Westport Country Playhouse Announces New Education Program For Middle Schoolers, Starting In October

Westport Country Playhouse has announced a new children's education program, Playhouse Playmakers, starting in the fall.

The six-week program is for middle schoolers, grades 6-8. Together as a group, students will create an original play, including writing, acting, rehearsing, and production, culminating with a performance on the Playhouse stage for an invited audience of family and friends.

Playhouse Playmakers runs on six Sundays, October 13 – November 17, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with the invited performance on Sunday, November 24. Class size will be about 15 students.

Playhouse Playmakers will be directed by Evette Marie White and Stacie Morgain Lewis.

“At Playmakers, we're going to have a blast as we explore the world of storytelling through theatre,” said White. “I can't wait to see the amazing stories we will create and bring to life on stage. There will be lots of fun and creativity as we discover our unique voices in the world of playwriting! We are going to make magic together!”

Evette Marie White is an actress, poet, playwright, and educator who has nurtured young artists for over a decade. She hails from Chesapeake, Virginia, and studied musical theatre at Howard University in Washington, DC. She has toured the world in “Ghost the Musical” and performed in a host of shows throughout the US, Asia, Australia, and abroad. She currently teaches for Learning Through an Expanded Art Program (Leap) as a teaching artist where she has coached several New York City finalists for The Next Narrative Monologue Competition at the Apollo Theatre, hosted by Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company.

Stacie Morgain Lewis is an actress, singer, songwriter, teacher, and mom. She played Glinda in the Chicago production of “Wicked.” Broadway credits include “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Wicked” as standby for Glinda, “Urinetown,” and “Titanic.” Off-Broadway, she was in “Don't Quit Your Night Job.” National Tours include “Titanic” and “South Pacific.” Regional theatre includes “LMNOP” at Goodspeed, and “The 39 Steps.” She co-wrote the children's album “Harmonize with Ben Cohn,” the conductor/musical director of “Dear Evan Hansen,” and then went on to create Harmonize Kidz, an arts enrichment program that uses her music to teach social-emotional learning to elementary students. www.harmonizekidz.com

“I'm so excited to collaborate with the Playhouse and with Evette to create an imaginative space where we can all come together to experience the power of theatre,” said Lewis.

The fee for Playhouse Playmakers is $575, including all six sessions, technical rehearsal, materials, and four complimentary tickets to the performance. Five scholarships are available, each covering the full cost of the classes and transportation reimbursement. 

For Playhouse Playmakers full details and application, visit:
https://www.westportplayhouse.org/playhouseplaymakers/?sourceNumber

For questions about the program or scholarships, contact:  educationteam@westportplayhouse.org

The complete schedule of Playhouse events is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and times 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.

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