Westport Country Playhouse has received a $10,000 grant from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation for general operating support of the non-profit organization’s 2017 season. The nationally recognized professional theater serves an estimated annual audience of 60,000.
“With this vital funding from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation for our 2017 season, the Playhouse will continue to fulfill our mission to enrich, enlighten, and engage our community by offering exciting and inspiring productions and a wide variety of enhanced programming,” said Michael Barker, Playhouse managing director. “Westport Country Playhouse is proud to serve as a cultural hub for the entire region and it is only thanks to our steadfast supporters like Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.”
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Community Foundation is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards, and has awarded $180 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. For more information, visit fccfoundation.org.
Westport Country Playhouse’s 2017 season, playing now through November 19, features five plays that cover a wide variety of theater worth talking about, from writers whose works are considered stage classics, as well as from contemporary voices.
Among the shows marking the Playhouse’s 86th year is “Grounded,” winner of the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Production and a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The contemporary drama, written by George Brant and directed by Liz Diamond, is about an ace fighter pilot, who is grounded by an unexpected pregnancy and reassigned as a drone pilot in Las Vegas where the realities of war and suburban comfort collide. Short-listed for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, the play runs July 11 through July 29.
“Appropriate,” a 2014-15 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, is a comic drama about family secrets, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. When the Lafayette children gather to catalog their recently deceased father’s Arkansas estate, they discover a shameful legacy. Directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, the play runs August 15 through September 2.
“Sex with Strangers” is a look at a modern relationship in the digital age, written by Laura Eason and directed by Katherine M. Carter. When Ethan, a young sex blogger, turned bestselling author, meets Olivia, a reclusive, thirty-something novelist, dating turns dark as self-reinvention is just a click away. The play will be staged September 26 through October 14.
The 2017 season culminates with one of the greatest love stories ever told, “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. The tale of two star-crossed teenagers, who fight to love each other in a violent world, will run October 31 through November 19, directed by Mark Lamos, who the New York Post said, “is among the finest Shakespearean directors in the world.”
All play titles, artists, and dates are subject to change.
For more information, visit westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
About Westport Country Playhouse
The mission of Westport Country Playhouse is to enrich, enlighten, and engage the community through the power of professionally produced theater worth talking about and the welcoming experience of the Playhouse campus. The Playhouse creates this relationship with the community and provides this experience in multiple ways by offering: Live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos, from May to November; educational and community engagement events and opportunities to further explore issues presented by the work on stage; special performances and programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand playreadings throughout the year to deepen relationships with audiences and artists alike; the renowned Woodward Internship Program training program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations from December through April to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round. The value of the Westport Country Playhouse to all it touches is immeasurable.
About Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
Since 1992, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation has been dedicated to creating lasting change in the region and awarded over $212 million in grants in support of 625 local nonprofits. FCCF maximizes impact by combining fiscal stewardship with extensive community knowledge.
As a trusted nonprofit partner and thought leader, FCCF unites philanthropists, nonprofits, and expert resources with the goal of creating a vital and inclusive community - where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.