Westport Country Playhouse and Doncaster Partner for 80th Anniversaries 6/29-30

Westport Country Playhouse and Doncaster, a woman's apparel collection, will team up to celebrate their mutual 80th anniversaries with a "Sample Sale Extravaganza," on Tuesday, June 29, 6 to 9 p.m., and Wednesday, June 30, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., in The Playhouse's Smilow Lounge on the mezzanine level. Over 600 samples of the current Doncaster spring/summer collection will be on sale at 40 to 50% off retail. Ten percent of the proceeds will benefit The Playhouse. Admission is free on Wednesday.

Tuesday's opening night trunk show will feature first access to the sample sale selections, light appetizers provided by The Epicurean Caterers, wines selected by local wine expert Sandra Muller and door prizes. Admission on Tuesday is $20. For reservations, call The Playhouse box office at 203-227-4177.

"Eighty years in business is quite a feat for any organization," said Michele Flaster, chair of The Playhouse's 80th anniversary committee. "With two well known institutions celebrating 80 years, we decided to bring them together for an event where everyone wins - our patrons enjoy great savings on Doncaster's quality clothing line and The Playhouse garners a percentage of sales."

Designed by Patricia Clyne, formerly design director for Oscar de la Renta, the Doncaster line is available in sizes 2 to 24, including petites and women's sizes, and includes apparel and accessories for business, casual and special occasions. Doncaster style consultants will be available to assist in making selections. The Doncaster apparel collection is only available through special trunk shows such as The Playhouse events or by private appointments.
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 theatres. 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.

Westport Country Playhouse's five-play 2010 season: "She Loves Me," a romantic musical comedy, with book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, directed by Mark Lamos, April 20 - May 15; "Dinner with Friends," a comic drama by Donald Margulies, directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, June 1 through 19; "Happy Days" by Samuel Beckett, a play of luminous beauty and rare power, directed by Mark Lamos, July 6 through July 24; "I Do! I Do," an endearing musical, with book and lyrics are by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, directed by Susan H. Schulman, August 10 through August 28; and "The Diary of Anne Frank," a timeless and powerful classic, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, adapted by Wendy Kesselman, directed by Gerald Freedman, September 28 through October 16.

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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