Westport Country Playhouse Announces 2011 Restaurant Partners 11/5

Westport Country Playhouse announces its restaurant partners for the 2011 season, playing April 26 through November 5. Playhouse subscribers will receive discounts, many up to 20%, at partner restaurants upon presenting a ticket or stub on the day of their ticketed performance.

The Playhouse's restaurant partnership program is designed to heighten its patrons' overall theater experience and to support local businesses.

"The Playhouse is so pleased to partner with many great restaurants here in town," said Jenn Bond Huisking, Playhouse community relations liaison. "These partnerships make many special events on our campus possible while enhancing the total experience of attending a live theater performance at the Playhouse. We too hope our patrons are introduced to all of the amazing culinary experiences available right here in Westport."

2011 restaurant partners, all located in Westport, are: Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant; La Villa Trattoria; Manolo; Matsu Sushi; Rizzuto's Wood-fired Kitchen and Bar; Tavern on Main; and Thali.

Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant, located on the Playhouse grounds, is a collaboration of Chef Michel Nischan and the late actor/philanthropist Paul Newman. The menu reflects the seasons, pulls from Connecticut's local resources, and consists of generational recipes that exude "home grown" flavor. 27 Powers Court, Westport, (203) 226-1114. www.dressingroomhomegrown.com.

La Villa Trattoria, featuring Chef Michael Sornatale, offers regional Italian cuisine including free- range and organic ingredients, innovative pasta dishes, steak and chops, fresh seafood and house-made desserts. 3 Bay Street, Westport, (203) 557-4810. www.lavillawestport.com

Manolo is inspired by Chef / Restaurateur Pedro Garzon's travels throughout Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. Manolo offers tapas style dining, innovative entrees and a menu changing daily. 8 Church Lane, Westport, (203) 227-0703. www.cafemanolo.com

Matsu Sushi's Chef / Sushi Master Michael Cao prepares hand-formed, pressed and rolled sushi, and seasonal sashimi along with traditional Japanese specialties as well as Sukiyaki noodles, dumplings and satays. 33 Jesup Road Westport, (203) 341-9662. www.matsusushi.net

Rizzuto's Wood-fired Kitchen and Bar features Italian cuisine, including house-made pasta, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and artisan bread, antipasti, free-range chicken, market fresh fish and top grade meat. 540 Riverside Avenue, Westport, (203) 221-1002. www.rizzutos.com

Tavern on Main, a New England style restaurant and gathering place, offers a globally inspired menu that is strongly influenced by the seasons. Outdoor dining on the covered patio overlooks Main Street. 146 Main Street, Westport, (203) 221-7222. www.tavernonmain.com

Thali Westport's Executive Chef Prasad Chirnomula brings his brand of regional Indian cuisine with his unique tapas-style menu, offering small plates of the flavors of India. 376 Post Road East, Westport, (203) 557-4848.

Restaurant partner logos are displayed in Playhouse promotional materials, including looping lobby DVD, season playbills, subscriber handbook, pre-season patron e-blast and website with link to restaurant homepage. Additional benefits for partner restaurants are complimentary tickets.

Visit www.westportplayhouse.org for full restaurant descriptions, discounts and restrictions.

For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse) and/or follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse); view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) and get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

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 year, 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.

Westport Country Playhouse's five-play 2011 season: "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 David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, 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 tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse) and/or follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse); view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) and get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

 

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