Westport Country Playhouse Offers New $25 for 35 and Under Tix

In an effort to make theater more accessible for early-career and younger patrons, Westport Country Playhouse is introducing a $25 ticket price for patrons aged 35 and under for all Friday evening performances during its 2011 season. The offer will begin Friday, April 29, at a performance of "Beyond Therapy," comic master Christopher Durang's wickedly funny comedy that looks at the days and nights of the young and single.

"The Playhouse wants to share high-quality theater experiences with everyone and believes price shouldn't be a barrier," said Michael Ross, Playhouse managing director.

"$25 for 35 and Under" tickets may be purchased online or by phone. Proof of age must be presented at the box office when picking up tickets.

In addition, students and educators are eligible for 50% discounts on Playhouse tickets.

Directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, "Beyond Therapy" will run April 26 through May 14. After a disastrous first date, Bruce and Prudence seek solace in therapy---despite both their therapists being stark raving mad. And that's only the beginning of their problems. In Durang's topsy-turvy world, life is a potent cocktail of sexual mix-ups, relationship neuroses, and a serious lack of impulse control. The play contains adult content and language.

The cast includes Trent Dawson (Broadway's "The Herbal Bed") as Stuart; Nick Gehlfuss (TV's "Army Wives" and "The Good Wife") as Andrew; Jeremy Peter Johnson (Westport Country Playhouse's "She Loves Me") as Bruce; Nicole Lowrance (Westport Country Playhouse's "David Copperfield," Broadway's "Dividing the Estate") as Prudence; Kathleen McNenny (Westport Country Playhouse's "The Good German, Broadway's "Coram Boy," "The Constant Wife") as Charlotte; and Stephen Wallem (Thor on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie") as Bob.

2011 season sponsor is KPMG; 2011 media sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio Group. Board of Trustees production sponsors for "Beyond Therapy" are Jill and Alex Dimitrief.

Westport Country Playhouse's five-play 2011 season continues with "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 David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, August 23 - September 10; and "Twelfth Night, or What You Will," the beguiling comedy/romance, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Mark Lamos, October 11 - November 5.

Subscriptions to all five plays are available for preferred seating and discounts up to 45% off single ticket pricing. Students and educators are eligible for 50% discounts. Groups of 10 or more save up to 30%. For group sales information call (203) 227-5137, x120.

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), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

About the Playhouse

Reimagining itself in recent years, Westport Country Playhouse is rapidly stepping into the spotlight as a nationally recognized professional theater. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, the Playhouse creates five live theater experiences, produced at the highest level, from April through November. Its vital mix of works---dramatic, comedic, occasionally exploratory and unusual---expands the audience's sense of what theater can be. Its productions' depth and scope display the foremost theatrical literature from the past---recent as well as distant---in addition to musicals and premieres of new plays. During the summer, the Playhouse is home to the Woodward Internship Program, renowned for the training of aspiring theater professionals. Winter at the Playhouse, from November through March, offers events outside of the main season---Family Festivities presentations, Script in Hand play readings and a Holiday Festival. In addition, businesses and organizations are encouraged to rent the handsome facility for their meetings, receptions and fundraisers.

As an historic venue, Westport Country Playhouse has had many different lives leading up to the present. Originally built in 1835 as a tannery manufacturing hatters' leathers, it became a steam-powered cider mill in 1880, later to be abandoned in the 1920s. Splendidly transformed into a theater in 1931, it initially served as a try-out house for Broadway transfers, evolving into an established stop on the New England straw hat circuit of summer stock theaters through the end of the 20th century.

Today, the not-for-profit Westport Country Playhouse serves as a cultural nexus for patrons, artists and students and is a treasured resource for the State of Connecticut. There are no boundaries to the creative thinking for future seasons or the kinds of audiences and excitement for theater that Westport Country Playhouse can build.

Westport Country Playhouse's five-play 2011 season: "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 David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, 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 David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, August 23 - September 10; and "Twelfth Night, or What You Will," the beguiling comedy/romance, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Mark Lamos, October 11 - November 5.

 

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