Ken LaZebnik's comic chronicle of a summer stock company, Sink Eating, will have its world premiere at the Matrix Theatre in L.A., Sept. 16-Oct. 22. The director is Rose Portillo.

Set in the communal kitchen of the Gristmill Theatre, Sink Eating follows the company's fortunes through a calamitous and chaotic season. As each character pours out his or her heart while scrounging for food in the refrigerator--there is no formal dining room, just "sink eating"--love affairs are ignited and extinguished, actors struggle with lines (and drugs), and the theatre itself fights to avoid financial ruin. The play is a bittersweet valentine to a great American tradition, summer stock.

The ensemble cast includes April Grace, James Gleason, Kate Fuglei and Alan Woolf. Playwright LaZebnik is a founding, co- founding or long-term member of theatre companies from New York to Minneapolis. He spent six years writing for Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion." Portillo is an actress-director who was seen in the original Zoot Suit (L.A., Broadway, feature film).

Matrix Theatre is located at 7657 Melrose Ave. For tickets and information call (323) 655-TKTS.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent