AN EMPTY PLATE
IN THE CAFÈ DU GRAND BOEUF

​by Michael Hollinger    
directed by Maude Eisele and Genevieve Barlow

An absurdist tragicomedy that will leave you hungry for more!

On a hot Paris night in 1961, an absurdist tragicomedy unfolds in a seven course feast for the senses, ​over a series of empty plates. Will the loyal staff of the Café du Grand Boeuf keep their patron alive long enough to hear his story?  ​A celebration of the rapture of fine cuisine, sex, bullfighting,
​and the collected works of Ernest Hemingway.

Greg Heilman, Sound on Stage:
"It’s a tragedy, wrapped in a comedy, sort of about food, but with no food. No matter how you slice it, when you do boil it down (points for trying?), “An Empty Plate”, by playwright Michael Hollinger, will make you laugh, while also asking you to contemplate what you would do if your entire world was falling apart."

Jill Farrington Sweeney, NW Theatre:
 "Van Beuzekom manages to mine not only Victor’s humor, but his pathos as well, and brings a gravitas and a magnetism to the character that grounds the action even as it spirals into absurdity...There are also threads to the story — alienation, a hunger of the soul, hope in the face of despair — that speak to the modern moment"

Jason Victor Serinus, Port Townsend Leader:
"Each and every actor in Saltfire Theatre's marvelous production is superb...Maude Eisele and Genevieve Barlow's direction is ideal, and every facial expression is worth its weight in premium boeuf."