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"The Rivals" by Richard Brinsley Sheridan at Centerstage in Baltimore in 2011. Pictured: Zoë Winters and Caroline Hewitt. (Photo by Richard Anderson)

Westport Country Playhouse Launches New-Works Initiative

The Playhouse will workshop two new works as part of the program.

WESTPORT, CONN.: Westport Country Playhouse has announced a new-works initiative to develop new plays and musicals through a series of workshops and readings. The program will begin this month with the development of a new play and a new musical.

“Brand new plays and musicals, by both new and veteran playwrights and composers, will be given a chance to grow,” said Westport artistic director Mark Lamos in a statement. “Our goal is to nurture and nourish new writing and seek exciting projects for our five-play seasons, as well.”

The first projects in the program will be Israel Horovitz’s play Out of the Mouths of Babes, presented in partnership with New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre, and the musical The Rivals, based on the 1775 play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, with book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg and music by Stephen Weiner. Both shows will receive a workshop and staged reading this month. The program is funded by the Playhouse’s New Works Circle.

Founded in 1931, Westport Country Playhouse works to engage the community through theatre productions and events by producing new plays and musicals alongside classics.

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