Hoffman, Lithgow and More Lend Hand To Support Westport County Playhouse

Award-winning actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Lithgow and other celebrities will offer one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences in a silent auction to benefit Westport Country Playhouse (JoAnne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director), at the historic Westport, Connecticut theatre’s annual fundraising gala on Monday, September 15.  In addition to celebrity auction items, there will be sports, vacation, fashion and jewelry auction packages. Full details of all silent auction items are available at www.westportplayhouse.org.

Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman will spend a full evening with a silent auction winner and guests, starting with dinner at the members-only Core Club in midtown Manhattan, followed by a film viewing with the actor himself in the Club’s private screening room.

Two-time Tony Award winner John Lithgow with host a backstage tour with a silent auction winner and guests, following his performance in “All My Sons” on Broadway. The package also includes round-trip limousine, dinner at db Bistro and tickets to a performance of Arthur Miller’s classic drama.

Actor Penn Badgley, who plays sensitive and wise Dan Humphrey on the CW’s teen soap opera Gossip Girl, will have lunch with an auction winner and a friend on the New York set of this hit show. The package includes the first season of the show on DVD and books 1-9 in the series.

Other celebrity auction items include: lunch with Emmy Award winner Timothy Busfield of “thirty-something” and “The West Wing,” and a visit to the set of his hit television show “Lipstick Jungle,” for which he serves as executive producer and director, plus a manicure and pedicure from Westport’s Dream Spa; a backstage visit with Tony Award winner Laura Benanti of “Gypsy,” including limousine, dinner at Sardi’s, tickets to the Broadway musical and a signed playbill by the show’s stars Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines and Ms. Benanti; a backstage tour with two of the stars of “Shrek”---Johnny Tartaglia (“Avenue Q,” “Johnny and the Sprites”) and Westport’s own Adam Reigler (Westport Country Playhouse productions of “A Christmas Carol” and “David Copperfield,” “Cubby Bernstein”), including limousine, dinner at Serendipity 3 and tickets to the new Broadway musical starring Sutton Foster; and a backstage tour of David Mamet’s satirical Broadway comedy “Speed-the-Plow” with its star, three-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza, including limousine, dinner at Sardi’s and show tickets.

Also in the silent auction will be an eight-week internship for an aspiring high school or college theatre professional including two weeks with Bernard Telsey, founder of Telsey + Company Casting; two weeks with Josh Pearl, agent at International Creative Management (ICM); two weeks with Daryl Roth, producer of several of Broadway and Off-Broadway’s plays; and one week each with the managing director and the artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse.

Entertainment auction items include tickets to the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, traditionally emceed by Bill Cosby, preceded by a private party at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, with round-trip transportation via American Airlines and accommodations at Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey.

Sports auction items include field level box seats for the final regular season game ever to be played at Shea Stadium on September 28, 2008, and the first regular season game ever to be played at the new Citi Field on April 14, 2009.  In addition, if the Mets make the playoffs this year, the package includes seats for the first home game of the first round of the playoffs, the first home game of the National League Championship Series (if they win the prior round), and the first home game of the World Series (if they win the National League Championship).

Also, a backstage meet and greet with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstars following the “WWE RAW Christmas Week Special” on December 28, 2008 at Madison Square Garden, including event tickets and exclusive WWE memorabilia signed by RAW Champs; lunch with legendary boxer Shane Mosley and dinner with HBO and ESPN broadcaster Max Kellerman (or vice versa), including tickets to three boxing events, post-fight press conferences and HBO after-parties with celebrities; and rounds of golf at three of the most exclusive golf courses in the northeast: Connecticut Golf Club, Hudson National and Stanwich Golf Club.

Vacation auction items offer stays at Sol Melia/Paradisus Resorts in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Cancun or the Dominican Republic; Colorado's Beaver Creek Hyatt Mountain Lodge; a home on Dionis Beach, Nantucket and passes to the prestigious Nantucket Film Festival; Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs Valley, California and golfing at Bighorn; a condo in Miami’s South Beach and VIP passes to Art Basel along with invitations to private parties; Ritz-Carlton Club in St. Thomas; and a private Tuscan villa located outside the village of Panzano, Italy.

Fashion and jewelry items include a $10,000 gift certificate to Carolina Herrera's Madison Avenue boutique to choose amongst suits, dresses and sportswear; tickets to the exclusive Ralph Lauren Fashion Show in February 2009 and Ralph Lauren Ricky Bag; shoes for a year from Mitchells Westport (either six men’s plus six women’s shoes or 12 men’s shoes or 12 women’s shoes); Cartier men’s and women’s watches from Betteridge; a St. John’s short nylon cape with fox collar; St. John’s black Angora wrap with fox trim; St. John’s ¾ length coat, reversible from silk to sheared fur, with fur cuffs; Avenue classic lady’s watch by Harry Winston and a behind-the-scenes tour of the legendary jewelry house; and a Verdura bracelet and tea at Verdura’s New York salon, hosted by owner Ward Landrigan.

The silent auction will be open for bidding at 8 p.m. on the gala evening, continuing through the post-performance cocktail party and dinner inside the tent.

The entertainment program, “Footlights and Film:  A Celebration of the Great Musicals from Stage and Screen,” will be hosted by Julia Roberts and feature a special tribute to Angela Lansbury presented by Bernadette peters.  Broadway performers will be Laura Benanti (“Gypsy”), Tituss Burgess (“The Little Mermaid”), Kerry Butler (“Xanadu”), Raúl Esparza (“Company”), Gavin Lee (“Mary Poppins”), Nedra McClyde (“The Actors Rap”), Julia Murney (“Wicked”), Steven Pasquale (“The Light in the Piazza”), Q. Smith (“Les Misérables”) and Aurelia Williams (“All Shook Up”). The event will honor Suzanne and Bob Wright for their contributions to the Playhouse.

Director of “Footlights and Film” is Joe Calarco; musical direction is by Mary-Mitchell Campbell; choreography is by Tim Federle. Gala chairs are Westporters Laurie Lister and Judd Burstein, and Sharon Sullivan and Jeff Kindler. Honorary chairs are JoAnne Woodward and Paul Newman.

The fundraising evening will open with a champagne welcome at 6 p.m., musical performance in the Playhouse’s Jason Robards Theatre at 6:30 p.m., cocktails and silent auction at 8 p.m., and dinner with celebrity guests at 8:45 p.m.

Funds raised by the event will further artistic and educational programming at Westport Country Playhouse, now open year-round.  Patron tickets are $2,000.  Corporate and individual Benefactor and Leader tables with seating for 10 are $25,000 and $50,000, respectively.  A limited number of performance-only tickets are $600. Reservations are limited by the intimate size of the theatre. 

Playhouse Information

Celebrating its 78th season, the venerable Westport Country Playhouse (JoAnne Woodward and Anne Keefe, Artistic Directors; Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, Managing Director) is creating innovative new works and dynamic revivals. The Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway including “Come Back, Little Sheba” with Shirley Booth; “The Trip to Bountiful” with Lillian Gish; “Butterflies Are Free” with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner; “Absurd Person Singular” with Sandy Dennis, Geraldine Page and Tony Roberts; and “Our Town” with Paul Newman.  The list of actors, directors, and other theatre artists who have worked and continue to perform on the Playhouse’s legendary stage reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre.  Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse now produces year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, the Playhouse presents educational programming and workshops; a children’s theatre series; symposiums; music; films; and readings of short fiction, classical works and new plays.  Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the theatrical arts, its audiences and its artists.  For the State of Connecticut, it is a true cultural landmark. Your experience begins at www.westportplayhouse.org.

The Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit corporation.  For more information or to request a benefit invitation, call (203) 227-5137, ext. 138.  A schedule of year-round events at the Playhouse is available online at www.westportplayhouse.org.

 

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