2024 Season

October 22, 2024 – November 9, 2024

It’s Hitchcock meets hilarity! Mix Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced frenzy of espionage and murderous mayhem! Thrill as unflappable hero Richard Hannay goes on the run from dangerous spies and femme fatales in an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat! This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs as a ridiculously talented cast of four plays 150 zany characters in a riotous homage to the “Master of Suspense.”

adapted by Patrick Barlow
from the novel by John Buchan
directed by Mark Shanahan

By Arrangement with Fiery Angel Limited
From the movie by Alfred Hitchcock 
Licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited
And an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon

“The 39 Steps” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

December 17, 2024 – December 22, 2024

Back at the Playhouse by popular demand! Moriarty was dead, to begin with. And Sherlock Holmes is a haunted man. When a grown up Tiny Tim asks Holmes to investigate the death of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Great Detective must use his gifts to solve a Dickens of a mystery! But, it’s a dark and treacherous Christmas Eve, and once again the night is haunted by the spirits of the past, present, and future. Can Holmes overcome his own ghosts to crack the case?

written & directed by Mark Shanahan

Concerts, fundraisers, and more!

January 20
Good Witch / Bad Witch

January 24
Voices for Volunteers of Fairfield County
An appreciation performance

February 2
The Playhouse Sings: A Night For Swifties

April 12
An Evening with Judy Collins

May 3 – 5
All Things Equal: The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
by Rupert Holmes
directed by Laley Lippard

May 29
Girl Rising Presents “This Story May Save Us”
A Celebration of Girls’ Power to Remake the World

June 1
The Playhouse Sings: A Night For Swifties and More

June 4, 5, 7
Mike Birbiglia: Please Stop The Ride

June 6
In Conversation with Tony Kushner
with special guest interviewer Mary-Louise Parker

June 14
When My Sleep Dragon Woke
Film screening and discussion with Tony award nominated theatre artist Sharon Washington and director/producer Chuck Schultz

June 15
Isaac Mizrahi – Live in Concert

June 28 – 29
New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players
The Pirates of Penzance in one act and an evening of Gilbert & Sullivan favorites

July 17 – 20
They Made It a Musical!
A concert celebrating Broadway’s greatest musicals and the works that inspired them

July 25
The Bacon Brothers Freestanding Tour

September 5
An Evening with Fran Lebowitz

September 30
Perfectly Westport
A fireside chat with Westport’s Bestselling Author Emily Liebert and The Connecticut Edit Co-Founder Samantha Yanks

October 2
Rear Window: A Night of Suspense at the Westport Country Playhouse
Hosted by Mark Shanahan

November 22
Alan Cumming and Ari Shaprio: Och and Oy! A Considered Cabaret

Our audience favorite series continued in 2024 with 8 playreadings !

February 5
Lombardi
By Eric Simonson
Directed by Mark Shanahan

March 11
The Trip to Bountiful
By Horton Foote
Directed by Michael Wilson

April 15
Tenderness and Gratitude Number Four
By Enid Graham
Directed by Mark Shanahan

May 13
Mrs. Christie
By Heidi Armbruster
Directed by Mark Shanahan

June 10
The Outsider
By Paul Slade Smith
Directed by Mark Shanahan

September 9
Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing
By Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan
Directed by Trey Ellis

November 18
Danger to Yourself and Others
By Colette Maznuik
Directed by Mark Shanahan

December 2
True Art
By Jessica Provenz
Directed by Kimberly Senior

Theater experiences for kids, parents, and grandparents to share.

April 17
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!
A TheaterWorksUSA Production

August 17 
Pinkalicious the Musical
A Vital Theatre Company, Inc. production

September 22 
Imagination Movers

Mic in Hand started in 2023 as a spin-off of our Script in Hand series with *SOLD OUT* Ari Axelrod – A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway. Now in 2024, Mic in Hand got its own entire series!

April 4
Jean Louisa Kelly – Anything Can Happen!

May 8
Ari Axelrod – A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway

This spring the Playhouse launched “Barnstormers”, a new series of small events in the Lucille Lortel White  Barn, located adjacent to the Playhouse.

From cabarets to playreadings, Barnstormers provide an opportunity for artists, many of whom are from the local community, to exercise their creative muscle in a cozy setting.  These smaller events allow for a more intimate experience with artists at the Playhouse.

March 30
Kayfabe by Josh Rice

April 21
Ann Talman: Elizabeth Taylor and the Shadow of Her Smile

June 25
Sophie B. Hawkins – a selection of songs from the new musical Birds of New York

October 10
Ghost Stories and Legends with John Rapson

Every year, we offer a series of fundraisers to benefit various programs at the Playhouse. All proceeds go directly to support our non-profit, professional, producing theater and its work on stage, with schools, and throughout the community.

This year the Playhouse launched Playhouse Playmakers, a new children’s education program directed by actor/playwright/educator Evette Marie White and actor/songwriter/educator Stacie Morgain Lewis. The purpose of this program is to educate middle schoolers (grades 6-8) on the fundamentals of creating a play while allowing them space to develop as artists. In this six-week program, kids will come to understand the process of writing, revising, and rehearsing a play that they themselves originate as a group. Students will learn the foundations of playwriting, production and acting that will culminate with a performance on the Westport Country Playhouse stage that their friends and families will be invited to attend. Playhouse Playmakers was generously supported by Rhimes Foundation.