Westport Country Playhouse Presents Sunday Symposium with Cast of THE UNDERSTUDY

Cast members from "The Understudy" will be guest speakers at Westport Country Playhouse's Sunday Symposium on August 19, following a 3 p.m. performance of the backstage comedy about a Hollywood action star making his Broadway debut amid tensions with his understudy. The recent Off-Broadway hit is written by Theresa Rebeck, creator of NBC's show business drama "Smash."

The cast of "The Understudy" includes Eric Bryant as Harry, Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play for his role in Westport Country Playhouse's "The Invisible Hand"; Brett Dalton as Jake, who plays Agent Grant Ward on the ABC series, "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," for which he received a Teen Choice Award as Best Male Breakout Star; and Andrea Syglowski as Roxanne, award-winning actress for "Venus in Fur," and recipient of the Robin Williams Scholarship at The Juilliard School.

The Playhouse Sunday Symposium program is free and open to the public. "The Understudy" cast will engage in conversation about the comedy with David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director and director of "The Understudy." Kennedy previously directed a production of "The Understudy" at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia.

"The Understudy" is set in a Broadway theater where Roxanne is the stage manager. Charged with running the understudy rehearsal for the production, she finds her professional and personal life colliding when Harry, a journeyman actor and her ex-fiancé, is cast as the understudy to Jake, a mid-tier action-hero yearning for legitimacy. The comedy is a humanistic look at people trying to do what they love in the face of obstacles.

The Sunday Symposium Series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

"The Understudy" Production Sponsor is the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. Corporate Production Partner is BNY Mellon.

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).

ABOUT Westport Country Playhouse
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 not-for-profit Playhouse provides this experience in multiple ways by offering live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos; educational and community engagement events to further explore the work on stage; the New Works Circle Initiative, a program dedicated to the discovery, development, and production of new live theatrical works; special performances and programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand play readings to deepen relationships with audiences and artists; the renowned Woodward Internship Program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; youth performance training through Broadway Method Academy, WCP's resident conservatory program; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round.

Photo: Cast members and director of Westport Country Playhouse's "The Understudy" - L-R: Eric Bryant as Harry; Andrea Syglowski as Roxanne; David Kennedy, director; and Brett Dalton as Jake. Playing August 14 - September 1. Photo by Stephen Emerick

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