“Bad Accents” is first playreading in 2023 New Works at the Playhouse Series

Westport Country Playhouse will present the comedy/mystery, “Bad Accents,” the first reading in the 2023 New Works at the Playhouse Series, The new play is written by Matthew Greene and directed by Liam Lonegan, Playhouse assistant artistic director. The audience is invited to meet the playwright and director in the lobby following the performance.

The mission of New Works at the Playhouse is to provide a space for the incubation of plays, musicals, and other works of theater. “The development of new works is important not only to the Playhouse stage, but to the vitality of the larger art form,” said Lonegan.

In “Bad Accents,” what starts out as a light-hearted murder mystery dinner party among old friends quickly turns into a whodunnit in its own right, as crimes from the past resurface in deadly and outrageous ways.

“There’s nothing quite like a brand-new murder mystery,” stated Lonegan. “I’m thrilled, not only that Matthew is returning to the Playhouse, but that we get to share this hilarious and contemporary suspense which has never seen an audience before. Come meet Matthew and bask in the joy of new work!”

Through an influx of rehearsals, readings, and workshops each season, the New Works at the Playhouse Series provides an artistic home to writers and theater makers, offering the resources and support necessary to further the growth of their works. The Playhouse endeavors to support artists, particularly those from marginalized communities, who strive to break new ground and enhance the scope of the American theater.

Playwright Greene said, “Nothing brings people together quite like a whodunit, and isn’t that what theater does best? I’m excited to be at the playhouse for a little intrigue, a little drama, and a lot of fun.”

The cast includes Katie Ailion as Dani (Westport Country Playhouse’s world premiere of Matthew Greene’s “Thousand Pines”; “Red Herring,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”; Comedy Central’s “Viralocity”; UNC); Adam Coy as Gideon (“Romeo & Juliet” at Westport Country Playhouse; “Randy’s Dandy Coaster Castle” at Egg & Spoon; associate artistic director of The Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective; BFA Syracuse University); Halima Henderson as Tatiana (Off-Broadway’s “The Collision/The Martyrdom”; self-produced and starred in the award-winning short film “Sorry”; University of Michigan); David Rosenberg as Conrad (Broadway’s “Death of a Salesman”; Off-Broadway’s “Lies My Father Told Me”; MFA Juilliard); Gabi Samels as Val (“Downstate” at Playwrights Horizons, recipient of a Lucille Lortel Nomination; “The Half of It” on Netflix, named Best Narrative Feature at Tribeca Film Festival; BFA Syracuse University); Rodolfo Soto as Nash (“In The Heights” as Usnavi at Westport Country Playhouse and Broadway’s Music Circus; TheaterWorks USA’s tour of “The Lightning Thief”; BFA Marymount Manhattan College); and Alexandra Templer as Michelle (Netflix’s “When They See Us”; Paramount+’s “Evil”; Apple TV+’s “We Crashed” and “What Doesn't Float”; NYU).

Playwright Matthew Greene is also a librettist and lyricist whose works have been seen on both coasts and a few places in between. His play “Thousand Pines” had its world premiere at Westport Country Playhouse, and the autobiographical “Good Standing” played at Theater Row as part of the United Solo Theatre Festival. Other plays include “Gregorian” (Working Artists Theatre Project), “Adam and Steve and the Empty Sea” (Plan B Theatre, New York International Fringe Festival), “#Mormoninchief” (New York International Fringe Festival), “Job Well Done” (national finalist, American College Theatre Festival), and “Bread of Affliction” (Society for the Study of Jewish American and Holocaust Literature). In 2020, he received the Stiles + Drew Prize for a current work in progress and created the socially-distant play “A Midsemester Night’s Dream,” which will be published this year. He is a proud member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and has taught theater to people of all ages in and out of New York City.

Director Liam Lonegan founded Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective in 2017. He received his BFA from Syracuse University, where he was the managing director of Black Box Players while directing and assisting on numerous productions. Most recently he co-directed “The Rats” and directed “The Killer” for Egg & Spoon’s second season. Other assisting credits include Off-Broadway’s “Fiorello!,” and Westport Country Playhouse’s “In the Heights,” “Man of La Mancha,” and “Thousand Pines.” Lonegan is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

For full details on the New Works at the Playhouse reading of “Bad Accents,” visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/new-works-bad-accents/

When: Monday, April 24, 2023 at 7 p.m.

Where: Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport, CT 06880

Tickets are $25. Running time is approximately two hours, including one 15-minute intermission. The play is recommended for age 18+.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit 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. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), Instagram (@wcplayhouse), and YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).