Julia Roberts To Host Westport's Benefit 9/15

Julia Roberts will host the annual gala for Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT (JoAnne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director) on Monday, September 15.

The evening's entertainment, "Footlights and Film:  A Celebration of the Great Musicals from Stage and Screen," will feature star-studded performances by talents to be announced and honor Bob and Suzanne Wright.  Gala chairs are Westporters Laurie Lister and Judd Burstein, and Sharon Sullivan and Jeff Kindler.

"We are thrilled that a star of Julia Roberts' magnitude will host an array of premier artists from stage and screen to benefit the historic Westport Country Playhouse," said Anne Keefe, Playhouse artistic director.  "This will be a one-of-a-kind entertainment and social event that is not to be missed."

Beginning at 6 p.m., the celebratory evening will include a cocktail reception, a star-studded musical performance in The Playhouse's Jason Robards Theatre, dinner with celebrity guests and silent auction.

Funds raised by the event will further artistic and educational programming at Westport Country Playhouse, now open year-round.  Benefit tickets are $2,000.  Corporate and individual Benefactor and Leader tables with seating for 10 are $25,000 and $50,000.  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; "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.

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