(RAHWAY, NJ) -- American Theater Group (ATG) will present talkback sessions after the Thursday, May 9th and 16th evening performances of the provocative new play, Canned Goods, by Erik Kahn.  The World Premiere production is running May 9-11 at Hamilton Stage in Rahway, NJ and May 16-19 at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge, NJ.  Charlotte Cohn is directing the production.

Members of the cast and creative team, including NJ Playwright Erik Kahn, will participate in the Q & A session, and all are welcome to attend. Rahway residents and employees are invited to attend the Thursday, May 9^th performances for a special ticket price of $30. Those tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 732-499-8226 or purchased at the door.

Canned Goods is a historical drama about the little-known incident which contributed to the launch of World War II.  It is a harrowing account of Hitler's devious strategy to fake an attack on Germany to justify his invasion of Poland in 1939. Based in part on transcripts from interviews associated with the Nuremberg Trial, the drama focuses on the complex psychological entanglement between prisoners with hours left to live and the SS Major who engages and spars with them.

Leading the cast are Richard Hollis (Broadway: Hangman, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) as Honiok, Simon Feil (Off B’way: This is Not a Time of Peace) as Birnbaum, Ken King (Sleep No More’s The Lost Supper, McKitterick Hotel) as SS Major, Dalton Gorden (Goat, Canadian Tuxedo) as Heydrich/Mulier/Guard, and Steven Rattazzi (Broadway: Indecent; Public Theater: Henry V  w/Liev Schrieber) as Kruger.  Jason Williams (DR2, The Pearl Theatre) will cover all roles.

Built by the City of Rahway Redevelopment Agency, the Hamilton Stage is located at 360 Hamilton Street in Rahway and is independently operated under the governance of Union County Performing Arts Center. The 199-seat theater was recently renovated. Performances are Thursday, May 9; Friday, May 10; and Saturday, May 11th at 7:00pm and a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday, May 11.  Tickets are available for purchase online or through the box office by calling 732-499-8226.

The Sieminski Theater is located on the scenic campus of Fellowship Village at 8000 Fellowship Road in Basking Ridge, NJ. Performances will be Thursday, May 16; Friday, May 17; and Saturday, May 18 at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase online.

American Theater Group (ATG), founded in 2012, produces new and classic works primarily by American playwrights with an emphasis on the development of new works and the rediscovery of undeservedly neglected older ones. It also provides quality arts-in-education initiatives, including its annual DramaFest for students and its PlayLab program for BIPOC and queer playwrights. ATG is in residence at Hamilton Stage and the Sieminski Theater.

ATG programming is made possible in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Made possible by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.