Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 52. Northwest wind around 9 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 11 to 14 mph.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 40. Wind chill values between 15 and 25. West wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. West wind 10 to 15 mph.
Wheels2U Westport Asks Public to enter Haiku Contest
Wheels2U Westport, the Westport Transit District’s on-demand, group ride, door to train platform shuttle service, is launching its second annual poetry contest to help promote the use of its Wheels2U commuter shuttle.
This year’s contest features haiku poetry. Sample haikus appear throughout this release. The first two are by Diane Meyer Lowman, Westport’s Poet Laureate Emeritus.
Haikus, which originated in Japan, are unrhymed poems consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
(Diane Lowman)
Leave the car at home
Leave the driving all to us
Door to door service
Gift certificates to Westport restaurants of their choice will be given to the top seven entries. One first prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate, two second prize winners will receive $50 gift certificates, and four third prize winners will receive $25 gift certificates.
Peter Gold, Director of the Westport Transit District, stated “Wheels2U Westport provides many benefits. It’s easy, inexpensive, and convenient to use. It comes when you call it, picks you up right at your door, and takes you right to the train platform at the Westport and Greens Farms stations. No more walks from the parking lots in the cold and dark, no more need to scrape snow from the windshield in winter. And it’s a greener way to get to the train.”
(Diane Lowman)
Wheels2U for you
We ferry you to the train
Worries left behind
Westport residents and commuters to Westport can use the Wheels2U Westport app to request a pickup between 5:45 AM and 10 AM and between 4 PM and 9:30 PM and be taken to or from the Saugatuck or Greens Farms train platform and their front door anywhere in Westport. Pickups should be requested about 20 minutes before you would normally leave to drive to the station. The fare is $2.00 when paid with the Wheels2U app.
(Diane Lowman)
The bus to the train
Take Wheels2U for the ride
Easy, no hassle.
For more information about Wheels2U go to www.wheels2uwestport.com. For more information about the Westport Transit District’s services for the elderly and people with disabilities go to www.WestportTransit.org
Official Rules
The contest is open to all residents of Westport. Enter as often as you like. Entries should be sent to Peter Gold at pgold@westportct.gov no later than March 27, should have Haiku Contest in the subject line, and must include the sender’s name, address, and email address. Winners will be chosen by Diane Meyer Lowman, Westport’s Poet Laureate Emeritus, and Peter Gold, the Director of the Westport Transit District, in their sole discretion. All entries become the property of the Westport Transit District. Entrants give the Westport Transit District permission to use their entries without compensation to promote the operations of the Westport Transit District and Wheels2U Westport as the Director of the Westport Transit District sees fit, including, but not limited to, using the entry as an advertising poster at the Westport and Greens Farms train stations or using it in marketing emails. The Westport Transit District may modify entries if necessary to meet the needs of the Westport Transit District.
Wheels2U—the bus
Goes door to train, train to door
No need for parking
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical hits the Coleytown Middle School Stage
(L-R): Joey Vazquez (Grover), Denver Razza (Percy), Lyla McEntee (Annabeth). Contributed photoPercy Jackson, the title character in the upcoming Coleytown Company production – The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, has it rough. Middle school poses enough challenges for the average kid, but when Percy’s math teacher turns into a winged Fury and attacks him during a field trip, and his best friend turns out to have hooves, Percy is convinced that life is a journey through the Land of Unfair. Of course, when he learns his dad is really Poseidon, the god of it might seem like the Ocean, the real journey begins.
Based on the best-selling book by Rick Riordan, “Percy Jackson” explores themes of friendship, betrayal, self-discovery and parent-child relationships further complicated by the fact that these parents are immortal and endowed with super-powers. As vocal director Clay Zambo explained, “LIGHTNING THIEF is a great choice for middle school students because it's about the issues kids this age are facing. The ‘magical powers’ and family issues in this play are a useful metaphor for what they may be discovering in their own lives.”
The group of professionals directing the magic behind Coleytown Company has re-imagined this musical in a surprising and appealing way. Rather than emulate the Broadway version, designer Jordan Janota, working with director Ben Frimmer and other professionals, conceived of Percy’s journey as a touring rock concert. This fits with the pop-rock style songs, but also provides a vehicle to carry the characters from place to place throughout the play, with their Greek chorus of goth roadies and the tenacious Tech Crew, on stage working on effects and moving the sets.
“I wanted to create a neutral space for Percy’s journey. The rock concert doesn’t have to be connected to the plot,” explained Janota. But Percy (played by Denver Razza) is on a journey, both actual and metaphorical. At Camp Half Blood, he meets Annabeth (played by Lyla McEntee). Together with his best friend Grover the satyr who protected him throughout “normal” school (Joey Vazquez), Percy and Annabeth travel across the country, to Hades, to recapture the lightning bolt Percy was framed for stealing from Zeus, the King of the Gods.
This neutral space has created numerous opportunities for connections. Rather than have Greek columns, there is a metal truss system, more akin to a concert. Scenery (and actors) are moved around in road cases. Wood in a campfire is made of guitar necks and Medusa’s head has wires rather than serpents.
Alicia D’Anna, a Coleytown Company veteran who helps translate Janota’s designs into metal and wood, works twice weekly with the Tech Crew, a group of middle school students who physically build the sets, using saws, hammers, nail guns and other tools. “The build is all about interpreting ideas, and then the magic is when it comes to life,” D’Anna stated. One of her favorite moments in Tech Crew this year was when one of the students recognized the formula for calculating slope that she was using for building stairs. “‘We just did that in math!’” the student exclaimed.
Robin Mazzola, costume designer and assistant professor of theater at Wesleyan University, has also embraced the rock motif. All the gods, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Ares, for example, are based on famous rock stars. Parents (and maybe grandparents) should be on the look-out for Steven Tyler, J-Lo, Alice Cooper and Rob Halford. Mazzola described the look for the Half Blood campers as “street fashion meets Burning Man.” She also described how she incorporated traditional elements of Greek theater, such as adding one thing to a costume to create a new character, into this modern rendition. She is also creating a Cerberus (three-headed dog) costume, a Medusa costume and wings for Mrs. Dodds (played by Chanze Freemon).
Sixth-grader Lilliana Veloso, playing Clarisse (daughter of Ares), is delighted with the opportunity to work with older students. Like Percy, she is making new friends. Eighth-grader Joey Vazquez (Grover) explains that his character, Grover, blames himself for a mistake made long ago, and considers himself a misfit. He tries to redeem himself by being Percy’s friend and protector, and both he and Percy learn that they are good, and they can fit in. ‘
This production will appeal broadly to the kids who are reading the Percy Jackson series, and the adults who appreciate the double new spin – Riordan’s in creating a world of Half-Bloods and Coleytown Company’s, in portraying their journey in a clever and innovative way.
Tickets go on sale March 10 at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/71054 Performance are Friday, March 31 at 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 1 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm and Sunday, April 2 at 1:00 pm.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Windy, with a northwest wind 24 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight.
Tomorrow
Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Wind chill values between 15 and 25 early. West wind around 9 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.