Westport Country Playhouse Announces Comedy THE SUPPORTING CAST

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of the comedy, "The Supporting Cast" by George Furth, on Monday, February 6, 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.

"Once again, mining the incredible list of shows done at The Playhouse over the years has turned up gold," said Keefe. "Our audiences might have seen this comedy on The Playhouse stage in 1982 or 1995. Don't miss this chance to see this funny play!"

In "The Supporting Cast," Ellen has written a book about several of her friends who are spouses of celebrities and what it's like to be married to "Somebody Famous". She invites the friends to her Mailbu beach house to let them read advance copies. Nothing goes as planned when she breaks the news to them that they are depicted in the book warts and all.

The cast includes David Beach as Arnold (Westport Country Playhouse's "Room Service" and Script in Hand playreading of "Social Security"; Broadway's "Something Rotten," "It's Only a Play," "Mamma Mia!," "Urinetown"; Goodspeed's "Damn Yankees"; television's "Veep"); Patricia Kalember as Sally (WCP's "What the Butler Saw," "A Marriage Minuet," and Script in Hand playreading of "Scotland Road"; Broadway's "The Foreigner"; television's "Power," "Madam Secretary," "Orange Is the New Black"; regular on "thirtysomething").

Also, Maggie Lacey as Ellen (Westport Country Playhouse's "Lips Together, Teeth Apart", "The School for Husbands," "Our Town," Script in Hand playreadings of "Holiday," "Harvey"; Broadway's "Inherit the Wind," "Dividing the Estate"; Off-Broadway's "A Doll's House," "The Father");Deirdre Madigan as Mae (WCP's "And a Nightingale Sang," "A Marriage Minuet," "A Few Good Men," Script in Hand playreadings of "Social Security," "The Late Christopher Bean"; Broadway's "A Delicate Balance," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," "After the Night and the Music"); andKathleen McNenny as Florrie (Westport Country Playhouse's "Beyond Therapy," "The Good German," Script in Hand playreadings of "Pack of Lies," "The Golden Age"; Broadway's "An Enemy of the People," Larry David's "Fish in the Dark," "Coram Boy," "The Constant Wife," "After the Fall," "A Few Good Men"; film's "School of Rock"; television's "The Blacklist," "Elementary").

All artists are subject to change.

Playwright George Furth has written the Broadway shows "Company," "The Act," "Twigs," "Merrily We Roll Along," "Precious Sons," and "Getting Away with Murder." He worked extensively as an actor, appearing in many feature films, including "The Best Man," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Blazing Saddles," "Shampoo," and "Sleeper," as well as many major television shows.

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.

Upcoming Script in Hand playreadings are "Lobby Hero" by Kenneth Lonergan, on Monday, March 13, and "Lunch Hour" by Jean Kerr, on Monday, April 24.

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).

About Westport Country Playhouse

The mission of Westport Country Playhouse is to enrich, enlighten, and engage the community through the power of professionally producedtheater 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.