Westport, CT - Westport Country Playhouse will host a 2018 Season Kick-off Party on Saturday, April 7, from 5 to 8 p.m., offering a fun atmosphere with food trucks, beer tastings, exhibits, and special ticket discounts. In addition, a “Sneak Peek” of the upcoming season will be hosted by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, at 6:30 p.m. The “Sneak Peek” will feature guests representing all of the upcoming productions, including playwrights, directors, and designers. Admission is free and open to the public.
On the same day, single tickets will go on sale for the 2018 Season. All tickets to the 2018 Season’s five productions will be offered at a 25% discount, including single tickets, season tickets, and flex passes, for one day only on Saturday, April 7. The limited, 24-hour offer cannot be combined with other discounts, is not valid on previously purchased tickets, and is subject to availability. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 203-227-4177; in person at 25 Powers Court, Westport; or online at westportplayhouse.org.
Local food trucks, including MAC Truck, Melt Mobil, and Bodega will be on site with their specialties available for purchase. Drinks will be provided by Redding Beer Company, Charter Oak Brewing Company, Veracious, and Spiked Seltzer. Restaurant partners serving complimentary tastings are Tavern on Main, Rizzuto’s, and Nancy Burke Catering. The event will take place rain or shine. Vendors subject to change.
The Playhouse’s 2018 Season, from May 29 through November 17, features five-plays, including two comedies, one modern and one classic; a drama; a musical; and a world premiere.
The Playhouse’s 88th season will begin with “Flyin’ West,” playing May 29 – June 16, written by Pearl Cleage and directed by Seret Scott. Set in 1898 when the Civil War is still a living memory, the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas, offers a refuge for many former slaves. At one homestead lives a family of courageous and sharp-witted women determined to make a place for themselves. They overcome tremendous odds in a heroic effort to escape the scars of the past in this uplifting story of bravery, pride, and sisterhood.
“A Flea in Her Ear,” a new version of Georges Feydeau’s farce, written by David Ives and directed by Mark Lamos, is scheduled July 10 – 28. The comedy is a co-production with Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware. Raymonde has everything a turn-of-the-century Parisian housewife could want. Everything, that is, except for a husband who lavishes her with attention in bed. Doubting his fidelity, she gets a “flea in her ear,” sending all involved on a wild ride of accusations, mistaken identities, and riotous confusions.
“The Understudy,” written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by David Kennedy (2017 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Director of a Play), will run August 14 – September 1. Audiences mob the theater when a Hollywood action star takes the Broadway stage in a recently discovered play by Franz Kafka. But what if he can’t go on? Enter Harry, the understudy, a journeyman actor who has the chops but not the résumé. This hilarious look at life backstage gets even crazier when Harry reunites with the stage manager, who is his ex-fiancée, and dukes it out with the film star as obstacles mount and tensions rise.
The 2018 season culminates with the world-premiere drama, “Thousand Pines,” written by Matthew Greene and directed by Austin Pendleton, playing October 30 – November 17. The play was incubated in early 2017 by Westport Country Playhouse’s New Works Initiative. Nothing feels the same since the day Thousand Pines Junior High School was on every news channel and in everyone’s hearts. Six months after a student brought a gun to school and killed his classmates, the families of the children who died struggle with their need for answers and closure. This important and riveting new drama brings the national dialogue about gun violence to the Playhouse stage.
In addition, “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” will return by popular demand for a special engagement December 5 - 22, directly following the regular season. The acclaimed musical memoir stars Grammy-nominated pianist and storyteller Mona Golabek, and is directed by Hershey Felder. In 1938 Vienna, a 14-year-old piano prodigy finds her dreams of becoming a concert pianist threatened by the looming war in Europe. When her parents buy her a one-way ticket to England on the Kindertransport, the children’s survival train, a story of art preserving life begins.
All play titles, artists, and dates are subject to change.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.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 not-for-profit Playhouse provides this experience in multiple ways by offering: Live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos; educational and community engagement events to further explore the work on stage; programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand play readings to deepen relationships with audiences and artists; the renowned Woodward Internship Program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; youth performance training and performance opportunities through Broadway Method Academy, WCP’s resident conservatory; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round.