APPROPRIATE, GROUNDED and More Set for Westport Country Playhouse's 2017 Season

Westport Country Playhouse announces its 2017 season, featuring five plays that cover a wide variety of theater worth talking about, from writers whose works are considered stage classics, as well as from contemporary voices. 2017 season tickets are now on sale.

Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos, 2017 will mark the Connecticut professional theater's 87th season. Next year, there will be two changes, based on patron feedback: The 2017 season will start and end one month later than in past years, running from May 30 through November 19, with two of the five plays staged in the fall instead of only one as in past years; and, in addition to a 5-play season package, a Pick 4 package will be introduced, offering patrons more flexibility through selection of any four plays during the entire season. Previously, a four-play season ticket only provided a choice between the first four or last four productions.

"Our 2017 season covers a wide range of exciting, thought-provoking, and wonderfully entertaining theater," said Lamos. "New plays and old. From the giddy laughter of Peter Shaffer's hit comedy to the powerful and moving story of a woman in the U.S. Military who is forced to confront a not-so-distant desert war; from a violent and violently funny family reunion to a funny, sexy comedy-drama about dating and coupling via your electronic device, our plays explore and celebrate women and men together and apart in hilarious, explosive, and even loving relationships."

Lamos added, "Fittingly, this season of great stories concludes with the greatest love story in all theater, itself a tale of violence and passionate young love that defies family ties and leads to redemptive, moving tragedy. The timelessness of Shakespeare's story and the way he tells it, continues to inspire young audiences and old."

The 2017 season will begin with "Lettice and Lovage," a 1990 Tony Award nominee for Best Play, written by Peter Shaffer, author of "Amadeus." The comedy tells of Miss Lettice Duffet, a tour guide for one of Britain's stately homes, who creates outrageous, exaggerated stories to make the stuffy house's historic past more fascinating. Playing May 30 through June 17, Mark Lamos will direct.

"Appropriate," a 2014-15 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, is a comic drama about family secrets, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. When the Lafayette children gather to catalog their recently deceased father's Arkansas estate, they discover a shameful legacy. Directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, the play runs July 11 through July 29.

"Grounded," winner of the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Production and a Fringe First Award at the Edinburg Fringe Festival, is a contemporary drama, written by George Brant. An ace fighter pilot, grounded by an unexpected pregnancy, is reassigned as a drone pilot in Las Vegas where the realities of war and suburban comfort collide. Short-listed for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, the play runs August 15 through September 2, 2017.

"Sex with Strangers" is a look at a modern relationship in the digital age, written by Laura Eason. When Ethan, a young sex blogger, turned bestselling author, meets Olivia, a reclusive, thirty-something novelist, dating turns dark as self-reinvention is just a click away. The play will be staged September 26 through October 14, 2017.

The 2017 season culminates with one of the greatest love stories ever told, "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare. The tale of two star-crossed teenagers, who fight to love each other in a violent world, will run October 31 through November 19, 2017, directed by Mark Lamos, who the New York Post said, "is among the finest Shakespearean directors in the world."

All play titles, artists, and dates are subject to change.

The performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Special series feature Taste of Tuesday, LGBT Night OUT, Opening Night, Sunday Symposium, Open Captions, Thursday TalkBack, Together at the Table Family Dinner, Playhouse Happy Hour, and Backstage Pass.

5-Play and Pick 4 season tickets are now available, including online purchasing capability 24/7. Patrons who purchase by the Early Bird Deadline of Saturday, September 10, will receive an exclusive Early Bird Guest Pass - a free ticket to share with a friend. All season ticket holders receive a host of benefits not afforded to single ticket buyers, including up to 35% off single ticket prices, priority seating, free and easy ticket exchanges, The Playhouse's monthly e-newsletter, and discounts at selected Westport restaurants. In addition, they will be invited to a season preview event in the spring with Lamos and other artists. 2017 Flex Passes are also currently on sale for those seeking to see any combination of shows on varying days and times. Single tickets will go on sale in March.

For more information and to buy season 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 through October; 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 play readings 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.

Pictured: Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. Photo by Bruce Plotkin.