Minor Car Accident Slows Post Road East
A car accident before noon today slowed eastbound traffic on Post Road East, in the area of the Westport Inn and Goodwill Industries. No word on any injuries or what caused the rear-ending of one vehicle by another (pictured).
Westport Elementary Schoolers Sing “Stand By Me”, a Gift to Westport
A January Board of Education meeting described excitement about a future song release from Westport fourth and fifth graders, a great triumph for the Arts Education programs during pandemic learning. Through Google Drive, the song was finally released and approved to be shared by The Westport Local Press by Stephen Zimmerman, Music and Visual Arts Coordinator for the Westport Public Schools.
The elementary school chorus groups worked with Backtrack Vocals, a professional Acapella group who assisted in putting together the video. The kids sang the song Stand By Me and hope their work could serve as a gift to their community during hard times. View above or by clicking this link.
Westport Country Playhouse Presents Conversation about Thornton Wilder’s American Classic, “Our Town”
From the 2002 production of “Our Town” at Westport Country Playhouse, L-R, Maggie Lacey, Paul Newman, Ben Fox. Photo by Larry Merz
Westport Country Playhouse, in conjunction with the recent book release of “Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ in the 21st Century” by Howard Sherman, will present a virtual conversation about the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, beginning on Sunday, February 14, at 3 p.m., on the Playhouse’s website (westportplayhouse.org) and Youtube channel (WestportPlayhouse), free-of-charge. Running time is approximately 35 minutes. Published video is below.
Participating in the “Our Town at the Playhouse” panel will be Howard Sherman, author; Anne Keefe, current Playhouse associate artist, and former associate artistic director with Joanne Woodward at the time of the Playhouse’s 2002 production of “Our Town”; and Jake Robards, who appeared in the Playhouse production. Host is Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director.
“When I first proposed my book ‘Another Day’s Begun’ to the publisher, I knew that the Westport Country Playhouse production would have to be part of it,” said Sherman. “This was not only because it was the most recent production of ‘Our Town’ to reach Broadway, with a distinguished cast, but also because my first post-college job, only two weeks after graduation, was at Westport. It’s a theatre that remains close to my heart. This conversation was a particular pleasure because it was a chance to discuss the book and the production with Mark Lamos, my boss at Hartford Stage after I left the Playhouse, my friend of over 35 years, and the person who truly opened my eyes to what theatre can be.”
Sherman’s book “Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ in the 21st Century” was published in January 2021 by Methuen Drama and may be purchased directly from Bloomsbury/Methuen and Bookshop.org.
Westport Country Playhouse produced “Our Town” in the summer of 2002, under the artistic direction of Joanne Woodward. Directed by James Naughton, the cast included Paul Newman as the Stage Manager, Jayne Atkinson as Mrs. Gibbs, Frank Converse as Dr. Gibbs, Jane Curtin as Mrs. Webb, Jeffrey DeMunn as Mr. Webb, Jake Robards as Howie Newsome, Kristen Hahn as Rebecca Gibbs, Maggie Lacey as Emily Webb, Ben Fox as George Gibbs, Stephen Spinella as Simon Stimson, John Braden as Professor Willard, and Mia Dillon as Mrs. Soames. Set and costume design was by Tony Walton, lighting design by Richard Pilbrow, and sound design by Ray Schilke. Production manager was Ruth Moe; stage manager, Katherine Lee Boyer; and casting director, Deborah Brown.
The Playhouse production transferred to Broadway’s Booth Theatre for a limited run, and was filmed for Showtime Networks and PBS's “Masterpiece Theatre.” The production is currently available at DVD Netflix.
“Our Town” was first produced at the Playhouse in 1947 with its author Thornton Wilder as the Stage Manager. The story of everyday lives in the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners in the early 1900s opened on Broadway in 1938.
Due to the global pandemic, the Playhouse campus remains closed since last March. The 2021 Season is scheduled to begin in April, online and in-person. Playhouse management will be following the science and the State of Connecticut Department of Health guidelines in deciding when and how to safely open its buildings to the public.
Local Love on Main Street: Le Rouge Artisan Chocolates by Aarti
Aarti Khosla from behind the counter at Le Rouge Chocolates, 190 Main Street. Customers wait their turn to enter Le Rouge Chocolates on Valentine's Day. While orchestrating the shop’s holiday orders and taking stock of what was left, Aarti Khosla took a pause when asked how business was this year. “I’m just so humbled” she said softly as her eyes watched the customers waiting for their turn at purchasing her chocolates.
Aarti Khosla owns and operates Le Rouge Artisan Chocolates, a local shoppe located on the garden level of 190 Main Street, next to Joe’s Pizza. Khosla describes her sweet story as starting traditionally in the private business sector, and due to her mother’s good cooking and her own “foodie Genes” - she left the corporate world and jumped into her new role as gourmet chocolatier, opening Le Rouge in Westport in 2014.
Valentine’s Day is particularly special in the chocolate world, with a line outside her cozy storefront even on the afternoon the day-of the holiday. Customers at Le Rouge humbled Aarti this year as social distancing forced them to wait outside while waiting to purchase their loved-one’s treats; not one person complained about the delay. Aarti said that business was busier on Saturday than on Sunday, theorizing it could have been due to a forecast of bad weather and families leaving for vacation on Sunday.
Some of the few handmade chocolates left on Valentine’s Day. Regardless, the community turned-out to support this local business - one that supports the community just as much.
Through a program named “Give a Little Love”, Aarti hand-makes $8 chocolate hearts that customers are encouraged to give to neighbors, friends, family, and other community members as an act of kindness - with 10% of the sales going towards a charity. In 2020, Le Rouge was able to donate $4,800 to various local non-profits.
During the pandemic, Aarti wanted to continue to give back to her community by putting a smile on others’ faces. She successfully made and donated 2,625 chocolate hearts to every single senior graduating from Bridgeport’s 5 high schools, and to hundreds of frontline workers, in addition to nearly 600 other chocolate items donated to other local community members. The project was a labor of love that surely made the triumphs and little victories a little sweeter.
According to her website, Aarti was born in India and has lived around the world - gaining an appreciation for flavours and people she was able to meet throughout her travels. With her chocolates and her dedication to helping others - the Westport community is lucky to have had her land right here on Main Street.
Le Rouge Artisan Chocolates can be purchased online or from the Main Street storefront.