Westport to Present 'Tryst' Starting August 5th

Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director) will stage a romantic thriller set in Edwardian London, "Tryst" by Karoline Leach, August 5 - 23.

Joe Brancato, who helmed the Off-Broadway production, will direct.  The cast features the return to the Playhouse of Mark Shanahan, who appeared in previous Playhouse productions of "Sedition," "David Copperfield" and "Journey's End," and is currently on Broadway in "The Thirty-nine Steps."
 
Shanahan will portray George Love, a dashing swindler who has a habit of marrying plain, well-off women who become inexplicably poor and husbandless the day after their honeymoon.  In London to con his next bride, he happens upon Adelaide, a lonely milliner's assistant who is sitting on a small nest egg.  He woos her and two days after they've met, he convinces her to marry and bring the total of her bank account.  Once they get to the honeymoon, however, the tables are turned, as Adelaide appears not to play victim to his deceptions. She too has her own agenda in marrying Mr. Love and will try anything to get what she wants.  Andrea Maulella will portray Adelaide.
 
Shanahan has been seen on the New York stage in "As Bees in Honey Drown," "Philadelphia, Here I Come" and "The Internationalist," a play he also appeared in locally at Fairfield Theatre Company.  He is an award -winning voice-over artist and an Edgar Award nominated playwright.
 
Ms. Maulella's New York credits include Richard Vetere's "One Shot One Kill," nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Regional theater appearances include "Tryst" at Alley Theatre.  She has been on television's "The Sopranos," "Guiding Light" and "Spin City."

Director Joe Brancato is the founding artistic director of Penguin Repertory Company in Stony Point, Rockland County, NY. Named by The New York Times as "one of America's most insightful directors," he directed the NY premiere of "Tryst," as well as the Drama Desk Award-winning "Cobb."
 
Ms. Leach's first play was an adaptation of "The Snow Queen." She was artistic director of Bootstrap Theatre for three seasons. Her first full-length play "The Mysterious Mr. Love" was produced in 1997 at the Comedy Theatre in the West End. It received its first US performance in 2000, at the Penguin Rep. Her first book, "In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: A New Understanding of Lewis Carroll," was published in 1999, and created a considerable controversy when it claimed that Carroll's biography was more myth than fact. "Tryst" premiered off-Broadway in 2006.

The production design team includes David Korins, scenic design; Alejo Vietti, costume design; Jeff Nellis, lighting design; Johnna Doty, sound design; Telsey + Company, casting; and Diane DiVita, stage manager.

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 4 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.  Special series feature Previews, Opening Nights, TalkBack Thursdays, Prologue, Symposium Sundays, Backstage Pass and Open Captioning.

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 Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

Single tickets range from $30 to $55; opening night tickets, including post-performance reception, are $65. Students and educators are eligible for 50% discounts.  Groups of 10 or more save up to 30% off the regular ticket price.  For group sales information call (203) 227-5137, x120.

For reservations or more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson.