Michael Franti + Spearhead Bring Positive Energy to Levitt Pavilion
Michael Franti + Spearhead rocked the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts tonight as hundreds jumped to their feet with every song and story the musician belted out under the setting sun. The show was opened by Tropidelic, a band from Cleveland who shook the Saugatuck with “an interesting mix of reggae, hip-hop, and high energy funk.” “The most exciting concert we’ve seen here yet!” one exclaimed as they alighted the stairs after the final song had finished. WestportLocal.com photo
Best Selling Author James Patterson talks “James Patterson” to Packed Library Forum
WestportLocal.com photosThe Westport Library was packed tonight as hundreds, both in the Trefz Forum and streaming online, listened to authors Nina Sankovitch and James Patterson discuss Patterson’s memoir: “James Patterson by James Patterson.” The duo discussed his life and experiences as he ventured from “a boy from small-town New York to the world’s most successful writer.” The free event by the Westport Library included a meet and greet when he also signed pre-purchased copies of the novel.
Patterson: James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. His enduring fictional characters and series include Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and Ali Cross, along with such acclaimed works of narrative nonfiction as Walk in My Combat Boots, E.R. Nurses, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. Bill Clinton (The President Is Missing) and Dolly Parton (Run, Rose, Run) are among his notable literary collaborators. For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal. The National Book Foundation presented him with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, and he is also the recipient of an Edgar Award and nine Emmy Awards. He lives in Florida with his family.
Sankovich: Nina Sankovitch is the author of several nonfiction books, including American Rebels and The Lowells of Massachusetts. She has written for the New York Times, the Huffington Post as a contributing blogger, and was formerly a judge for The Book of the Month Club. A graduate of Tufts University and Harvard Law School.
WestonArts Receives $50,000 from Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust
Top row (L-R): Christine Walder, Sally Eiler, and Adria Belport. Bottom row (L-R): Aline Weiller, Allison Lisbon, Cindy Wagner, Casey Lerner, Patricia Perez-Goodrich, Susan Young, Erin Gorman. Not pictured: Marc Fontaine, Hanna Przada, Debbie Rehr, Amy Borowik, and Agata Tria. Contributed Photo by Veronica Hauresz. WestonArts, Inc. WestonArts, Inc. (westonarts.org), announced the award of a $50,000 grant from the Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust. WestonArts (WA) is grateful for this significant grant and similar gifts provided by the Trust in past years. In 2017, WestonArts received a $104,000 grant from the Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust that funds WestonArts Scholarships ‒ annual awards for graduating Weston High School seniors to support their continuing education in the arts. This additional $50,000 grant will enable the creation of the “WestonArts Offutt Enrichment Fund,” and will be applied towards the organization’s mission to support and develop the arts in Weston.
Daniel E. Offutt lived in Weston for over three decades in a home he built. This property proudly displayed many of his own large, beautiful, steel sculptures. He had a career as a stockbroker after obtaining an MBA from Columbia University in 1965. Richard Orenstein, trustee of the Offutt Charitable Trust, said of Daniel, “Those who knew him would remember him as a tennis player, traveler, sailor, metal sculptor, woodworker, fixer of anything, collector of everything, lover of projects, stock market investor, and good friend.”
Specifically, the “WestonArts Offutt Enrichment Fund” will provide need-based financial support to Weston youth to pursue advancement and enrichment in all facets of the arts. Providing need-based grants has been a critical part of WA’s mission since its formation in 2005. WA partners with the Town of Weston Social Services Department, led by Allison Lisbon, Director of Social Services. Ms. Lisbon identifies youth in need of financial support for art-based education, instrument rentals, and event and program participation fees.
“WestonArts is thrilled to be the recipient of this generous gift which specifically supports our organization’s vision. The newly established fund will help countless students pursue artistic education without bearing a prohibitive financial burden. The fund will nurture the arts in Weston and, in turn, benefit our community at large. Art stimulates the imagination, opens the heart and mind to possibilities, and fuels the soul,” said Patricia Perez-Goodrich, WestonArts Chair.
To make these arts-based enrichment opportunities as impactful as possible, WestonArts also facilitates reduced rates for classes, rental services, and instruction with educational institutions and individual artists. Some of the generous organizations WA has partnered with include: The Westport Country Playhouse, The American Classical Orchestra, Suzuki School of Music, The Dance Academy of Westport, The Music Shed with David Morgan, The School of Rock in Fairfield, MOCA Westport, the Wilton Dance Studio, Jodi Stevens Bryce (voice lessons), SBE Performance & Productions, Leslie Giuliani (art classes), and Westport-based Atelier Constantin Popescu music instrument rentals. Individuals or organizations interested in partnering with this community effort or joining WestonArts, should contact info@westonarts.org.
In addition to raising funds for local scholarships and grants, WA also supports the arts in many other meaningful ways, including hosting events such as this past July’s first Weston Fine Arts Festival held in partnership with Gordon Fine Arts. The festival featured over 100 fine art vendors, along with a full weekend of live entertainment performed by a talented array of local performers including José Feliciano.
“WestonArts pulled off a Herculean feat with the first annual Weston Fine Arts Festival. With the Offutt Trust as one of its sponsors, the organization gathered willing volunteers and orchestrated an upbeat outing that simultaneously built community and celebrated the arts.” said Samantha Nestor, Weston First Selectwoman.
Additional updates regarding WestonArts, its members, and the organization’s endeavors can be found in the WestonArts Spotlight, a new column in Weston Today featuring WestonArts news and happenings.
Through the years, WestonArts, a 100% volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has raised and disbursed over $600,000 in funds to support its mission in the arts. The Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust’s generous grant to WestonArts will enrich the community of Weston well into the future.
The One that Westport Wants: Standing Ovation for Staples Players - GREASE Performances Continue
(click to enlarge) As the Staples Players took to their final number, members of the audience took to their feet in a standing ovation for the Players show. All photos by WestportLocal.com(click to enlarge) WestportLocal.com photoThe music of Grease filled the Staples High School corridors Sunday afternoon as the Staples Players continued their on-stage performance of the seventies classic.
Last Spring the Staples Players celebrated their return to the stage - after over two years - during their opening night of Words, Words, Words… and Music; the socially-distant audience was capped at 1/3 capacity.
With 100% capacity approved for Grease, the Players’ opening night on Thursday celebrated a full audience for the first time since 2019.
The anticipated magic that the Players are known for brought a tangible feeling of excitement before Sunday afternoon’s performance; some of the younger audience members couldn’t even remember their last Staples show without social distancing separating them from their neighbors.
(click to enlarge) WestportLocal.com photoHowever when the house lights dimmed, the packed house greeted the performers as they took to the stage. The energy was electrifying (no, not hydromatic) as the dozens of Westport teens danced, sang, and coiffed their hair to the toe-tapping families below. Through special effects, lighting, and pure talent - the hundreds in attendance were unknowingly transformed back to the 1950s for the remainder of their Sunday.
With Grease, the Staples Players continue to add another layer of “getting back to normal” for Westport; the community converged on the local high school auditorium while taking time to catch up with friends and neighbors seated near them or during the show’s intermission.
Another local tradition revived.
Due to popular demand, the Players added an additional feature of the show for this Thursday night. Tickets are still available, with all funding going to support the widely renowned acting group and the work that they do. All audience members must be masked while indoors, and must present proof of COVID-10 vaccination or testing.
For more information, visits staplesplayers.com.
Haiku Moment with Westport’s Poet Laureate
A Haiku Moment with Westport’s Poet Laureate: Diane Lowman
What’s your mood today
Much calmer than yesterday
Capricious shoreline
Coleytown Company Kids, Broadway Stars, and a Live Audience Celebrate the Return to the Stage; Tickets Still Available
Members of the Coleytown Company and a live audience will return to the middle school’s auditorium for the first time in over three years with their production of All Together Now.
All Together Now is a worldwide celebration organized by Music Theater International - who is allowing participating theater groups to use their musical revue songs free of charge. As the world continues to climb out of the pandemic era lockdowns, the licensing agency decided the donation of the popular musical hits for one weekend only is a way for organizations to fundraise and promote their performing arts centers’ re-openings.
Broadway Star Aimee Turner and Coleytown Company Director Ben FrimmerSo with the usually expensive licensing fees waived and rehearsals complete, Coleytown Company will join over 2,500 other theaters and over one million audience members across the globe Saturday as the kids sing and dance their way back into the spotlight. However they won’t do this alone, as ten Broadway stars have signed on to perform with the local middle schoolers for the one-night-only audience.
The curtain’s opening will be extra special for the Coleytown community. Although lockdowns affected the word in early 2020, Coleytown Company was shuttered even earlier after their building was closed for emergency renovations in September of 2018. After over three years, the students returned to a new school and new way of learning - something Coleytown Company Director and Theater Arts Educator Ben Frimmer had to compete with as he directed kids who had never experienced the Coleytown stage before. Through intensive rehearsals and with a minimal budget, the crew is ready to welcome audiences tomorrow both in person and through a virtual stream.
Click here to purchase tickets for tomorrow night’s performance and to support the Coleytown Company and their dedication to the musical theater tradition in Westport.
Trunk Sale by The Artists’ Collective brings Color and Creativity to the Library Parking Lot
Artist Dale Najarian displays her mixed-medium pieces this afternoon as part of The Artists’ Collective Affordable Art Trunk Show. Najarian and dozens of other members of the 140+ artist group enjoyed the sunshine of the outdoor event while passersby enjoyed the art show and trunk sale, taking place from their car trunks in the Library’s lower parking lot from 11 until 4. Artists were given the space to sell their pieces after previous shows were celebrated as unique ways to celebrate the arts community in Westport. WestportLocal.com photo
Soulful Soundcheck Complete ahead of Tonight’s Levitt Pavilion Concert
Pete Muller and the Kindred Souls passed sound check this afternoon as the Levitt Pavilion prepares for a relaxing Sunday evening along the riverfront. The instrumental/vocal quartet will be performing their folk and souls sounds, with Goodnight Moonshine - a pop-folk partnership - also gracing the Levitt stage. Tonight’s show will begin at 7:00 PM, with tickets available online and at the Levitt Pavilion box office.
Silver Steel brings Sounds of the Islands to Saugatuck
Members of the Silver Steel Drum Band brought good vibes and great music to Saugatuck Center this afternoon as hundreds converged on the neighborhood for the Taste of Saugatuck event.
Physician, Weston Mom Releases Second Novel; Tickets Available for Tuesday’s Westport Library Release Event
Dr. Heather Frimmer is releasing her second novel this Tuesday evening at the Westport Library - titled “Better to Trust”. The event begins at 7:00 PM and will feature door prizes and a conversation between Frimmer and notable book blogger Suzanne Leopold.
Frimmer’s first novel, Bedside Manners, was published in 2018 and won numerous awards throughout the region - being described as “a medical story, a mother-daughter tale, and a coming of age narrative, all rolled up into one absorbing story.” by Westporter and CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota. The newest novel “Better to Trust” follows the story of a woman in need of brain surgery and her neurosurgeon brother-in-law, with intertwined stories involving drug addiction, secret affairs, and risk-taking kids.
Dr. Frimmer is a emergency care and breast imaging radiologist. She completed her medical education at Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian-Cornell and Yale New Haven Hospital, and now lives in Weston with her husband and two children.
For free event tickets or to pre-order a signed copy of Better to Trust, click here.
Frimmer at the 2018 launch of her novel Bedside Manners at the former Barnes and Noble. Photo by Jaime Bairaktaris/WestportNow.com