2-Time Oscar Winner Tom Hanks Performs In 'Script In Hand' Playreading In Westport

WESTPORT, CT — Tom Hanks joined Wendie Malick and Tony Shalhoub for Westport Country Playhouse's 100th playreading in its 20-year-old Script in Hand series on Monday, Oct. 5.

The sold-out event featured a reading of "Portrait of a Woman in Repose," a new play written by Nicky Glossman and directed by James Glossman. The play centers on art, memory, survival and efforts to restore what has been lost.

"For nearly a century, Westport Country Playhouse has welcomed legendary performers to our historic theatre, and we're enormously proud to continue that tradition with Tom Hanks, Wendie Malick, and Tony Shalhoub taking the stage," Mark Shanahan, the Playhouse's artistic director, said ahead of the event.

"Our 100th Script in Hand reading is a milestone to celebrate, and how fortunate we are to do so with these three beloved and renowned stars of stage and screen," Shanahan said. "There is something truly magical about artists of this caliber choosing to come to the Playhouse to do what they love best: tell a great story. I look forward to seeing these remarkable actors bring Nicky Glossman's beautiful play to life under James Glossman's expert direction, as we mark 20 years of a reading series that has become a hallmark of the Playhouse experience. We'll all be talking about this one for a long time to come!"

Hanks, a renowned performer, is famous for such films as "Forrest Gump," "Philadelphia," "Apollo 13," "Cast Away" and "Saving Private Ryan," among others. He won Best Actor Oscars for "Forrest Gump" and "Philadelphia."

"Portrait of a Woman in Repose" is set in Restoration France in 1818. The story begins with an art conservation job that brings Madame Anne Dulac, newly returned from exile, together with Jean Howlitz, a former painter with a complicated past, and Roderick Calley, the man charged with managing her affairs.

As the restoration progresses, the three characters confront their pasts and the changed world they have survived.

Nicole Caroselli served as stage manager.

The 2026 Script in Hand Playreading Series is supported by Joyce Hergenhan and the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Barbara Streicker is the 2026 programming and season sponsor. Media sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio. Westport Country Playhouse is a nonprofit organization.

The Script in Hand season is scheduled to continue Monday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m., with the title to be announced. Subscriptions and single tickets are available.

Script in Hand readings feature professional actors performing without scenery or costumes.

More information and a schedule of Westport Country Playhouse events are available at westportplayhouse.org.