Westport Country Playhouse are launching a new, three-week long summer camp program called Summer in the House, for students grades two through five, July 7 through 25, through the Playhouse’s education department.

Summer in the House offers students exposure to the discipline and techniques of theatre in a creative environment using an approach which combines music, movement and drama. Through fun and enriching activities, children will learn to use their bodies, voices, minds and imaginations. The program is staffed with artist-educators who are professionals in their field and are dedicated to nurturing creativity in each child.

Classes will be located in the Sheffer Rehearsal Studio on the Playhouse campus.

Grades 2-3 (rising)

Meet Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Specifically designed for young actors, students will work with artist-educators on scenes from classic folk and fairy tales for a presentation on the final day of class.

Grades 4-5 (rising)

Meet Monday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Specifically for developing actors, students will work with artist-educators in the preparation of scenes from age-appropriate scripts including Shakespeare’s stories for a presentation on the final day of class.

Tuition is $725.
Registration is limited to 20 students per class.

Geared for the 25-40 crowd, you and your friends are invited to the Playhouse for a special pre-show cocktail hour with drinks, hors d'oeuvres from Southport Brewing Co. and live entertainment by Steep Grade! After the reception, please join us in the theatre for the evening's performance of David Wiltse's Scramble!, a hilarious "tour de farce" that explores the insanity of office politics.

Curated by Anne Keefe, the hit play-reading series continues, as a cast of professional actors sit down to read plays with a hint of humor. Some hilarious, some touching, but each one guaranteed to bring a smile to your face during the course of the evening.

The second installment of the series is Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring and directed by Relatively Speaking and Time of My Life director John Tillinger. This all-star reading will feature

Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, along with Tim Donoghue, Mark Shanahan, Noble Shropshire, Doug Stender, Jen Waldman, Christopher Walken

and more!

Tony Award-winner and Grammy nominated singer-songwriter/composer Duncan Sheik performs selections from his hit musical Spring Awakenings (winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical), along with captivating original materials in a concert that is sure to rock the playhouse rafters. Visit www.duncansheik.com for more information about this amazing artist.

TICKETS GO ON SALE SEPTEMBER 1, 2008

Directed by John Tillinger
With only 8 public performances, this year the Playhouse brings to the stage A Holiday Garland featuring an evening of songs, funny stories, poignant tales, jokes and poems compiled to celebrate this festive season. Directed by John Tillinger (Time of My Life, Relatively Speaking), seven wonderful performers deck the Playhouse stage with holiday music and readings to enchant the family.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Writers and their Pets - Funny and unexpected stories about people, pets and their problems. This evening will feature multi-Emmy Award-winner Sonia Manzano known best for her role as Maria on Sesame Street; stage, film and television actress Bernadette Quigley, and Symphony Space co-founder and Artistic Director Isaiah Sheffer, reading stories by Roberston Davies, Gail Godwin and Ana Menendez about some pretty remarkable pets, including a bird, a dragon and a Frankenstein cat!

Curated by Anne Keefe, the hit play-reading series returns, as a cast of professional actors sit down to read plays with a hint of humor. Some hilarious, some touching, but each one guaranteed to bring a smile to your face during the course of the evening.

Launching the series is the new play The Real Tabasco by Deborah Grace Winer featuring Amir Arison, Sandy Duncan, Daniel Jenkins, and Karen Ziemba, directed by Kaitlin Hopkins.

When a prize-winning show dog escapes the tarmac at LaGuardia airport, the ensuing crisis entangles the lives of a blue-collar Astoria couple with marriage problems, an immigrant baggage handler, and an under-employed actress leading the rescue effort.

Join Westport Country Playhouse for our A Taste of Tuesdays! Share in a special pre-show reception with appetizers from Zest Cafe and Restaurant, taste some sprin wines from Castle Wine and Spirits and enjoy the music of oboist Laura Frye and pianist Ron Giannattasio. Stay for the evening's performance of The Pavilion by Craig Wright, Emmy-nominated writer/producer of television's "Lost" and "Six Feet Under."

A co-presentation with Westport Arts Center and sponsored by WSHU. Join host Isaiah Sheffer as he brings the renowned Symphony Space program to the Playhouse stage. New Fiction from The Paris Review with introductions from Senior Editor Nathaniel Rich.

Stump Louie by Lisa Halliday read by Isaiah Sheffer
The Mathematician by Daniel Kehlmann read by B.D. Wong
Silver by Karl Taro Greenfeld read by Campbell Scott

Come join us at Westport Country Playhouse for A Taste of Tuesdays! We invite you to a special pre-show reception with passed appetizers from La Villa Trattoria, a chance to taste some spring wines from Castle Wine and Spirits and the musical accompaniment of Renard Boissiere. Following the reception, please be our guest for the evening's performance of Hot 'n Cole: A Cole Porter Celebration, directed by James Naughton.