Morning Weather Report
Today
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Northwest wind 10 to 17 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. Northwest wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Tomorrow
Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. North wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. North wind 13 to 15 mph.
Westport Country Playhouse Offers 23% Discount Tuesday for 2023 Single Tickets
Cast of Westport Country Playhouse’s 2023 Season opening show, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” – L-R: Will Stone, Judith Franklin, Miya Bass, Paris Bennett, Jay Copeland. Contributed Photo by Ron Heerkens, Jr.In recognition of its 2023 Season, Westport Country Playhouse announces single tickets on sale at a 23% discount for one day only, Tuesday, March 7, from noon to 11:59 p.m. Discounted single tickets start at $27 and may be purchased online, no code necessary, at https://tickets.westportplayhouse.org/events. The box office will be open from noon to 5 p.m. for phone orders at 203-227-4177, and in-person sales at 25 Powers Court, Westport. The 23% discount applies to full-price tickets only and cannot be used in combination with any other ticket offer or discount. Following the one-day-only sale, regular single tickets prices will resume at $35 and up.
The Playhouse’s 2023 Season will open with the Tony Award®-winning musical, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” celebrating in sassy song and dance the legendary composer Fats Waller, playing April 11 through April 29. The recipient of a “Critic’s Pick” from The New York Times, the musical is an exciting new vision by director/choreographer Jeffrey L. Page, an Emmy-nominated and MTV Video Music Award-winning artist. Page’s Broadway choreography credits include “1776” and “Violet.” He was creative collaborator and choreographer for Beyoncé, associate creative director for Mariah Carey, and choreographer for Westport Country Playhouse’s “Mlima’s Tale.” The five-member cast features an “X Factor” and “The Voice” contestant and two “American Idol” finalists. The musical is conceived by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr. Co-producers are Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, and Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY. Corporate Production Partner for “Ain’t Misbehavin’” is Bank of America. Production Partners are Athena and Daniel Adamson.
A reimagining of “Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” the suspenseful thriller of blackmail and revenge, will run from July 11 through July 29. Focusing on a devious husband, his wealthy wife, and her lover, the play by Frederick Knott is adapted by playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher, who has created even more surprises and diabolic twists than in the celebrated Hitchcock film. Director is Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. He has helmed many plays at the Playhouse since 2008, earning five Connecticut Critics Circle Awards. Under Lamos’ artistic direction, the Playhouse was named “Theater Company of the Year” by The Wall Street Journal. Corporate Production Partner is RBC Wealth Management. Production Partners are Allen and Lorraine Noveck.
The 2023 Season will culminate with “School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play,” by Jocelyn Bioh, from October 24 through November 11. This buoyant and biting, gossip-girl-inspired comedy explores the universal similarities — and glaring differences — facing teenage girls across the globe as those at an exclusive boarding school in Ghana set their sights on the Miss Global Universe pageant. Director Candis C. Jones previously directed a production of “School Girls…” at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Jones served as associate director of “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway. Her directing credits include productions at Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Public Theater, and others. Production Sponsors are Judy and Scott Phares.
Each production runs three weeks. The performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 7 p.m., Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. (No Wed. or Sat. matinees during preview week). Special series include Taste of Tuesday, Black Excellence Night, Pride Night, Opening Night, Sunday Symposium, Post-Play Dialogue, Open Captions, Backstage Pass, and Thursday TalkBack. 2023 Season Post-Show, Opening Night Reception Sponsor is RDM Financial Group at Hightower.
All titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.
For more information and tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org, email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, Tuesday through Friday, 12 to 5 p.m. Stay connected to the Playhouse at westportplayhouse.org, on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse). Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.
Staples Gymnasts Score Big At The CIAC Winter Open Championships
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
The 2023 CIAC Winter Open Gymnastics Championship meet took place on Saturday at New Milford high school and was yet another achievement for Staples Gymnastics which has just finished it's most successful season ever.
Only 40 of Connecticut's best gymnasts qualified in their skill for this prestigious event from the state's top 24 school gymnastics programs, eight of which are in Staples’ division.
The stellar performance on Saturday came on the heels of the girl's 3rd place finish in the FCIAC Championships last month where standout Mia Guster finished first in vault with a 9.6 score, preventing Fairfield Ward's Emma Johnson from sweeping that championship. Guster also finished 2nd on floor exercise and Sarah Arango finished fifth on uneven bars. Both Guster and Arango were both selected first team All FCIAC this season. Staples also scored big in the CIAC state tournament, finishing second.
Leading the way for Staples at the CIAC Championships on Saturday repeating her FCIAC victory was Mia Guster who's first place finish in vault with a 9.5 score became the first Staples gymnast to win vault at the Winter Championships. Mia also grabbed 2nd place in floor exercise in the large school division posting a 9.25 score.
Also doing well was Sofia Alarcon-Frias who placed fifth on balance beam and sixth in the all round. Sarah Arango placed fourth on bars. Mia Cochran, Hannah Bitsky, Victoria Fidalgo were second team. Phoebe Miller was honorable mention.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery
UPDATE: Norwalk Man Dies from Injuries Suffered in Riverside Avenue Accident
WestportLocal.com contributed photo. Westport Police Department UpdateOn Saturday, March 4, 2023, at approximately 11:30PM, officers responded to the area of 575 Riverside Avenue on a report of a motor vehicle accident with serious injuries. The initial report was that the nature of the accident was vehicle versus pedestrian.
Emergency responders located and rendered aid to a male victim that had been struck by a southbound vehicle. The victim sustained life threatening injuries and was ultimately transported to Norwalk Hospital for further treatment.
Members of the Westport Police Department’s Accident Investigation Team, along with the Accident Investigation Team of the Fairfield Police Department, responded to the scene to conduct the investigation into the incident. This necessitated a temporary closure of Riverside Avenue in both directions of travel and has since been re-opened to traffic.
The operator of the vehicle remained at the scene to speak with responding officers and is fully cooperating.
The accident remains under investigation by the Westport Accident Investigation Team.
UPDATE
The victim in this incident has been identified as Matthew Balga, age 54, of Norwalk, CT.
Unfortunately, Mr. Balga did not survive his injuries and was pronounced deceased at Norwalk Hospital shortly after arrival. The Westport Police Department along with the Westport Community extends our thoughts and prayers to the Balga family during this difficult time.
The crash remains under investigation by the Westport Police Accident Investigation Team with assistance by the Fairfield Accident Team and Westport Detective Bureau.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 51. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. Northwest wind around 11 mph.
Tomorrow Night
A chance of rain and snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Westport Police: One Critically Injured in Riverside Avenue Pedestrian Strike
WestportLocal.com contributed photo. Westport Police DepartmentOn Saturday, March 4, 2023, at approximately 11:30PM, officers responded to the area of 575 Riverside Avenue on a report of a motor vehicle accident with serious injuries. The initial report was that the nature of the accident was vehicle versus pedestrian.
Emergency responders located and rendered aid to a male victim that had been struck by a southbound vehicle. The victim sustained life threatening injuries and was ultimately transported to Norwalk Hospital for further treatment.
Members of the Westport Police Department’s Accident Investigation Team, along with the Accident Investigation Team of the Fairfield Police Department, responded to the scene to conduct the investigation into the incident. This necessitated a temporary closure of Riverside Avenue in both directions of travel and has since been re-opened to traffic.
The operator of the vehicle remained at the scene to speak with responding officers and is fully cooperating.
The accident remains under investigation by the Westport Accident Investigation Team.
Danbury Dashes Staples' Hopes For FCIAC Crown
The Wreckers take the court on Friday night in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Tournament Final on Friday night in Wilton.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Although things were looking up in the first quarter at Wilton’s Zeoli field house, which was standing room only Friday night when the Staples Wreckers faced the Hatters of Danbury High. The game began with three-pointers by Staples senior captain Cody Sale, number 4 and captain Gavin Rothenberg, number 20, also a senior helping the Wreckers gain an 18-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter, things went downhill from there. The Danbury defense came alive in the second period stopping the Wreckers offense in their tracks. Staples defense helped keep it close, holding the Hatters to only 7 points in the quarter keeping the Wreckers close going into the locker room down by only 3.
Staples regrouped at the break with the offense getting back to form however the aggressive Danbury defense kept Staples in check and several of the Wreckers 18 third quarter points came from the free throw line. The Hatters again outscored Staples give them a 41-36 lead at the end of the third.
Staples regrouped at the break with the offense getting back to form however the aggressive Danbury defense kept Staples in check and several of the Wreckers 18 third quarter points came from the free throw line. The Hatters again outscored Staples give them a 41-36 lead at the end of the third.
The Hatters poured it on offensively in the fourth, hitting a 3 pointer and outrunning the Wreckers which provided the opportunity for a crowd-quieting slam dunk by Danbury’s Christian Jeffers who dominated on offense leading all scorers with 25 points. Danbury’s tenacious defense continued to limit Staples scoring and the Hatters outscored the Wreckers 28-17 in the fourth and took the championship with a 69-53 victory.
There wasn’t a seat to be found as the Wreckers faithful turned out to cheer on their team in the FCIAC final.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Bright spots for Staple were once again senior captain Chris Zajac who played almost the entire game at full throttle and who dominated rebounding on both ends of the court with 16 leading Staples scoring with 14 points. Cody Sale again added offensive punch with 13 points and Rothenberg chipped in another 8.
Said first year coach David Goldshore who lead his team to the FCIAC finals, his “kids had a great run, just came up a little short to a tough Danbury team. On to States!”
The Wreckers head back to their home court on Tuesday March 7 in their opening game of the CIAC State tourney, seeded 7th with a record of 15-5 facing Manchester, seeded 26 at 11-9. Tip-off is at 6:00 PM.
CT Guitar Festival Opened With Concert At MoCA Westport Friday
René Izquierdo performing at the opening night of the Connecticut Guitar Festival at MoCA Westport Friday night.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
The sixth annual Connecticut Guitar Festival kicked off last night with a concert at MoCA Westport featuring two masters of the guitar, Jordan Dodson and René Izquierdo. The guitarists performed in front of a large crowd in MoCA's gallery setting.
The weekend-long Festival includes a variety of events, including a Pillow Concert for kids on Sunday, March 5 with two-time Grammy nominated guitarist Mak Grgic. The Children’s Pillow Concert series is a beloved fixture of the Suzuki Music Schools community programming – a concert for children and families in an informal setting.
The Guitar Festival is produced through a collaboration between the Suzuki Music Schools, WPKN, and MoCA Westport and is planned to take place on an annual basis. For more information and tickets, visit the Connecticut Guitar website: https://connecticutguitarfestival.com/
MoCA Westport also has its own Music at MoCA Concert Series, featuring a diverse range of performers and genres. Learn more: https://mocawestport.org/music/
Morning Weather Report
Today
A chance of rain, snow, and sleet after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 25 and 35. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tonight
Rain, snow, and sleet before 10pm, then rain and sleet between 10pm and 1am, then rain after 1am. Low around 36. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Breezy, with an east wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.
Tomorrow
Rain, mainly before 1pm. High near 43. Breezy, with a northeast wind 11 to 20 mph becoming north in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tomorrow Night
A 30 percent chance of snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Staples Wreckers Devastate Ridgefield 71-54 To Gain Berth In FCIAC Championship Game
Senior Gavin Rothenberg, back from an injury goes for 2 of his 16 points in Staples overwhelming victory over Ridgefield in Wednesday night’s FCIAC semi-final tournament matchup.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
On Wednesday night, Staples Boys Basketball defeated Ridgefield by a score of 71-54 in the semi-finals of the FCIAC Tournament at Wilton High School. Staples (10-5) previously defeated Ridgefield on January 6 to give the number one seeded Ridgefield Tigers (14-1) their lone FCIAC loss going into last night semi-final matchup. Staples' dominant center Chris Zajac was once again outstanding (23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks) coupled with the Staples' guards shooting an eye-opening 8-15 from 3-point land, proved too much for the Ridgefield Tigers. Zajac, who wears number 12, drew much attention in the post from the Ridgefield defense in the first half, which opened up numerous opportunities for the Staples guards.
Senior Gavin Rothenberg, number 20, in just his second game back from injury, dialed in 16 points on the night, including 4 three-pointers. Cody Sale, number 4 also proved to be a difficult cover for the Ridgefield defenders, scoring 15 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists. The Staples Wreckers also got big contributions from freshman Sam Clachko, number 24 (11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and sophomore Adam Udell, number 1, (4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists).
The Ridgefield Tigers took a quick 4-0 lead to start the game. The Staples faithful erupted when Sam Clachko drilled his first three pointer of the game, making it 4-3. The Wreckers fans were an effective "sixth man" helping pumping up the energy level to 11 the entire game.
After senior point guard number 3, Charlie Honig converted on a layup in the paint, Ridgefield responded, going up 8-5. Staples took a timeout shortly after. Clachko drilled his second trey right after the timeout to tie the game at 8-8 and the Staples Wreckers never looked back. At the end of the first quarter, Staples led 18-12. In the second quarter, Senior Captain Cody Sale asserted himself and the Staples Wreckers led 39-21 going into halftime.
To start the second half, the Tigers came out with an aggressive zone press to give the Wreckers a different look. Once the shifty Staples guards were able to break the full-court press, the second half was all about Chris Zajac, who scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half. Zajac shot an impressive 9 for 10 from the foul line. Staples won the game 71-54, and will play Danbury High School for the FCIAC Championship game on Friday, March 3rd at Wilton High School at 6 PM. The Danbury Hatters (13-2) played the first semi and were number 3 going into the tournament but struggled to defeat Trumbull (9-6) in the final minute with a 52-50 victory.
Staples first year coach Dave Goldshore was elated with his team and their performance, telling WestportLocalPress "They've been working hard for three months, they play for each other, they care about one another, they bought into the culture…" He was effusive in his praise of his players, saying, "It's an honor every single day to leave my job to be with these kids", adding "I've had the best seat in the house for the last three months and I can't wait to keep going with it." When asked if he was concerned matching up against top seed Ridgefield Goldshore said "yeah, you know they are a great defensive basketball team, but we shot it well and Chris (center Captain Chris Zajac) was Chris!
The last time these teams met was on January 17, when Staples lost at Danbury 63-54. Friday is must-see TV as the Wreckers look to win their first ever FCIAC Championship. The last time Staples topped the FCIAC was in 1963 before the championship tournament began. With the weather a possible issue on Friday, the game may be postponed to Saturday March 4th.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The last time these teams met was on January 17, when Staples lost at Danbury 63-54. Friday is must-see TV as the Wreckers look to win their first ever FCIAC Championship. The last time Staples topped the FCIAC was in 1963 before the championship tournament began. With the weather a possible issue on Friday, the game may be postponed to Saturday March 4th.
