It gives me great pleasure to announce our coming season, five exceptional plays by five extraordinary playwrights for 2011. Christopher Durang, W. Somerset Maugham, Terrence McNally, Tennessee Williams and William Shakespeare are all remarkable artists whose work has the power to touch us profoundly. Whether we're laughing uproariously, basking in elegance, in the grip of tension, awakening to desire, or thrilling to the feeling of being young and in love, each of these writers exercises a powerful hold on our imagination. And the plays we've chosen reflect the best of their work, towering achievements that will grace our stage in as exciting a season at the Playhouse as I can recall.

Below are the titles to these five fantastic plays, with a little information on each of them. However, rather than just expounding on the virtues of them as individual offerings, let me remind you that, although single tickets don't go on sale until March 1st, traditional four and five play subscriptions are available immediately - starting at just $25 per ticket!  We also have Pick 3 plans available where you can pick any three shows you want and save $5 per ticket. 

Whether you plan to join us for the whole season, or just one show, we look forward to having you back at the Playhouse next year as we continue our two-year long observance of our 80 years here in Westport. It's going to be quite a celebration.

Whether you plan to join us for the whole season, or just one show, we look forward to having you back at the Playhouse next year as we continue our two-year long observance of our 80 years here in Westport. It's going to be quite a celebration.

Sincerely,

Mark Lamos
Artistic Director

Beyond Therapy
By Christopher Durang
Directed by John Rando
April 26 - 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. This wicked and wickedly funny look at the days and nights of the young and single will inspire you to outrageous laughter, the most effective therapy of all.

The Circle
By W. Somerset Maugham
Directed by TBD
June 7 - June 25

Many years ago, Lord Champion-Cheney was abandoned by his wife, a legendary beauty. Now his son, Arnold, a politician and rising star, is having marital problems of his own. Is history destined to repeat itself? This scintillating comedy of manners, considered Maugham's wittiest play, is a seamless blend of romance and repartee.

Lips Together, Teeth Apart
By Terrence McNally
Directed by Mark Lamos
July 12 - July 30

From the author of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and Master Class comes this story of two couples who gather at a Fire Island beach house to celebrate the Fourth of July. Anxious about their impending middle age, and wary of the world's hidden threats, they fortify themselves against life's disappointments with food, drink, and an escalating series of wry observations and stinging barbs. This hilarious account of people struggling against their limitations is as perceptive about the way we live today as any comedy the American theater has produced in years.

Suddenly Last Summer
  By Tennessee Williams
Directed by David Kennedy
August 23 - September 10

A handsome poet has died under mysterious circumstances, and only the beautiful young woman who was there knows the shocking and terrible truth of what happened. Will she tell her story no matter the consequences, or succumb to the pressure to protect the legacy of an influential and powerful family? This is one of Tennessee Williams' most poetic, sensual and evocative works.  

Twelfth Night, or What You Will
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Mark Lamos
October 11 - October 29

A young lady cast ashore after a violent shipwreck finds herself thrust into an adventure of cross-dressing, sexual confusion, mistaken identity and the flowering of romantic love. A story of passionate intensity, full of laughter, poetry and song, this is Shakespeare's most beguiling and enjoyable comic masterpiece. 'If music be the food of love, play on!'  

Board of Trustees Production Sponsors: Sandra & Neil DeFeo