Interview: Mark Shanahan of Westport Country Playhouse

The Westport Country Playhouse’s upcoming season is going to be epic with two world premieres, comedy, drama, mystery, and music along with its signature Script in Hand play readings and concerts.  The three main shows are Ken Ludwig’s Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberly (the first world premiere of the season) from October 20th through November 7th, 2026, The Pancake Club (the second world premiere and stars Judith Ivey) from April 20th through May 8th, 2027, and The Legend of Georgia McBride from July 13th through 31st, 2027.  A Sherlock Carol returns again on December 12th through 20th, 2026, Murder for Two from March 4th through 7th, 2027, and The Goldsmith from May 19th through 22nd, 2027.  BroadwayWorld was curious about how Shanahan comes up with exciting shows year after year.

Each year, you outdo the previous season, and the coming season is going to be fantastic.  Please walk us through your creative process.

Thank you for saying that! We’re all working hard to make sure the Playhouse is always growing and your encouragement means a lot!

My process for creating a season really begins with a simple question: what stories feel necessary for our audience right now? I go over what I have experienced in the past year, too.  A play I saw.  A writer I’m excited about.  A conversation after a performance where someone tells me, “I didn’t expect that to hit me like that. ”

And in putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, I think about how a season moves from one experience to the next so that no two visits to the Playhouse feel the same.  You want to create a full experience- and a rhythm for the year ahead! 

Recently I’ve felt strongly that audiences are looking for stories that lift them up and bring them together – plays filled with energy, joy, curiosity, and emotional depth.

At the same time, we are competing with more distractions and competition than ever.  So, the season has to be both artistically bold and genuinely inviting.

As much as we all love the history of the Westport Country Playhouse, it’s important to remember this place isn’t a museum.  It’s a place that is alive and serving its audience, generating conversation about what we’re going through now! That means we get to mixing proven titles with new voices, making sure there is always something that feels both familiar and newly discovered.

 The Playhouse is having two world premieres in the 2026–2027 season.  What made these plays stand out?

It’s thrilling! We’re all so excited to be offering new work that feels just right for the Playhouse! 

World premieres have always been part of the Playhouse’s DNA.  Historically, the Playhouse helped launch major American plays like Come Back, Little Sheba, The Trip to Bountiful, Butterflies Are Free, and Thurgood, among so many others.  In some ways, returning to new work feels like we’re honoring something that has always been an important part of the Playhouse’s history.

And honestly, we’re at a moment it feels right to take some big swings, doing new work that can energize our theatre and community.  But new works and unproven titles are always a risk, right? So, it is important to make sure these plays feel just right for our audience.

The Pancake Club stood out first in our Script in Hand series.  It’s a play about old friends who meet weekly at a diner and the complications that happen when one of them passes away.  It had an immediate connection with our audience at the reading.  People were laughing, and then you could feel the laughter catch a little as something deeper landed underneath it.  It’s funny, moving, and asks some really good questions about how to navigate friendships and move through new chapters of life.  And afterward, people didn’t rush out.  They stayed, talking in the aisles, which is always one of the clearest signs that something special was going on.

Charlotte Booker wrote the play with the incredible Tony-winning actress Judith Ivey in mind, and when Judith expressed enthusiasm about doing it here, it felt like a no-brainer.  A crowd pleaser with something to say? That’s a gift I couldn’t turn down.

 Please tell us about how you got Ken Ludwig’s Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley.  Who commissioned it? Where was it workshopped?

I’ve known Ken Ludwig for a long time and have had the pleasure of working on his plays as both an actor and director in the past.  He’s a brilliant guy – and one of the premier writers in the American theater.  So, when he shared this new piece with me, I immediately fell in love with it and could see it so clearly succeeding on our stage.

Of course, doing a new play requires a real level of commitment if you’re going to launch it properly.  One of the things I promised Ken was that we would create a private workshop environment to hear the piece aloud for the first time and refine it before it ever reached first performance.  That kind of space is important for a writer, and I knew we’d have to invest in getting this done right.  

What made the play feel like a natural fit is that it speaks to exactly what the Playhouse often does best – taking something that feels familiar but turning it into something new.  Taking Pride and Prejudice and envisioning it in a new comedic world is both reverent and inventive.  And who else but Ken could think of having Napoleon himself interact with the characters from Jane Austen’s novel? It's really fun and witty- and very smart.

Other than finances, what is your biggest challenge in executing your vision for the season’s theatrical productions?

Well, you’re right that finances are always a chief concern.  We’re constantly looking for new supporters and ways to fundraise.  

But on a more joyful note, one of the biggest challenges I get to enjoy is simply assembling the right team of artists for every production.  The success of the whole season depends on gathering the right colleagues – directors, actors, designers, and writers – all of whom are not only excellent individually but exciting together.

When those pieces come together, everything else becomes easier.  Having artists like the incomparable director Emily Mann working alongside Ken Ludwig on a new piece, for example, immediately fills our theatre with an energy that is palpable.

And while I’m at it, scheduling can also be a bit of a challenge.  The Playhouse is now active year-round, with readings, concerts, rentals, and productions all year long.  That’s a wonderful evolution for us, but it means our small but mighty staff has to make sure we have laid out everything to serve our audience best.

Have the demographics of the audience changed since you became Artistic Director? If so, what have you done to bring in new audiences while serving loyal patrons?

We’ve certainly noticed the audience has shifted in recent years.  Westport and the surrounding region have seen a lot of new families move in, which means there are many people who may not yet have a relationship with the Playhouse.

But you have to think that’s both a challenge and an opportunity, right? We have to introduce ourselves to a new people and let them know that world-class theatre exists right in their hometown.  At the same time, we have to honor and support the loyal patrons who have sustained this place for decades.

And theatres everywhere report changes in audience behavior.  People buy tickets later, and theatres have a lot more competition! But I really believe that once people walk through our doors, the experience is irreplaceable.

And, one more thing.  We want everyone to know they are able to come to the Playhouse - no matter what.  We’re getting word out about pay-what-you-will nights, as well as senior, student, military, and industry discounts.  Cost should never be a barrier for someone to attend the theatre.  While our fundraisers may always require a higher ticket price to keep us going, I want access to our plays to feel in reach for anyone who wants to come.

I spend a lot of time just talking to people, going to clubs, community groups, organizations.  I think the best invitation is always a personal one.  Sometimes just saying, “You should come! You’ll love it!” really sparks someone to want to attend.  Especially if they haven't visited us in a while.

What else would you like audiences to know about the other plays in the coming season?

Our World Premieres next year are thrilling, but I’m also excited we’re producing The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez.  It’s about a struggling Elvis impersonator and expectant father who finds himself trading in his Elvis wig to work in a drag club.  It is a joyful and fun story of personal connection and community.  

Alongside these shows, we’ll include three shorter runs which will round out the theatre-going experience.   We’ll once again present A Sherlock Carol, which has become a true Playhouse holiday tradition.  And we also have the fast-paced musical mystery Murder for Two, with two actors playing multiple roles – and a piano.

We’re also presenting a new work that has been developed in our Barnstormer and Script in Hand series, The Goldsmith by Sharone Sayegh.  It’s a beautiful show that explores identity, faith, and a sense belonging through a deeply personal story about her family.  Those who saw the reading this winter let me know they wanted to see a full production – and we are honored to bring it back to our stage.

But before we even get to all that lies ahead, we’re just launching the finale to our current season with our summer production of Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which I adapted with the Christie estate and opens July 14th.  As soon as we finish that production, we’re off and running with our new season, and even then, we’re already hard at work planning for 2027-28.  It feels like we have so much to look forward to and we are working so hard to keep the momentum going!

I really love our theatre.  I love the artists we attract, and I love the way our audiences feel so personally tied to the experience of coming to the Playhouse.  My hope is that people think of the Playhouse as a place they can rely on to make life a little better during difficult times.  A place to bring a good friend for a shared experience.  A place that feels like a second home.  A place where you can count always on a good story well told.  Because really, that’s what a theatre is for, isn’t it?

For Westport Country Playhouse information and tickets, visit westportplayhouse. org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.  Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), Instagram (wcplayhouse), and YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).  Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.

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