Remarkable Movies: End the Week with Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocky Horror Picture Show
This Week at the Drive In:
Friday, June 11th:
Guardians of the Galaxy | 8:30 PM
Saturday, June 12th:
Rocky Horror Picture Show | 8:30 PM
Click Here to Purchase Tickets
About The Remarkable Theater
Starting in Summer of 2020, the Remarkable Drive-in Theater began as a safe way to get families back to the movies in Westport. The Remarkable Theater is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization run by volunteers, whose mission is to “build a first class art house movie theater in downtown Westport, CT that provides purposeful employment to individuals with disabilities.”
The theater is tucked along the Saugatuck River at 50 Imperial Avenue, Westport, Connecticut.
A. Robert Zeff, 87; Prominent Attorney, Avid Detroit Tigers Fan
ObituaryA. Robert Zeff (born Avram Abbot Zeff), 87, died of a life well spent on June 6, 2021, while watching a basketball game at home in Westport, Connecticut.
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Feb 2, 1934, the 15th generation of his family born in Israel, Bob grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where he played high school baseball well enough to pitch at the University of Michigan and for the Tigers Farm Team until bad knees forced him to make other career plans. He remained an avid baseball fan for a lifetime of rarely missed Detroit Tigers games.
Bob graduated from the University of Detroit Law School at 22 and was among the youngest applicants to ever pass the Michigan bar exam in 1957. Zeff began trial practice immediately in his ailing father's law firm and the name Zeff & Zeff PC still exists 65 years later. Although Bob was initially a "pink-faced young lawyer trying to retain his father's clients," by the early 60's Bob had successfully built the firm's practice in handling catastrophic personal injury cases. When million dollar verdicts first began, Bob became a national leader in 7 figure recoveries.
He was proudest of a series of press injury cases that changed the industrial codes in Detroit's plants. Newsweek covered him among the "Top 20 Personal Injury Trial Attorneys" and his closing arguments to juries were events that drew spectators from all parts of the courthouse. The Michigan Institute of Continuing Legal Education featured cassettes of his 'Million Dollar Arguments' and he authored the chapter on closing arguments in ICLE's "Michigan Civil Procedure During Trial." Bob's reputation was aptly captured by a Detroit News columnist who observed "Defense attorneys cringe when Zeff enters the courtroom." In 1975 Bob was inducted into the Inner Circle, a group limited to 100 of the best trial lawyers in the United States.
Zeff was once featured in a Detroit News spread covering a handful of the Most Eligible Bachelors in the city, then later married Susan Jane Kroll from South Carolina, who hadn't seen the article. They celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary on June 2nd, 2021. Bob was privately a frequent high praiser of Susan in matters of the heart, golf, and business, often followed by the humorous disclaimer "don't tell her I said that." Bob's interests and experiences warranted a book he often promised to write. He was widely world traveled with extraordinarily colorful experiences.
Bob owned a jai alai fronton in Connecticut with related pursuits in Spain, where he became a fan of Salvador Dali and began assembling a museum quality Dali collection -- the tip of an iceberg of fine art he and Susan collected. Bob traveled to South America and had Indiana Jones-type jungle adventures complete with artifacts and arrows flying. Bob was once surprised to find himself seated at a table with the President of Indonesia at a state dinner there discussing international business. Bob was an unrepentant golfer for many years and reached his golf pinnacle on a scramble team that won a nearly $40,000 pot at a charity tournament for the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. His pace of play in golf, as in Bob's private life, was deliberate. He was a reliable late arrival for virtually all scheduled events, a practice Susan was unable to dent over 3 decades of marriage. Bob had imposing, 'family member' dogs all his adult years that were fiercely devoted to him and Susan but gentle enough to take a daily Brazil nut from his lips at breakfast. He lived life fully.
Bob is survived by his loving and devoted wife Susan of Boca Raton, Florida, and his niece Sandra (Mark) Gold, the daughter of Bob's beloved older sister Nita "Billie" (Moe) Barak who predeceased him, and Sandra's children. He was also predeceased by his father Louis Zeff and his mother, Bertha Friedman Zeff.
Bob was a member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek Synagogue in Southfield, Michigan, and Palm Beach Orthodox Synagogue in Florida. He was an avid supporter of Israeli causes and a generous benefactor of Hebrew University, where the Zeffs established the Susan and A. Robert Zeff Graduate Scholarship Endowment Fund for law school students in perpetuity. Donations in Bob's memory should be directed to the Division of Hematologic Neoplasia, Dana Farber Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215.
Arrangements are being handled by Ira Kaufman Chapel and interment will be in a private ceremony at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.
Country Playhouse Welcomes 3 Joanne Woodward Interns for Summer 2021
Press Release, Westport Country PlayhouseWestport Country Playhouse announces its 2021 Joanne Woodward Internship class of three theater career aspirants who will enhance their professional skills and gain on-the-job experience working directly with Playhouse senior staff from June through mid-August.
Named in honor of actress, director, and the Playhouse’s former artistic director, the Joanne Woodward Internship program is one of the nation’s preeminent theater training opportunities for emerging professionals. Internships have formed a vital part of the Playhouse’s mission since 1946. Among the alumni of the Playhouse’s program is composer Stephen Sondheim.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new interns to the Westport Country Playhouse,” said Jenny Nelson, who is the Roz and Bud Siegel director of education and community engagement at the Playhouse. “It is our hope that these talented, young people will gain authentic knowledge about their craft as well as offer guidance to our staff about ways we can amplify young people in our community through the art of theater.”
This year’s Woodward Interns, selected from over 120 applicants, are Betzabeth Castro, Bridgeport, CT, education intern; Kierstin Jones, Hamden, CT, development intern, and Margot Trouvé, Washington, D.C., marketing intern.
Castro, education intern, is an actor and singer who has performed all over Connecticut. She received her associate’s degree in theater arts at Housatonic Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in theater at Southern Connecticut State University. Her recent credits include “Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical” at Legacy Theater, “Cold Sh*t” at ReBirth Arts Collective, “Phenomenal Women+ Inspire” at Westport Country Playhouse, and “Twelfth Night” at Advice for the Players. She is currently working on “The Sound of Music” as Maria with Fairfield Center Stage. Castro is also an educational assistant at Housatonic Community College’s Writing Center where she tutors writing to college students of varying ages and backgrounds. Castro will work closely with the education department to support the Playhouse’s educational productions, programs, and events.
Jones, development intern, is recent graduate from Fairfield University with a B.A. in theatre. She was the audience relations intern for Theatre Fairfield during her junior year and the dramaturgy intern during her senior year. She has stage-managed several shows including “Fortinbras,” “Rabbit Hole,” and “[title of show].” She co-produced and acted in a virtual student-run production of “Woman and Scarecrow” by Marina Carr this past winter as part of Theatre Fairfield's Independent Project. Jones has also dabbled in playwriting. She wrote and workshopped an original play inspired by “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde for her senior capstone called “Gray.” Jones will work closely with the development department, supporting the Playhouse’s fundraising campaigns, operations, and special events, and learning about the administrative side of running a non-profit regional theater.
Trouvé, marketing intern, will be working virtually from Washington, DC. She is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland (UMD) where she earned her bachelor’s degree in theatre and arts leadership. During her time at UMD she performed in 10 shows, interned at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts and Shakespeare Theatre Company, and was on the board of the school’s first all-female identifying theater group, The Muses. Trouvé pursues her passion for creativity and media by acting in local commercials and plays; assistant producing commercials, including one for the Washington Nationals; and co-developing and marketing her pop culture podcast, “Pop Off, Sis.” Trouvé will work closely with the other members of the Playhouse marketing team to support virtual programming, print/digital communications, and digital marketing campaigns with a goal of engaging theater audiences and finding new ways to connect with the community.
In addition to working in their respective departments, interns will attend weekly seminars featuring a variety of guest speakers, including Playhouse staff members, visiting designers and artists, commercial producers, and more. In response to Covid-19, the Playhouse is unable to offer internships in production during the 2021 season.
The 2021 interns were hired through the Playhouse’s recently restructured recruiting process to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. Hiring panels, comprised of the department’s manager, other department members, and a staff member from a different department, carefully reviewed all applications and asked identical questions of all candidates, creating an equitable environment.
In addition to the Woodward Internships, the Playhouse supports the Staples High School Internship program, designed for seniors to gain a comprehensive overview of an organization and get real-world experience for four-weeks prior to graduation. This year’s Staples intern at the Playhouse is Nasir Wynruit, a member of Staples Players, for which he designs sound. In the fall, he will attend Tufts University’s School of Engineering, majoring in computer science.
Woodward Internship Program sponsors include Anna Czekaj-Farber. All 2021 Education and Community Engagement Programming is supported by the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation, Roz and Bud Siegel, the David and Geri Epstein Foundation, the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, and the Westport Young Woman’s League.
2021 Season Sponsor is the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. 2021 Season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio.
The Playhouse’s 2021 Season, its 90th anniversary year, includes two new virtual productions, “Tiny House,” a timely new comedy, written by Michael Gotch, and directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, playing June 29 through July 18; and “Doubt: A Parable,” the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, playing November 2 through November 21. Two HD video productions from the Playhouse archives will stream on-demand, beginning with the musical, “Man of La Mancha” (2018), from August 23 through September 5, and another TBA, from September 13 - 26. Three Script in Hand playreadings will include “The Savannah Disputation” by Evan Smith, from June 15 - 20, and two others TBA, October 19 – 24, and December 14 – 19. The complete schedule is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.
Due to the global pandemic, the indoor portions of the Playhouse campus remain closed to the public since March 2020. As the Playhouse resumes its in-person events, beginning on June 26 with “Cabaret in the Robards,” Covid-19 health and safety protocols, including capacity restrictions and mask-wearing, will be observed.
For information and tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, call (203) 227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
Alan Chalk, 89; Former Staples High School English Teacher, Veteran
ObituaryAlan George Chalk, age 89, passed away in his home surrounded by love and family, on Monday, May 31st, 2021.
Alan was born in 1931 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He met his beloved wife Norma LaFlamme of Ludlow, Massachusetts and they married 70 years ago. Alan joined the Navy during the Korean War and did 2 world tours. In 1952, his experiences traveling in Japan and meeting the people touched him deeply and a lifelong journey commenced.
He received his teaching degree at Wesleyan University and attended the University of Iowa PHD Program. He moved to Fairfield in 1961 where he lived the rest of his life. His first teaching position was at Staples High School in Westport developing an innovative creative writing program. He became the Chairman of the English Department at Weston High School in 1972. He was voted Teacher of the Year in 1989. He retired from Weston High School in 1991.
He began a new career as consultant, writer, and teacher specializing in postwar and contemporary Japanese literature and film and developed an extensive library. He developed the curriculum for the first Center for Japanese Study Abroad magnet school in Norwalk. He traveled extensively but Japan remained closest to his heart, and he led tours both with students and teachers, as well as family sharing his knowledge and love of Japan. He wrote novels, short stories and poetry, many inspired by his travels in Japan.
He was a master teacher, writer, wood sculptor and photographer and also found the time to raise five children with Norma, remodeling the house, and creating beautiful gardens.
In his own words, "I exist in a style of anonymity and I ask a thousand questions. I find that I ask questions I don't have the answer to and this may be the key to effective teaching. I am always learning. Every day."
He loved teaching and deeply cared about his students and staff which is reflected in the letters from students and parents thanking him for his inspiration and caring during pivotal times in their lives; letters from teachers whom he helped to become master teachers themselves, the articles, awards and acknowledgements grateful for the impact he made on so many lives.
A plaque on his wall which was a gift, is a good way to summarize.
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
He is survived by his beloved family; daughters Lynn and Karen, sons Brian, Gary, David, son-in-law Scott, daughter-in-law Laura, grandchildren, Jesse, Danielle, Gabrielle, Billy, Maya, Sammy, Nicole and her family Jeff, Tenley, Caiden Blaiotta; great-grandchildren Lyla and Jude. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Norma who was an integral part of his accomplishments and to whom he gives much of the credit. Also Dan Magida, a former student from Staples over 50 years ago, who was one of his best friends.
Contributions in his memory can be made to Habitat for Humanity Fairfield County, where his wife was a longtime volunteer. https://www.habitatcfc.org/