Mark Lamos Will Direct “That Championship Season” at Westport

Mark Lamos will direct That Championship Season at Westport Country Playhouse, his first production since being named artistic director earlier this year.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award and New York Drama Critics Circle Award, That Championship Season by Jason Miller will be the fifth production in the Playhouse’s six-play 2009 season. It will run Aug. 25 - Sept. 12.

“This classic American play is a richly dramatic feast for five actors---a raucous, savage, occasionally riotous examination of men who can't escape their shared past and their present illusions,” said Lamos. “David Kennedy, our associate artistic director, drew my attention to the play, and as soon as I read it I was compelled by its dazzling dialogue and swift dramatic action. I think it's a great balance to the rest of the season so far.”

“That Championship Season” takes place at a reunion of a high school basketball coach, now retired, and four members of the team that he guided to the state championship 20 years earlier. As the evening progresses, secrets are revealed, loyalties tested and the foundation of their long-held dreams is found to be fraudulent. A play of savage humor and giant passions, “That Championship Season” probes the darker aspects of the American creed of success.

For more information, visit www.westportplayhouse.org.