Westport Country Playhouse Family Festivities Series Presents “Dr. Seuss' THE CAT IN THE HAT

Westport Country Playhouse's Family Festivities Series will present "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" on Sunday, March 19, for two performances, at 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. Produced by Childsplay, the show is recommended for ages 3 and up. Running time is approximately one hour. Tickets are $20.

"Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" begins with a tall, red-and-white striped hat appearing at the door. Sally and her brother soon know that the Cat in the Hat is the most mischievous cat they will ever meet. Suddenly a rainy afternoon is transformed by the Cat and his antics. Will their house ever be the same? Can the kids clean up before mom comes home? With some tricks (and a fish) and Thing Two and Thing One, with The Cat in the Hat the fun's never done!

Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 -1991) authored children's books under the pen name Dr. Seuss. He published over 60 books, which have sold over 600 million copies and spawned numerous adaptations, including 11 television specials, four feature films, a Broadway musical, and four television series. Geisel's birthday, March 2, has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association.

Childsplay is a nationally and internationally respected professional theater company, founded in 1977 and based in Tempe, AZ.

Children's pre-show activities will be led by Adelka Polak one hour prior to each performance, at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Polak is the artistic director and founder of Sova Theatre. She has worked for 15 years as a dancer, puppeteer, mask-performer, and movement director with various companies.

One week before The Playhouse presentation, The Westport Library will offer a new, free-of-charge program, "Story Explorers," with an interactive book reading of "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat," on Saturday, March 11, at 2 p.m., in the Library's Smilow Family Children's Department. "Story Explorers" is intended to promote childhood literacy while also enhancing children's experiences of attending The Playhouse's Family Festivities shows. Each "Story Explorers" will include readings of books based on the upcoming shows, plus activities surrounding the book's theme. Presenting partners for "Story Explorers" are Westport Country Playhouse, The Westport Library, and Westport Young Woman's League. Adelka Polak will lead the activities. The program is approximately one hour.

An upcoming Family Festivities show, "Pete the Cat," on Sunday, April 2, at 1 and 4 p.m., produced by Theatreworks USA, finds Pete the Cat sent by the cat-catcher to live with the un-hip Biddle family to learn manners. "Story Explorers" interactive book reading program for "Pete the Cat" at The Westport Library is set for Saturday, March 25, at 2 p.m.

In conjunction with the Family Festivities Series, The Playhouse will once again host a book collection for Read to Grow, Inc., a statewide nonprofit organization that helps parents take an active role in their children's literacy development by providing free children's books to families with limited access and to community resources that serve them. At each Family Festivities performance, bins will be located in The Playhouse lobby for donations of gently used and new children's books which will be given to families and programs in the greater Fairfield County area through Read to Grow. During last season's Family Festivities series, The Playhouse collected nearly 300 books.

Family Festivities shows are presented on selected Sundays from November through April. Family Festivities Corporate Sponsors are Pitney Bowes and Northern Trust. Family Festivities Sponsor is Darlene Krenz. The Family Festivities Series is also supported by the Westport Young Woman's League.

Everyone in the audience requires a ticket. For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), or view Playhouse videos 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 producedtheater 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 during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations from November through April 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.

To post a comment, you must register and login.