Category Archives: Arts

Staples Players Rewind: “Oklahoma!”

Posted on August 4, 2026 | 3 comments

From its opening notes, “Oklahoma!” draws audiences in like few shows can.

You’ll see how below, in Jim Honeycutt’s highlights from Staples Players’ fall 2012 production of the classic musical.

It’s an audience favorite — with a very cool local back story. Click here to read how “Oklahoma!” got its start right here in Westport. Then click here or below, for a fantastic look back at director David Roth and Kerry Long’s show.

Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!

And what happened to the actors after the wind came sweepin’ down the plain?

Here’s an update:

Clay Singer (Curly) has extensive theater credits, including “Masquerade” in New York, “Fiddler On the Roof.””The Band’s Visit” North American tour,
“Next to Normal,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Ragtime,” “The Full Monty — and “Into the Woods” in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Will Smith (Judd) studied theater and English and Muhlenberg College. He is now an editor at the Empire Design Company, creating trailers for movies and TV shows.

Michelle Pauker is a singer and actor. She has appeared in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Idaho Shakespeare Festival), “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (Great Lakes Theatre Company), and “Into The Woods (Forestburgh Playhouse). On Sunday, her band Back to the Garden 1969 performed at the Levitt Pavilion.

Everett Sussman (Will Parker) is an applied mathematics/computer science graduate of Harvard University. He is now a digital creator. He has acted in regional theater productions, including “Sweeney Todd.”

Elle Deran (Will Parker) is a trans and non-binary actor, singer and content creator. She appeared in the film “1660 Vine,” and guest-starred as Alisha in Abbott Elementary. Elle creates queer-affirming, educational social media videos to support the trans community, and co-hosts the “Trans In Love” podcast discussing relationships and trans family dynamics.

Nicholas Massoud (Ali Hakim) attended Yale, and performed all over the world with the a cappella groups the Wiffenpoofs and Sprizzwinks.

Bryan Gannon (Andrew Carnes) is an actor and producer best known for his roles as Inspector Lestrade in the film “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Furtive Festivity,” and on “The Deuce” and “Paramount’s Fences.”

Ryder Chasin (Ike Skidmore) is a television writer, creative and comedian in Brooklyn.

Will Haskell (Cord Elam, Federal Marshall) went on to serve 2 terms as Connecticut state senator — one of the youngest state legislators in the country.

Joe Badion (Slim, A Farmer) is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. He teaches upper school music at the Town School in New York.

Jack Baylis (Fred) graduated from Point Park University’s musical theater program. He has performed in “Legally Blonde,” “Jersey Boys,” “Children of Eden,” “Peter and the Starca

Sam Adelmann (Joe) earned a BFA in musical theatre and a BS in economics at Tulane University. He then participated in the Musical Theatre Intensive at the Stella Adler School of Acting in New York, and has performed in regional and theme park productions across the country. Highlights include playing “Fiddler on the Roof” in Los Angeles, and the regional debut of Disney’s “Newsies” in New Orleans.

Madeline Seidman (Ellen)  is a Brooklyn-based actor, with an MFA from Yalel School of Drama. She can be seen on screen in the TV shows “Elsbeth” and “A League of Their Own.”

Emma Rufchefsky (Emma) performs professionally under the stage name Emma Charles (and occasionally EMMMA).She has toured nationally and released acclaimed singles and EPs. Billboard recognized her as a Best Emerging Artist. She continues to write, record and tour.

Cara McNiff (Vivian) graduated from Elon University with a BFA in Musical Theater. After performing for a few years, she is currently working as a regional booking manager in the music industry.

(If you like these nutshells — or any other “06880” feature — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Banding Together, 20 Years After Staples

Posted on August 4, 2026 | 1 comment

Four years separate the Staples experiences of Alex Freedman, Alisan Porter and Drew McKeon.

But the 4 graduates — from 1996, 1999 and 2000, respectively — share similar joyful memories of their high school years. Particularly important are the many hours spent in the arts wing, supported by beloved mentors like Alice Lipson, Al Pia and Joe Ziegahn.

Porter and McKeon pursued careers in music. Porter — who played Curly Sue in the movie of the same name while in high school, then performed on Broadway in “Footloose,” “A Chorus Line” and “Hair,” and won NBC’s “The Voice” competition — is a singer/songwriter.

McKeon — the longtime drummer in Michael Bolton’s band, along with Hall & Oates and Jimmy Buffett — now tours with Seal.

Alisan Porter and Drew McKeon

Freedman is a classical and jazz pianist. He worked with Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, and Phil Ramone, then became both a start-up entrepreneur, one of the tri-state area’s most sought-after tutors, and a marathon runner.

Now — in a happy culmination of coincidences and hard work-to-make-it-happen — the 3 friends got together in California to write and record. The album is called “Porter.”

Their new music is getting plenty of attention. And why not? Besides the immense talents of the trio, the Los Angeles studio has quite a history. Owned 100 years ago by Charlie Chaplin, and later by A&M Records, it was where “We Are the World” was recorded.

Along with 13 albums by Joni Mitchell, and others by the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and the Carpenters.

Alex Freedman

Porter — who recorded all her previous albums in the studio — hired some of her favorite musicians for this project. Leland Sklar is a legendary bassist with over 2,000 album credits, including James Taylor, Phil Collins, Toto, Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt. Shoshana Bean just won a Tony Award for “The Lost Boys.” Guitarist David Levita worked with Tim McGraw, Alanis Morissette, Faith Hill and Sara Bareilles.

Grammy-nominated Sam Barsh  shares producing credits with Porter and McKeon. Freedman is the executive producer.

“It was like Tom Hanks in ‘Big,'” McKeon recalls. “We made a fantasy draft list of musicians we wanted, and called them in.”

The Staples grads’ long friendship spurred creativity. “We’re all each other’s biggest fans,” Porter says.

From left: Shelley Scarr, Michael Sanchez, Keri Larson, Alex Freedman, Alisan Porter, Drew McKeon, Stephan Hovsepian, David Levita, Leland Sklar.

A mix of Americana, roots, rock and alt-pop, Porter prefers to summarize the genre this way: “super-fun.” Key themes include grief, womanhood, letting go and reinvention.

Freedman’s business background was important too. “I’d been out of music for years,” he says. “I didn’t feel like I belonged. But it brought back a lot of emotions.” He plays piano, organ and synthesizer on many of the tracks.

For the first time, Porter says, she felt she was in charge of a musical product. “We made all the decisions, not someone else. We had the freedom to be the label.”

Alisan Porter

Each musician brought “different creative forces and strengths,” McKeon notes.

They’re dropping singles regularly. The full album is out September 18.

“Man Out of You” — released this past Friday — “is the story of one of your best girlfriends telling you, once again, how a man let her down. This time, I realized I needed to write about it,” Porter says. She collaborated closely with Bean on this song. Click here for the Spotify link.

Click here or below to listen to and watch “Race To Nowhere.”

Click here and below to listen to and watch “Space.”

They’re marketing themselves on social media, through videos, and on platforms like Walrus.fm.

The 3 musicians hope they’ll inspire young artists moving forward.

The same way, they say, that their Staples mentors inspired them, all those (very short) years ago.

(Click here for Alisan Porter’s Spotify link. Click here for her Apple Music link.)

(“06880” reports often on the varied and very cool accomplishments of Staples graduates. If you like stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Historic, Unique Art Studio Up For Sale

Posted on August 1, 2026 | 7 comments

New York magazine’s “Curbed” real estate section has turned its spotlight on Westport.

On the market for the first time, Berthold Nebel’s studio on Roseville Road “looks less like a house than a tiny English church with thick stone walls and a vaulted ceiling.”

Berthold Nebel’s studio. (Photo/Realty Plans)

It includes a great room at the center the sculptor worked; wings with a study, a small kitchen and basement.

“With one bedroom and one bathroom across 1,500 square feet, it may be an oddity in today’s Westport,” the piece says. It’s listed for $1.495 million.

When Nebel arrived in 1928, and won a major commission in 1928 to build a set of bronze doors for a building in Manhattan, he bought an 1883 farmhouse with 9 acres of land (including an apple orchard), and built the studio.

“The floors are reinforced. The ceilings are 17 feet high. A pulley system allowed him to wheel a heavy piece out from the main room to a terrace, through high double doors, where he could look at his work in daylight.”

The main space has a platform loft (left) and plaster casts Nebel made for architectural commissions. (Photo/Realty Plans)

Nebel — who came to the US from Switzerland with his parents when he was 1 — “left his mark across Manhattan, from the sea nymphs in the ceilings of the old Cunard Building at the foot of Broadway to the limestone reliefs at the Hispanic Society up on 155th Street.”

He was hired as James Earle Fraser’s studio assistant in Gramercy Park, New York City. Fraser designed the buffalo nickel, the “End of the Trail” sculpture of a Native American slumped over a tired horse, and the Theodore Roosevelt statue at the Museum of Natural History.

Nebel moved to Westport on the advice of Fraser, who already lived here. He soon built a studio much like Fraser’s. Nebel lived and worked there with his family, until his death in 1964.

The back of the house today. The central door leads to the basement level. (Photo/Realty Plans)

Here he worked on commissions that included 2 sets of bronze doors for the Museum of the Americna Indian, and the Museum of the National Geographic Society.

Among Nebel’s other works: a statue of Confederate General Joseph Wheeler for the rotunda of the US Captiol, and another of General John Sedgwick for the front of the Connecticut Capitol in Hartford.

Berthold Nebel, with his sculptures in his studio.

Six months before atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, Nebel designed a metal called “World Unity or Oblivion.” It shows a US soldier aiding a wounded companion. The reverse side says:

One of Nebel’s last works was called “Adventure.” It showed a man and woman on a farm horse, riding toward a new life. The renewal of the human spirit was one of his favorite themes.

“The Adventure” (Berthold Nebel)

Curbed says his wife Marietta “entertained the local art crowd with big Italian meals and fresh-baked bread. They had two children, and after Berthold’s death in 1964, their son took over the main farmhouse and cared for his mother.”

Their daughter — photographer Lucia Nebel White — was “a bit more bohemian.” She married an architect who subdivided the orchard and built 6 homes.

In the 1970s, the family moved into the studio. White lived there until her death in 2017, age 93.

“Her eldest son moved in during the pandemic and nursed the orchard’s last remaining tree back to health,” the “Curbed” piece continues.

“Selling the place was impossible until the siblings could figure out what to do with their grandfather’s stuff, which wasn’t the usual matter of donating a few boxes and holding an estate sale. One of Nebel’s major works was still there —
“The Wrestlers,” a huge plaster work of two sinewy men locked in combat, which had been his thesis as a student. Moving it out would cost thousands.”

It’s now been donated to the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. The few remaining pieces of art are also being removed.

“The Wrestlers,” being moved to Lyme. (Photo/Maria White Keogh)

“As for the house itself, ‘The interest is keen,’ said broker Kelley Long Thrush. ‘Buyers know you’ll never find this architecture here again.'”

(To read the full New York magazine “Curbed” story, click here. Hat tip Jeff Mitchell)

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s real estate and arts scenes — and occasionally, their intersection. If you like stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Online Art Gallery #329

Posted on August 1, 2026 | Leave a comment

Serene summer scenes highlight this week’s art gallery.

It’s the perfect way to welcome August, for our many visitors.

As for our artists: No matter your age; the style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we want your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, mixed media, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.

Just email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in.

“Atlantics 16 & 127 Off South Beach” (Eric Bosch)

“Westporthenge — August 2022” (Michael Tomashefsky– Available for purchase; click here)

“In the Nantucket Serengeti — Fall” (Nancy Breakstone — Available for purchase; click here)

“I Come Bearing Gifts” — found trunk and rocks, Monhegan Island, Maine (Jerry Kuyper)

“The Koi Pond” — encaustic wax, 13 x 25 (Dorothy Robertshaw — Available for purchase; click here)

“Watercolor Fusion” (June Rose Whittaker — Available for purchase; click here)

“This is Not a Blue Pizza” — acrylic paint (Joanne Leaman  — Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled (Tom Doran — Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled (Zoe Abrams, 15-year-old One River Art student)

“Dare You to Tickle Her Paw!” (Mike Hibbard)

“A Forever in Bloom Rose Bouquet” — crochet (Rebecca Stein Richards)

 

 

 

“Summer Pause” (Patricia McMahon) 

“Please Buy My Pretty Flowers!” (Steve Stein)

“Lacing Up” (Lawrence Weisman)

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery –as it has been for 6 years. But please consider an anniversary donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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Roundup: State Rep Race, National Night Out, Closings Soon …

Posted on July 31, 2026 | 7 comments

Does Lee Goldstein have an opponent in the 136th District State Representative race?

The Bord of Education chair is the Democratic candidate to replace retiring Representative Jonathan Steinberg.

This week, Douglas Ouellette’s name appeared as the Republican candidate, on the Ballotpedia site. Papers were filed with the Secretary of the State on May 28. However, rumors have circulated in town that Ouellette is a placeholder, until another candidate can be found.

That’s bolstered by his invisibility on the campaign trail. There’s been no sign of activity, online or in real life.

Ouellette has not run for office before. His LinkedIn profile identifies him as CEO of Westport-based Home Choice Senior Care.

No official announcement has been made. Westport Republican Town Committee chair Patrizia Zucaro did not respond to an email request for comment.

Ballotpedia screenshot.

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A reminder: National Night Out is coming to Westport.

The event — part of a campaign to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie, in all 50 states — is next Tuesday, August 4. It’s sponsored by the Westport Police Department, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jesup Green.

There’s plenty of action, including:

  • Impaired driving course
  • K-9 demonstrations
  • Police drone demonstrations
  • Fire Department smoke trailer
  • Crash simulator
  • Touch-a-Truck experience
  • Dunk-a-Cop booth
  • “Beat the Chief” free throw contest
  • Face painting
  • 2 local bands
  • Bicycle and swim safety information
  • CPR and other EMS demonstrations
  • Free child identification kits

Food is available too, from a pizza truck and ice cream vendors.

Local businesses and organizations are invited to participate. Contact Lt. Sereniti Dobson for more information: sdobson@westportct.gov.

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If you haven’t yet seen the MoCA\CT show, “The Disappointed Tourist” — and why haven’t you? — you’ve got 3 more days.

The exhibit ends Sunday (August 2).

Featuring over 230 painted homages to places past, artist Ellen Harvey’s show transforms shared recollections into paintings that commemorate places no longer standing, but still vivid in collective memory. Among them: Allen’s Clam House, Bloodroot, Cedar Brook Café and The Remarkable Book Shop.

MoCA will be closed from August 3 through 13. They’ll be installing the next exhibit: Michael Borders’ “Connecticut Industry.”

The colossal 10-by-40-foot mural traces more than 350 years of the state’s industrial history. Built on 25 years of research, the exhibition invites reflection on the past—and on how automation and artificial intelligence will shape the future.

An opening reception is set for September 10 (6 to 8 p.m.). The show runs through November 15. Click here for more information.

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Speaking of closings: The final 3 performances of “Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” at Westport Country Playhouse are this weekend: tonight (Friday, 8 p.m.) and tomorrow (Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m.).

But if you can’t see it here — and why not? — you can find it around the globe.

The show — adapted for stage from the classic novel, and directed by the Playhouse’s own artistic director Mark Shanahan — will be produced between now and next spring in Bristol, Indiana; Pittsburgh; Northfield, Minnesota; St. Joseph, Michigan; Phoenix; Norfolk, and York, Nebraska. Click here for details.

It’s also being staged right now in Hungary and Cape Town, South Africa.

Of course, the Playhouse is a lot closer.

Cape Town poster.

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The Historic District Commission meets August 11 (7 p.m.; Zoom).

The agenda includes discussion of demolition permits for:

  • 31 Richmondville Avenue
  • 11 Hales Street
  • 15 Jennie Lane
  • 422 Riverside Avenue
  • 20 Pin Oak Court
  • 4 Pin Oak Court
  • 32 Morningside Drive North
  • 190 North Avenue.

Click here for links to all materials.

 

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The KEYS party scheduled for this Sunday has been postponed a week, to August 9 (4 to 6 p.m.).

The event at 53 Compo Beach Road is for KEYS (Kids Empowered by Your Support). The Bridgeport non-profit offers free music lessons, summer camps and instruments to 600 youngsters in 21 schools.

The party will introduce guests to the organization, including volunteer, donation and support opportunities. For more information, email KanikaTaylor@hotmail.com.

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A sign at the intersection of Compo Road South and Bridge Street touts a sidewalk improvement project.

One other thing that could be improved: the spelling of Ned Lamont’s title.

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We often think of downtown in terms of asphalt.

Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image is a reminder of how much greenery and vegetation there is, all over Westport. Including Main Street and Parker Harding Plaza.

The sunrise is an added bonus.

(Photo/Janine Scotti)

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And finally … Harry Potter turns 46 years old today.

He sure doesn’t seem it!

(Not sure how to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday? We’re sure he’d appreciate you clicking here, to help support Westport’s favorite hyper-local blog. It’s magic!)

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Roundup: Josh Suggs, Russell Greenberg, Gadi Slade, Tom Karrel …

Posted on July 30, 2026 | Leave a comment

The last time we mentioned Josh Suggs, the 2021 Staples High School graduate had just been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

Yesterday, the 23-year-old was seen by an even bigger audience: NBC’s “Today” show.

Brian Cheung interviewed him about Street Talk. That’s the company he formed, after dropping out of Syracuse University. It is “disrupting advertising,” Cheung said.

Josh’s route to social entrepreneurship started in Westport, he told “Today.” As a 14-year-old, he got free haircuts for social media posts.

When a Syracuse friend paid Josh $2,000 for 30 street interviews, a light bulb went off. Today, Street Talk earns 8 figures in revenue by conducting authentic, unscripted street interviews that companies large and small can use as brand ads.

“I bet on myself, and the future fo social media,” Josh said.

Click here for the full — and very engaging — interview.

RERUN: Last fall’s story was not the first to feature Josh Suggs. Click here to read this one, from 2016. It features Josh and his great Bedford Middle School friend, Jamie Mann. A fellow SHS grad, Jamie has also made a name for himself in New York: on Broadway.

Screenshot: Josh Suggs and Brian Cheung.

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Congratulations to Russell Greenberg and Gadi Slade!

The Chabad of Westport friends recently participated in the Maccabi Games in Israel (aka “the Jewish Olympics”). Over 5,000 athletes attended, including 900 from the US.

Greenberg swam in the Masters division, and captained his team. He captured gold in the 65-69 age group in the 100 meter freestyle, then added silver medals in the 50 free, 50 butterfly and 200 free. He was also part of 3 silver medal relays. Greenberg called the competition “the highlight of my swimming career.”

Slade’s story starts in 1932. A blonde, blue-eyed Jew from Frankfurt traveled to Tel Aviv where, by chance, the 1st Maccabi Games were being held. She met a doctor from Galilee. They exchanged phone numbers and addresses. But she returned to Germany and did not think about him.

Six months later, Hitler came to power. Nine months after that, the German woman and her parents fled to Haifa, where she knew just one person: the doctor from the Maccabi Games. They got together, fell in love,  and were married. Slade is their grandson.

He planned to gain citizenship in Ecuador, make the national basketball team, and play in the Atlanta Olympics — all to get into Harvard Business School.

When that failed, he tried out in 1997 (also unsuccessfully) for the inaugural Maccabi USA field hockey team. Finally, this year he make the Games for masters table tennis. He won a gold medal in the team competition.

94 years after his grandparents met, Gadi marched in the opening ceremony with his son Leo (who also participated in table tennis, for 16 and under).

“The medal was a nice surprise, but for me just being there and wearing the Team USA shirt was my definition of victory,” Slade says.

Gadi Slade (left) and Russell Greenberg, with Maccabi medals.

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Between email, texts and now AI, we’ve forgotten how to have conversations with actual human beings we don’t know.

Help is near.

Staples High School Class of 2012 graduate Tom Karrel has just published “The Lost Art of Random Conversations: How One Conversation with a Stranger Will Change the Way You Connect with Everyone.”

Drawing on over 10,000 hours of group facilitation experience across nearly 50 countries, Karrel offers practical tools and honest stories to help readers break through phone addiction, overcome social anxiety and loneliness, and create real world connections.

It’s available on Amazon, and by clicking here.

Tom Karrel

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Kawa Ni’s “Paint + Sip” events are a smash.

The next 2 are planned for August 5 and 19 (6:30 to 8 p.m.).

Artist Lauren Smith leads guests as they create, sip and enjoy lite bites, on the Bridge Square rooftop overlooking the Saugatuck River.

For $56 you get painting supplies, an 8″x10″ canvas, and Kawa Ni fare. Wine, sake and cocktails are available for purchase. Click here to register.

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Lachat Town Farm offers 3 fall children’s programs:

  • Caregiver & Me
  • Pre-school drop-off
  • K-8 after-school.

Click here for details. Questions? Email childrensprograms@lachattownfarm.org.

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Every Thursday for several years, VFW Post 399 has hosted 2 jazz shows. They kick off at 7:30 and 8:45.

Now, every other Thursday, the Dave Kardas Band plays original jazz, blues and rock, right before (5:30 to 7:15 p.m.). Upcoming dates are tonight (July 31), August 13 and 27, and September 10.

The music is free. There’s happy hour food and drink prices too.

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Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between July 22 and 28.

A 50-year-old Fairfield man was charged with evading responsibility, traveling too fast for conditions, failure to drive right and reckless endangerment, following 2 notifications on Sturges Highway from iPhone crash detection. Two calls were made, and the man denied being involved in an accident. However, a witness reported a damaged and disabled Tesla unoccupied in the middle of the road, and a man walking away. An investigation determined that the vehicle left the road twice, striking several large rocks. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

A 68-year-old Westport woman was charged with driving the wrong way on a 1-way street, interfering with an officer and failure to appear, following an investigation into an April incident on Franklin Street. The woman approached an officer driving the wrong way. After being signaled to stop, she rolled up her window and attempted to change direction multiple times. When she stopped she was argumentative with officers. She refused to exit the vehicle, and engaged in a physical struggle. She was released on $3,500 bonds.

Westport Police also issued these citations:

  • Texting while driving: 21 citations
  • Traveling unreasonably fast: 9
  • Failure to obey stop sign: 8
  • Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations 8
  • Failure to renew registration: 4
  • Failure to obey traffic control signals: 4
  • Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
  • Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 2
  • Failure to insure motor vehicle: 2
  • Distracted driving: 2
  • Following too closely: 2
  • Improper use of markers: 2
  • Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 1
  • Speeding: 1
  • School zone violation: 1
  • Disorderly conduct: 1
  • Criminal mischief: 1

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A crepe myrtle tree makes its first-ever “Westport … Naturally” appearance today. This beauty is on Compo Road South.

(Photo/Topsy Siderowf)

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And finally … in honor of Tom Karrel, and his book on how to have a conversation (story above):

(Speaking of conversations: Let’s talk! If you appreciate even a small part of this hyper-local blog, please consider clicking here to support our work. We rely on you — our readers — so thank you!)

 

 

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Staples Players Rewind: “Into The Woods”

Posted on July 28, 2026 | 5 comments

In the spring of 2012, Staples Players directors David Roth and Kerry Long produced “Into the Woods.” Both are longtime fans of Stephen Sondheim, and first staged the show 10 years earlier.

Click here or below for highlights. As always, they’re courtesy of former media teacher Jim Honeycutt, who videotaped all of Roth and Long’s shows.

Many Players have gone on to interesting careers, in and out the arts. Among them:

Will Haskell (Narrator) went on to serve 2 terms as Connecticut state senator — one of the youngest state legislators in the country.

Elle Deran (Rapunzel’s Prince) is a trans and non-binary actor, singer and content creator.

Sofia Ribolla (Cinderella) shifted her focus from theater to to medicine while in college, and is now an optometrist with Greenwich Ophthalmology Associates.

Clay Singer (Jack) has extensive theater credits, including “Masquerade” in New York, “Fiddler On the Roof.””The Band’s Visit” North American tour,
“Next to Normal,” “Man of La Mancha,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Ragtime,” “The Full Monty — and “Into the Woods” in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Jamie Yarmoff (Cinderella’s Stepmother) is a renewable energy professional amd chapter leader for Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. She founded the WRISE Utah chapter in Salt Lake City.

Cara McNiff (Drusilla) graduated from Elon University with a degree in musical theater. She is still involved in theater. as a regional booking manager.

Sami Schwaeber (Jack’s Mother) is a Brooklyn-based musical comedian, actor and writer recognized for her queer, Jewish and mental health-focused stand-up and sketch work.

Madeline Seidman (Jack’s Mother) is a Brooklyn-based actor, with an MFA from Yalel School of Drama. She can be seen on screen in the TV shows “Elsbeth” and “A League of Their Own.”

Michelle Pauker (The Witch)  is a singer and actor. She has appeared in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Idaho Shakespeare Festival), “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (Great Lakes Theatre Company), and “Into The Woods (Forestburgh Playhouse). On Sunday, her band Back to the Garden 1969 performed at the Levitt Pavilion.

August Laska (Wolf) transitioned from acting to behind-the-scenes work in producing and marketing, eventually serving as a marketing coordinator for Disney Theatrical Group. He co-produced “Broadway Gets GLAAD” at Joe’s Pub, and worked as a co-producer on the Off-Broadway and summer Broadway runs of “Broadway Bounty Hunter.” He currently owns The Old Yew plant shop.

Charlie Greenwald (Cinderella’s Prince) is a Connecticut local and the author of the acclaimed new Halloween children’s book “Jeff O’Lantern,” as well as the popular “The Rescues” series, which he co-wrote with his father.

Everett Sussman (Cinderella’s Father) is an applied mathematics/computer science graduate of Harvard University. He is now a digital creator. He has acted in regional theater productions, including “Sweeney Todd.”

Charlotte Weber (Repunzel) attended the International Culinary Center. She works professionally as a pastry chef).

Ryder Chasin is a television writer, creative and comedian in Brooklyn.

Nicholas Massoud (Mysterious Man) attended Yale, and performed all over the world with the a cappella groups the Wiffenpoofs and Sprizzwinks.

Joe Badion (Sprites) is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. He teaches upper school music at the Town School in New York.

(If you like these nutshells — or any other “06880” feature — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Roundup: Shark! WTF …

Posted on July 28, 2026 | 8 comments

It’s not Amity Island.

But this was the scene this morning at Burying Hill Beach:

(Photo/Seth Schachter)

Seth Schachter — who made the early morning discovery — searched AI for information.

It says, “based on the shape and markings in your photo, this appears to be a juvenile smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis), which is one of the most common small sharks found in Long Island Sound.”

He notes that it’s a baby; the photo makes it look larger than it is.

Seagulls were picking at it. Seth guesses that high tide will carry it back into the water.

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Wakeman Town Farm is a place of wonder for many youngsters.

And for plenty of others, from nearby communities.

This summer, Wakeman Town Farm welcomed young campers from around the area for a week of discovery, connection and hands-on learning.

With muddy boots, curious minds and big smiles, campers harvested fresh vegetables, met friendly animals, and explored composting, planting and regenerative farming practices.

Through WTF’s Room to Grow initiative, hundreds of students from Hall Neighborhood House, the McGivney Center and Horizons embraced every opportunity to learn, explore, and grow — for free.

The Room to Grow Fund was launched at the 2025 Harvest Fest gala. Generous donors, and the Westport Woman’s Club and Town Fair Tire Foundation, provide added support.

It’s one of several Wakeman Town Farm initiatives that connect young people from neighboring communities with nature, fresh food, and the lifelong benefits of land stewardship.

Fun at Wakeman Town Farm.

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Westport resident Carl Wistreich is the son of Holocaust survivors from Poland and Germany. Pursuing a career in business and law, he achieved the financial security his grandparents had in their respective countries, before making the lifesaving decision to leave it all (including close relatives) behind.

Finally, in his 50s, Wistreich had time to read family memoirs describing miraculous stories of survival. He realized the stories his parents rarely spoke about needed to be shared.

The result — My Lethal Obsession, a novel about ruin, resilience and rebirth, of one family and the Jewish people as a whole — will be published September 1. The next day — September 2 (7 p.m), Wistreich launches his book at the Westport Library, in a conversation with Temple Israel’s Rabbi Michael Friedman. An audience Q-and-A and book signing will follow. Click here for more information.

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KEYS is a brilliant acronym.

It stands for Kids Empowered by Your Support — which is exactly what the Bridgeport non-profit does and is.

Each year they offer free music lessons, summer camps and instruments, to 600 youngsters in 21 schools.

A front lawn party this Sunday (August 2, 4 to 6 p.m., 53 Compo Beach Road) will introduce guests to the organization, including volunteer, donation and support opportunities.

Park at Compo Beach. Bring a lawn chair if you’d like. Learn more about KEYS –and enjoy their very “empowered” jazz group, who will perform live. For more information, email KanikaTaylor@hotmail.com.

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Grammy Award-winning trumpeter/composer/arranger Michael Mossman has done it all.

After apprenticing as a youngster with jazz legends Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and others, he took center stage as music director for Blue Note Records’ “boy band”, Out of the Blue. Mossman went on to be a key performer in Latin jazz, working with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and others.

He returns this Thursday for “Jazz at the Post” (July 30, shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 6:45; VFW Post 399).

He’ll play with pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Alex Ayala, percussionist Carly Moldonado, drummer Vince Cherico and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall. Click here for tickets, and more information.

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Westport resident Jean Schiavone died July 14.

The Newton, Massachusetts native trained as a secretary at Katherine Gibbs in Boston. She married Paul in 1052. The family moved to Westport in 1966.

Jean loved Compo Beach, and raising her children here. She was a parishioner and volunteer at St. Luke Church for over 60 years, working with the Friendly Visitor Program, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Sacred Heart St. Anthony’s School, and St. Luke Women’s Guild. She also cared for the altar linens.

Jean was predeceased by her husband and siblings Peg Davis, Dick McLellan, Ruth Vlass (Gordon) and Tom McLellan. She is survived by her children Dr, Karen Edwards (Lawrence), Joseph (Kan), Paula Bruns (Robert), Nancy Schiavone (Norman Schulman) and Barbara Pinkerton (Steven); grandchildren Katherine Bernard (Scott), Benjamin Bruns (Christina) Timothy Bruns (Eleni) Emily Schulman (David Stone), Peter Schulman, Molly Edwards, Alison Pinkerton, Michael Pinkerton, and great-grandchildren Alice Bernard, Elijah Bruns, Noah Bruns, Lucia Bruns and Anais Stone; sisters-in-law Sally McLellan and Betty McLellan; brother-in-law Gene Davis, and many nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours will take place at Harding Funeral Home this Thursday (July 30, 9:30 to 10;30 a.m.). A funeral mass for Paul and Jean will follow at 11 a.m. at St. Luke Church.

Donations in Jean’s memory may be made to the Matthew 25 Fund at St. Luke Church, which provides food and assistance to individuals and families in need.

Jean Schiavone

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Mourning doves build nests in many places.

Including man-made structures.

These 2 chicks — the subjects of today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — look as happy as if they were just hatched in, say, a tree or bush somewhere.

Hey — none of us has any control over where we’re born.

(Photo/Rob Jackson)

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And finally … happy 36th birthday, Soulja Boy!

(“06880” is the soundtrack to your Westport life. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!

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“A Day In The Life Of Westport”: September 6 Will Live Forever

Posted on July 28, 2026 | 10 comments

Every day in Westport is special. Every day is unique.

But when each is over, we move on to the next.

September 6 will be a day we’ll never forget.

On that Sunday, every Westporter is invited to help create a one-of-a-kind portrait of the town. We’ll do it by taking a photograph that captures one real moment from our day.

Whether it’s a sunrise at Compo Beach, breakfast with family, volunteering at a community event, opening a business downtown, walking the dog, cheering from the sidelines or enjoying a quiet moment at home, every image will become part of a collective portrait of Westport.

“A Day in the Life of Westport” is a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.”

As part of Westport’s America 250 celebration, the project will document the town in its everyday rhythms, creating a lasting record of who we are as a community in this semiquincentennial year.

Inspired by the classic Life magazine photo essays documenting “A Day in the Life of America,” the project invites residents of every age to photograph one moment on Sunday, September 6, then submit it online with a brief caption describing what the image means to them.

Collectively, the photographs will become a real-time portrait of Westport, preserving both extraordinary moments and ordinary ones that define daily life.

Miggs Burroughs, a founding member of the Artists Collective, says, “Every individual photograph tells a story. Together, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of photographs become something entirely different: a portrait of Westport itself. The finished mosaic will reveal not only the beauty of our town, but the connections that make us a community.”

Early September will still be warm enough for a sunrise swim … (Photo/Jimmy Izzo)

LWV secretary James Delorey notes, “Westport has always been a community that shows up. Whether it’s volunteering, voting, supporting neighbors or celebrating together, people here take part. ‘A Day in the Life of Westport’ is another opportunity for everyone to help tell the story of this remarkable town.”

League member Andrea Moore adds, “Westport’s story is written by our whole community. ‘A Day in the Life’ invites everyone to share a special moment or a favorite scene from their day. Each photograph captures a part of who we are today, and creates a record that future generations will be able to look back on.”

Participants are encouraged to photograph every aspect of community life, including all generations, neighborhoods, occupations, traditions, celebrations, acts of service, family life, recreation, arts, faith, work, and the countless moments that make Westport unique.

,,, and photographers can also capture random kids having moments of fun. (Photo/Dan Woog)

Organizers hope the final collection reflects the full diversity of the community, and the many different ways people experience the same day.

Photos must be taken on Sunday, September 6, and submitted by midnight that evening at dayinthelife2026.artcall.org. The submission website will accept photographs only on the day of the event.

Each participant may submit up to 3 shots, each accompanied by a brief caption describing the moment.

Submitted photographs will become part of an online community archive and digital image library (and featured on “06880”).

Organizers also plan to create a large photographic mosaic incorporating every submission, with selected images potentially featured in a public exhibition, commemorative book, and other America 250 legacy projects celebrating Westport’s history and community spirit.

.For more information and submission details, click here or email Westportphoto2026@gmail.com.

(“06880” is proud to partner with Westport organizations on this project — and to be your hyper-local blog. We rely on reader support. Please click here to help. Thanks for all you do for us!)

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Posted in Arts, Media, Westport life

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Online Art Gallery #328

Posted on July 25, 2026 | 1 comment

There’s always something new in our online art gallery.

Today we welcome our youngest artist ever. Grace Yan — all of 6 years old — is a student at One River Art school. We hope to showcase her work until she’s, oh, up in her 80s, like our oldest artists.

And we want you to join in. No matter your age; the style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we want your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, mixed media, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.

Just email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in.

Untitled (Jay Petrow)

Untitled (Michael Chait — Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled (Dorothy Robertshaw — Available for purchase; click here)

“Between Tide and Time” (Nancy Breakstone — Available for purchase; click here)

“Eric’s 7-Foot Tall emi-Kinetic Wooden Sculpture” — watercolor (Eric Bosch)

Untitled (Grace Yan — age 6, One River Art student)

“Roses Are Red” — crochet (Rebecca Stein Richards)

“Westport Library” (John Maloney)

Photographer Mike Hibbard says, “Don’t mess with a sleeping porcupine or you’ll get a face full of quills.”

“Home is the Sailor, Home From Sea and …” — watercolor and graphite (Steve Stein)

“Man With a Pearl Earring” — 12″ x 8″ silverpoint on prepared paper (Werner Liepolt)

Untitled (Martin Ripchick)

“Flu Shot” (Lawrence Weisman)

“Cheers to Another Sunset” (Ellen Wentworth)

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery –as it has been for 6 years. But please consider an anniversary donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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