Roberts to Host Westport Footlights and Film Gala Sept. 15

By Adam Hetrick
May 19, 2008

Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts will host Westport Country Playhouse's annual fundraising gala on Sept. 15.

Westport is currently assembling a star-studded line-up of performers for this year's gala, which is entitled Footlights and Film: A Celebration of the Great Musicals from Stage and Screen.

The gala – chaired by Laurie Lister, Judd Burstein, Sharon Sullivan and Jeff Kindler – will honor Autism Speaks co-founders Bob and Suzanne Wright. Cocktails begin at 6 PM, to be followed by the performance, dinner and a silent auction.

Anne Keefe, Westport Playhouse artistic director, said in a statement, "We are thrilled that a star of Julia Roberts' magnitude will host an array of premier artists from stage and screen to benefit the historic Westport Country Playhouse. This will be a one-of-a-kind entertainment and social event that is not to be missed."

Roberts earned an Academy Award for her work in the 2001 film "Erin Brockovich." Her film appearances also include "Pretty Woman," "Steel Magnolias," "Sleeping with the Enemy," "Closer," and "Ocean's Eleven." Roberts made her Broadway debut in the 2006 production of Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain.

For further information visit www.westportplayhouse.org.

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In its 78-season history, the Westport Country Playhouse — located in Westport, CT — has produced more than 700 plays, 35 of which have transferred to Broadway.