Westport Country Playhouse Presents 'Laura Ingalls Wilder' 2/7

Westport Country Playhouse's Family Festivities Series will present the musical "Laura Ingalls Wilder," about the exciting adventures of the beloved author who wrote the classic "Little House" series of children's books, on Sunday, February 7, 1 and 4 p.m. Recommended for second through sixth grades, the show is produced by ArtsPower. The performance is approximately 55 minutes with no intermission.

In the musical production, the spirited pioneer girl Laura Ingalls Wilder, older sister Mary, Ma and Pa travel across the unsettled frontier of the late-1800s American Midwest in search of a little house to call home. Facing obstacles such as scarlet fever and eviction from their land, their family bonds are tested but never broken.

The show features a lush musical score with five original songs, among them "Move On," which captures the restlessness and excitement of loading up the covered wagon, and "Fishin'," a duet in which Laura and Pa laugh and share tall tales at their favorite fishing hole.

Mrs. Ingalls would like Laura to pay more attention to her studies, but lessons make Laura feel like a misfit---especially when she compares herself unfavorably to her smarter sister Mary. Yet in the end, it is her love for Mary that helps Laura overcome her insecurities. When Mary is blinded by scarlet fever, Laura becomes her sister's eyes. She entertains Mary with outlandish descriptions of everything around them in another of the show's songs, "Seein' Things I Never Saw Before." In the process, Laura discovers her own talent for storytelling, the same talent that will someday bring her national fame as one of America's best-loved children's authors.

The production is written and directed by ArtsPower artistic director Greg Gunning with music by his longtime collaborator Richard DeRosa.

ArtsPower was founded in 1985 by Mark and Gary Blackman who have been steering its course ever since. ArtsPower has grown into one of America's largest and most active producers of professional theater for young and family audiences. Its 26 professional touring productions have been seen by nine million people in 46 states and in some of the national's top venues including The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and Lincoln Center.

In pre-show activities, children will participate in fun pioneer-themed activities and games. Pre-show activities, for which reservations are required, begin one hour before the performances at noon and 3 p.m.

Upcoming in The Playhouse's 2010 Family Festivities Series are "Charlotte's Web" on Sunday, February 28; "Are You My Mother?" on Sunday, March 28; and "I Have a Dream: The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." on Sunday, April 11.

Westport Country Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater, serves as a treasured home for the performing arts and is a cultural landmark for Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, The Playhouse creates quality productions of new and classic plays that enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theater lovers, artists and students. The Playhouse's rich history dates back to 1931, when New York theatre producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s tannery. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England "straw hat circuit" of summer stock theatres. Now in its 80th season, Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of "Thurgood" and a revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" with Paul Newman, and in earlier years "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth, "The Trip to Bountiful" with Lillian Gish, and "Butterflies Are Free" with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner. For its artistic excellence, The Playhouse received a 2005 Governor's Arts Award and a 2000 "Connecticut Treasure" recognition. It was also designated as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, The Playhouse transformed into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, The Playhouse serves as a community resource, presenting educational programming and workshops; a children's theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings.

For tickets or to receive a Family Festivities brochure, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit the box office at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport, or www.westportplayhouse.org.

 

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