The Warner Presents STIFF COMPETITION

The Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education 'Performance Lab' students will present STIFF COMPETITION, an original comedy by Warner Theatre Director of Education Isabel Carrington and Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education Alumna Gwen Mileti, sponsored by The Lufkin Family Foundation. Performances will be held in the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre February 2-4, 2018.

If there's one thing that has never changed in the small New England town of Old Weston, it's the town's steep sense of tradition. Take, for example, the Old Weston Civics Club's annual beauty pageant: a cornerstone of local history where a select few young women compete for the coveted crown - and cash prizes. This year's contestants are shaping up to be the most beautiful and talented yet: from the leggy ventriloquist to the magician with the Colgate smile. That is, until the Civics Club is forced to admit a new contestant into the mix - a young and very determined man - or else be served with a hefty lawsuit. Just when the Club's Board of Directors - a true "old boys" network - thinks things can't get much worse, another discrimination allegation looms lest they admit one final contestant: an octogenarian widow who refuses to suffer "whippersnappers" gladly. Despite tradition being cast to the wind and the entire town being sent into a tailspin, the beauty pageant forges ahead - with surprising and epic disasters around every turn. By the time the police arrive, there's only one thing the contestants can do: put petty differences aside and join forces (and talents) to save face - and save the day.

Performances are February 2 and 3 at 8 pm and February 4 at 2 pm. To purchase tickets, call the Warner Box Office at 860-489-7180 or visit warnertheatre.org

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as "Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre." Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat Studio Theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, visit www.warnertheatre.org