Westport Country Playhouse
Westport Country Playhouse
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| Address | 25 Powers Court Westport USA |
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| Coordinates | 41°08′30″N 73°21′17″W / 41.1416°N 73.3548°WCoordinates: 41°08′30″N 73°21′17″W / 41.1416°N 73.3548°W |
| Type | Regional theatre |
| Capacity | 578 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 29 June 1931 |
| Architect | Edwin Howard |
| Website | |
| www |
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Westport Country Playhouse, is a not-for-profit theater in Westport, Connecticut.
It was founded in 1931 by Lawrence Langner, a New York theater producer. Langner remodeled an 1830s tannery with a Broadway-quality stage.
2010 marked the Westport Country Playhouse’s 80th season. The Westport Country Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 36 of which were transferred to Broadway, and almost four million people have attended the theatre.
The building that is now the Westport Country Playhouse was originally constructed in 1835 as a tannery by R&H Haight, owned by Henry Haight. Charles H. Kemper acquired the tannery from Henry Haight's widow in 1866 and subsequently renamed the business C.H. Kemper Co.
In 1930, the former tannery, which had been unused since the 1920s, was purchased for $14,000 by Lawrence Langner. Cleon Throckmorten, a Broadway designer, was commissioned to renovate the interior of the building.
In order to more easily transfer Playhouse productions to Broadway, the stage was built to match the specifications of Broadway’s Times Square Theatre on 42nd Street. The idea proved immediately useful when the playhouse's first production, The Streets of New York (starring Dorothy Gish), transferred to Broadway. Dozens of new works followed suit over the years.
When it came to casting, Langner turned to well-known actor acquaintances and friends such as Eugene O'Neill and George Bernard Shaw when he needed new plays.
On June 29, 1931, the curtain went up on the first production at the Westport Country Playhouse. The Playhouse quickly became an established stop on the New England "straw hat circuit" of summer stock theaters.
The Playhouse's strong launch enhanced its reputation among the acting community. Wealthy theatre patrons and supporters in nearby Fairfield County towns helped it survive and thrive.
In the 1940s, the Westport Country Playhouse began its apprentice program for young theater professionals. Over the years, Westport Country Playhouse apprentices have included composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, screenwriter Frank Perry, television host Sally Jesse Raphael, composer Mary Rodgers, actor Cary Elwes, and actress Tammy Grimes. The educational apprenticeship programs are still running.
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