Pushcart Players Bring Season of MIracles to Westport Country Playhouse

“A Season of Miracles” Dec. 11, 1 and 4 pm. Photo courtesy of Westport Country Playhouse.

Westport Country Playhouse will present “A Season of Miracles,” a sparkling collection of holiday tales from different cultures set to music, on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 1 and 4 pm as part of its Family Festivities Series 

Produced by Pushcart Players, “A Season of Miracles” will include stories about Christmas (“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and “The Nutcracker” by E. T. A. Hoffmann), Kwanzaa (“The Kwanzaa Kite,” set in Nigeria), and Chanukah (“A Chanukah Miracle,” a Chelm story). The production is appropriate for children grades K-5. Tickets are $15.

Pushcart Players is celebrating its 38th season of producing theater for young audiences - not only throughout most of the U.S., but also in the former Soviet Union, in the Czech Republic and in two guest appearances at the White House. The dynamic company is the recipient of an Emmy Award nomination for two prime time specials on WCBS-TV, and numerous awards for excellence and innovation in the development of theater for young people.

Holiday cookie decorating with Michelle Jaffee from Sweet & Simple will be a pre-show activity, beginning at noon and 3 p.m. Participation is $5 per child, payable at the event. Reservations are necessary through the Playhouse box office, 203-227-4177.

In conjunction with “A Season of Miracles,” the Playhouse is hosting a Holiday Memories Writing Challenge for area students, grades K – 8. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 2. After interviewing a family member on a favorite holiday memory or a treasured holiday tradition, students are invited to compose a short story, theatrical scene or poem depicting their family story in 200 words or less. 

Submissions will be read by a Playhouse panel and a selection of entries will be posted in the Playhouse lobby during the presentation of“A Season of Miracles.” Every entrant will receive a prize voucher for a complimentary frozen yogurt from Pinkberry in Fairfield. For information on how to enter the writing challenge, visit www.westportplayhouse.org.

Family Festivities Board of Trustees Sponsors are Meredith & David Bukzin; Family Festivities Corporate Sponsors are First Niagara and Peirson & Smith; also funded in part, by a grant from the Peterson Foundation. Holiday special events corporate partner is Pitney Bowes.

Other “Winter at the Playhouse” events include“The Nutcracker,” a holiday ballet presented by Ballet Etudes, on Saturday and Sunday, December 3 and 4, 1 and 5 p.m.; rock band GrooveLily in“Striking 12,” a concert-musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl,” on Saturday, December 10, 4 and 7 p.m.; “Holiday” by Philip Barry, a Script in Hand reading of the beloved romantic comedy upon which the film starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn was based, Monday, December 12, 7 p.m.; and The Broadway Boys, a holiday concert Broadway style, on Saturday, December 17, 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 18, 3 p.m.

As a community service during all of the “Winter at the Playhouse” holiday events, the Playhouse will collect gently used coats/jackets to benefit the Community Closet of Bridgeport. Collection boxes will be in the Playhouse lobby through December 18.

For more information, tickets or holiday gift certificates, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Tickets are available online 24/7 at www.westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), view Playhouse videos on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse) or get an insider’s peek on The Playhouse Blog (www.theplayhouseblog.org).