Westport Country Playhouse Holds Sunday Symposium With Mark Brown 4/26

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Sunday Symposium, "A Conversation with Mark Brown," following the Sunday, April 26, 3 p.m. matinee performance of "Around the World in 80 Days," written by Brown, based on the novel by Jules Verne.

The Playhouse Sunday Symposium program, free and open to the public, provides the audience with guest speakers' in-depth insights and observations about the production, followed by an interactive dialogue. David Kennedy, Westport Country Playhouse associate artistic director, will moderate the Sunday Symposium. It is open to all, including those who attend a performance of "Around the World in 80 Days" at another time. The Sunday Symposium is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

"It's a privilege to have Mark Brown on our stage to discuss his play," said Kennedy. "I absolutely revel in any chance to ask an artist what inspires him, what makes his work tick. And with the symposium, the whole audience gets in on the conversation."

Mark Brown is an award-winning writer and actor. His plays include "Around the World in 80 Days" (Off-Broadway), the musical "China - The Whole Enchilada" (Outstanding Musical - 2008 New York Fringe Festival), "The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge," "The Little Prince" (co-written with Paul Kiernen) and "Poe: Deep into That Darkness Peering" (co-written with Mark Rector). Acting credits include South Coast Repertory, McCarter Theatre (company member: five years) and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Film and TV credits include "Out of Sight," "Holy Man," "Amy's O," "From the Earth to the Moon," "House," "Ally McBeal," "Providence, "Diagnosis Murder" and countless commercials and made-for-TV films.

The action-packed "Around the World in 80 Days," directed by Michael Evan Haney, had a successful off-Broadway run last year. The exciting and inventive tale is about Phileas Fogg, who wagers that he can travel around the world in 80 days or less. With his loyal valet Passepartout, he undertakes the amazing journey---complete with elephants, steamboats and trains. But the relentless Detective Fix is on his trail, believing that Fogg robbed the Bank of England.

The full schedule for "Around the World in 80 Days" will run from April 21 - May 9, with performances 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 will feature Previews, Opening Nights, TalkBack Thursdays, Symposium Sundays, Backstage Pass and Open Captioning.

About the Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the performing arts for audiences and artists alike, and is a true cultural landmark for Connecticut. Under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos and management direction of Michael Ross, the Playhouse is creating extraordinary, quality productions of new and classic plays to enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theater lovers, artists and students. On its legendary stage are theatrical productions, educational programming and special events, all serving to centralize the theater's place in the Fairfield County entertainment scene. Each year the legendary Playhouse welcomes more than 85,000 audience members. The Playhouse's rich history dates back to 1931, when New York theatre producer Lawrence Langner created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s cow barn. Now celebrating its 79th season, Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which later transferred to Broadway. Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse enhanced its rich history as a summer venue into a year-round, state-of-the-art producing theater, which has preserved its original charm and character. The Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

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.

 

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