The historic theater’s “Season of Laughter” is “rooted in transformation” as is the new vision for Playhouse programming.

Westport Country Playhouse announces its upcoming 94th theater season, from October 2024 through April 2025, featuring three Playhouse-produced plays, each running three weeks, and two shorter-run productions, including a holiday offering and a musical revue.

“Welcome back to a season of fully produced theatre at the Playhouse!,” said Mark Shanahan, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our loyal audience lately! As I’ve scoured my bookshelf, lined with favorite plays, I’ve been asking: What stories do we want to tell at the Playhouse at this time? What would our community want to see on stage? What kinds of plays will bring us together?

“With these questions in mind, I’m proud to present ‘A Season of Laughter,’” Shanahan continued. “I’ve put together a slate of comedies, chosen specifically to energize our community with a welcoming sense of warmth, joy, and humor. From family friendly plays to old-fashioned romps, to biting and topical humor, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”

Shanahan added, “Just as the Playhouse continues to undergo a transformation into a year-round venue for our homemade productions and special presented events, our season of plays is rooted in the very idea of transformation, too. It’s my hope that every trip to the Playhouse will feel like a fresh, new experience, and one that will keep your spirits lifted long after the curtain falls.”

Opening the 2024-25 season will be “The 39 Steps,” a fast-paced frenzy of espionage and murderous mayhem, playing from October 22 through November 9. Unflappable hero Richard Hannay goes on the run from dangerous spies and femme fatales in an adventure that mixes Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film with a juicy spy novel, and a dash of Monty Python. This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs as a talented cast of four portrays over 150 zany characters in a riotous homage to the “Master of Suspense.” The family friendly work is produced by arrangement with Firery Angel Limited, adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan, from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock, licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited, and based on a concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.

“Native Gardens,” an outrageous comedy by popular modern playwright Karen Zacarías, will run February 18 through March 8. Bad behavior reigns as two sets of well-intentioned neighbors become feuding enemies in a backyard battle for the ages. When expectant parents Tania and Pablo Del Valle move in next door to longtime suburbanites Virginia and Frank Butley, a little dispute over their yard’s property line spirals into an epic, flower-flinging war over taste, culture, class, personal identity…and gardening. Can these couples ever learn to love their neighbor and mend the fences that separate them?  Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.

“Theatre People,” a throwback to the classic screwball comedies of yesteryear by Connecticut-born playwright Paul Slade Smith, adapted from Ferenc Molnár’s “Play at the Castle,” will be staged March 25 through April 12.  It’s 1948, and the brightest names on Broadway have descended upon a glamorous Newport mansion for a weekend of romance, chaos, and more than a few misunderstandings. An unforgettable cast of characters, populated by a pair of scheming playwrights, a couple of misbehaving actors, a star-struck young author, and a disgruntled housekeeper, offer a love letter to the theatre and all the people who make it. A hit in last year’s Script In Hand playreading series, “Theatre People” will now receive a full production on the Playhouse stage.  Presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, a division of Broadway Licensing Global.

Two shorter-run productions, or ‘add-ons’, will round out the season. “A Sherlock Carol,” a family friendly holiday show by Mark Shanahan, will be back by popular demand after a sold-out run in December 2023. Part mystery, part ghost-story, the play is based on a Sherlock Holmes tale by Sir Arthur Conan and “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, playing December 17 through 22. “Broadway Scores at the Playhouse,” a concert of songs from the Golden Age as well as recent musicals, will feature new arrangements created for a powerhouse band of musicians and distinct interpretations performed by a cast of Playhouse favorites and Broadway veterans, running January 23 through 26.

Season ticket packages for all three longer-run productions start at $68. Prices vary according to performance day/time and seating location. Additional charge for the optional, shorter-run shows. Season tickets are now on sale for current subscribers only. Renewals on or before Friday, May 31, 2024, will include a guest pass for one 2024-2025 season production to share with a friend, along with the benefits of retaining priority seats, substantial savings over single ticket prices, flexible ticket exchanges, discounts at selected restaurant partners, and more.

Playhouse Encore Club members and donors may purchase season ticket packages starting Tuesday, May 14; season tickets available to the general public Saturday, June 8. Single tickets will be on sale Tuesday, June 25.

For complete 2024-25 season details, visit: https://www.westportplayhouse.org/2024-2025-season/

2024 Programming and Season Sponsor is Barbara Streicker. Media sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio. Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

A complete schedule of year-round Playhouse events, including plays, concerts, comedy, Script in Hand playreadings, Mic in Hand, Family Festivities, Barnstormers, speakers, and more, is available at www.westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

For Westport Country Playhouse information and tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.