JIB Productions, creator of the long-running Play With Your Food lunchtime theater program, will usher in the holiday season with the holiday-themed program, "Seasons Readings." Performances will be held in Greenwich on Dec. 5 at the Greenwich Arts Council and in Westport on Dec. 12 at the Westport Woman's Club.
"With 'Seasons Readings,' we offer audiences fresh and provocative material like at Play With Your Food, but holiday-related and during the evening," producer Nancy Diamond explained in a release.
Play and short story selections chosen by JIB Artistic Director Carole Schweid include Frederick Stroppel's The Land of the Sweets.
"Frederick Stroppel is one of our favorite playwrights, and this show features one his most humorous and outlandish characters," Schweid said. "Audiences will be treated to a very funny play about Madame Irina, who intimidates her young charges into a production of 'The Nutcracker.'"
Also on the program is the O. Henry short story "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking."
"The audience will get to meet one of the author's most endearing characters, a hobo from New Orleans, who is living life as free as a bird," Schweid noted. "'Whistling Dick' is a cross between Charles Dickens and Damon Runyon. This story is perfect for a Christmas read. It shows how one, small act of kindness can lead to much greater things."
"'Seasons Readings' has humor and heart," Diamond added. "The selected plays and stories will make you laugh, think and elicit empathy. It's an entertaining and edgy addition to the mix of traditional holiday fare."
"Seasons Readings" performers include Broadway veteran Susan Terry of Westport, Brian J. Carter of Westport, and Katie Sparer of Stratford.
Performances at both locations run from 7:30 - 9 p.m., and tickets are $30 per person. Audience members are invited to join the cast for eggnog and dessert following the programs.
For information, visit playwithyourfood.org, call the box office at (203) 293-8831 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., or email info@playwithyourfood.org.