The play is set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household, the now-neglected room that was once a vital center of family life. What was once a room used for any and all special occasions, is probably the least used room in a house today. Fourteen actors portray over 50 roles including stern parents, servants, senile adults, 5-year olds at a birthday party, teenagers sneaking alcohol, and professionals conducting business in a dining room fraught with memories. Comprised of a mosaic of interrelated scenes, A.R. Gurney's The Dining Room is in turn funny, touching and rueful. Ultimately, it is a theatrical experience of exceptional range, compassionate humor and abundant reality.