Stanton Case and More Set for Arthur Miller's BROKEN GLASS, Beginning Tonight at Westport Country Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse will commemorate the centennial year of playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005) with one of his last works, BROKEN GLASS, helmed by Playhouse artistic director Mark Lamos, playing tonight, October 6 - 24. Set in 1938 Brooklyn at the time of Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass), the powerful drama incites a dangerous game of concealment, suspicion, and lies.

"BROKEN GLASS is considered one of Miller's finest achievements from his 'late' period," said Lamos. "Though he was Jewish, it's virtually the only drama he ever wrote that actually deals with Jewish identity issues."

Lamos added, "In its swift-moving, almost thriller-like action, Miller audaciously entwines a crippled marriage, in which the wife is herself mysteriously crippled in reaction to news of Nazi atrocities against German Jews, mirrored by a world on the verge of collapse."

Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play, "BROKEN GLASS," according to Lamos, "is truly unlike anything this great American writer ever wrote before. I'm thrilled that we are exploring and reviving it in this centenary year."

The cast includes John Hillner as Stanton Case, who appeared in Broadway's Tony Award-winning revival of "La Cages aux Folles" as Georges, and in the national tour of "Wicked"; Merritt Janson as Harriet, who was in Off-Broadway's "Built," "Tamburlaine the Great," "The Last Will," "House for Sale," and "Notes from Underground"; and Felicity Jones as Sylvia Gellburg, who last appeared at the Playhouse in "The Diary of Anne Frank," on Broadway in "Metamorphoses," and in the film "Julie & Julia."

Also, Angela Reed as Margaret Hyman, who was on Broadway in "The Country Girl," "The Rainmaker," and national tours of "War Horse" and "Spring Awakening"; Stephen Schnetzer as Dr. Harry Hyman, who was in Broadway's "The Goat,...," "A Talent for Murder," and "Filumena," directed by Laurence Olivier, Off-Broadway's "The Lisbon Traviata," and for 17 years played Cass Winthrop on "Another World"; and Steven Skybell as Phillip Gellberg, who was in Westport Country Playhouse's "Dinner with Friends," and Broadway's "Pal Joey," "Wicked," "The Full Monty," and "Ah, Wilderness."

Playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005) was born in New York City and studied at the University of Michigan. His plays include "All My Sons" (1947), "Death of a Salesman" (1949), "The Crucible" (1953), "A View from the Bridge" (1955), and "The Price" (1968). Later plays include "Resurrection Blues" (2002), and "Finishing the Picture" (2004). Other works include "The Misfits," a screenplay (1960), and "Timebends," an autobiography (1988). Among his numerous honors, he received two Tony Awards for his plays, as well as a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. He won the Pulitzer Prize for "Death of a Salesman."

Director Mark Lamos has directed many plays at Westport Country Playhouse since 2008. His extensive New York credits include "Our Country's Good," for which he received a Tony Award nomination. A former artistic director at Hartford Stage, he earned the 1989 Tony Award for the theater's body of work. He was awarded the Connecticut Medal for the Arts as well as honorary doctorates from Connecticut College, University of Hartford, and Trinity College.

The design team includes Michael Yeargan, scenic design; Candice Donnelly, costume design; Stephen Strawbridge, lighting design; and David Budries, sound design.

BROKEN GLASS performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Special series feature Taste of Tuesday, LGBT Night OUT, Opening Night, Sunday Symposium, Open Captions, Thursday TalkBack, Together at the Table Family Dinner, Playhouse Happy Hour, and Backstage Pass. Single tickets start at $30; buy early for best prices.

Concurrent with the run of BROKEN GLASS, the Playhouse will present a community engagement initiative, "The Individual & American Society: Celebrating Arthur Miller at One Hundred," examining Miller's life and the multi-faceted themes of his works. Programming will include speakers, discussions, workshops, films, family events, and a month-long lobby exhibit, as well as events off-campus. Many of the programs are free and open to the public. A complete calendar of community engagement events is available on-line at westportplayhouse.org, or a special brochure may be requested by calling the Playhouse box office at 203-227-4177.

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 from April to 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 November through March 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: The cast of BROKEN GLASS at Westport Country Playhouse, October 6 - 24: Stephen Schnetzer, Angela Reed, John Hillner, Felicity Jones, Merritt Janson, and Steven Skybell. Photo by Peter Chenot.

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