Westport, CT - Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of a new comedy thriller, “Murder Too,” by David Wiltse of Weston, former Westport Country Playhouse playwright-in-residence, on Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m. The cast includes Playhouse alumni David Beach, Joanna Gleason, Deirdre Madigan, and Andrew Veenstra. The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist and curator of the playreading series. Tickets are $20 each.
In “Murder Too,” Mara Baron, the artistic director of a regional theater, has been receiving death threats in the mail---scary enough threats that she feels the necessity of installing a safe room in her house. The very attractive Luke Lawless has been hired to do the work. Enter Eve Harris Snedeker, the president of the theater’s board, Mara’s college roommate, best friend, and her major donor. Eve is distraught. It may be that Eve’s husband Todd is having an affair. It seems Todd Snedeker, mystery writer, playwright, and possible killer, might well be having that affair…with Mara. Hit men are hired, shots are fired, affairs are uncovered, and murder committed in this funny, scary, and theatrical thriller.
The cast includes Westport Country Playhouse alumni David Beach as Todd Snedeker (Westport Country Playhouse’s “A Flea in Her Ear,” “Room Service,” and Script In Hand playreadings of “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure,” “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running,” “The Supporting Cast,” “Social Security”; original cast of Broadway’s “Urinetown”; film “The Post”); Joanna Gleason as Mara Baron (Westport Country Playhouse’s “Come Be My Love,” and Script in Hand playreadings of “Better Late,” “Any Wednesday,” “Fallen Angels”; Tony Award® as Best Actress for Stephen Sondheim’s "Into the Woods,” Tony nominations for “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and "Joe Egg,” Theater World Award for "The Real Thing," Drama Desk Award for "Social Security”); Deirdre Madigan as Eve Harris Snedeker (Westport Country Playhouse’s “And a Nightingale Sang,” “A Marriage Minuet,” “A Few Good Men,” Script in Hand playreadings of “The Cemetery Club,” “The Supporting Cast,” “Social Security,” “The Late Christopher Bean”; Broadway’s “Hillary and Clinton,” “A Delicate Balance,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”); and Andrew Veenstra as Luke Lawless (Westport Country Playhouse’s “Thousand Pines,” Lincoln Center Theater’s “Hamlet,” First National Tour of “War Horse,” Off-Broadway’s “An Error of the Moon”).
Playwright David Wiltse is the former playwright-in-residence at Westport Country Playhouse, where his plays “Triangles for Two,” “Temporary Help,” “The Good German,” “Scramble,” “A Marriage Minuet,” and “Sedition” have been produced. He is also the author of 12 novels. He is the recipient of the Drama Desk Award for "Most Promising Playwright,” Edgar Allan Poe Award, Westport Arts Achievement Award, and Nebraska Alumni Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. His best- known play, "Doubles,” was produced on Broadway as well as at the Playhouse. Wiltse is currently at work on his 13th novel.
The next Script in Hand playreadings will be on November 18 and December 16. Titles will be announced in the fall.
All dates, titles, and artists subject to change.
The Script in Hand Playreading Series is sponsored by Marc and Michele Flaster in 2019 with support from the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.
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; the New Works Initiative, a program dedicated to the discovery, development, and production of new live theatrical works; special performances and 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 through Broadway Method Academy, Westport Country Playhouse’s resident conservatory program; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round.