Literary Salon Series Launches at Westport Country Playhouse Tonight, 6/13

Westport Country Playhouse and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. are partnering to enrich the theater-going experience with a new literary salon series called "Books Worth Talking About!" Launching this month, the program will feature a pre-show discussion with prominent authors followed by a performance of a Playhouse production. The themes of the literary salons and theatrical productions will complement each other.

The inaugural salon and its parallel Playhouse production tonight, June 13, will focus on memoir writing as a healing tool. Nina Sankovitch, author of "Tolstoy and the Purple Chair:  A Year of Magical Reading," a memoir in dealing with the death of her sister, will be interviewed from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in The Playhouse's Sheffer studio by Tessa Smith McGovern, memoir collection editor, writing professor at Sarah Lawrence College and founder of eChook Digital Publishing. 

Following at 8 p.m. will be a performance of "The Year of Magical Thinking," based on the National Book Award-winning memoir by Joan Didion.  Featuring Maureen Anderman, the play is about hope and renewal following the author's loss of her husband. 

"This is the first of many salons that we will do together with The Playhouse," said Meryl L. Moss, president of Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc., an international literary public relations firm headquartered in Westport. "We look forward to a program that will provide an opportunity for the community to engage with recognized authors and enhance the content of the theatrical productions through provocative conversation."

The literary salon is open to anyone with a ticket for tonight's, June 13 performance.  Subscribers to other performances may exchange their tickets into this evening if they wish by contacting The Playhouse box office at 203-227-4177. 

Upcoming literary salons will be on Wednesday, July 18, prior to a performance of Molière's "Tartuffe"; and Wednesday, August 29, before the world premiere of the comedy "Harbor," by Tony Award-nominated playwright Chad Beguelin. 

Playhouse subscriptions are available (full season 5-Play, seasonal 4-Play, Pick 3 Plans and FlexTix) offering up to 40% off single tickets.  Single ticket prices, starting at $30, are subject to change based on availability.  Buy early for the best prices. 

For more information or tickets, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider's peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).

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