The Westport Country Playhouse turns 85 next year, and its exciting 2015 season will feature five productions, including a celebration of Arthur Miller's centennial, and comedies by Alan Ayckbourn and David Ives.
New in 2015 is an earlier 7:00 p.m. curtain time for all Tuesday performances.
"Our 2015 season is a particularly rich and satisfying smorgasbord of plays---with a couple extra desserts thrown in," said artistic director Mark Lamos. "We hope to enrich your Playhouse experience with entertainment that ranges from the hilarity of brilliant farce to the striking power of insightful, moving drama. Theater that's not only worth talking about, but one which engages hearts through laughter, passion, and gripping storytelling."
2015 subscriptions are now on sale for current and new subscribers. Current subscribers who renew by the Early Bird Deadline of Sunday, September 7, will receive "Concessions Cash," redeemable for food and beverages in the Playhouse concessions stand, plus a special sweet treat.
New next season will be a 7:00 p.m. curtain for all Tuesday evening performances, changed from the prior 8:00 p.m. Tuesday starting time.
The 2015 season will begin May 5 - 23 with "The Liar" by David Ives, author of the hit plays "Venus in Fur" and "All in the Timing." Ives deftly updates a classic comedy of manners, Pierre Corneille's "The Liar," with his trademark intelligence, cheek, and wit. In "The Liar," Dorante has a gift for stretching the truth. In fact, he rips it apart at the seams. But when the first-rate fabulist falls in love with Clarice—or is she Lucrece?—he begins to weave an increasingly intricate web of lies that even he can't keep up with. Add to the mix a loyal servant, a meddling father, and a jealous best friend, and the scene is set for a misadventure of romance that's short on truth but long on laughter.
"And a Nightingale Sang" by C. P. Taylor, playing June 9 – 27, is a gently funny and moving portrait of the perseverance and growth of the human spirit during times of personal and historic unrest. As the world rushes toward the brink of war in 1939, the working-class Stott family in Northern England spends its days worrying about popular songs and marriage proposals, priests and pets, getting on and making the best of it. At the center of this domestic chaos is Helen, the plain and longsuffering daughter, who finds herself unexpectedly awakened to the possibilities of love by a soldier on leave. David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, will helm the production.
The mid-season slot, July 21 – August 8, is to be announced. Mark Lamos, who will direct, is considering a number of plays, old and new, funny and affecting, that will add a completely new facet to the rest of 2015's selections.
Alan Ayckbourn's delightful comedy confection, "Bedroom Farce," about the messiness of adult relationships, will play August 25 – September 12. The bedroom is the one room that sees the best, the worst, and the most of us. To the couples in "Bedroom Farce," it's also a dining room, a workshop, a cloakroom, and a boxing ring. Over the course of one very long Saturday evening, in three separate bedrooms, the roles and relationships of four couples, and one almost love triangle, are laid bare, complete with squabbles, bothers, a few bruises, and a hilariously touching epiphany. Ayckbourn's plays are perennially popular, and his "Things We Do For Love" will take the stage next week.
All play titles, artists, and dates are subject to change.
New next season will be a 7:00 p.m. curtain for all Tuesday evening performances, changed from the prior 8 p.m. Tuesday starting time. The Playhouse noted that there has been a positive response to Broadway theaters making this switch to 7:00 p.m. performances over the past few years. The results of a Playhouse audience survey indicated that the change will accommodate a majority of patrons' schedules.
In addition to Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., the performance schedule continues with Wednesday at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Special series feature Taste of Tuesday, Previews, LGBT Night OUT, Opening Night, Sunday Symposium, Open Captions, Thursday TalkBack, Together at the Table Family Dinner, Playhouse Young Professionals, and Backstage Pass.
Now available are 2015 subscriptions for current and new subscribers, including online purchasing capability 24/7. Current subscribers who renew by the Early Bird Deadline of Sunday, September 7, will receive "Concessions Cash," redeemable for food and beverages at the Playhouse concessions stand, plus a special sweet treat. All subscribers receive a host of benefits not afforded to single ticket buyers, including up to 40% off single ticket prices, priority seating, free guest ticket voucher, free and easy ticket exchanges, the Playhouse's monthly e-newsletter, and 20% discounts at selected Westport restaurants. Subscribers will also be invited to a season preview event in the spring with Lamos and other artists. 4-Play and 5-Play subscriptions are available, starting at $120. 2015 Flex Passes are also currently on sale for those seeking to see any combination of shows on varying days and times. Flex Pass holders receive many subscriber-only benefits. Single tickets will go on sale in March.
For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org, or by using the new Playhouse App or mobile website.