Westport Country Playhouse Presents JIGSAW JONES MYSTERY, 3/6

Westport Country Playhouse will present "A Jigsaw Jones Mystery - The Case of the Class Clown," as part of its Family Festivities Series on Sunday, March 6, at 1 and 4 p.m. Recommended for grades one through four, the production is a mystery with music, based on the book by renowned author James Preller, produced by ArtsPower. Tickets are $15.

The mystery begins with an unknown class clown playing practical jokes in school. Athena Lorenzo has been slimed and she doesn't think it's very funny. Theodore "Jigsaw" Jones claims to be the very first detective in the whole school. It's up to Jigsaw and his friend Mila to investigate the sliming and track down the class clown. This could be their stickiest case yet! 

Brimming with music, charm, and humor, ArtsPower's new production will make audiences laugh and think as they learn the secret codes that Jigsaw must decipher to solve the mystery.
James Preller, a self-proclaimed "kid who never grew up," is the author of the "Jigsaw Jones" series of books.  Born in 1961, he grew up on Long Island, drawing pictures and making homemade comic books that he sold to friends.  He has written over 80 books, but is probably best known for the "Jigsaw Jones" mystery series.

Founded in 1985, ArtsPower is one of America's preeminent non-profit producers and presenters of professional theater for young and family audiences.  With over 1,000 performances annually, ArtsPower has amassed an audience of nearly nine million people in 47 states.  The organization has created 24 original musicals and dramas, many of which are based on highly respected books for young readers.

Pre-show activities begin one hour before the performances at noon and 3 p.m. Birthday party facilities may be scheduled in advance. Everyone in the audience requires a ticket. Groups of 10 or more save up to 30% off the regular ticket price.  For group sales information call (203) 227-5137, x120. 
 
An upcoming Family Festivities presentation is "Click, Clack, Moo," Sunday, March 27, 1 and 4 p.m., a hilarious musical based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, produced by TheatreWorks USA.
 
In conjunction with its spring Family Festivities Series, The Playhouse is hosting a book collection for Read to Grow, Inc.  Bins will be located in The Playhouse lobby for audience donations of gently used and new children's books which will be given to families and programs in the greater Fairfield County area through the Read to Grow organization.
 
Read to Grow is a statewide nonprofit organization that helps build literacy from birth by preparing parents to take an active role in their children's literacy development from day one, and by providing free children's books to families with limited access and to community resources that serve them.  www.readtogrow.org.  For more information on the book collection, contact Jenn Bond Huisking, Playhouse community relations liaison, at 203-227-5137, x 120.

For more information or tickets to Family Festivities shows, 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).
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).

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