Reading of New Holiday Play with Music Held at Westport Country Playhouse, 12/13

The Greatest Gift, a special family holiday playreading with music, will be presented by Westport Country Playhouse in association with Bisno Productions as part of The Playhouse's popular Script in Hand series, on Monday, December 13, 7 p.m. Tickets to the one-night-only event are $15.

With book and lyrics by David Wiltse and music by Denis King, this charming, new play tells the story of the Smith-Goldman family who celebrate the holiday season in their own way. When eight-year-old Emma bumps her head in a fall, sending her into a fantastical dream world, she and her parents discover that what really matters has nothing to do with gifts and ritual and all to do with who you love.

The cast includes Jeremy Peter Johnson as Daniel/Grandfather; Stacie Morgain Lewis as Jill/Grandmother; Howard McGillin as Oscar/Showman; Orly Salik of Westport as Emma; and Luke Sauer of Westport as Young Daniel. Actors are subject to change.

Jeremy Peter Johnson was last seen at Westport Country Playhouse as Georg in She Loves Me. Off-Broadway credits include Shakespeare's R&J and Before the Dawn. He was an Acting Company member for three seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Stacie Morgain Lewis was most recently seen as Frieda/Betty in the critically acclaimed Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George. Prior to that, she played Glinda in the Chicago production of Wicked. Broadway credits include Wicked (stand by/performed Glinda), Urinetown and Titanic.

Howard McGillin was on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera, Kiss of the Spider Woman, She Loves Me, The Secret Garden, Anything Goes (Tony and Drama Desk award nominations), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony and Drama Desk award nominations, Theatre World Award) and Sunday in the Park with George.

Orly Salik is a fourth grader at Coleytown Elementary School in Westport. She recently performed in Beautyfull (New York Musical Theatre Festival). She has been in Annie, Honk and High School Musical (Music Theatre of Connecticut) and in January will play the Genie in Aladdin (Center Stage).

Luke Sauer is a fifth grader at Coleytown Elementary School in Westport. He made his debut as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol at Westport Country Playhouse in 2006 and reprised the role in 2007. He has appeared in The Music Man (Summer Theater of New Canaan) and as Theo in Pippin (Wilton Playshop). Luke is the founder of "Kid4Kids," a musical benefit for children in need.

David Wiltse, writer of the book and lyrics, was the Playwright-in-Residence at The Westport Country Playhouse from 2007-2009. He is the author of 13 plays, including Doubles, Triangles for Two, Temporary Help, The Good German, Marriage Minuet, Sedition and Scramble. Wiltse has also written 12 novels.

Denis King, composer, wrote the music for Westport Country Playhouse's A Saint She Ain't (2002). He began his musical career at age 13 as one of England's most successful pop groups, The King Brothers. He has composed themes for over 200 television series including Black Beauty (Ivor Novello Award). Stage work includes Privates on Parade (Ivor Novello for Best Musical).

Mark Shanahan will direct. Earlier this year he directed Westport Country Playhouse's Script in Hand series presentation of Butterflies Are Free with Jonathan Groff and Blythe Danner. Shanahan's directorial work has been featured at Alley Theatre, Cape Playhouse, Depot Theatre, Charles R. Wood Theatre, Penguin Rep, Lake Placid Arts and Actors' Theatre Nantucket. As an actor at Westport Country Playhouse, he appeared in Around the World in 80 Days, Tryst, Sedition, David Copperfield, Journey's End and numerous readings.

Marc and Michele Flaster are Script in Hand series sponsors; Darlene Krenz, Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler are board of trustee production partners. The series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation and Newman's Own Foundation. Foundation support specifically for The Greatest Gift workshop is provided by Seedlings Foundation.

The Script in Hand Series is curated by Anne Keefe, Playhouse artistic advisor. She co-directed with JoAnne Woodward The Playhouse production of David Copperfield, directed readings of And Then There Were None, Harvey, Bedroom Farce and A Song at Twilight, and appeared in A Holiday Garland and a reading of Arsenic and Old Lace. She is a former Westport Country Playhouse artistic director.

In addition to The Greatest Gift, The Playhouse's December 2010 events include The Nutcracker, a holiday ballet presented by Ballet Etudes, on Saturday and Sunday, December 4 and 5; Seasons with Tracie Thoms, a concert, on Friday, December 10; The Clowns and Mr. Beckett, an evening with Bill Irwin and Doug Skinner, on Saturday, December 11; Season's Greetings, a family festivities afternoon, on Sunday, December 12; and The Broadway Boys, a holiday concert Broadway style, on Saturday and Sunday, December 18 and 19. 2010 holiday special events sponsor is Hearst Media Services; corporate partner is Pitney Bowes.
About The Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater, serves as a treasured home for the performing arts and is a cultural landmark for Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, The Playhouse creates quality productions of new and classic plays that enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theater lovers, artists and students. The Playhouse's rich history dates back to 1931, when New York theater producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s tannery. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England "straw hat circuit" of summer stock theaters. Now celebrating its 80th season, Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway, most recently the world premiere of "Thurgood" and a revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" with Paul Newman, and in earlier years "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth, "The Trip to Bountiful" with Lillian Gish, and "Butterflies Are Free" with Keir Dullea and Blythe Danner. For its artistic excellence, The Playhouse received a 2005 Governor's Arts Award and a 2000 "Connecticut Treasure" recognition. It was also designated as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is entered on the Connecticut State Register of Historic Places. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, The Playhouse transformed into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. In addition to a full season of theatrical productions, The Playhouse serves as a community resource, presenting educational programming and workshops; a children's theater series; symposiums; music; films; and readings.

The Playhouse's 81st anniversary season will offer comedies and dramas from April through October, including "Beyond Therapy," a wicked, and wickedly funny, look at the days and nights of the young and single, written by comic master Christopher Durang and directed by Tony Award winner John Rando, April 26 - May 14; "The Circle," the scintillating comedy of manners, written by W. Somerset Maugham and directed by Nicholas Martin, June 7 - June 25; "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," a perceptive comedy about people struggling against their limitations, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, July 12 - July 30; "Suddenly Last Summer," the poetic, sensual and evocative drama, written by Tennessee Williams and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, August 23 - September 10; and "Twelfth Night, or What You Will," the beguiling comedy/romance, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Mark Lamos, October 11 - October 29.

For more information or ticket purchases, 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. Tickets may be purchased online at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse) and/or follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse).