John Tillinger to Direct Westport Country Playhouse's THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE, 8/19-9/6

Veteran Broadway director and Tony Award nominee John Tillinger will return to Westport Country Playhouse to direct another of Alan Ayckbourn's comedies, "Things We Do for Love," August 19 - September 6. Tillinger has directed other Ayckbourn plays for Westport, including "Relatively Speaking," "Time of My Life," and "How the Other Half Loves." He also directed the theater's productions of A. R. Gurney's "Sylvia" and "Children," as well as a Script in Hand playreading of Gurney's "The Golden Age."

"It's a distinct pleasure to bring John Tillinger back to The Playhouse for 'Things We Do for Love,'" said Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. "No one else has brought so many of Ayckbourn's brilliant comedies to life on these shores, on and off-Broadway, and in Westport."

On Broadway, Tillinger received an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony nomination for "Inherit the Wind" with Charles Durning and George C. Scott, and Tony nominations for "The Price" with Eli Wallach, and "Loot" with Joseph Maher. Off-Broadway credits include winning Lortel Awards for "The Lisbon Traviata" with Nathan Lane, and "Love Letters" with many stars including Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst.

Alan Ayckbourn's "Things We Do for Love" tells how fastidious Barbara's orderly, but solitary world is thrown into chaos when the arrival of her longtime friend Nikki and her fiancé ignites unexpected passions. Replete with trademark Ayckbourn touches, the play questions just how sane anyone really is when it comes to love.

In addition to the Ayckbourn comedy, Westport Country Playhouse's upcoming five-play season includes Noël Coward's "A Song at Twilight," an exquisite battle of wits, exploring the nature of passion, the cruelty of love, and the price of hidden secrets, directed by Mark Lamos, April 29 - May 17, a co-production with Hartford Stage; either a comedy or a world premiere musical event, to be announced at a later date, directed by Mark Lamos, playing June 3 - 21; "Nora," Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House," a story of love, blackmail, and the little lies people tell, translated into the English language by Frederick J. Marker and Lisa-Lone Marker, directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, July 15 - August 2; and "Intimate Apparel" by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, an intricate tapestry of the joys, sorrows, tragedy, and triumph of a gifted but lonely African-American seamstress in early 20th century Manhattan who's negotiating the choice between a love that is accepted and one that is true, October 7 - November 1.

Now available are 2014 subscriptions for current and new subscribers, including online purchasing capability 24/7. Subscribers receive a host of benefits not afforded to single ticket buyers, including significant savings, priority seating, free and easy ticket exchanges, and restaurant discounts. Flex passes are also now available for those seeking a more flexible subscription option. Single tickets will go on sale March 4.

The performance schedule is Tuesday at 8 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, Previews, LGBT Night OUT, Opening Night, Sunday Symposium, Open Captions, Thursday TalkBack, Together at the Table Family Dinner, Playhouse Young Professionals, and Backstage Pass.

For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org, or by using the new Playhouse App or mobile website. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

Photo by Carol Rosegg