Stephen Schwartz performed “For Good” from “Wicked” at the September 13th Westport Country Playhouse gala in his honor (Photography: Kathleen O'Rourke)
Click on the photo to go to the picture gallery of WAC's 2010 gala
In celebration of Westport Country Playhouse 80th season, an audience of over 500 attended the historic theater’s annual fundraising gala, “The Magical Music of Stephen Schwartz,” honoring the musical theater composer, on Monday evening, September 13. Gala proceeds will support artistic and education programs of the Playhouse – with a special focus this year on the Woodward Internship program.
The evening’s performance, recognizing Schwartz’s innumerable songwriting contributions to American theater and film, featured Broadway artists Kate Baldwin, Katie Clarke, Darius de Haas, Andrew Lippa, Julia Murney, Christiane Noll, Carole Shelley, Max Von Essen and Ben Vereen. In addition, Schwartz himself performed.
Schwartz thanked the audience for their support of the Playhouse over the years, “which has meant that I could come and enjoy the wonderful shows I have seen here.”
He related that he first attended the Playhouse at age 15 to see “Threepenny Opera.” His first professional song was for a show that premiered at the Playhouse, “Butterflies Are Free.” He and his wife, Carole, brought their children to the Playhouse, and their association culminated with their son, Scott, directing the Playhouse production of “tick, tick...BOOM!” last year.
“I have a long and happy history with Westport Country Playhouse and am really honored to be here and help support them under the new visionary leadership of Mark Lamos and Michael Ross,” stated Schwartz. “I know we’re in for many wonderful theatrical experiences ahead.”
The performance was produced by Kevin Duncan, directed by Joe Calarco, with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Joel Fram, and musical staging by Tim Federle.
Honorary gala chairs were Kate and Bob Devlin of Southport; gala chairs were Kim and Niv Harizman of Westport.
Lead corporate sponsors of the event were Virgin Atlantic Airways, Westport Resources and NewAlliance Bank. Additional corporate support included Barclay’s Capital, Sun Products, Bank of New York Mellon and Catamount Wealth Management.
In honor of Westport Country Playhouse 80th anniversary season, several Playhouse alumni artists returned as guests, including A.R. Gurney, Edward Herrmann, Dana Ivey, James Naughton, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Thomas, Gene Wilder, David Wiltse and Joanne Woodward.
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 theaters. 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 September 4; 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 30.
For more information at Westport Country Playhouse, 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. www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse) and/or follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse).
