York.

IG: @kendra_jones_

Emily M. White (Co-director) is a director, dramaturg, and arts administrator. Directing credits include Dear Diary, I Hate the Dedham Mall (Chain Theatre Festival); Passover Parodies, The Box (Script Club NYC); Living Radio NYC. Dramaturgy credits include Coal Country (The Public Theater); White Rose, The Roaring Girl (Theatre Row); and more. She is currently the Editorial Manager at New York City Center and has a BA in Theatre Studies from Emerson College. She is a member of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, and her work has been published on HowlRound Theatre Commons.

Caleb Dunaway (Dennis) is thrilled to reprise the role of Dennis. He is a graduate of the American Musical & Dramatic Academy, and has since worked on numerous TV shows (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dopesick, The Gilded Age, Gossip Girl.) He is also a guest comic at the Broadway Comedy Club & The Greenwich Village Comedy Club. 

Kellie Williams (Jackie) is a New York-based actor and singer. Her favorite credits include singing in many cabarets at Don’t Tell Mama, acting and writing on an all-women sketch comedy team called the Industry Plants, and playing "Zuzu" in Dance Nation at Sarah Lawrence College. You can find her on Instagram @k3llie_wil.

Jennifer Analise Roberts (Amber) is thrilled to be performing at The Chain Theater Festival! Most recently she was seen in Sunset Diner at The East Village Basement. A few of her select favorite credits include A Chorus Line (Ivoryton Playhouse), Grease (Musicals At Richter) Memphis (Connecticut Theater Company), Ernst Toller’s Hoppla, We’re Alive! (La MaMa) and The Laramie Project (Mabou Mines). Education: The New School BA Theater and Dance. 

IG: jennifer_analise

Kevin Cheng (Jesse) is a Taiwanese actor and writer based in New York City. Notable theater credits include: The Seagull (HB Playwrights), A Midsummer Night's Dream (A.R.T./New York), Dear Diary (Chain), and Sunset Diner (East Village Basement). Most recently, he starred in the feature film "A Journey of Jack and Tom" directed by Chin-En Gau. Kevin is interested in telling stories about how ordinary people with big unfulfilled dreams make sense of their individual lives amidst loss and confusion. 

Sara Beneke (NutmegXXX) is thrilled to be returning to the Chain Theater One Act festival in the hilarious “A Test of Tase” by Kendra Jones. She recently made her official Off-Broadway debut as Phibe Foster in “The Willie Lynch Letter”. Film: Friendly Strangers, Coming Masquerade. It’s NutmegXXX, baby!

Performances are July 18, July 24, and August 2.