Westport Country Playhouse to Welcome Playwright A. R. Gurney for Symposium, 7/26

Playwright A. R. Gurney will be guest speaker at Westport Country Playhouse's Sunday Symposium following the Sunday, July 26, 3 p.m. matinee performance of his world premiere comedy "Love & Money." He will be joined by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, and director of the new Gurney play, co-produced with New York's Signature Theatre. The Playhouse Sunday Symposium program is free and open to the public.

"Love & Money" marks Gurney's fifteenth production at the Playhouse in a span of 35 years. Among his best known works are "The Dining Room," "The Cocktail Hour," "Love Letters," and "Sylvia." A new play, "Family Furniture," was recently produced at New York's Flea Theater, while two revivals, "The Wayside Motor Inn" and "What I Did Last Summer," found new life at the Signature Theatre. Gurney has received several awards for the body of his work and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Theatre Hall of Fame. His website is argurney.com.

Lamos has directed many plays at Westport Country Playhouse since 2008, winning the 2013 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for his direction of Gurney's "The Dining Room." He has directed several other Gurney plays Off-Broadway, including "Indian Blood," "Buffalo Gal" and "Black Tie."

The symposium, moderated by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, provides the audience with in-depth insights and observations about the production, followed by an interactive dialogue. The Sunday Symposium Series' corporate sponsor is U.S. Trust. It is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

"Love & Money" is a comedy about classy, wealthy widow Cornelia Cunningham. Moving out of her Manhattan brownstone into a retirement home, Cornelia has come to view her life of grace and privilege as a crime, one she must atone for by giving away all of her money and possessions. Cornelia's plans are questioned when an ambitious and ingratiating young man, who may be the grandson she never knew she had, arrives to claim his inheritance.

"Love & Money" Production Sponsors are Czekaj Artistic Productions; Kate and Bob Devlin, The Devlin Foundation; Barbara and John Samuelson; and Barbara and John Streicker. Corporate production partners are First Niagara and KPMG.

2015 3-play subscriptions are now available. Subscribers receive a host of benefits not afforded to single ticket buyers, including significant savings, priority seating, free and easy ticket exchanges, and restaurant discounts. Flex passes are also now available for those seeking a more flexible option, and can be redeemed for any show, any time. Single tickets start at $30; buy early for best prices.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).

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