Channing, Alexander Star In Westport Country Playhouse's THE BREATH OF LIFE, Runs 9/29-10/17

Jane Alexander and Stockard Channing will appear in Sir David Hare's witty and elegant "The Breath of Life" at Westport Country Playhouse, September 29 through October 17. Mark Lamos, named artistic director in February 2009 at the historic theater in Westport, Connecticut, will direct. "The Breath of Life" will be the final production in The Playhouse's six-play 2009 season.

"I saw ‘The Breath of Life" when it premiered in London and was seduced by its quietly profound and wonderfully intelligent depiction of two women who share an obsession that has deeply affected their lives," said Lamos. "When I accepted the offer to become artistic director at The Playhouse a few months ago, it was one of the first plays I thought about producing here."

Lamos continued, "The play will star two of America's most distinguished and gifted actresses--actresses who can bring these two women to life in all their vulnerability, wit and despairing irony. This is a play that is as much about two women as it is about the culture that shapes them; the men and the mistresses and the politics that have driven their lives to this dramatic, stunning moment."

"The Breath of Life" is a tale of two seasoned women, whose lives are interwoven through their relationship with a pivotal, yet offstage, male character, Martin. Madeleine Palmer, played by Ms. Alexander, is a retired curator, living alone on the Isle of Wight. One day to her door comes Frances Beale, played by Ms. Channing, a woman she has met only once, who is now enjoying sudden success, later in life, as a popular novelist. Over the course of one day and one night, the two women reflect on their lives and their relationship with Martin, their joint obsession.

Jane Alexander received a Tony Award for Broadway's "The Great White Hope," and Tony Award nominations for "Honour," "The Sisters Rosensweig," "The Visit," "First Monday in October," "Find Your Way Home" and "6 Rms Riv Vu." She also received a Drama Desk and Theatre World Award for "The Great White Hope" and an Obie for "The Sisters Rosensweig." She is a four-time Oscar nominee for the films "Testament," "Kramer vs. Kramer," "All the President's Men" and "The Great White Hope." On television, she won an Emmy Award for the movie "Playing for Time" and a Television Critic's Circle Award for her portrayal of Eleanor Roosevelt in "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years." She received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Showtime's "Carry Me Home," directed by her son Jace Alexander. She received the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie" for her portrayal of "Sara Roosevelt" in HBO's "Warm Springs." Ms. Alexander is the author of "Command Performance: An Actress in the Theater of Politics," documenting her tenure as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1993-1997.

Stockard Channing's extensive theatre credits include "Joe Egg" (Tony Award, Drama Desk nomination), "Hapgood" (Drama Desk nomination), "Love Letters" (original cast), "Woman in Mind" (Drama Desk Award), "The Rink," "The Golden Age," "They're Playing Our Song," "Little Foxes," and her work in "The Lion in Winter," "House of Blue Leaves" (Drama Desk nomination), "Four Baboons Adoring the Sun," and "Six Degrees of Separation" (Drama Desk nomination) earned her four Tony Award nominations. For "Six Degrees..." she received an Obie Award and Drama League Award for Performance of the Year as well as an Olivier Award nomination when she performed the play in London. When she recreated her "Six Degrees..." role for film, she was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Other film credits include "Bright Young Things," "Must Love Dogs," "The Business of Strangers" (AFI Film Award nomination), "Where the Heart Is," "Practical Magic," "Twilight," "The First Wives' Club," "Smoke" (SAG nomination), "Moll Flanders," "Heartburn," "Grease" (People's Choice Award), "Isn't She Great?" and the upcoming "Sparkle," and "Multiple Sarcasms." In 2002, Ms. Channing won two Emmy Awards for her roles as First Lady Abby Bartlet on NBC's "The West Wing," and for the role of Judy Shepard in "The Matthew Shepard Story," for which she also received a Screen Actors Guild Award. She received a 2005 Daytime Emmy Award for her role in "Jack."

Mark Lamos is a director of plays, musicals and opera. Named Westport Country Playhouse artistic director earlier this year, his first official season of artistic programming will be for The Playhouse's 80th anniversary year in 2010. The New York Times called him "a poet of the theater," and his work receives a chapter in Samuel L. Leiter's The Great Stage Directors: 100 Distinguished Careers of the Theater, along with legendary directors of the twentieth century. Lamos spent 17 seasons as artistic director of Connecticut's Hartford Stage, for which he accepted the Tony Award in 1989. He made his Broadway directing debut with a transfer from Hartford Stage of "Our Country's Good," for which he received a Tony Award nomination as Best Director.

Sir David Hare is an English playwright and theater and film director. His awards include the BAFTA Award (1979), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award (1983), the Berlin Film FestivAl Golden Bear (1985), the Olivier Award (1990) and the London Theatre Critics' Award (1990). His plays include "Slag" (1970), "Plenty" (1978), "A Map of the World" (1982), "Skylight" (1995), "Amy's View" (1997), "The Judas Kiss" (1998), "Stuff Happens" (2004) and "The Vertical Hour" (2006). "The Breath of Life" was written in 2002. His screenplays include "The Hours" (2001) and "The Reader" (2008). In 1998 he was given a knighthood for services to the theater.

The production team includes Michael Yeargan (Tony and Drama Desk Awards for "South Pacific"), set design; Robert Wierzel (Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Westport Country Playhouse's "Of Mice and Men"), lighting design; Greg Hennigan, original music and sound design; ElizaBeth Smith, dialect consultant; Janet Foster, C.S.A., casting; and Lloyd Davis, Jr., production stage manager.

Producing Partner is Northwest Mutual Financial Network The Bender Financial Group; Board Sponsors are Barbara and John Streicker, and Johnna Torsone and John McKeon; Board Partners are Kane and Jeff Peterson, and Kate and Bob Devlin; and Playhouse Partner is Cynthia Knuth.

The performance schedule is Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Special series feature A Taste of Tuesdays, Previews, Opening Nights, Thursday TalkBack, Sunday Symposium, Backstage Pass and Open Captioning.

Single tickets range from $35 to $55; opening night tickets, including post-performance reception, are $65. Students and educators are eligible for 50% discounts. Groups of 10 or more save up to 30%. For group sales information call (203) 227-5137, x120.

About The Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater, serves as a treasured home for the performing arts and is a cultural landmark for Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, The Playhouse creates quality productions of new and classic plays that enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theater lovers, artists and students. The Playhouse's rich history dates back to 1931, when New York theatre producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s tannery. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England "straw hat circuit" of summer stock theatres. Now celebrating its 79th season, Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of "Thurgood" and a revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" with Paul Newman, and in earlier years "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth, "The Trip to Bountiful" with Lillian Gish, and "Butterflies Are Free" with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner. For its artistic excellence, The Playhouse received a 2005 Governor's Arts Award and a 2000 "Connecticut Treasure" recognition. It was also designated as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, The Playhouse transformed into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, The Playhouse serves as a community resource, presenting educational programming and workshops; a children's theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings.

For more information or ticket purchases, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets may be purchased online at www.westportplayhouse.org.