Westport: Westport Country Playhouse Presents In-Person and Virtual Script in Hand Playreading of Thriller “Murder by Misadventure”

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of the thriller, “Murder by Misadventure” by Edward Taylor, before a live audience on Monday, February 21, at 7 p.m. The performance will be captured on film for on-demand streaming at home, from Thursday, February 24 through Sunday, February 27. Script in Hand playreadings offer intimate storytelling as professional actors bring the words to life without sets or costumes. Director is Mark Shanahan, who is curator of the Playhouse’s Script in Hand playreading series and Playhouse Radio Theater.

“’Murder by Misadventure’ is a clever cat and mouse thriller filled with enough twists and turns to warm our Script In Hand audiences on a cold winter night,” said Shanahan. “Edward Taylor’s ingenious and funny play updates the classic thriller genre while paying homage to the great stage mysteries of the past. Intermission may be filled with theories about who did what when, but this clever tale will keep the audience guessing right up until curtain call.” 

In “Murder by Misadventure,” Harold Kent and Paul Riggs have been successful writing partners for years, winning awards and making money. Harold saved and invested his earnings; Paul spent his cash on alcohol and women. Harold wants to break the partnership that is Paul’s lifeline, but Paul knows a sinister secret from Harold’s past. As they finish concocting the perfect crime for their latest television film, old grudges and devilish schemes boil to the surface causing their alliance to face its final curtain.

Director Mark Shanahan appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in “Around the World in 80 Days,” “Tryst,” “Sedition,” “David Copperfield,” “Journey’s End,” and over 20 Script in Hand playreadings, and directed readings of “Butterflies Are Free,” with Blythe Danner and Jonathan Groff, and “The Greatest Gift”by Weston playwright David Wiltse. He is the creator and curator of Westport Country Playhouse Radio Theater and writer/director of the Playhouse radio adaptation “A Merry little Christmas Carol.” New York acting credit includes “The 39 Steps,” “Small World,” “Checkers,” “Tryst,” “The Shaughraun,” “As Bees in Honey Drown,” and “The Internationalist.” His directorial work has been seen at Alley Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Virginia Stage, Arkansas Rep, White Heron, Fulton Opera House, Weston Playhouse, Florida Rep, Penguin Rep, Merrimack Rep, The Cape Playhouse, and many more. He has written numerous radio plays for White Heron’s Ghost Light Series (featuring Christopher Plummer and Judith Ivey, among others), and is the author of the Off-Broadway and regional hit comedy, “The Dingdong“; “A Merry Little Christmas Carol”; “A Murder at Fernly Hall”; and “A Sherlock Carol,” which premiered last fall Off-Broadway at New World Stages. www.mark-shanahan.net

Casting will be announced soon.

Tickets to attend the playreading in person are $20. Patrons must be masked and fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine to attend an indoor performance and must show proof of vaccination with their valid ticket to enter. For updates on Covid-19 health and safety protocols at the Playhouse, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/covid19safety/

Tickets for on-demand streaming are $20 individual, $40 pair, and $80 household. Each purchase entitles the ticket buyer to one individual link.

Script in Hand memberships are $125 each (including membership fee) for all five playreadings in the 2022 Script in Hand season. Membership secures a ticket, seat location, and the opportunity to renew the same seat for the often sold-out evenings. 

Upcoming Script in Hand playreadings include “Dot” by Coleman Domingo on Monday, March 14, a comedy/drama about mid-life crises and aging parents; and other selections on June 13, November 14, and December 12, titles to be announced. 
The Script in Hand Playreading Series is supported by Stephen Corman and the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

All dates, titles, artists, and formats subject to change. 

To purchase tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, call (203) 227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).

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