Since Joanne Woodward took over the artistic directorship of the Westport Country Playhouse in 2000, the summer theatre has had little trouble attracting star talent. And very often those stars are Woodward herself and her husband, Paul Newman. Both were featured in the sold-out 2000 Westport engagement of Ancestral Voices. At the time, Woodward told the New York Times that the sight of Newman on the Westport stage without a script in his hands (in Gurney's play, the actors read from the text) was an unlikely prospect.

Newman must reconsidered since then. The famous film actor will play the Stage Manager in WCP's 2002 season opener, a revival of Thornton Wilder's classic Our Town. The production will run June 5 through June 22. James Naughton, who has frequently directed at Westport since Woodward entered the scene, will pilot the show. No other casting has been announced, though one would expect the combination of Newman and Naughton to attract a stellar array of name actors.

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