Westport Country Playhouse Presents Author John L. Lock Tonight, 7/24

John L. Locke, Ph.D., author of books on gossip, eavesdropping, and other aspects of human communication, will speak at "Books Worth Talking About," tonight, July 24, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Lucille Lortel White Barn Center at Westport Country Playhouse, followed by an 8 p.m. performance of Molière's timeless comedy, "Tartuffe."

"Books Worth Talking About," a recently launched partnership between Westport Country Playhouse and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc., provides an opportunity to interact with prominent authors and explore ideas and themes to enrich the theater-going experience. Topics of the literary salons and theatrical productions are designed to complement each other.

DR. Locke will discuss eavesdropping and gossip, themes that are prevalent in "Tartuffe." He will also talk about "gendered" speech, social technology, language development, and related issues in human communication.

"We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Meryl Moss and welcoming DR. Locke for our second literary salon of the 2012 Season," said Jen McCool, Playhouse community engagement coordinator. "We had a wonderful response to our first event with authors Nina Sankovitch and Tessa Smith McGovern and their discussion added a special depth and introspection for our audience members attending 'The Year of Magical Thinking.' DR. Locke has a unique understanding of language, which I think will help illuminate the crackling dialogue and humor of 'Tartuffe' in a very exciting way."

DR. Locke is Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Lehman College (City University of New York), and Professor of Language Science in the CUNY doctoral program. He is also a member of the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA) at the University of California, San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Much of DR. Locke's research deals with some aspect of the biology of language, usually its development in infants and its evolution in the species. He has published over 130 scientific articles, chapters, and books, including The Child's Path to Spoken Language, published by Harvard University Press in 1993. In recent years, DR. Locke has published three trade books on aspects of human communication: The De-Voicing of Society: Why There's No One to Talk To Anymore (Simon & Schuster, 1998); Eavesdropping: An Intimate History (Oxford University Press, 2010); and Duels and Duets: Why Men and Women Talk So Differently (Cambridge University Press, 2011). His website is: www.johnllocke.com.

The literary salon is open to anyone with a ticket for the Tuesday, July 24 performance. Subscribers to other performances may exchange their tickets into this evening by contacting The Playhouse box office at 203-227-4177.

DR. Locke's books will be available for purchase at the event from Playhouse community partners The Fairfield University Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Fairfield University Bookstore.

An upcoming literary salon will be on Wednesday, August 29, before the world premiere of the comedy "Harbor," by Tony Award-nominated playwright Chad Beguelin.

Reservations for the "Books Worth Talking About" literary salon are necessary. RSVP at marketing@westportplayhouse.org or The Playhouse box office at (203)-227-4177.

For more information or tickets to "Tartuffe," playing July 17 – August 4, 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. 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).

About The Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, professional theater under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management leadership of Michael Ross. The Playhouse creates five live theater experiences, produced at the highest level, from April through November. Its vital mix of works---dramatic, comedic, occasionally exploratory and unusual---expands the audience's sense of what theater can be. The depth and scope of its productions display the foremost theatrical literature from the past---recent as well as distant---in addition to musicals and premieres of new plays. During the summer, The Playhouse is home to the Woodward Internship Program, renowned for the training of aspiring theater professionals. Winter at The Playhouse, from November through March, offers events outside of the main season---Family Festivities presentations, Script in Hand play readings and a Holiday Festival. In addition, businesses and organizations are encouraged to rent the handsome facility for their meetings, receptions and fundraisers.

As an historic venue, Westport Country Playhouse has had many different lives leading up to the present. Originally built in 1835 as a tannery manufacturing hatters' leathers, it became a steam-powered cider mill in 1880, later to be abandoned in the 1920s. Splendidly transformed into a theater in 1931, it initially served as a try-out house for Broadway transfers, evolving into an established stop on the New England straw hat circuit of summer stock theaters through the end of the 20th century. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, The Playhouse became a state-of-the-art producing theater, preserving its original charm and character.

Today, the not-for-profit Westport Country Playhouse serves as a cultural nexus for patrons, artists and students and is a treasured resource for the State of Connecticut. There are no boundaries to the creative thinking for future seasons or the kinds of audiences and excitement for theater that Westport Country Playhouse can build.

Westport Country Playhouse's five-play 2012 season: "Into the Woods," a beguiling take on timeless fairy tales, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, directed by Mark Lamos, May 1 - 26; "The Year of Magical Thinking," based on the National Book Award Winner by Joan Didion, directed by Nicholas Martin and featuring Maureen Anderman, June 12 - 30; Molière's "Tartuffe," a funny and wise farce, translated by Richard Wilbur, directed by David Kennedy, July 17 – August 4; the world premiere of "Harbor," a comedy about a dysfunctional, loving family, by Chad Beguelin, directed by Mark Lamos, August 28 – September 15; "A Raisin in the Sun," the timeless classic about a black family in 1950s Southside Chicago and their quest for a piece of the American Dream, by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Phylicia Rashad, October 9 – November 3.

For more information or tickets, 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. 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).