Kat Evans named Westport Book Shop’s February Artist
The Westport Book Shop is pleased to welcome artist Kat Evans as guest exhibitor for the month of February at the Book Shop’s Drew Friedman Art Place.
Kat is exhibiting three of her recent luminous Color Field paintings — a 48”x36” painting, and two 20”x20” collages of painted canvas cutouts affixed to a painted canvas base.
Kat’s vibrant, large-scale paintings are a celebration of the expressive possibilities of color. Inspired by Josef Albers and the Color Field Movement, Kat Evans creates vibrant paintings with luminous hues and raucous color. Using bold brush strokes and often collage effects, she explores the interplay of color and texture to evoke an emotional response in each composition. Her artwork has been shown in numerous juried solo and group exhibitions, and her paintings can be found in collections throughout the U.S., Europe, Japan and Mexico. Kat is a member of the Artists Collective of Westport, as well as the Rowayton Arts Center and the Ridgefield Guild of Artists.
Kat Evans’ artwork will be on exhibit at the Book Shop through February 28, 2023. All artwork on display is available for purchase. To see more of Kat’s work, visit her website: www.kevansart.com
Westport Book Shop, a nonprofit used book store, is downtown Westport’s only source for gently used and antiquarian books, vintage vinyl records, CDs, DVDs and audio books. It is located at 23 Jesup Road, right across Jesup Green from the Westport Library.
The Book Shop’s “Drew Friedman Art Place” is an area of the store dedicated to exhibiting the work of community artists year-round, on a rotating basis. Miggs Burroughs, a Trustee of the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center, and a founding member of The Artists
Collective of Westport, is curating these exhibits, which change monthly. The art exhibit is open to the public during the Book Shop’s business hours: Sundays and Mondays from Noon to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westport Book Shop, and the Westport Library Book Sales, are operated by Westport Book Sale Ventures, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit enterprise with the dual social mission to provide meaningful employment for adults with disabilities, while raising support for The Westport Library, through used book sales. In addition to the nonprofit Westport Book Shop, gently used books are also offered for sale online on the company’s website www.westportbooksaleventures.org/shop and through our eBay store at www.ebay.com/str/ westportbooksalesct, as well as at periodic large book sale events (the next book sale event is scheduled for May 5 through 8, 2023, inside the Westport Library). For more information, or to make a charitable donation, please visit our website at www.westportbooksaleventures.org
Westport Country Playhouse Presents Script in Hand Playreading of Stinging Comedy, “As Bees in Honey Drown”
Press ReleaseWestport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of the stinging comedy, “As Bees in Honey Drown,” on Monday, February 13, at 7 p.m., written by Douglas Carter Beane and directed by Mark Shanahan.
In “As Bees in Honey Drown,” a young, gay, struggling writer named Evan Wyler catches the eye of a fabulously outrageous and wonderfully mysterious woman named Alexa Vere de Vere and is drawn into a whirlwind adventure, hobnobbing among the ‘90s’ New York art scene. Alexa, part Auntie Mame, part Holly Golightly, is a self-described promoter of up-and-coming artists and hires Evan to write a screenplay based on the story of her life. But who is she, really? Even as Evan gets caught up in the romance of Alexa’s promises of fame and fortune, he begins to suspect that all may not be what it seems.
“Douglas Carter Beane’s fine-tuned wit once again delivers a terrific, laugh-out-loud comedy,” said Mark Shanahan, director, and curator of the Playhouse’s Script in Hand series and Playhouse Radio Theater. “Yet, even as Alexa Vere de Vere seduces us all with her madcap persona, Beane’s play cuts deeply, exploring that nefarious question, ‘fame at what price’?”
Shanahan added, “I know our Script in Hand audience will love joining Evan Wyler on his quest to uncover the truth about Alexa Vere de Vere in this fun-filled, social satire...perfect for a winter night at the Playhouse!"
The cast includes Steve Pacek as Evan Wyler. Pacek’s recent credits include regional theater productions of “The 39 Steps,” “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” “Titantic,” “Hand to God,” “Metamorphosis,” “Clybourne Park,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “Mary Poppins,” and the world premiere of “See Monsters of the Deep.” He is an alumna of Ithaca College. www.stevepacek.com
Nina Hellman portrays Alexa Vere de Vere. She was in Westport Country Playhouse’s Script in Hand reading of “Bedroom Farce.” Her Off-Broadway work includes “The Internationalist,” for which she received a Lortel nomination, and “Trouble in Paradise,” for which she earned an Obie Award. Film includes a regular role on Netflix’s “Wet Hot American Summer.” Television includes a recurring role on “Nurse Jackie.”
Others in the cast are Seth Andrew Bridges in multiple roles of photographer, Swen, Royalton clerk, and Kaden (Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand playreading of “Murder by Misadventure”; Off-Broadway’s “The Daughter-in Law”; Showtime’s “Billions,” Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building”; BFA from NYU-Tisch; www.sethandrewbridges.com); Camden Gonzales in multiple roles of Amber, backup singer, secretary, Bethany, Ginny, a second muse (associate choreographer for “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” in the US; national tours of “Hamilton” and “Matilda the Musical”; Broadway’s “Groundhog Day The Musical”; BA in theater from UCLA); Stacie Morgain Lewis in multiple roles of writer, backup singer, Carla, newsstand woman, Denise, Illya, a muse (Westport Country Playhouse’s Script in Hand playreadings of “The Savannah Disputation,” “Dot”; Broadway’s “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Wicked,” “Urinetown,” “Titanic”; Chicago’s “Wicked” as Glinda; created Harmonize Kidz, BFA Ithaca College); and Caesar Samayoa as Ronald, skunk, Mike (Broadway’s “Come From Away,” “Sister Act,” “The Pee-Wee Herman Show”; Off-Broadway’s “Los Otros,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost”; television’s “The Blacklist,” “Ray Donovan”).
Playwright Douglas Carter Beane earned five Tony nominations and one Olivier nomination. Beane’s plays include “The Little Dog Laughed,” “The Nance,” and “Shows for Days”; musicals include “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” “Lysistrata Jones,” “Sister Act”, and “Xanadu.” He wrote the film adaptation of his play “Advice from a Caterpillar,” as well as the screenplay for “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.”
Script in Hand curator and director Mark Shanahan appeared at Westport Country Playhouse in “Around the World in 80 Days,” “Tryst,” “Sedition,” “David Copperfield,” “Journey's End,” over 20 Script in Hand playreadings, and directed readings of “Butterflies Are Free,” with Blythe Danner and Jonathan Groff, and “The Greatest Gift” by Weston playwright David Wiltse. He is the creator and curator of Westport Country Playhouse Radio Theater and writer/director of the Playhouse radio adaptation “A Merry Little Christmas Carol.” New York acting credit includes “The 39 Steps,” “Small World,” “Checkers,” “Tryst,” “The Shaughraun,” “As Bees in Honey Drown,” and “The Internationalist.” His directorial work has been seen at Alley Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Virginia Stage, Arkansas Rep, White Heron, Fulton Opera House, Weston Playhouse, Florida Rep, Penguin Rep, Merrimack Rep, The Cape Playhouse, and many more. He has written numerous radio plays for White Heron’s Ghost Light Series (featuring Christopher Plummer and Judith Ivey, among others), and is the playwright/adaptor of the Off-Broadway and regional hit comedy, “The Dingdong“; as well as “A Merry Little Christmas Carol”; “The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd”; “See Monsters Of The Deep” and “A Sherlock Carol,” which was nominated as Best Play 2022 by the Off-Broadway Alliance Awards and plays this holiday season at New World Stages Off-Broadway and at the Marylebone Theatre in London. www.mark-shanahan.net
Stage directions will be read by Kavin Panmeechao, a New York/L.A.-based actor and writer, who penned “The Return” for Westport Country Playhouse’s Radio Theater and performed in a Playhouse Script in Hand playreading of “A Merry Little Christmas Carol.” Stage manager is Kevin Jinghong Zhu, who was assistant stage manager for “Kim’s Convenience” and stage managed a reading of “Tribes,” both at Westport Country Playhouse.
Tickets for are $25. Running time is approximately two hours, including one 15-minute intermission.
Upcoming Script in Hand playreadings will be on Monday, March 13 and June 12, titles to be announced. Script in Hand playreadings offer intimate storytelling as professional actors bring the words to life without sets or costumes.
The Script in Hand Playreading Series is supported by Stephen Corman and the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.
For full details on the Script in Hand playreading of “As Bees in Honey Drown,” visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/script-in-hand-beesinhoney/
All dates, times, titles, and artists are subject to change.
Masks are encouraged, but not required. For updates on Covid-19 health and safety protocols at the Playhouse, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/covid19safety/
For more information and to buy tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), Instagram (@wcplayhouse), YouTube (WestportPlayhouse), and Twitter (@wcplayhouse).
Morning Weather Report
Today
A chance of flurries before 7am. Sunny, with a temperature falling to around 14 by 5pm. Wind chill values between -5 and 5. Blustery, with a northwest wind 21 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 2. Wind chill values between -5 and -15. Blustery, with a northwest wind 16 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 23. Wind chill values between -5 and -15. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 27 by 4am. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph.
Rach’s Hope hosts 4th Annual PJ Gala
Press Release
On Saturday, March 11th, 2023, Rach's Hope, a Westport-based non-profit, will host their 4th Annual PJ Gala at FTC The Warehouse in Fairfield, Connecticut. The event celebrates the life of the late Rachel Doran (Staples High School Class of 2015) through music, great food, and community fellowship. Proceeds benefit local families navigating the critical illness of a child. Rach's Hope brings community support to families by providing nutritious food, lodging, transportation, and encouragement so they can focus on being present for their ailing children.
Ticket holders are promised a night of Hope and celebration with plentiful gourmet small bites and desserts by AMG Catering, an open bar featuring Tito's cocktails, and exciting auction items. Live music will permeate The Warehouse throughout the night with Westport's own rising musician Michael Cantor's acoustic set, followed by well-known local rock band Ellis Island.
The PJ Gala offers a unique and cozy twist by inviting guests to wear pajama-chic attire as an homage to Doran's childhood business - Rachel's Rags. Rachel Doran, a 2015 Staples Graduate, passed away in 2018. An honors student and skilled costume designer for Staples Players, Rachel was a rising Senior at Cornell University studying Fashion Design and Business when she fell ill with a rare reaction to common medications resulting in her death. The chain of unimaginable events leading to Rachel's loss brought the Doran family's friends together to support them when they needed it the most. Ultimately, the community support they received became the healing mission for Rach's Hope - to ensure that no family goes through the illness of a child alone- by offering financial assistance and Hope to families.
Rach's Hope invites local businesses to support families weathering the storm of a critical illness of a child by sponsoring an event or donating funds, goods, experiences, or services for the auction. Contact Rach's Hope at teamrachshope@gmail.com to learn more.
To purchase tickets or donate, visit www.RachsHope.org.
Rach's Hope, Inc. is a Connecticut non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status.