Westport Country Playhouse to Host Script-in-Hand COLLECTED STORIES Reading

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of the Pulitzer Prize finalist, "Collected Stories" by Donald Margulies, on Monday, December 12, at 7 p.m. The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist and curator of the playreading series. Tickets are $20 each.

"I'm a huge fan of Donald Margulies' work," said Keefe. "I find these characters immensely compelling and satisfying."

"Collected Stories" is about the conflict between an established artist and her adulatory fan who becomes a protégé, disciple, colleague, and friend - and finally threatening rival. It tells what happens when the student surpasses the teacher, by cannibalizing the teacher's own life story.

The cast includes Maria Tucci as Ruth Steiner, a role she originated in the Off-Broadway production. She appeared in Westport Country Playhouse's Script in Hand playreadings of "Over the River and Through the Woods," "The Bread Winner," and "Morning's at Seven." She earned a Tony nomination for Broadway's "The Rose Tattoo." Zoë Winters will play Lisa Morrison. She was in Westport Country Playhouse's "Room Service," and a Script in Hand playreading of "Pack of Lies." She won a Footlight Award for "The Imaginary Invalid," and has appeared on television's "Ugly Betty" and "Gossip Girl." All artists are subject to change.

Playwright Donald Margulies won a Pulitzer Prize for "Dinner with Friends," Pulitzer Prize nominations for "Sight Unseen" and "Collected Stories," Obie Awards for "Sight Unseen" and "The Model Apartment," a Tony Award nomination for "Time Stands Still," and five Drama Desk Award nominations. He is an adjunct professor of English and Theatre Studies at Yale University.

Director Anne Keefe served as artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse with JoAnne Woodward in 2008, and as associate artistic director from 2000-2006, also with Ms. Woodward. She co-directed with Ms. Woodward the Westport Country Playhouse production of "David Copperfield," and directed many Script in Hand playreadings.

Script in Hand sponsors are Marc and Michele Flaster; Script in Hand partners are Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler; Script in Hand Corporate Sponsor is Northwestern Mutual. The series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

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).

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 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 to 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 playreadings throughout the year to deepen relationships with audiences and artists alike; the renowned Woodward Internship Program training 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.

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