TheatreWorks New Milford Announces 2011 Season Shows Rolled Out at Festive Reception at Spruce Home & Garden

NEW MILFORD, CONN. (November 15, 2010) – TheatreWorks recently announced its 2011 line-up of theatrical performances at a party hosted by Spruce Home & Garden, a new retailer of upper-end garden products, large garden sculptures, and home products and accessories, on Bank Street in New Milford.

Approximately 130 subscribers, donors, and special guests, along with the Board of Directors of TheatreWorks, gathered for a few hours to mingle and nosh on food from New Milford’s Lucia Ristorante, along with a wine tasting sponsored by The Bridge Fine Wines of New Milford, with music provided by Dan Ringuette.

TheatreWorks also awarded TheatreWorks’ Board of Directors Emeritus status to Harry Cohen of Woodbury and Wendell MacNeal of Blufton, South Carolina, two of the members who founded The Creative Arts Center of New Milford in 1967, which today is known TheatreWorks New Milford. The awards were given for their efforts to establish a permanent home for the Theatre, currently located at 5 Brookside Avenue.

Bank Street Investments, which owns the building on Bank Street, coordinated the event with TheatreWorks and their new tenant. Door prizes were donated by Spruce Home & Garden, La Piccolina, and TheatreWorks.

“We just opened our doors on November 5th and this event is the perfect catalyst to drive our new business forward,” said Spruce Home & Garden owner, Steven Wilburn. “By partnering with an arts organization like TheatreWorks New Milford that has become renowned for great local theatre over the past 44 years, we can signal to the community that we’re both here to stay and open for business.”

The evening culminated with a presentation of TheatreWorks’ 2011 season, which includes four main stage shows, four children’s/young adult workshops, and four free staged readings.

“We’re extremely grateful for this new partnership between Spruce Home & Garden and TheatreWorks,” said TheatreWorks’ President, Glenn R. Couture. “It’s an honor to unveil our upcoming season in a new business establishment that’s as committed as we are to making the greater New Milford region a great place to work and play. We’re thrilled to announce that 2010 was a very successful season, due in no small measure to our loyal audience members. It’s our honor to build on that success and to continue to provide Broadway-caliber theatre at ticket prices that are much more affordable than Broadway.”

Couture announced that the company’s 44th season will kick off in February with TALK RADIO by Eric Bogosian, a disturbing, funny, and off-beat story surrounding Barry Champlain, a controversial radio show host. Every night Barry goes on the air to do what he does best: insult the pathetic souls who call in the middle of the night to sound off. But Barry’s on-air antics are so popular that his show is about to go into national syndication, and his producer is afraid that Barry will say something that will offend the sponsors. This, of course, makes Barry even more outrageous. TALK RADIO was adapted into a riveting film by director Oliver Stone and revived for Broadway audiences in 2007 – earning two Tony Award nominations.

In June comes THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL, a hilarious country-rock and blues musical about adultery, ’80s nostalgia, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, a broken electric chair, kleptomania, strippers, flan, disco, and more. This hootenanny zeroes in on regular guy Norbert and his agoraphobic wife, Jeannie, whose marriage is threatened by the trailer park’s newest resident – a hot young stripper named Pippi. This show is the theatrical equivalent of a bag of Doritos, complete with orange residue left on your fingertips: You know every minute is bad for you, but you just won’t be able to get enough.

Ben Clark, son of legendary actress Lynn Redgrave and a resident of Kent, was on hand to announce the Theatre’s fall production, SHAKESPEARE FOR MY FATHER, the first play written by his late mother in 1993. The play is an autobiographical tale of Ms. Redgrave’s memories crafted into a complex, funny, and moving portrait of a child’s longing for the love of Sir Michael Redgrave – the inscrutable, daunting, and charismatic Shakespearean actor who was her father. Acclaimed in America and the UK, SHAKESPEARE FOR MY FATHER weaves scenes from the Bard that delightfully fuse with events in Ms. Redgrave’s young life, eliciting memories of Sir Michael and engaging impressions of the celebrated stars who frequented the Redgrave’s home and lives.

Finally in December, Noël Coward’s delightfully witty comedy, PRESENT LAUGHTER, will round out the season. This classic chestnut centers on Garry Essendine, a popular, pampered actor – modeled after Coward himself – busily making preparations for an extended overseas tour with his devoted secretary Monica. His plans are complicated first by Daphne, a beautiful stage-struck ingénue, as well as an absurdly eager and aspiring playwright, Roland Maule, who insist on his attentions. When his wife, his agents, and his numerous admirers arrive, Garry is hard-pressed to escape what quickly spirals into a hilarious farcical game of cat-and-mouse.

The TheatreWorks Kids’ shows announced for 2011 include ANNIE, JR, JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, JR., and WILLY WONKA, JR. For high school-aged students, FOOTLOOSE is planned for the Stage 2 (young adults) program in the summer.

In addition, TheatreWorks continues its “Page to Stage” series of FREE staged readings in 2011 with four selections: SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL FOR YOU by Christopher Durang, LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART by Terrence McNally, THREE DAYS OF RAIN by Richard Greenberg, and Philip Barry’s classic, HOLIDAY.

For more information, tickets, and subscriptions, visit WWW.THEATREWORKS.US or call the box office at (860) 350-6863.