This afternoon, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice sent this message to the Westport community:
When I arrived almost 4 years ago as superintendent, Westport’s decades-long commitment to diversity and inclusion could be seen across the community and within the schools.
Over these 4 years, the school district has continued to build on the work of the community in many ways, including our Equity Study, our district Strategic Plan, curriculum revisions, and advanced teacher training to name just a few initiatives.
In a recent conversation with our district-wide PTA presidents, it became clear to me that I have more work to do to keep the school community informed about our progress by actively sharing our work.
While my focus recently has been on offering purposeful updates on timely topics, I have been remiss in not sharing some of our proactive and preventive student programs, ongoing teacher training/professional development initiatives, and curriculum efforts, all of which enable and inform our continuous evolution as a place founded in academic excellence and belonging.
Last Wednesday night, about 1/3 of the district’s administrators and I joined local clergy and community leaders at Temple Israel to share details about our framework for preventing and responding to identity-based bullying in our schools.
Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice, Staples High School principal Stafford Thomas and grades 6-12 social studies coordinator Lauren Francese, at last week’s Temple Israel forum. (Photo/Dan Woog)
The information we shared demonstrated how our programs follow every Westport learner’s journey from pre-k through graduation, and we hope, beyond.
The presentation’s content was guided by the questions and feedback we’ve received from the community over the last few weeks. A copy of the presentation is attached to this message and the recording is available here.
Even with a broad prevention strategy, there is the likelihood that we will experience bias incidents. For this reason, we have also worked to develop an effective response protocol across all of our schools.
Over the past 2 months the district has worked to engage with the community, educators and students to update our student “Code of Conduct.”
A critical and unique input to this work has been the solicitation of ongoing feedback from the community, including multiple public readings of the student discipline policy at Board of Education meetings over the past few months.
This work will lay the foundation for transparency, common language, mutual understanding, and consistent processes. But it’s only the beginning, and it requires a collaborative partnership with the community, including a continuous flow of information.
To that end, I’m pleased to share that we launched the district’s DEIB website (westportdeib.org) last week as the source of truth regarding the work, progress, and dialogue happening in, and for, our schools. Here you’ll find sample learning experiences, curriculum highlights, school policies and protocols, and current news and events. In the coming weeks, answers to frequently asked questions will be added.
I always appreciate the community’s candor, dialogue, and shared vision for our schools. Together, we can continue to exemplify the values of the town where we live or work, grounded in caring and understanding.
Click here for a PDF of the Temple Israel Community Forum.
What do Lynsey Addario, Christiane Amanpour, Carl Bernstein and Robert Woodward have in common?
They — and 12 others — will be honored by Long Island University, as the first-ever Polk Laureates, “for outstanding contributions to American journalism in the spirit of George Polk.”
The April 12 event marks the 75th anniversary of its George Polk Awards in journalism. It’s at Cipriani 42nd Street, and will hosted by Anderson Cooper.
Lynsey Addario
The 16 honorees’ careers reflect the Polk Awards’ commitment to “outstanding investigative reporting.
LIU calls Addario — a 1991 graduate of Staples High School — a “fearless and resourceful combat photographer whose photo in 2022 of a Ukrainian family slain by a Russian mortar was just one example of compelling work in war zones across the world.”
In early 2022, Lynsey Addario’s photo of Ukrainian soldiers trying to save the father of a family of 4 — the only one who still had a pulse — after being hit by a mortar near Kyiv drew worldwide attention to the horrors of Russia’s invasion.
Four very different women founders and investors offered insights and advice last night, to a large Westport Library crowd.
The event celebrated StartUp Westport‘s 1st anniversary, along with Women’s History Month.
Tracy Cho (Qeepsake, a family-story company), Marissa Fayer (DeepLook Medical, women’s health), Alison Gregory (AreaHub, environmental information) and Kathryn Winokur (Hally Hair, beauty products) described the joys and challenges of their work.
Moderator Galia Gichon — co-managing partner of Tidal River Fund — asked compelling questions about “angel investors,” mentors and more. The public had their chance too, with several entrepreneurs speaking up at the end.
Among the takeaways:
“You have to make hard decisions on the fly, and be comfortable with them.”
Female entrepreneurs are often asked, “What does your husband do?” Men are never asked that.
“You should support and invest, to help create the world you want.”
Only 2% of all venture capital funds go to women.
The next StartUp Westport event is April 30. ESPN CEO Jimmy Pitaro — a Westport resident — will be honored as Innovator of the Year. Click here for tickets, and more information.
From left: Alison Gregory, Marissa Fayer, Tracy Cho, Kathryn Winokur and moderator Galia Gichon, at last night’s StartUp Westport panel. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Twelve Staples High School musicians have earned All-State recognition.
Congratulations to band members Deneil Betfarhad (trumpet), Ryder Levine (flute) and Zachary Newshel (timpani); orchestra members Isabel Jo (viola), Ludovit Pauliny (oboe) and Ayush Rudra (double bass), and choir singers Demi Betfarhad (bass), Josie Caricato (alto), Sofia Donroe (alto), Alex Esser (tenor), Alyssa Lee (alto and Andrew Maskoff (tenor).
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Every Westporter has an opinion on the future of the Cribari Bridge.
But what about the railroad bridge nearby?
On April 16 (7 p.m., Zoom), the state Department of Transportation hosts a virtual public information meeting concerning the mechanical and electrical rehabilitation of the Metro-North bridge over the Saugatuck River.
Registration is required. A Q-and-A session follows the presentation, which will be recorded. To learn how to join the meeting, provide comments and ask questions, click here.
This meeting will also be livestreamed on the CTDOT YouTube channel; no registration is required.
Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2025.
Members of the public can submit comments and questions by April 30. Email Hareshkumar.Dholakia@ct.gov, or call 860-594-3173. Reference State Project #0301-0177 in the email or voicemail.
Railroad bridge over the Saugatuck River. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
The Exchange Project — founded by Westport mom Carly Ridloff — is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Just exchanging clothing!
This Thursday, the Exchange Project’s “Sustainable Shopping Event” (March 21, 6 to 9 p.m., Nihcols MD, 1215 Post Road, Fairfield) is “a night of fabulous fashion and community focus.” It includes drinks, bites, skincare and (of course) sustainable shopping.
The idea is simple: Clean out your closets; select 10 or so items in perfect condition.
Drop your items at the designated drop location. Then go to the event, to mingle, and shop.
Attendees will receive skin treatments, skin scope evaluations, discounts on special products, gift bags, expert styling tips from local influencer/fashion guru Zac Mathias, and more.
Guests are encouraged to recycle empty beauty products in the New Nichols MD Recycling Program.
All unclaimed items will be donated to a women’s shelter selected by the event’s hosts.
After launching in Westport in 2021, the Exchange Project has expanded to New York and Florida. For more information, click here.
A few tickets remain for the Westport Woman’s Club “Death by Bathtub Gin” murder mystery dinner.
This Saturday (March 23, 6 p.m.), their Imperial Avenue clubhouse will be transformed into a Jazz Age speakeasy.
A professional troupe of Broadway actors will guide 100 guests through a hunt for the “murderer.” It may well be one of them.
The night includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a 3-course Italian dinner, as the “murder mystery” unfolds.
Flapper dresses and tuxedos are welcome. A photo booth will have “jazzy” accessories for all. There’s a silent auction too.
Tickets are $150. Proceeds help fun scholarships, grants and food gift cards — continuing the Woman’s Club’s 100-plus years of service to the community.
Call 203-227-4240, or email wwc@westportwomansclub.org for tickets.
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Pianist/vocalist Johnny O’Neal and drummer Joe Farnsworth headline this Thursday’s Jazz at the Post (March 21, shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $20 music cover charge; $15 for students and veterans).
Influenced by Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson, O’Neal began as a gospel pianist. He later became the house pianist at Birdland, and part of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
A highly regarded jazz drummer, Farnsworth is known for his blazing speed, precision and melodic playing.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzattthePost@gmail.com.
Staples High School graduate Jill Wellner died peacefully at her Fairfield home last week. She was 69, and survived nearly 6 years after being diagnosed with glioblastoma.
Her family says: “Jill bravely faced many life challenges and was dedicated to helping others. She worked at a number of high-profile health care organizations, including Bridgeport Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Veterans Administration.
“She was a talented change agent who proposed innovative ways to improve quality, access and profitability. She is most proud of being certified as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and passing this knowledge on to countless teams, students and colleagues.”
Jill studied at Wells College, Fairfield University the University of Connecticut before receiving her second master’s degree in epidemiology and public health from the Yale School of Medicine.
She served as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Nursing, Sacred Heart University, Norwalk Community College and Salve Regina University.
She took joy from being with family and friends, especially fellow Staples alums.
She loved wine, traveling, the arts, and was fluent in French.
In addition to her husband Ken, Jill is survived by her daughter Jessica Daponte (Matthew), and siblings Anne Lynn (Bruce), John Kantor, and Reginald Kantor (Brigitte), along with many nephews, nieces and cousins.
Visitation is tomorrow (Wednesday, 4 to 7 p.m., Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield). A funeral service will be held Thursday at 10 a.m., in the funeral home.
And finally … spring arrives tonight, at 11:06 p.m.
This was our second straight Winter That Wasn’t. Not exactly a “long cold lonely” one.
I feel bad for the plow guys. But otherwise …
(As the days get longer, there’s more time than ever to support “06880.” Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution to your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
The other day, alert and longtime “06880” reader Scott Smith tromped around one of Westport’s most historic sites: the “Meeting House” land, where the original Green’s Farms Congregational Church was located. It was there that the West Parish of Fairfield grew and flourished, on its own.
Today the site is off the Sherwood Island Connector, just beyond the I-95 commuter parking lot.
This 1933 map of Greens Farms by George Jennings shows the meeting house across from the burial ground near Greens Farms Road, West Parish Road and Center Street.
Digging into the subject, Scott found that — years ago — a plan was developed by Westport’s Historic District Commission to create an interpretive trail there.
“Like so many other well-intentioned local improvement schemes, it is just gathering dust in some Town Hall office,” Scott laments.
A vision of a possible “West Parish Meeting House” Historic Site, from the Historic District Commission brochure.
“But maybe 06880 readers will be as curious about the site’s potential as I am.”
Scott writes:
For all the chest-thumping we Westporters do about our rich history and vaunted sense of “place,” I find it odd that so little attention is paid to the earliest traces of our beginnings.
I’m talking about the West Parish Meeting House that was constructed in 1737 at what is now the corner of Greens Farms Road and the Sherwood Island Connector, opposite the Colonial Cemetery established even earlier.
Though it was erected nearly a century after the 5 Bankside Farmers and their families first settled on the fertile coastal upland between Sasco and New Creek in 1648, this ground and its forgotten structure seem to be regarded as the foundational heart of our community.
Some years ago, I tried to explore the setting with my then-young son. We parked in the commuter lot and hiked over to the field where I’d heard the Meeting House once stood, until it was burned by the retreating British in 1779.
I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I thought we’d stumble upon the charred remains of the foundation, or kick up an old glass bottle or shard of a clay jug.
We didn’t make it far, defeated by swampy marshland and thick brambles.
Which is why I was intrigued to see the other day that the overgrown field has been bushwhacked back to stubble.
The entrance to the Meeting House site …
I pulled my car off to the side of the road near a gate of the enclosing stone wall, and wandered across the 5.9-acre property. Squat concrete posts, 2 feet high and set about 30 paces apart, mark 4 corners, likely of the original structure.
… and one of the concrete posts. (Photos/Scott Smith)
What I also see in this empty lot is a blank slate to recreate something new. Perhaps it’s an interpretive trail that explains more of the history of these colonial settlers, ideally including stories of the native inhabitants they replaced (sometimes by force). Their absence from our collective memory is even more stark.
By the time of widespread European contact in the early 1600s, the Algonquian tradition characterized Fairfield County. The Westport area was further defined as the Paugussett/Pootatuck group, though there were many dialects and sub-groups …
The Uncowa occupied territory west of the Pequonnock to Southport. The Sasqua occupied lands about the Great Swamp and Sasco Creek. The Maxumux occupied the lands west of Sasco Creek to Compo, extending inland to the Aspetuck River. The Compaw occupied the lands between Compo and the Saugatuck River. West of the Saugatuck were the Norwalk people. North, along the Aspetuck River, were the Aspetuck.
One of the very few reminders of the first residents of this area is Machamux Park, on Greens Farms Road near I-95. (Photo/Fred Cantor)
That’s a lot of people, and a lot to unpack. Perhaps the Meeting House is the place to do it, paying appropriate homage to all who lived and met here long ago.
I’m a big fan of Westport’s open spaces and pocket parks. A model for a reimagined Meeting House Historic Site would be the Mill Pond Preserve, with its native plantings, benches, and signage displaying historic and wildlife information. It was designed and built by a volunteer committee that still actively maintains it.
Details of the proposed plan.
As it always comes down to parking, there would be plenty for school groups and others at the Meeting House if the state lends access to the commuter lot.
Wouldn’t that be a fitting future for one of Westport’s oldest past places?
(The Historic Site was designated as a State Archaeological Preserve in 2010. Details about the original building are found in this Westport Historic District Commission brochure. A fuller preservation and cultural landscape assessment plan may be found here.)
The Historic District Commission’s proposed “ghost structure.”
(“06880” is Westport’s hyper-local blog. We cover our town’s present, future — and past. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Sybil Joan (Schless) Steinberg — well-respected editor and book critic for Publishers Weekly and other outlets; longtime Westporter and avid civic volunteer, beloved for her long leadership of the Westport Library’s “Sybil’s List” book program — died yesterday in Sarasota, Florida, surrounded by family. She was 90 years old.
Her family says: “Sybil’s life was characterized by a love of literature from an early age, and a generosity of spirit that motivated her to share her book recommendations and literary observations with legions of adoring audiences.”
Sybil Steinberg
She was born on May 3, 1933, in Bridgeport to Marcus and Ann (Backer) Schless, who owned and ran a shoe store.
After graduating from Bridgeport Central High School, Sybil entered Smith College, majoring in English literature. She made the dean’s list all 4 years. She edited the Sophia student newspaper. and was named a Sophia Smith Scholar.
She graduated magna cum laude in 1954, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
At a friend’s wedding while home on break from Smith, Sybil gravitated to a small crowd gathered around a young doctor named Harold “Hal” Steinberg. He told a story about running into a friend in New York who was delivering a package to Oliver St. John Gogarty, the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce’s Ulysses.
Hal noticed that Sybil was the only one in the crowd who got the literary reference. He stealthily rearranged place cards so he could sit next to her at the reception. From there a romance blossomed.
Upon Sybil’s graduation from Smith, Hal persuaded her to decline a coveted job offer from Doubleday and to marry him instead. They were wed in November 1954. Hal did medical internships and residencies in Buffalo and Hartford, and a stint as an army physician at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
In 1960 the couple moved to Westport, where Hal established an internal medicine practice. They raised 3 sons: Jonathan, Peter, and Richard. Sybil and Hal remained Westport residents the rest of their lives.
While Sybil took readily to her role as a doctor’s wife, she remained active outside of the home. She founded and co-directed the Council Pre-School for Disadvantaged Children, securing state accreditation and incorporation into the Westport school system.
She also served as a part-time instructor for Famous Writers School in Westport, and freelanced for the Westport News and other publications.
Shortly after earning her master’s in education from Fairfield University in 1975, Sybil had a serendipitous encounter with fellow Westporter Jean Mercier, children’s book editor at Publishers Weekly. Jean asked Sybil to write a review, then offered a fill-in copyediting gig that eventually became a full-time position.
Sybil remained at PW for 25 years, ascending to fiction editor. She retired in 2001 as senior editor.
For 18 years she edited the Interviews section, conducting conversations with literary figures including John Updike, Annie Proulx and Faye Weldon.
A highlight of her tenure at PW was her interview with Salman Rushdie, still hiding in London 6 years after the fatwa.
Sybil edited three volumes of interviews compiled from the magazine: Writing For Your Life #1, #2, and #3. As a reviewer, Sybil’s work was nominated for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
She served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, and made television appearances on “Charlie Rose,” C-SPAN, NBC, and CBS.
Sybil continued to review books and maintain her ties to the publishing industry well into retirement, contributing reviews to numerous media including the Washington Post. Her annual “Sybil’s List” lecture, in which she briefly described her favorite books of the year, drew standing room only crowds at the Westport Library and Bayport Beach and Tennis Club in Longboat Key, Florida, where she spent recent winters. The electronic version of “Sybil’s List” had an extensive digital circulation, reaching thousands of fans.
Sybil was predeceased by her husband Harold in 2016, and her brother Aaron in 2007. She is survived by her sons Jonathan Steinberg (Nancy Mullins) of Westport, Peter Steinberg (Susana Byers) of Easthampton, Massachusetts, and Richard Steinberg (Kristi Yoo Mee) of San Diego, and 8 grandchildren. She also leaves behind her beloved companion Matthew Sagal, who shared Sybil’s love of opera, cinema, fine dining, and life at Bayport.
Funeral services will take place on Thursday (March 21, 11 a.m., Temple Israel), followed by burial at Temple Israel Cemetery in Norwalk. The family will sit Shiva at the home of Jonathan Steinberg and Nancy Mullins on Thursday after the burial, with minyan around 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Sybil’s memory to the Westport Library, Fairfield County Hospice House or Planned Parenthood.
Posted onMarch 18, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: March Madness, Irish Dancing, BMS Science Olympiad …
March Madness begins tomorrow.
There are many ways to follow the action.
One of the best is with Dave Briggs.
The veteran sports broadcaster — and longtime Westporter — hosts “Fast Break” for Turner Sports.
It’s essentially Red Zone for the NCAA tournament, with live game action, analysis, post-game reaction and social media moments.
Briggs’ co-hosts are Kentucky and Wake Forest legends Tony Delk and Randolph Childress, and former Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner.
The show is available at MarchMadness.com, and the “March Madness Live” app.
An hour-long pre-game show — “Max Bracket Breakdown” will be streamed via HBO Max from 11 a.m. to noon EDT Thursday and Friday, and 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
So who does Briggs like to win it all?
The University of Connecticut.
And he’s not just saying that out of home state pride.
“Like most people, I believe UConn is the best team in the country,” he says.
Clients at Homes with Hope’s food pantry got a special St. Patrick’s Day meal yesterday: corned beef, cabbage, and green cupcakes.
Then they enjoyed an extra-special treat: a performance from the Lenihan School of Irish Dance.
Five young dancers wowed the crowd with their talent, agility and energy. (And it was on the Gillespie Center floor — not an easy place to kick up your heels.)
Emma Rogers of Christ & Holy Trinity Church — who studied voice at Carnegie Mellon University — followed, with a stirring rendition of favorites like “Danny Boy.”
Church members — including Rev. Dylan Mello — helped serve and clean up.
It was a special day for the clients, and CEO Helen McAlinden: She’s a native of Ireland.
And her daughter was an Irish dance champion, back in the day and back in the old country.
Lenihan School of Dance performers. (Photo/Helen McAlinden)
Irish dancers Homes with Hope volunteers, staff and clients; CEO Helen McAlinden (yellow scarf) and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (green sweater), outside the Gillespie Center. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Speaking of champions (though off the playing field): Bedford Middle School students earned first place — and individual medals galore too — in Saturday’s Science Olympiad state competition in Coventry.
Dr. Daniel Cortright led 28 students, in 25 events.
BMS will now represent Connecticut at the national Science Olympiad competition at Michigan State University, May 24-25.
It’s familiar territory. BMS has been Connecticut’s state champ every year since 2018. They’ve been to national tournaments around the country. The team travels to competitions throughout the Northeast during the school year.
They’ll announce fundraising plans soon, to help with the costs of travel for the coaches, and subsidize team expenses.
Congratulations, BMS!
Bedford Middle School Science Olympiad team: state champs!
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Speaking (again of) sports: Congratulations to Caleb Smith and Adam Behrends.
They are the Walter Camp Football Foundation state Player and Coach of the Year, respectively. The duo — who helped Staples High School win the LL state championship in December — were honored Saturday, in New Haven.
Smith and Behrends earned the same honors earlier, from the New Haven Register.
Smith — who just ended his basketball season, and is getting ready for lacrosse — will continue his football career at the University of Connecticut. Next up is UConn, as a preferred walk-on player.
Adam Behrends and Caleb Smith, at the Walter Camp Foundation breakfast. (Photo/Dave Stewart for Hearst Connecticut Media)
Speaking (still) of sports: Congratulations too to the Staples boys lacrosse team.
The defending state champion Wreckers are ranked #1 in the nation, in Inside Lacrosse’s pre-season public schools poll. That puts them ahead of powerhouses like New York’s Manhasset and Garden City High Schools — and archrival and fellow FCIAC foe Darien.
Inside Lacrosse rates Staples #18 nationally in the poll that includes both public and private schools.
Click here for the public school-only story. Click here for the public and private school story.
The first game is April 4, vs. Archbishop Stepinac High School of White Plains (5:30 p.m., Paul Lane Field).
The 2023 state champion Staples boys lacrosse team. (Photo collage/Jada Mirabelle for CIAC Sports)
Speaking of (it doesn’t end) sports: The 15th annual “Kicking + Screening” festival was held in New York.
But plenty of Westporters were involved in the event, which featured 11 film features and shorts, plus panels, special guests and more.
The venue was Football Cafe, the Lower East Side “soccer cultural center” founded by Kyle Martino.
He’s the 1999 Staples graduate — and former Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, MLS Rookie of the Year, US men’s national team player and NBC Sports Premier League broadcaster. Kyle is now a soccer analyst with Warner Brothers Discovery Sports.
“Kicking + Screening” was co-founded by Rachel Markus, a Westport resident. Since 2009, she’s grown it into a huge event, with films and speakers from around the world.
She and co-founder Greg Lalas have hosted festivals in London, Liverpool, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi, Kerala (India).
Several Westporters were at the very cool Football Cafe space, including Greg Guido and Julie Blume, and others who read about the event on “06880” and wanted to see the films, and Westport’s most famous soccer star.
From left: Kyle Martino, Julie Blume, Rachel Markus and Greg Guido, at Football Cafe.
Yesterday’s “Roundup” said that the Staples Tuition Grants Fun Run is for youngsters in grades 3 through 5.
In fact, it’s for kids ages 3 through grade 5.
The event is April 6 (8 to 10 a.m., Paul Lane Field at Staples). Registration is just $25. All proceeds benefit STG.
The morning includes races, a bounce house, face painting, temporary tattoos, a bake sale and raffle.
Medals will be awarded to winners at each age level. Pre-K is a 25-yard dash; kindergartners and 1st graders run a 50-yard dash; 2nd through 5th graders race 100 yards.
Click here to register for the run. Everyone who signs up by Thursday gets a free t-shirt. Information can be found on Instagram (@stgfunrun).
Sybil Steinberg — a longtime Westporter, noted Publishers Weekly editor, beloved Westport Library “Sybil’s List” curator, and mother of State Representative Jonathan Steinberg — died yesterday in Florida.
She retired from Publishers Weekly in 2001, but continued as a contributing editor for 20 more years. When the magazine celebrated its 150th anniversary in April of 2022, she was hailed as an editor who was “a significant force in the industry.”
In November of 2022, “06880” honored Sybil as an Unsung Hero. Here is that story;
Hard to believe, but “06880” has never hailed Sybil Steinberg as an Unsung Hero.
The contributing editor and — for many years — book review section editor for Publishers Weekly is a well known and beloved Westport Library treasure.
Her curated recommended reading recommendations — called simply “Sybil’s List” — have entertained, inspired and kept local readers busy for years. A number of Westporters will not read a book unless it’s been vetted by Sybil.
During COVID, she took her talks to Zoom. Suddenly her grateful audience expanded far beyond her hometown.
Now she’s back live, at the Trefz Forum. Happily, the Library films her talks.
A gifted interviewer for Publishers Weekly, Sybil does the same when writers visit the Westport Library.
Sybil and her late husband, the equally well respected Dr. Steinberg, moved here in 1960. (The last name is familiar for another reason: Their son Jonathan has served as Westport’s representative for 7 terms.)
Now well into her 80s, Sybil Steinberg shows no sign of slowing down. She’s got many more books to read, and recommend, in her role as the town’s literary guru.
And — stopping only briefly for kudos — as our “06880” Unsung Hero of the Week.
Sybil Steinberg
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In 1995, Publisher’s Weekly flew Sybil to London, to interview Salman Rushdie.
The author was in hiding; the Ayatollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa calling for his execution. In August 2022 — a week after Rushdie was stabbed during a talk in upstate New York — Sybil described that interview with him, for “06880.”
At the time I was editor of the book review section, for which PW is renowned. Pantheon was about to publish his first collection of stories, titled “East, West.” They wanted to assure the US publishing industry that Rushdie was still writing, and at the top of his form.
Security was tight. A cab with shades drawn picked me up at my hotel, and drove me to the Random House offices in London.
I entered through a side door. Two security people examined me, and my tape recorder and notebook. I had to assure them that I hadn’t told anyone abut my mission.
They led me to a private office, and locked me in. About 10 minutes later, there was a clatter in the hallway. Rushdie arrived, accompanied by his own security team.
Rushdie’s serious expression had led many to misread his personality. He proved to be a delightful interviewee: genial, forthcoming, and a great raconteur.
Because Rushdie was of great interest to the publishing industry, PW gave me 3 pages for the interview — a privilege never granted before or since.
The headline read: “Six years into the fatwa, the resourceful writer discusses his new book and his determination ‘not to be beaten.’”
Here’s an excerpt: “While he doesn’t deny that the death sentence cast a cloak of terror over his existence, Rushdie is eager to plead the this audience not read his life into his work.”
There’s a bitter irony that Salman Rushdie was attacked as he was about to address the audience at Chautauqua about America’s role as a safe haven for authors.
Moments before Mark Shanahan made his acting debut at the Westport Country Playhouse, Joanne Woodward told him to put both feet on a special spot backstage.
It was 2005, and the historic theater had just undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation. Several boards from the original 1931 stage had been incorporated into the new one.
Shanahan — a young actor being directed by the legendary star in “David Copperfield” — reverently stood where hundreds of legends, from Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland to Paul Newman and Woodward herself once walked.
Mark Shanahan, as David Copperfield.
Last year, as incoming artistic director, Shanahan watched other actors stand there.
This month, as he takes the reins as artistic director, he looks forward to watching many more do the same.
Part of his job is to attract those actors to the 93-year-old Playhouse. How well he does it — along with the shows he selects, and other programming he develops — will go a long way to determining how successful one of the nation’s premier regional theaters will be, at a time when even the biggest ones face tough times.
Less than a year after the Westport Country Playhouse came within days of closing forever, the future seems bright.
And different.
Mark Shanahan, at the Playhouse. (Photo/Dan Woog)
The decades during which the Playhouse served as the town’s summer entertainment center,a lucrative destination for the biggest names, and a launching pad for Broadway shows, is long gone.
It took Playhouse employees and board members a long time to realize how vastly things have changed. But a firm change of direction — including more diverse offerings, outreach to new audiences, and a shift in the mainstage calendar from summer to other months — has positioned the Playhouse for a new role, a new image, and chances for new success.
Shanahan was both a safe and bold choice. A near 20-year Playhouse veteran — as an actor, curator of its Script in Hand play reading series, and creator of the Westport Country Playhouse Radio Theater — he has also worked at enough other places, in enough diverse roles, to know that doing things the same way they were always done would not work in the post-pandemic, streaming-filled, zillion-option world of today.
The New York City native discovered acting in high school, thanks to an inspirational teacher. (“I had terrible stage fright,” Shanahan confesses.)
He studied theater and American civilization at Brown University, earned a master’s degree at Fordham, then did “a little bit of everything” — acting, directing, producing — around the country.
Noble Shropshire — one of several mentors — recommended him to the Playhouse. He knew it vaguely; when he was younger, his parents took him to plays there.
The Westport Country Playhouse — founded in 1931 — is one of America’s legendary regional theaters.
Shanahan did 2 shows in ’05 — “Journey’s End,” then “Copperfield” — and found it to be a “very warm, welcoming place. Woodward and her co-director Anne Keefe drew him in.
He worked other places. But he never really left.
Shanahan met his wife at the Westport Country Playhouse. He learned he would be a father when he was there. He became friends with countless Playhouse actors: men and women who shared his reverence for the history of the place, and honored all those who came before them.
“My experiences here have been personal,” Shanahan says. “I’ve worked at a lot of big theaters. But there is nothing like this place. It’s an institution, but its importance comes from its people.”
Shanahan has read about founder Lawrence Langner, and longtime executive producer Jim McKenzie. He knows how hard they worked — and the obstacles they faced, trying to create and maintain a summer theater.
The Playhouse’s early days. (Photo/Wells Studio)
Challenges included a depression, a world war, and television. They had to find the right shows and actors (plus costume and set designers, stagehands and musicians, apprentices and ushers); sell tickets; stick to budgets; keep actors and audiences happy — and much, much more.
“It’s hard,” Shanahan notes. “There’s a lot of pressure.
“Audiences are demanding. And they should be. But the people who love this work, work hard to make it happen.”
At the Westport Country Playhouse, they’re working harder than ever. Drastic cost-cutting measures last spring — when bankruptcy seemed near, and closing was a real possibility — included the elimination of more than half of all staff positions.
The small workforce now does more than ever. Shanahan’s “small but mighty” staff is “working their tails off” looking for and creating new programming, finding new sources of funding, marketing it all in new ways.
Early reviews are encouraging.
Recognizing that the theater was dark too many days, Shanahan and his deputies, managing director Beth Huisking and production manager Matthew Melchiorre are booking concerts, readings, films, special events and short runs to draw people in.
And, hopefully, give them reasons to return.
Mark Shanahan and Beth Huisking, in the Playhouse’s famous seats.
In February, 575 teenagers, and preteens and their parents came to a show featuring Taylor Swift songs.
Three nights later, a sellout crowd heard a Script in Hand reading of a show about football coach Vince Lombardi.
Five days after that, multiple Tony Award winner Audra McDonald drew a full house.
Each audience was different. Each night, many attendees said, “I haven’t been here in ages.” Or, “I’ve never been here.”
Other successful shows include an Ella Fitzgerald tribute, and 9 performances of Shanahan’s “A Sherlock Carol.”
“This theater can be anything, for anyone,” Shanahan says. “We just have to figure out what that can be. And who knows what it can be, unless we try?”
Mark Shanahan plans to use the Lucille Lortel Barn, adjacent to the main theater, for innovative, intimate programs. (Photo/Dan Woog)
The artistic director says proudly, “I’m meeting people on the porch whose grandparents brought them to the Playhouse, and people who have never been here before.
“That mix keeps me up at night. I’m thinking about what we can show them, and how we can give them a good reason to come back.
“I know we can’t please everybody. But there is a large audience that’s hungry to come together.
“Theaters are closing for many reasons. This is the last un-downloadable thing they can do. And they can do it with other people. It’s even more special than when I was a kid.
“We have a great board at the Playhouse. There are new, young people, and others on it a long time who are really energized. All of us are committed to giving people a great night out.”
And to ensuring that backstage, every actor — well known now, or will be in the future — has a chance to put their feet on the boards from that original 1931 stage, close their eyes, and think about everyone who also stood on the same stage.
And then walk out, and keep the magic of the Westport Country Playhouse alive for generations to come.
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Albion Vu is a multi-disciplinary artist, based in New York, Martha’s Vineyard and Miami.
The other day, he visited Westport for the first time. He found beauty and inspiration all around town, in a variety of angles and shapes. Here is some of what he saw:
Westporters of a certain age remember Allen’s Clam House.
The the Hillspoint Road restaurant on the edge of Sherwood Mill Pond attracted generations of diners for 2 reasons: its seafood, and the view.
It fell into disrepair, was demolished, and now only memories remain. In its place, the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve offers a spot for contemplation, bird- and nature-watching, and kayak launching.
It’s a hidden gem, in a well-traveled part of town.
How hidden? Only 3 readers — Andrew Colabella, Seth Braunstein, Jonathan McClure and Courtney McMahon — recognized the “Entrance” sign, for the small parking lot that was last week’s Photo Challenge. (Click here to see.)
It’s worth a visit, any time of year. But don’t tell anyone.
It’s our little secret.
What about this week’s challenge? If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Pat Saviano)
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To that end, I’m pleased to share that we launched the district’s DEIB website (westportdeib.org) last week as the source of truth regarding the work, progress, and dialogue happening in, and for, our schools. Here you’ll find sample learning experiences, curriculum highlights, school policies and protocols, and current news and events. In the coming weeks, answers to frequently asked questions will be added.
