Tag Archives: Westport Theater

“Cabaret 55” – Celebrate 55 Years of WCT, Friday May 20 at 7:00 PM!

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Join us for a very special Gala Evening – “Cabaret 55” – celebrating Westport Community Theatre’s 55th anniversary! “Cabaret 55” will be held Friday, May 20 at 7:00 PM at the Westport Woman’s Club, 44 Imperial Avenue.

Tickets are $35, and include desserts by Westport’s leading restaurants, bakeries and confectioners – plus a ticket to the opening of our final production of the 2010 / 2011 season, Sabrina Fair.

We’ve assembled some of your favorite WCT performers – Priscilla Squiers (Master Class), Fred Tisch (Angel Street), Rosanne Nelson (Mixed Couples), Kimberly Lowden (The Women), Ruth Anne Baumgartner (Angel Street), Rob Pawlikowski (The Front Page), Marguerite Foster (Orson’s Shadow), Randye Kaye (Broadway Bound), Jessie Gilbert (Don’t Drink the Water), Linda Gilmore (Ice Glen) David Victor (Mixed Couples), Vic Terenzio (Don’t Drink the Water), Larry Greeley (A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum), Joan Barere (The Best Man), John Fatteross (The Best Man) and others for a cabaret-style evening of songs and classic comedy sketches from the 1950s, the era when Westport Community Theatre first began! The evening will be hosted by Robert Watts as Emcee.

We promise no novelty songs (!), just a fabulous musical evening of classic standards, torch songs, and old favorites, with comedy sketches celebrating that marvelous 1950s era when radio gave way to a new-fangled development called television and launched the careers of Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Jackie Gleason, Neil Simon…

Music throughout the entire evening will be provided by Bob Lasprogato’s Uptown Jazz Combo – if you haven’t heard them before, get ready for a sweet evening of cool jazz and then some by some of Westport’s most popular musicians.

The format for the evening is Cabaret-style – in addition to the entertainment, we’ll provide desserts courtesy of Great Cakes, CakeSuite, The Wild Pear, Garelick and Herbs and Nothin’ But Premium Snack Bars, along with coffee, tea and bottled water. Guests are invited to bring supper or snacks; BYOB (sodas and wine only, please).

“Cabaret 55” is a true celebration of all things Westport and Westport Community Theatre’s 55 years of commitment to the community by providing outstanding theatre at affordable prices. We’ve partnered with local businesses to underwrite this fundraising event (including Fairfield County Bank and Mutual Security), and look forward to having you join us!

Space is limited, so we encourage you to make your reservation soon by phoning the Box Office at (203) 226-1983.

 

Director Jessica Denes – “Mixed Couples,” opening April 8!

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Mixed Couples

Director Jessica Denes (seated, left), cast and production staff of "Mixed Couples"

One of WCT’s favorite directors, Jessica Denes, has assembled some of Fairfield County’s most talented actors for her upcoming production of Mixed Couples, opening April 8. What makes this production special to Jessica is that she either performed with, or worked behind the scenes on the crew for, all five cast members – over 10 years ago, when she made her WCT debut in Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced, directed by Davina Porter.

Directing credits include one of WCT’s most memorable productions, Master Class, and Veronica’s Room. Last spring she brought the gripping and provocative Orange Flower Water to the ETC stage – audiences are still talking about this staged reading one year later. Directorial credits for Connecticut theaters include Love, Sex, and the I.R.S, The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, and Confessions of a Dirty Blonde at Eastbound Theatre; Summer Brave, Time & Time Again, The Other Side of Friendship, and Her Majesty Miss Jones for Crystal Theatre Company; and productions of Delicious Death & Other Desserts, Not Now Darling, and A Night of Shakespeare.

Directing is only one of Jessica’s accomplishments as she is also an extremely talented actress. WCT audiences were treated to great performances in the recent ETC staged reading of Collected Stories, in the memorable role of Joan Plowright in Orson’s Shadow, and in the aforementioned A Murder Is Announced. Jessica also has appeared in Cactus Flower as Toni Simmons at the Town Players of New Canaan; as Emily in Our Town at the Wilton Playshop; in Li’L Abner as Daisy Mae and as Bella in Lost in Yonkers at Crystal Theatre Company; and in “Boeing, Boeing” as Bertha at Eastbound Theatre. Jessica is a member of the WCT Administrative Board.

Mixed Couples – ready for opening night!

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Set construction on “Mixed Couples” begins!

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Construction is well-underway for our next production, the charming romantic comedy “Mixed Couples” by James Prideaux, directed by one of our favorite directors, Jessica Denes. We are so pleased to have Raymond Stephens return to WCT, this time in the role of Set Designer – and quite the job he has undertaken as “Mixed Couples” is set in an airplane hanger circa late 1920s! Ray is an extraordinary friend to WCT, and excellent manager of all things and people helping to get this job done!

We thought everyone might like to take a look at some of the earliest steps – Ray has advised:

We have started repainting the set.

The flats, soon to become the hangar doors, are being painted and dressed.
The hangar girders have been fabricated.
With help from:
Lisa Mellott
Bill Mellott
Ian Lander
Beth Flavin
Bob Laspogarto
More updates to follow!

The stage and seats are well protected in this early stage of construction –

Set construction for "Mixed Couples" at Westport Community Theatre

What you don't often see – the view "behind-the-flats"...

Set construction begins for "Mixed Couples" at Westport Community Theatre, April 8 – 24

In case you don't recognize this, it's the staircase that leads from the dressing room to the theatre – an impromptu workbench!

Auditions for “Sabrina Fair”

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WESTPORT COMMUNITY THEATRE

Announces AUDITIONS for

Sabrina Fair

By Samuel Taylor

Directed by Tom Rushen

 

Auditions will be held on:

Monday, April 11 at 7:30 PM
Tuesday April 12 at 7:30 PM

Westport Community Theatre
Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Avenue
Westport, CT

 

"Sabrina" film

Cast from the film version of "Sabrina Fair"

Sabrina Fair is a modern Cinderella story. It is set on Long Island in the 1950s, and deals with the involvement of a very rich family named Larrabee with Sabrina Fairchild, the daughter of their family chauffeur. She is bright, well-educated, and has just returned from five years in Paris, where she has done a brilliant job as an executive in a U.S. government overseas office. She has come home to find out if she is still in love with the younger Larrabee son, David. The elder son, Linus, a cynical, good-humored tycoon who has taken control of the family fortune, detects Sabrina’s feeling for his brother, and for his own amusement lays a trap to bring them together. It works: David falls in love with Sabrina and wants to marry her. At the same time, a rich young Frenchman who has known Sabrina in Paris turns up and asks her to marry him. Faced with this dilemma, Sabrina discovers it is really Linus she wants. After an amusing scene in which Sabrina’s father, the chauffeur, makes a rather amazing revelation, Sabrina breaks down Linus’ resistance, and gets her man. An unusual number of fine character parts for actors: the beautiful mother of wit and perception; the father, whose one passion is attending funerals; the chauffeur who has been dabbling in the stock market and likes his job because it gives him time to read; the smart magazine editor who, as a house guest, is the interested observer.  Director’s note: Paul needs to speak with a French accent.  He and Sabrina also speak French.  Sabrina and Julia sing French songs, although Julia’s song is apparently a little off-color. Performance Dates are June 3rd – June 19th, 2011  at 8pm.

 

Characters: Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Familiarity with the play is suggested.     

Ladies:

Sabrina Fairchild (30): A beautiful, elegant young woman who has reinvented herself through her professional experience in Paris.  Now facing the life and the childhood crushes she left behind.  “…has fallen in love with the world and is having a passionate affair with it”

Maude Larrabee (58): Elegant and regal, she rules the family.

“A reigning beauty all her life…gives no sign of abdicating”

Julia Ward McKinlock (58): Maude’s best friend.  A magazine editor, she is a woman ahead of her time.  Witty, insightful and as blunt as she needs to be.“[a face] that shows intelligence and good humor and awareness.”

Gretchen Larrabee (30): David’s ex-wife who is now dating Linus. “…well-bred…knowing..tough.”

Margaret (Any Age): The family maid.

Young Woman 1& 2  (20): Partygoers.

 

Gents:

Linus Larrabee Jr.  (40): In charge of the family business.  Better at business than life or romance.   “…rugged-looking, and easy in his movements.”

David Larrabee (30): More carefree than Linus. “…easy good humor…sure control.”

Linus Larrabee (60+): Their father, a man of leisure who amuses himself by attending funerals. “….essentially a courtly and gracious man.”

Fairchild ( 60+): The Larrabees’ chauffeur.  Quiet, humble, but with his own dignity.  An avid reader.

Paul D’Argenson (30): A Parisian suitor of Sabrina’s.   “With his affability, the man has authority.”

Young Man 1 & 2  (20): Partygoers.

 

For further information please call the Westport Community Theatre  at (203) 226-1983 or contact the director at zenripple@yahoo.com – for directions please visit www.westportcommunitytheatre.com

 

“Mauritius” rehearsals get underway – Lower Fairfield County premiere!

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"Mauritius" at Westport Community Theatre

"Mauritius" at Westport Community Theatre runs February 11 – 27

Here’s a first look at WCT’s upcoming play “Mauritius” – lots more to come in the weeks ahead:

Clever, taut, entertaining, intriguing, disturbing… “Mauritius” is a finely crafted evening of puzzling intrigues, simmering vendettas, duplicitous lies, lying deceits, unexpected twists, family complexities, information and disinformation – all revolving around half-sisters, philatelists, and con artists vying for possession of a rare stamp. Drama, comedy and thriller in one, “Mauritius” is a tightly woven tale, “caper-style.” What you need to know is that the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar, is famous for two of the rarest stamps in the world – “Post Office’ Penny Orange and Twopence Blue” – and that money, love and family can ultimately be the catalyst to people behaving very badly. Who knew stamp collecting could be a deadly hobby… The play was a smash hit when it opened on Broadway in 2007, and Westport Community Theatre is very pleased to present the first full production in lower Fairfield county.

Directed by Lynne Bolton, “Mauritius” features memorable performances by a stellar cast that includes Ammie Brown, Will Jeffries, Robyn Maitland, Bobby Pavia and Tom Petrone. Tickets are $14 – $20; for reservations and information contact the Box Office at (203) 226-1983.

Fridays and Saturdays February 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8:00 PM

Thursday February 17 at 8:00 PM

Sundays February 13, 20 and 27 at 2:00 PM