HOUSE OF CARDS, SEX WITH STRANGERS Writer Set for Symposium at Westport Country Playhouse

Laura Eason, who is best known for four seasons as a writer/producer on the Netflix drama "House of Cards," will be guest speaker at Westport Country Playhouse's Sunday Symposium following a 3 p.m. performance of her play "Sex with Strangers," on Sunday, October 1.

The Playhouse Sunday Symposium program is free and open to the public. Eason will engage in a conversation about her play with David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director. "Sex with Strangers" explores the complicated new world in which every past relationship lives forever on the web, providing an entertaining, up-to-date take on love in the digital age.

In an interview at Steppenwolf Theatre Company where "Sex with Strangers" premiered in 2011, Eason talked about the porous boundary between private life and public image in the digitally-dominated era. "Now, particularly with Facebook, you meet someone for two minutes at a function and you can go online and look at pictures of their children," noted Eason. "It's just incredibly interesting how we're moving through the world and what that means about how we come to know each other."

Eason is a Brooklyn-based screenwriter, playwright, and writer/producer on the Netflix drama "House of Cards," which received a WGA nomination for outstanding writing in a drama series, and three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for drama series. Her play, "Sex with Strangers," is one of the most-produced plays in the U.S. in the '15-'16 and '16-'17 seasons with more than 50 separate productions. She has more than 20 produced plays and adaptations, including "Around the World in 80 Days." Eason is an ensemble member and the former artistic director of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, and a Dramatists Guild, WGAE, AEA, SAG, and SDC member. She is an alumna of Northwestern University and WP Playwright's Lab. lauraeason.com or @LEasonNYC.

In the funny and thought-provoking drama "Sex with Strangers," Ethan, a twenty-something blogger-turned bestselling author, meets Olivia, a thirty-something struggling novelist. Their relationship explores how today's technology influences publicity, privacy, ambition, and fame. The play runs from September 26 through October 14. Directed by Katherine M. Carter, "Sex with Strangers" includes adult themes and language.

The Sunday Symposium Series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation. "Sex with Strangers" Production Partners are Stephen Corman, Carole Hochman, and Stan Green; Corporate Production Partner is BNY Mellon.

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).

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 through 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 play readings 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 May 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.

Pictured: Laura Eason. Photo by Meredith Zinner Photography.

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