Westport Country Playhouse Hosts THE BREAD WINNER Reading Tonight, 6/25

"The Bread Winner" by W. Somerset Maugham, the author of "The Circle" and "The Constant Wife," will be presented as a Script in Hand playreading at Westport Country Playhouse, tonight, June 25, 7 p.m. The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse artistic advisor, who is also curator of the Script in Hand series. Casting will be announced soon. Tickets to the one-night-only event are $15.

"The Bread Winner" tells a tale of affluent families in 1930 suburban London. When spoiled children find their parents boring and entitled wives take their spouses for granted, what are hassled and overworked husbands to do? These self-absorbed lives are shaken to the core when one husband makes a shocking decision in this timely, comic satire about wealth and privilege.

Keefe said, "Ever since JoAnne Woodward introduced me and The Playhouse to Maugham's 'The Constant Wife,' and spurred a host of revivals all over the country, I've been drawn to 'The Bread Winner," which almost seems to be a companion piece, only this time talking about the husband's unconventional behavior, rather than the wife's. It's stunning that so many of Maugham's plays seem as fresh today as they were when written…and as truly gaspingly funny."

Playwright W. Somerset Maugham was one of the most prolific and varied writers of the twentieth century. Among his many works, some of which were made into films, are "Of Human Bondage," "The Moon and Sixpence," "The Painted Veil," "The Razor's Edge" and "The Constant Wife."

Director Anne Keefe served as artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, with JoAnne Woodward, in 2008 and as associate artistic director from 2000-2006, also with Ms. Woodward. She co-directed with Ms. Woodward The Westport Country Playhouse production of David Copperfield, and directed many Script in Hand readings.

Upcoming Script in Hand play readings are scheduled for Mondays, November 12 and December 10, at 7 p.m. Titles will be announced.

Script in Hand playreading series sponsors are Marc and Michele Flaster; Script in Hand playreading series partners are Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler; and Script in Hand playreading corporate sponsor is U.S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management. The series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.
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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