Westport Country Playhouse Hosts Open House, 3/19

Westport Country Playhouse will host its second annual open house, "Playhouse Community Day," on Saturday, March 19, 1 to 5 p.m., offering a wide variety of family activities, backstage tours, displays and historic artifacts, insight on the upcoming 2011 season and ticket discounts throughout the afternoon. Admission is free and open to the public. Complimentary snacks and beverages will be available.

"Playhouse Community Day is truly one of the most exciting events of the year here, and a personal favorite of mine," said Michael Ross, Playhouse managing director. "It is a chance for us to not only show our audiences a side of The Playhouse they don't normally experience, but also to give a little something back to the wonderful community that supports us."

Guests will have an opportunity to take a peek backstage at The Playhouse with tours led every 45 minutes beginning at 1:15 p.m. in the Jason Robards Theatre. There will also be tours especially designed for kids, ending with family activities. Production materials, including set models and sketches, as well as theatrical costumes, will be on display.

David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, will host a conversation about the upcoming 2011 season offering insight on the five productions: "Beyond Therapy," a wicked, and wickedly funny, look at the days and nights of the young and single, written by comic master Christopher Durang and directed by Kennedy, April 26 - May 14; "The Circle," the scintillating comedy of manners, written by W. Somerset Maugham and directed by Nicholas Martin, June 7 - June 25; "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," a perceptive comedy about people struggling against their limitations, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, July 12 - July 30; "Suddenly Last Summer," the poetic, sensual and evocative drama, written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Kennedy, August 23 - September 10; and "Twelfth Night, or What You Will," the beguiling comedy/romance, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Lamos, October 11 - October 29.

Special offers on "Playhouse Community Day" include 20% discounts on single tickets to any of the 2011 season's five mainstage productions. In addition, all subscription purchases that day will include a complimentary copy of the book, "An American Theatre: The Story of Westport Country Playhouse" by Richard Somerset-Ward. Both offers are for one-day-only, in-person purchases.

Visit www.westportplayhouse.org to learn more about Westport County Playhouse.

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