Westport Country Playhouse will present two special evenings during preview week of its 79th season opening production “Around the World in 80 Days,” a wild global adventure. “A Taste of Tuesdays,” on Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 p.m., will feature pre-show wine, appetizers and live music, followed by a preview performance at 8 p.m. “Mingle Like a Pro,” on Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m., will offer a hands-on networking experience, pre-show wine, appetizers and the play at 8 p.m.
Admission to “A Taste of Tuesdays” is $25 per person; admission to “Mingle Like a Pro” is $35 per person/$50 for two. Advance reservations are required by calling Kimberly Pinglora at (203) 227-5137, x 129, or emailing events@westportplayhouse.org.
“A Taste of Tuesdays” and “Mingle Like a Pro,” launched last year, attracted more than 200 people to each event.
“A Taste of Tuesdays” will feature a pre-show tasting of wines from Castle Wine and Spirits and passed appetizers from Da Peitro’s Restaurant. Live music will be presented by Gene Pino, a Westport-based guitarist. Pino has performed concerts, festivals and events from Boston to Baltimore, performing with Maxine Sullivan, Anita O’Day, Butch Miles, Lou Stein, Frank Tate and many other quality musicians who influenced his playing style and approach. He attended Berklee College of Music and has been an active performer specializing in classical and jazz idioms. Pino teaches privately from his studio in Westport, and gives group guitar instruction through the Westport Continuing Education program.
“Mingle Like a Pro,” with catering by Da Pietro’s Restaurant, will offer a hands-on networking experience with social etiquette trainer Sara Hacala, a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington. This event is open to all up and coming young professionals and anyone looking to enhance their networking skills. Ms. Hacala can help anyone who has felt uncomfortable trying to spark a good conversation at a business event. An accomplished trainer and lecturer on business and social etiquette, she will provide tips to improve meet and greet skills, and offer tools to work a room like a pro. Her passion is helping adults of all ages advance their lives and careers by elevating their social IQs.
The action-packed "Around the World in 80 Days," adapted from the book by Jules Verne, written by Mark Brown and 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.
