Spring has finally arrived, and with it comes the 80th anniversary season opener for Town Players of Newtown: Fifth Of July will open Friday, April 24, at The Little Theatre, 18 Orchard Hill Road.

Written by Lanford Wilson, Fifth Of July tells the tale of paraplegic Vietnam vet Ken Talley, who lives in his childhood Missouri home with his partner Jed. As Ken struggles to find meaning in life, deciding whether he wants to return to teaching, a number of friends and relatives arrive for a visit, each with a separate agenda.

As the visit descends into a bidding war for the farmhouse, the sale of which Ken has been contemplating, past and present relationships must be pulled up and carefully examined before anyone can decide upon the future.

Nominated for five Tony Awards in 1981, including Best Play, and winner of Best Featured Actress in a Play (Swoosie Kurtz), Fifth Of July features the “boundless empathy that is Mr Wilson’s hallmark as a dramatist, presenting a more sober but equally affectionate creed of acceptance of human failings” (The New York Times; February 4, 2003).

“It’s a play that I’m fond of because I lived through the time,” says Maureen Trotto of Monroe, who is directing the Town Players production. Ms Trotto pointed out that the play is also “about relationships and how, in our young lives, the people who we choose to associate with are so influential.”

The cast includes Christopher Cooney (Monroe), Miles Everett (Thomaston), Sheila Hageman (Trumbull), Timothy Huebenthal (Southbury), Emily LaPerch (New Milford), April Lichtman (Easton), Nancy Thode (Greenwich), Matthew Saul (Litchfield) and Donna L. White (Mahopac, NY).

The production crew includes producer Gene Golaszewski (Brookfield), set designer Duane Langenwalter (Monroe), lighting designer Nick Kaye (Bethel), and stage manager Terry Polvay (Sandy Hook).

Performances will continue weekends until May 16. Curtain is Friday and Saturday evenings at 8, with 2 pm matinees scheduled for Sundays, April 26 and May 3.

Tickets are $22 for the evening shows, $18 for matinee performances.

Reservations may be made by calling the box office at 203-270-9144 or by sending an email to reservations@newtownplayers.org.

For further information, visit www.newtownplayers.org or email info@newtownplayers.org.