The musical’s full title is Hunger: still lifes of the Donner Expedition. It’s a haunting, touching look into ten moments in the lives of the brave men and women who were part of the doomed Donner Party expedition. It’s a series of scenes, each representing a moment of crisis for the Donner Party, each one focusing on a single character’s dilemma/decision or moment of peripety. Nine actors; single set. Three piece orchestra, or piano alone.  The music is by Richard Rodgers Production Award winner, Karlan Judd. 

Hunger won the 2009 Stages Musical Theatre Festival in Chicago.

“Fascinating. It gripped me from the beginning and held onto me until the very end.” (Ford’s Theatre)

“A sparse, haunting chronicle of the Donner Expedition, and your exploration of the themes of survival, justice and wilderness versus civilization speak poignantly to our times.” (Trinity Repertory Company)