Westport Country Playhouse Presents PETER PAN In December

Westport Country Playhouse's Family Festivities Series will present "Peter Pan," produced by TheaterWorksUSA, on Sunday, December 8, at 1 and 4 p.m. The production is based on John Caird and Trevor Nunn's 1982 adaptation, originally developed for London's Royal Shakespeare Company, based on the original play by J.M. Barrie. Performances are approximately one-hour in length, and appropriate for ages three and up. Tickets are $20 each.

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell whisk Wendy and her brothers off to an imaginative Neverland where they encounter Captain Hook and his band of pirates. In the spirit of the original tale, this production tells the story through the eyes of six children living in Edwardian England. Together, they transform the Darling family's nursery into Neverland, turning pillows into clouds, long-johns into shadows, an ironing board into a ship's plank, and antique snowshoes into a crocodile's snapping jaws.

The producing company, TheaterWorksUSA, has led the Theater for Young and Family Audiences movement in New York City and across North America for over half a century. Since 1962, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit has captured the imaginations of 100 million new and veteran theatergoers with an award-winning repertoire of over 130 original plays and musicals.

In advance of the performance, a free-of-charge, interactive program, "Story Explorers," featuring a book reading of "Peter Pan" and activities surrounding the show's themes, will take place at selected Fairfield County library branches. Bridgeport Public Library - North Branch, 3455 Madison Avenue, will host a "Story Explorers" on Saturday, November 16, at 1 p.m., followed by Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road, on Saturday, November 23, at 1 p.m. The one-hour program is led by staff from Broadway Method Academy, the resident conservatory of Westport Country Playhouse. "Story Explorers" promotes childhood literacy while also enhancing children's experiences of attending the Playhouse's Family Festivities shows. "Story Explorers" is sponsored by United Bank Foundation and presented by Westport Country Playhouse and Broadway Method Academy.

Westport Country Playhouse's four-show 2019-2020 Family Festivities Series is presented on selected Sundays from December through March, featuring productions with music based on classic and contemporary children's stories. Upcoming Family Festivities shows are "Judy Moody & Stink," produced by Arts Power, on January 12, as the dynamic sister and brother duo go on a musical adventure that leads to fun, mystery, sibling rivalry, and true friendship; "Charlotte's Web," produced by TheaterWorksUSA on February 23, as a spider named Charlotte weaves a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman and help her good friend, a pig named Wilbur, avoid winding up as pork chops; and "The Pout Pout Fish," produced by TheaterWorksUSA on March 15, as Mr. Fish sets out on a sweeping oceanic quest to find Miss Clam's missing pearl, and discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout.

In conjunction with the Family Festivities Series, the Playhouse will once again host a book collection for Read to Grow, Inc., a statewide nonprofit organization that provides free children's books to families with limited access and to community resources that serve them. At each Family Festivities performance, bins will be located in the Playhouse lobby for donations of gently used and new children's books which will be given to families and programs in the greater Fairfield County area through Read to Grow.

Family Festivities Series Corporate Sponsor is Pitney Bowes. The Family Festivities Series is also supported by the Westport Young Woman's League. The 2019 Family Programming Sponsor is Bankwell.

All artists, titles, and dates subject to change. Everyone in the audience requires a ticket. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.