'Food! A Play with Music' to debut at West campus

“Food! A Play with Music” will debut Nov. 18-20 at Arizona State University’s West campus. Performances are free; reservations are suggested.

“Food!” mixes songs and media to follow Peter “The Eater” as he makes a nutritional lifestyle change. Peter is enthralled with the messages found in Michael Pollan’s New York Times bestseller “In Defense of Food” and becomes the book’s number one advocate. His mantra becomes the book’s most famous quote: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

“Food!” is created and performed by ASU students and alumni and is part of the “Much Ado About Food” series of events being presented during the current academic year at the West campus. Over the summer all incoming freshmen on campus read Pollan’s book and participated in discussions with faculty members during welcome week activities.

The play's producer, faculty member Charles St. Clair, devised a way for “Food!” to bring another kind of sustenance to the West campus. All three performances will serve as a fundraiser to benefit @west News, the independent, student-run newspaper that is published biweekly to serve the West campus community. Contributions to @west News are voluntary at these otherwise free performances, and will be collected at the ticket booth.

Performances of “Food! A Play with Music” are set for Nov. 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Second Stage West, lower level of the University Center Building. ASU’s West campus is at 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix.

To reserve free tickets, call (602) 543-ARTS (2787).