Built as tannery in 1835, the Westport Country Playhouse raised the curtain on its first production in 1931. Given the town’s talented residents and proximity to NYC, the theater quickly earned a reputation for excellence and attracted promising young apprentices like Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers) and the inestimable Steven Sondheim.
Now in its 91st year, Artistic Director Mark Lamos continues to burnish the reputation of our theater, following in the footsteps of producer James B. Mackenzie, actress Joanne Woodward, and other esteemed theater professionals.
WLM: How did you become the Artistic Director for WCP in 2009?
Mark Lamos: I had been an artistic director at a number of places and freelancing in opera and other theaters at the time. Then I got a call from Westport Playhouse and was asked to replace Paul Newman* as the director of Of Mice and Men. I directed the production and was asked to be artistic director. It was serendipitous; I was tired of flying around Europe and Canada, my husband was based in New York City, and we had a house in CT.
I feel comfortable in a non-profit theater situation, I’m not crazy about commercial theater for money. The pressures are not ones that I find challenging or interesting. In non-profit there’s a precious bond that forms between the artists and the community.
*Paul Newman died in September of 2008. Mark’s production was dedicated in his honor.
WLM: When planning a new season, what do you consider?
ML: Planning a seasons is a free-wheeling spit-balling session and everyone has ideas about what we should do. We want to make sure we have an even number of male and female writers, so we’re speaking to different kinds of theatergoers. We need to be conscious of budget. We think about what we’ve done in the past, what David Kennedy [Associate Artistic Director] and I desire to do. And then flat-out entertainment. Things come into the mix in the strangest ways.
For instance, [in 2012] David came into a planning meeting and said “I re-read a play last night and I think you should all read it again - don’t think I’m crazy.” It was Raisin the Sun and I said “That old chestnut? I don’t think so.”
Of course we all read it again and it became so alive because of community events, I was able to convince Phylicia Rashad to direct it.
WLM: Does the make-up of your audience affect your artistic decisions?
ML: I think if you find five things you’re passionate about and gather artists who are passionate about it, the audience will be there. It’s not a question of what demographic I think it will appeal to; it never works when I do that. I care about communicating with them and broadening the audience base.
WLM: In 2012 you premiered a wonderful play, Harbor, about two married men on Nantucket who are visited by one of their sisters and her daughter. It was an adventuresome choice at that time. How did it happen?
ML: Harbor was written by Chad Beguelin, the bookwriter for Aladdin the musical.
His agent sent us the play and I loved it. It’s so funny and so surprising. I met with him and I talked a little about the play and I asked him to change something. He agreed, which isn’t always the case!
It had an off-Broadway run and brought a broader audience to the Playhouse. One man threw his arms around me and said, “Thank you for putting me in the show.”
WLM: Tell me about working on a new play with the writer.
ML: Michael Gotch wrote two new plays. Tiny House, which was a virtual production here. I loved how he created the family. He was an actor and I’d worked with his company before. He continued writing on it while we worked in rehearsal, which was extremely gratifying for him and for all of us.
Then he wrote Starter Pistol for the same group of actors. Michael was trying new and exciting things in his writing. It was tremendously satisfying to birth a play with people who cared so much about it. We were all very candid; it can’t just be a love-fest.
WLM: In 2018 you did one of my favorite musicals, Man of La Mancha. It was also one of the best productions I’ve seen of it.
ML: Man of La Mancha was suggested by a young staff member. I’m not crazy about the piece, but she said ‘I think it would have a lot of resonance in the community. There are a lot of Hispanics and Latins.”
So I cast it with a Latin cast. All of these performers were so gifted, and they said it was the first musical their parents took them to. They used Hispanic accents and it came so alive because they were so passionate about it.
The play takes place in a prison which was immediately relevant given what was happening at the border at the time. The abuse of women by men in power was also particularly relevant. A woman [who is hurt] feels worthless, then this man makes her feel human. It became a woman’s story because it was about her being held up and shown she had worth. We were all so empowered.
WLM: I have a million more questions for you, but I have to ask for your thoughts on Hamilton.
I was a Tony voter at the time and we were invited back to see it a second time. Seeing it again was a different experience. I was absolutely blown away. You have to work seeing that musical, you have to engage in this twisty story about a flawed man and a flawed republic.
When theater breaks a mold like that, you feel lucky to be alive.
WLM: Back up - you were a Tony voter?? Tell me about that!
ML: I was a Tony voter for nine seasons while I was on the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers - three three-year terms, the longest anyone is allowed to remain on the SDC exec board. You sit through a lot of stuff people have spent a lot of time and money on, and it’s terrible. But you have to watch it.
At least once a season you don’t want to see something, and I didn’t care about seeing Once. But I had to. And I loved it!! I was weeping - I listened to every single note.
Then there was Bright Star, Steve Martin’s musical was up against Hamilton for Best Musical. We loved it. When the curtain went up on the 2nd act and Steven Martin was playing banjo… we were cheering and leaping. We got the album! But we knew it didn't have a chance.
WLM: Last question, do you ever choose a show around an actor?
ML: No, because more often than not they’ll get a movie.