Tag Archives: Cynthia Gibb

Roundup: Old Mill Grocery, Fire Danger, Duke Ellington …

Posted on November 20, 2024 | 1 comment

Old Mill Grocery & Delis’s picnic tables, gelato cart and liquor license are now, officially, legal.

On Monday night, the Planning & Zoning Commission approved — with a modification — a text amendment covering outdoor eating areas, and associated uses, for retail food establishments in residential zones.

Commissioners tweaked the prooposal, ensuring that tables at 2 other establishments — The Porch at Christie’s, and The Country Store on Wilton Road — would not encroach on their property boundaries.

The P&Z cited the “strong sense of community and connection with one’s neighbors” provided by those 3 establishments, as part of the reasons for adopting the text amendment.

Old Mill Grocery & Deli’s picnic tables have been there for decades.

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Due to extreme fire danger in the area, outdoor burning is prohibited. This includes fire pits; open flames (for example, brush or leaf pile burning), chimineas, and other outdoor flame devices. Violators may face legal consequences.

For indoor fireplaces or wood stoves, follow these safety tips:

  • Ensure chimneys and flues are professionally cleaned and inspected.
  • Burn only dry, seasoned wood to minimize creosote buildup.
  • Avoid overloading your fireplace or stove.
  • Use a protective screen to contain embers.

As drought conditions persist, water conservation tips include:

  • Limit outdoor watering and use of irrigation systems.
  • Fix leaks in faucets, pipes, and appliances promptly.
  • Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
  • Use rain barrels to collect water for outdoor plants.

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Are you interested in electric vehicles, but unsure which is the “best”? (Or, more accurately, the best for you?)

The EV Club of Connecticut hosts a special online event December 3 (7 p.m.).

Gabe Shenhar — a Westport resident, EV Club member, and associate director of the auto test program for Consumer Reports — will review 8 vehicles: Mercedes EQE SUV; Genesis GV60; Cadillac Lyriq; Acura ZDX; Lexus RZ; Chevy Equinox EV; Tesla Cybertruck. and Volvo XC60.

The session is free, but registration is required. Click here to sign up, and for more information.

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Next month, prominent musicians and music scholars gather at the Westport Library to honor one of America’s greatest composers.

“Speaking of Music: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington (December 7, 7 p.m.) features a multimedia presentation by Dr. John Edward Hasse.

The longtime curator of American music at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will discuss Ellington’s legacy as a musician, including his impact on popular music of the late 20th century.

Then, James Langton and Dan Levinson’s New York All-Star Big Band will perform music from the innovative artist.

Tickets are $40. Click here to purchase, and for more information.

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Oscars are great.

But they’re not the only prizes in the film universe.

ETHOS Film Awards celebrate purpose-driven films that promote peace, diversity, inclusion and environmental sustainability.

All genres and lengths are eligible. Under-represented voices — including the neuro-diverse and disability community — are encouraged to apply.

This past weekend in Santa Monica, California, Wynston Browne earned an ETHOS as “Best Impact Actor.”

The Staples High School senior — a non-speaking autistic teenager whose communication via a typing device has opened up his own world, and shown the rest of the world his remarkable, wide-ranging and tremendous intelligence — starred in (and inspired) “Presumed Incompetent.”

Directed by Staples High School graduate Cynthia Gibb, written by longtime Westporter Jill Johnson Mann, and filmed here in 2023, the film tells the story of an exceptionally bright young man — overlooked for his neuro-diversity, and “presumed incompetent” — overcoming his disabilities, and blazing a path for inclusion.

Wynston did a talkback — using his communication devices — following the screening in California.

But he and his film don’t stop there. On December 12, “Presumed Innocent” will be screened at the Big Apple Film Festival (657 West 57th Street, 5:45 p.m.; click here for tickets).

Congratulations, Wynston. We always knew you were a star!

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Speaking of entertainment: First Folk Sunday is going Irish.

Four fine Irish musicians come together Sunday, December 1 (noon), at the Saugatuck Rowing Club.

Californian John Brennan began his career as a guitarist with Poco, the Eagles, Graham Nash, and The Byrds discovered his Irish roots when he relocated to New York City.

For First Folk Sunday, he brings together accordionist Loretta Egan Murphy (Cherish the Ladies, Shamrock Traditional Music Society); Eugene Bender (Sligo style traditional Irish fiddler), and Mark Demchak (bodhran player – the Irish drum).

First Folk Sunday’s Irish lass Suzanne Sheridan joins them. She recently traveled to Ireland, and has taken her homeland’s music to heart.

The music cover charge is $15 (click here for reservations). Table service is available for brunch or lunch. Cocktails and beverages are offere too.

Sure, and it’s an Irish First Folk Sunday.

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Here’s an interesting spin on mental health:

Over 75 people  turned out recently for Positive Directions’ first spin fundraiser.

More than 150 donors — including some of the town’s top officials — rode almost 625 miles in 90 minutes.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas, 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker take spins.

Their hard work raised over $30,000 for Positive Directions. Funds will help the non-profit behavioral health organization address mental health needs, and ensure that mental health treatment is available to all who need it.

Positive Directions’ board members, staff and spin talent. (Photos/Kerry Fitz Photography)

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As Donald Trump gets ready to return to the White house, the ACLU of Connecticut gets ready too.

On December 5 (6 p.m., Westport Library), they’ll sponsoor a “Civil Rights Town Hall: Preparing for a New Presidential Administration.”

ACLU panelists will address:

  • Free speech, and the right to assemble
  • Immigrants’ rights
  • Reproductive rights and bodily autonomy
  • LGBTQIA+ rights
  • Criminal legal system
  • Government surveillance
  • Voting rights.

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The Westport Country Playhouse 2024 Script in Hand season concludes December 2 (7 p.m.) with “True Art.”

It’s a “sharp and funny tale of ambition, deception, and self-discovery in the high stakes and cutthroat art world.”

All tickets are $30. Click here for tickets, and more information.

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There were treats for doggies — and humans — last night, as Spot on Vet celebrated its grand opening.

The new veterainary center replaces Men’s Wearhouse, on Post Road East between Christian Siriano’s boutique and Starbucks.

Spot On Vet offers emergency medical care; day care and boarding for sick, injured or recovering animals in “luxury accommodations” (well-lit cubicles with small beds).

Owners can watch their pets via camera. Pets can also listen to their favorite music or TV program.

Spot On Vet also offers dental care, a full pharmacy, facilities for major surgeries including orthopedic procedures, medical testing that often can’t be done in a regular veterinary office, physical therapy, and a valet service to pick up pets from home.

Everyone was welcome at Spot on Vet’s opening. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)

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Speaking of man’s best friend: Our “Westport … Naturally” features often bring smiles to readers’ faces.

But today you’ll actually laugh. Just look at this laughing dog:

(Photo/Pat Weist)

“We all need a good laugh these days,” photographer Pat Weist says.

Arf!

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And finally … in honor of Positive Directions’ fundraiser (story above):

 (No matter how you spin it, “06880” is your hyper-local source for news, opinions and much more. As always, we rely on reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)

 

 

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Roundup: Santa Run, Downtown Trees, Staples Football …

Posted on November 29, 2023 | 2 comments

It’s a Christmas miracle!

Lucia Palmieri — who every year cooks, then gives away, a whole bunch of Thanksgiving dinners — is also bringing Santa Claus to her home.

And she’s inviting Westport kids and parents, too.

The Westport Uniformed Firefighters Charitable Foundation already sponsors “Santa” runs, complete with a fire truck. But spots are limited, and not every parent who wanted to could sign up.

So on Friday, December 8, Santa (and the fire truck) will come to Lucia’s house, at 4 Narrow Rocks Road.

The Big Guy will hand presents to children. But first (kids — stop reading here!) — their parents need to make a minimum $35 donation to the Firefighters Foundation. Click here to do that.

Parents also must drop off a wrapped gift for their child (kids — you should not be reading this!) at Lucia’s house before the event.

Lucia will also provide a fire and hot chocolate. She may even lead a few carols.

And — spoiler alert — she is not just a very generous woman. Lucia is also a professional opera singer, with gigs at Carnegie Hall and the US Open, and on ESPN, Bravo, ABC and NBC.

To RSVP, and for questions, email luciapalmieri@yahoo.com or call 917-578-8443. (Hat tip: Katherine Calise)

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Westport Downtown Association president Maxx Crowley and his SCA team picked up 3 Christmas trees this week, from Izz0 & Son Country Gardens.

Each is 12 feet tall.

They’ll go up around downtown tomorrow — just in time for Saturday’s Holiday Stoll (5 to 7 p.m.; co-sponsored by the WDA and “06880”).

Click here for Stroll details. Meanwhile, check out these beauties:

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Also, just in time for the holidays, a shop has popped up in Westport.

West | Out East — with locations in New York City, East Hampton and Miami — is now open at 1 Main Street. That’s near the intersection of Post Road East — the previous site of POP’Tart  gallery.

This is a bigger space than their previous location, 9 Riverside Avenue.

Modular products are “versatile in style and function, accentuated by customizable millwork.” The collection includes indoor and outdoor furniture, decorative and architectural lighting, closets, storage systems, kitchens, bath fixtures, rugs and accessories.

PS: West | Out East is part of the “06880”/Westport Downtown Association Holiday Stroll. They offer prosecco, presents and a raffle to win home décor accessories.

West | Out East pop-up, at 1 Main Street.

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Congratulations to the Staples football team!

Led by quarterback Caleb Smith and the offensive line, they rallied from a 9-6 halftime deficit to nip Fairfield Prep 13-12, in last night’s state “LL” (extra large schools) quarterfinal game.

The Wreckers are seeded first; the Jesuits were 8th. Prep ended the Westporters’ season last year, with a 23-22 state playoff win.

The victory earns Staples a home semifinal contest against #5 Southington, at 12:30 p.m. this Sunday. Staples beat the upstaters 34-27 earlier this year.

Quarterback Caleb Smith. (Photo/John Nash for The Ruden Report)

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Neighborhood Studios — the multi-discipline, multi-dimensional Bridgeport arts program supported by many Westporters —  and the Curtis Summer Camp Fund have partnered on a very cool benefit concert.

With very cool local musicians.

“Give Kids a Chance!” (December 5, Fairfield Theatre Company; reception at 6 p.m, concert at 7 p.m.) features great local talent. They’re backed by the Zambonis: the greatest (and only) hockey rock band on the planet.

Many musicians’ names are familiar to Westporters: Jim Francis, Jeffrey and Laurie Gross, Dave Hart, Stanton Lesser, Rob Morton, Leila Shields, Rick Smilow and 5th State Band. They’re joined by students and alumni of the Neighborhood Studios Contemporary & Jazz Ensemble.

Neighborhood Studios serves more than 1,000 Bridgeport youth, ages 3 to 19, with after-school programs and summer camps. It transforms lives through arts education, and empowers youngsters to make differences in their community.

The Curtis Summer Camp Fund changes lives by sending Bridgeport youths to sleepaway camp.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

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Dr. Robert Altbaum is now retired. But he’s still helping Westporters live healthy lives.

On Tuesday, he brought 40 years of experience to the Y’s Women meeting. Altbaum discussed osteoporosis — its causes, dangers, and how to live with it.

It was an important topic. Osteoporosis predominantly affects women over 50.  30% of women over 65 have the disease; only 4% of men do.

Altbaum said that strong bones are the key to osteoporosis prevention. He recommends weight-bearing exercises like walking, running or the elliptical; vitamin D; reduced alcohol consumption, and no smoking.

He also discussed ways to reduce falls, including night lights, getting rid of throw rugs, clearing clutter, a chair or grab bars in the shower, and always using stair rails.

Dr. Robert Altbaum, at yesterday’s Y’s Women meeting.

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Tomorrow’s Jazz at the Post features The Caribbean Jazz Connection (Thursday, November 30, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; dinner at 7 p.m.; $15 music charge).

Led by drummer Jim Royle, who crosses jazz and Caribbean Latin styles, it features steel pan player Bryan Garbe, an internationally acclaimed percussionist who grew up in Fairfield.

The band also includes bassist John Mobilio and pianist David Childs.

Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.

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“Lux Freer” — the award-winning short film shot and produced in Westport last year — screens this Sunday at the Dances With Films festival in New York.

Show time is 2 p.m., at Regal Union Square.

It was the first film directed by actress (and Staples High School graduate) Cynthia Gibb, known for her on-screen work in “Gypsy,” “Fame” and “Youngblood.”

“Lux Freer” won Best USA Film, and Gibb was named Best First-Time Director, at the New York  Cinematography Awards. It was also honored as Outstanding Narrative Short at the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival). Gibb’s film also earned Honorable Mention in the Best LGBTQ Short Film category at Los Angeles’ Indie Short Fest.

The lead, Echo Bodell, will attend the New York showing, along with Gibb, writer Jill Johnson Mann and other cast members, including Staples senior Cameron Mann (who played the killer in HBO’s “Mare of Easttown.”

Click here for tickets.

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Thanksgiving is nearly a week in the rear view mirror. Most turkeys are gone — eaten (including leftovers), the carcasses disposed of.

Except for this one.

Judy Auber Jahnel spotted it in an usual spot: the Riverwalk, outside the Westport Library and smack in the middle of downtown.

There must be a back story.

If you know what it is, click “Comments” below.

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In all his decades in Westport, John Kantor says, he never saw a bobcat around Grove Point.

Until this one visited his garden yesterday afternoon.

It doesn’t get more “Westport … Naturally” than this.

(Photo/John Kantor)

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And finally … Jean Knight — whose only hit (“Mr. Big Stuff”) lives on more than 50 years after its release — died last week in Florida. She was 80.

It was nominated for a 1971 Grammy Award nomination for best female R&B vocal performance (Aretha Franklin won for “Bridge Over Troubled Water”), and best R&B song (Bill Withers won for “Ain’t No Sunshine”).

Click here for a full obituary.

(Hey, Mr. Big Stuff! Please consider a donation to “06880.” It’s tax-deductible, too. Just click here. Thank you, sir!)

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Wynston Browne: Westport’s Newest Movie Star, In A Breakout Role

Posted on September 7, 2023 | 11 comments

Triple Threat Academy’s 2022 film “Lux Freer” has won awards, and will screen at the Bridgeport Film Festival tomorrow. The acting/singing/dancing school’s fall classes start September 12.

But as founder/director Cynthia Gibb and writer/producer Jill Johnson Mann look ahead, they’re still smiling about this past summer.

The 2 women have had great careers in entertainment. Yet filming “Presumed Incompetent” — their 2023 film — was a highlight of their lives.

Both professionally, and personally.

The film was inspired by Wynston Browne. The story of the non-speaking autistic Staples junior — for years believed to be developmentally disabled, now using a keyboard to stun everyone with his remarkable intelligence — has inspired people all over town.

But Wynston is far more than the inspiration for the film.

He is also its star.

Wynston caught the eye of Gibb (a 1981 Staples High graduate and “Fame” star) and Mann, who works closely with Gibb (and whose children have acted professionally in, among others, “Mare of Easttown” and “Country Comfort”).

Each summer, Triple Threat students act in — and learn every element of — a short film. Mann and Gibb thought Wynston’s story deserved to be told on screen.

The first time Gibb met Wynston, she asked what he wanted people to learn from this film. He typed, “True inclusion means participation.”

They sure got that right.

Wynston Browne shares his thoughts by typing, in early table read.

Mann’s script for “Presumed Incompetent” tells the tale of a nonspeaking autistic teenager who was locked in his own mind for 15 years, with no way to communicate with the outside world.

Even his own parents could only guess what he was thinking. Those guesses were often off base, because the apraxia that afflicts “Chance” (and Wynston in real life) causes his body to move erratically. He appear agitated and unfocused, though he is not.

But only the boy locked inside knew that. He is highly intelligent. He hears and absorbs everything, even as doctors, teachers and therapists tell Chance’s family that he has a serious cognitive impairment.

No one presumed competence. The movie’s message is that we all must always presume competence.

Filming (from left) Claire Butler, Natalia Mann, Izzy Leeming and Sophie Jasmin Walther. Wynston told writer Jill Johnson Mann that one of the most difficult experiences during his years he could not communicate was feeling like kids made fun of him in the halls.

When the family discovers a spelling method that gives nonspeaking autistic people a voice, everything changes.

The film was shot entirely in Westport. The cast included 25 young people and 10 adults, nearly all of them locals.

During a week of rehearsals they got to know Wynston, who said that most of all, he just wants to be included with his peers.

He participated in the table read, spelling his lines as his character does in the film. He rehearsed scenes under Gibb’s direction, with the actors who played his parents and siblings.

His fellow actors learned to disregard signs that Wynston seemed to not listen or pay attention when they talked to him. They knew he was taking everything in, though his brain often can’t get his body to make eye contact or sit still.

Wynston Browne cuddles with castmates, during a break in filming.

But when Gibb called “action!” Wynston was laser focused. He stunned everyone with his nuanced, sensitive, emotional performance.

More than once, he had the cast and crew in tears.

Over the course of the week shooting the film, they watched a confident actor emerge.

Wynston Browne in an emotional scene, with fellow Westporter Alexandra Pearl.

Wynston got the drill: Now we go back down the hall and do another take; now they turn the cameras around and shoot another way; now I can feel proud because we got the shot!

In an astounding basketball scene Wynston worked the crowd, looking up to the stands with a grin as he sank shot after shot.

Wynston Browne’s face lights up, as he sinks his basketball shots. Westporter Mario Manna (left) plays his coach. Westport’s Miles Katz (far right), an Emerson film student, assists with the crew. 

He is in almost every scene in the film, working 12-hour days. In the evening he slouched on the couch like any teenager, cuddling with his film family, not wanting the day to end.

Partway through the shoot, he spelled to his mom: “I want to be an actor.” He told her it was the best week of his life.

Wynston had quite a surrounding cast, of actors from ages 7 to 85.

Other special needs actors participated too, including Bella Rizzi and Cotton Bodell of Westport.

Kassie Mundhenk of New Jersey, who played Moira Ross in HBO’s “Mare of Easttown,” alongside Kate Winslet and Jill Johnson Mann’s son Cameron (he turned out to be the murderer), was also in the film. Westporter Deb Katz plays Wynston’s mother.

Westport’s Bella Rizzi and Kassie Mundhenk set up for a shot at The Porch. The deli’s mission of inclusion and employing people with special needs aligns with the mission of Triple Threat’s films. 

“Presumed Incompetent” is now in post-production. Early next year, it will start making the rounds of film festivals.

This was not the only movie made through Triple Threat’s summer independent film project.

A student short, “Ocean’s 14,” was written by Staples senior Ayla Nahmias, and directed by classmate Tyler Rockwell.

“The Family Recipe” is a historical fiction story written by a Triple Threat’acting teachers, Alexandra Pearl. It starred a number of younger actors.

But “Presumed Incompetent” is the most ground-breaking. Wynston Browne is believed to be the first non-speaking autistic person to star in a film (other than a documentary).

He had a great 2 weeks. His co-stars and crew had an equally memorable time. A group chat continues the friendships formed on the set.

Soon, audiences everywhere will appreciate and admire Westport’s newest movie star too.

(“06880” is proud to tell Wynston’s story — and so many others. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Staples HS, Teenagers

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“Lux Freer” Premieres — And Earns Honors

Posted on March 3, 2023 | Comments Off on “Lux Freer” Premieres — And Earns Honors

“Lux Freer” — Triple Threat Academy‘s award-winning, locally shot and produced independent film — enjoyed a pair of premieres last month.

The plot involves Lux, a middle-class non-binary teen who feels like an outcast in their new town of rich jocks and beauty queens, until a wishing well and the most popular guy in town offer a view from the top of the social ladder.

A private screening at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre included 21 cast members (22, counting Sophie Walther, who Zoomed in from the UK).

Cast and crew of “Lux Freer,” at the SHU Community Theater. In front: co-producers Cynthia Gibb and Jill Johnson Mann.

Staples High School 2022 graduate Echo Bodell — who stars as Lux Freer — flew in from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Echo, a non-binary songwriter/ actor, plays the non-binary protagonist, Lux Freer.

Jean Louisa Kelly — recently seen in “Top Gun: Maverick” — was there, with her daughter Josy Pitaro (Lux’s villain).  

Cameron Mann — who played a pivotal role in “Mare of Easttown” — joined assistant costume designer Zoe Mann (aka his twin). Their older brother Jamie Mann (“Country Comfort”) — who in addition to acting in the film, choreographed the big dance number — could not make it. He’s at the University of Michigan, studying musical theater. 

Watching proudly were director/co-producer Cynthia Gibb and writer/co-producer Jill Johnson Mann. Gibb — another Staples graduate — began acting at 15, in Woody Allen’s “Stardust.” She went on to great fame, in “Fame.”

“Lux Freer” reminded her of that joy. She appreciated sharing the magic of film acting with her Triple Threat Academy students.

Director Cynthia Gibb has worked with Echo Bodell for years. Here the star is, on the big screen.

“Lux Freer”‘s world premiere was Saturday, at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Bodell and several other cast members joined Gibb on the red carpet.

The film won Best USA Film and Best First-Time Director at New York’s Cinematography Awards in December), and followed up with Honorable Mention for Best LGBTQ Short Film at the Los Angeles Indie Short Fest last month. 

At the actual “red carpet” in Los Angeles (from left): Jennifer Ryan (Miss Savannah), Leanna Mitev (Linah Freer), director Cynthia Gibb and Echo Bodell (Lux Freer).

“Lux Freer” was created during Triple Threat Academy’s summer film camp. Students — novice and professional actors — collaborate with a professional crew to create a film, gaining experience in front of the camera and in crew apprentice roles.

Gibb calls the cast “a blend of professional actors with impressive credits, and many making their screen debuts.

“It is also a blend of the ‘popular kids,’ and those who exist on the fringes of the social strata.

“At the beginning, there were clichés. By the end, we were one big film family. It was life imitating our art.”

“Parts of the script are inspired by actual scenarios experienced by Echo on their challenging journey to live in a way that is true to themself,” says Johnson Mann.

“After the film wrapped, Echo told us that those were the best two weeks of their life. They stepped into the spotlight timidly on Day 1, and strutted out a new person on day 10.”

Several trans teens in the cast also found acceptance, like-minded friends, and a new confidence, the writer/co-producer adds.

Next up: another independent film, this summer. Details will be announced soon.

(Click here for more information on Triple Threat Academy, including enrollment.)

(Westport is an arts town — and “06880” covers all the arts. Please click here to help support us what we do. Thank you!)

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Triple Threat Film Shoots In Westport

Posted on September 10, 2022 | 3 comments

“Hey kids, let’s put on a show!” Mickey Rooney said that so often to Judy Garland in Depression-era films, it became a cliché.

Kids today still put on shows. But — this being Westport, and the year being 2022 — they are, well, different.

“Lux Freer” is the latest movie to be made here. The plot: A middle-class non-binary teen feels like an outcast in their new town of rich jocks and beauty queens — until a wishing well and the most popular guy in school offer a view from the top of the social ladder.

See what I mean?

Cast and crew take a break, with a Joe’s Pizza lunch.

“Lux Freer” is a production of Triple Threat Academy. Each summer the Westport-based school for teen and adult actors, singers and dancers (“triple threats”), founded by “Fame” star/1981 Staples High School graduate) Cynthia Gibb, runs an independent film project.

Students learn acting in front of a camera, along with directing, shooting and producing.

With a professional crew, a cast of 23, and a heap of help from Westport residents and businesses, this is the biggest Triple Threat production yet.

Westporter Andrew Wilk (multi-Emmy-winning producer/director of “Live from Lincoln Center, former Sony Music COO), screenwriter Michael Jamin (“Beavis and Butthead”), makeup artist Kathleen Fillion and filmmaker Allie O’Brien all spoke with students. 

Jamie Mann’s makeup is done professionally by Kathleen Fillion.

The non-binary star is Echo Bodell, Other cast members include professional actors Jean Louisa Kelly (“Top Gun Maverick”), Jamie Mann (“Country Comfort”), Cameron Mann (“Mare of Easttown”) and Natalie Mann (“A California Christmas”). All except Kelly are, were or soon will be Staples High School students.

“Lux Freer” star Echo Bodell (black clothes) and Jasmita Mani Lorenzato prepare for a shot.

Shooting took place at Bedford Middle School. Principal Adam Rosen welcomed the cast (many of whom attended BMS).

The Porch @ Christie’s — whose mission of inclusion aligns with the film’s theme — was another location. They catered one lunch. Comped and/or discounted food was also courtesy of Joe’s Pizza and Gaetano’s. Planet Pizza provided a uniform, pizzas and catering.

The iconic Buick station wagon came courtesy of longtime Westporter Anne Westlake.

Many Westporters joined the filming as extras. You’ll see some familiar faces (including, ahem, my own.)

Cast members and extras wait for “Action!” in the Bedford Middle School auditorium.

Later this year – after editing and post-production — “Lux Freer” will hit the film festival circuit.

The entire cast and crew — I mean, we — can’t wait.

(For more information on Triple Threat’s fall acting and improv classes, and more,  click here.)

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Roundup: Distracted Driving, Breakfast Club, Shake Shack …

Posted on April 2, 2022 | 6 comments

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If you drove on I-95 or the Merritt Parkway yesterday, you noticed electronic signs warning against distracted driving: “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”

They’re part of a state Department of Transportation campaign for April — it’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The Westport Police have joined the effort too.

Connecticut law prohibits the use of any hand-held electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers 16 or 17 years of age are prohibited from using a cell phone or mobile device any time, even a hands-free one.

Drivers who are ticketed pay $200 for the first offense, $375 for the next, and $625 for the third and subsequent offenses.

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If you never saw “The Breakfast Club”: You missed a classic.

If you missed Triple Threat Academy’s staged workshop production of it at Toquet Hall: You missed another classic.

But you’re in luck! Excerpts have just been posted on YouTube.

The performance grew out of TripleThreat’s Zoom production, directed by founder and “Fame” star Cynthia Gibb during the pandemic.

The cast brought such energy and power to their Zoom sessions that Gibb vowed to bring it to the stage as soon as it was safe.

Despite only 10 hours of rehearsal, the show earned a standing ovation. Triple Threat plans more productions like it. Their spring session begins April 12, with acting and improv classes for youth, teens and adults at Toquet Hall.

Click here for details. As for video below: Hey, it’s “The Breakfast Club.” Beware of f-bombs.

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Could Shake Shack be leaving?

It looked that way, from from the commercial real estate listing:

Turns out it’s the small rooms that are being rented by Pinnacle Fitness — perhaps to a physical therapist, chiropractor or similar tenant. Yuri’s Gym has closed.

Sounds like a great opportunity. Especially for a health professional who likes hamburgers. (Hat tip: Steven Goldstein)

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Aspetuck Land Trust’s popular “Lunch & Learn” series returns this Friday (April 8, noon to 1:15 p.m., Zoom).

“Invasives to Natives: A Backyard Restoration” features super-gardener Pam Roman. She’ll talk about her COVID-time project that transformed her garden — and also healed her heart and soul. Click here to register.

Pam Roman, in her garden.

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Fortunately, NASA has a deflection plan. Just as fortuitously, the Westport Astronomical Society’s next online lecture is with Dr. Nancy Chabot. She’s the planetary chief scientist at Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory. She’ll talk about DART — the “Double Asteroid Redirection Test” defense mission.Here’s one more: an asteroid smashing into earth.

The event is April 19 (8 p.m.). Click here for the Zoom link. Click here for  the YouTube livestream.

It should be fascinating. If nothing has happened to the world in the meantime.

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Former Westporter Barbara Webster died in February at her Oklahoma City home, from complications of dementia. She was  85.

She retired in 2016 after a storied career as a teacher, counselor, professional dancer, choreographer and arts administrator. Her last appointments were as a career counselor at Bunnell High School in Stratford, and executive director of the Connecticut Dance School in Fairfield.

Webster taught dance and fitness for decades through the Westport adult education and summer school programs, and in studios across Fairfield County (including with former Broadway star Bambi Lynn).

She helped choreograph productions and enhanced costumes for Staples Players and at Coleytown Junior High School in the 1970s and ’80s, including shows like “Oklahoma!”, “My Fair Lady,” “Carousel” and “Dromio, Dromio!.” She served as a substitute teacher and guidance counselor too.

She performed with the Dancers of Faith and with Heritage Productions throughout the tri-state region, and presented her original work at the Unitarian Church in Westport. She held additional arts administration roles at the Levitt Pavilion, executive director of the Stamford Community Arts Council, and director of ARTSPACE in New Haven.

An accomplished seamstress and costume designer, Webster was one of 12 needlewomen working on Westport’s Bicentennial Quilt. She also created an original ornament for the Westport Heritage Christmas Tree.

In 1977 Webster co-founded Giftbags, Ltd. She helped develop a customized line of reusable felt bags and puppets for gifts, wine and treats that were featured at the Metropolitan Opera, and local boutiques. Later, she co-created puppets for sale at Blue Man Group performances.A native of New Jersey, Webster graduated first in her class from Barringer High School (Newark) in 1953 and received her BA degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University, in 1957. She earned a Master of Education degree from Rutgers in 1965.

Webster was predeceased by her husband Russell and brother, Dr. Edward C. Sheppard. Survivors include her children Russell Todd Webster of Anchorage, and Catherine Sheppard Webster of Oklahoma City, and grandchildren Haven Barnett, Teddy Webster, and Meredith and Thayer Dycus.

A memorial service will be held August 7 (2 p.m., Unitarian Church in Westport).

The family has requested that contributions in her memory be sent to a scholarship established in her name at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Barbara Webster

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Many “06880” readers sent photos of yesterday’s gorgeous rainbow over Compo Beach. Jeanine Esposito’s made the cut as today’s “Westport … Naturally” image.

(Photo/Jeanine Esposito)

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And finally … gamed jazz guitarist Larry Coryell was born today in 1943. He died in 2017.

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Roundup: Vaccine, Leah Rondon, Rotary $$ …

Posted on March 2, 2021 | 5 comments

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The latest COVID news, via Kerry Foley and Facebook’s “Westport Coronavirus Info” page:

  • “Tens of thousands” of additional doses should be added to the system this week. That means appointment slots will open up soon.
  • If you have a vaccine appointment in  April May or June, you should be able to get an earlier date in the next 3 weeks. If you do get an earlier date, cancel your later appointment.
  • The state is on target to open appointments to the 45 to 54 age group on March 22.

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For several years, a Birthday Bash in honor of Leah Rondon raised money for several scholarships. It honored the 6-year-old daughter of Bedford Middle School teacher Colleen Rondon, who was killed when struck by a car while playing at a friend’s house.

COVID canceled the most recent event. But the show goes on — literally.

This Saturday (March 6, 6 p.m.), a cabaret with young performers from around the globe will be livestreamed on Triple Threat Academy‘s Facebook and YouTube pages. Triple Threat founder/noted “Fame” actress/Staples High School grad Cynthia Gibb co-hosts, with Leah’s mom Colleen.

Performers – most of whom train with Triple Threat in Westport and Hollywood — include Makayla Joy Connolly of Broadway’s “Harry Potter,” and Westport’s own Jamie Mann, of Netflix’s new show “Country  Comfort.”

Leah’s brother Sam joins on sax, Cooper Sadler tears it up at the Levitt Pavilion, and Sophie Walther sings her heart out from the UK.

The family-friendly benefit relies on donations from viewers and supporters. Click here for the link; click for the livestream via Triple Threat’s Facebook Live and YouTube pages.

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It’s been a tough year for non-profits. In-person fundraising has suffered, while demands for their services has spiked.

But thanks to one organization, another can continue its work.

Westport Rotary Club recently donated $1,075 to Homes with Hope. The funds will provide transportation for children living in supportive housing to HwH’s After School Academic Program, where they receive food, tutoring and mentoring. It’s especially important with the rise in online learning, and the widening academic gap for children without a parent to assist them.

Westport Rotary will distribute all of the funds donated by the community to its 2020 LobsterFest Charitable Giving fundraiser. More grant recipients will be announced soon.

Rotary meetings now held virtually 3 Tuesdays a month (12:30 to 1:30 p.m.). For more information, click here.

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March is Women’s History Month. For 25 years, Winged Monkey has been a woman-owned Westport business.

To celebrate both the month and their 25th anniversary, the popular Post Road East shop is offering — yes — 25% sales. There are other promotions all month long too.

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And finally … 3 big birthdays today. They represent a wide range of genres.

Karen Carpenter was born March 2, 1950. She died in 1983.

Jon Bon Jovi was born today in 1962.

And happy 50th birthday to Method Man.

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The Rachel Rose Of Texas

Posted on August 29, 2020 | Comments Off on The Rachel Rose Of Texas

Earlier this summer, Savvy + Grace sponsored a great afternoon of sidewalk music.

Some of the entertainers were current Westporters. Getting to the Main Street gifts-and-more shop was easy.

Rachel Rose’s route to the Main Street gig was a bit more circuitous.

The Long Lots Elementary, Bedford Middle and Staples High School (Class of 2014) grad was fortunate that her grandmother, Sylvia Wachtel, lived in Westport too. A huge Turner Classic Movies fan, Sylvia shared her love of jazz films — and the music of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Etta James — with Rachel.

Rachel’s parents were also music fans. They played Bryan Adams and John Mayer CDs in the car. Her dad liked the Dead, Steve Miller and Dave Matthews.

Rachel Rose

After graduation, Rachel — who sang with Staples’ Orphenians, and took private lessons with Cynthia Gibb — headed to the University of Texas. She calls Austin “the live music capital of the world,” and figured it was the perfect place to get a general degree (she majored in psychology) while also performing.

She joined an elite UT vocal group, Ensemble 109, and formed a band. Austin’s 6th Street bar-and-music scene was indeed hopping. She played everywhere, met plenty of people, and got an A&R job with a music streamer.

Rachel calls her musical style “Jewish soul., contemporary soul and R&B.” She identified with Amy Winehouse, whose “Back to Black” album was particularly influential.

Jazz remained important to Rachel. New York had a more robust jazz and sould scene than Austin, Rachel says, so in 2018 she reluctantly left Austin, and relocated to Brooklyn.

As soon as she arrived she began writing songs. “It was a leap of faith,” she says. “I tried to find my image, my music.”

What emerged was “a melding of Austin and Brooklyn.” This past February she quit her job with a music distribution company, and concentrated full time on her career.

She finished writing songs for her EP this spring. In mid-August she released her first single, “You.” It’s available on every major platform.

The second single followed. The full EP is available September 7.

Her Savvy + Grace gig represented a great “homecoming” for Rachel Rose. There could not have been a more appropriate venue, for this savvy, graceful — and quite talented — rising star.

(Click here for Rachel Rose’s website.) 

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Downtown Busking Set For Saturday

Posted on July 20, 2020 | 5 comments

If you’ve been downtown lately you know that most stores are open, and life is returning to Main Street and environs.

If you haven’t been downtown: Here’s your chance.

This Saturday (July 25, 12:30 p.m.), there’s live entertainment. The area around 146 Main Street will be filled with cool and talented musicians.

(Busking will take place near Savvy + Grace on Main Street. Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

The busking is the brainchild of 2 dynamos: Savvy + Grace owner Annette Norton, and actor/singer/educator Cynthia Gibb.

Annette — whose gifts-and-more shop is another great reason to head downtown — firmly believes that interesting events draw people to the Main Street she loves.

Cynthia — a Staples High School graduate, star of “Fame” and founder of Triple Threat Academy for young actors, singers and dancers — has enlisted nearly a dozen entertainers. Some have already recorded professional; others have appeared on TV.

Some of Saturday’s entertainers.

The cast includes “Billy Elliot” dancer/”County Comfort” TV star/Staples player Jamie Mann; Westporter Rob (Slosberg) Morton, whose “Just One More Day With You” has over 100,000 YouTube views; Momo Burns-Min, a recent Weston High graduate who performed with Kelli O’Hara in the Westport Country Playhouse’s April livestream; soulful indie singer/songwriter Rachel Rose of Brooklyn, and Wilton High’s Olivia Vitterelli.

Each singer will perform a couple of songs. It’s fast-paced and fun. Of course, masks and social distancing are required.

Let the busking begin!

Westport’s own Jamie Mann also performs this Saturday.

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Cynthia Gibb’s Triple Threat For Aspiring Actors, Writers, Dancers

Posted on March 25, 2020 | 3 comments

As Westport teens and tweens settle down to life in a pandemic, they’re learning how to learn online.

Academics and extracurriculars are all done virtually now. But it’s one thing to learn math or history that way, or do your judo or piano lessons.

What about all those theater kids? When Mickey Rooney said “let’s put on a show!” he wasn’t talking to himself.

Cynthia Gibb rides to the rescue.

The 1981 Staples High School graduate sure has the credentials. She’s starred in “Search for Tomorrow” and “Fame”; played Karen Carpenter in her biopic; starred with Shirley Jones, Dick Van Dyke, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Burt Reynolds, and been on “Law and Order/SVU” and “Criminal Minds” too.

Cynthia Gibb earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee in “Gypsy,” with Bette Midler.

Cynthia worked with Oliver Stone, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins. Her credits include 13 features, 3 network series, 24 TV movies, countless TV pilots, commercials, voiceovers and print work.

A decade ago she returned to Westport, and opened Triple Threat Academy. It’s nurtured and inspired hundreds of young and adult actors, singers and dancers. Many have gone on to schools like Tisch and Carnegie Mellon, and careers on Broadway and in Hollywood.

Cynthia Gibb, at the “Fame” reunion in Italy.

When the coronavirus pandemic turned “Contagion” into reality, acting teacher Nick Sadler (“True Grit,” “Scent of a Woman”) brainstormed how to keep youngsters — so many of whose shows were canceled just days before opening night — engaged. It had to be more than a watching-and-waiting scene study class.

Cynthia had an idea: a pandemic monologue play.

Students could journal about their experiences during this crazy time, and craft a monologue. At the end of 6 weeks, it will be performed via Zoom. With Triple Threat’s help, actors might take the resulting play to a real stage or screen — even on tour — once people can congregate again.

Westport native Jamie Mann (right) and Josie Todd (middle), last summer in “Because of Winn Dixie” at the Goodspeed Opera House. The pair will perform together again — this time virtually — in Triple Threat Academy’s upcoming online plays. 
(Photo/Diane Sobolewski)

Cynthia’s “Monologue and Play Development Class” meets for 6 weeks, starting next week (high schoolers on Wednesdays, middle schoolers on Tuesdays, from 5 to 6 p.m.).

Monologues will be good, bad, fearful funny. (Remember, “A Chorus Line” started out as monologues too.) Enrollment already includes teenagers with extensive — even professional — experience.

“Art always reflects what is going on in life,” Cynthia says. “Just think about ‘Rent’ and the AIDS crisis. We now have an opportunity to find the light in dark times, the humanity behind the grim news, and the positivity to push forward — all through the powers of creativity, collaboration and storytelling.”

Meanwhile, Nick has organized a hybrid of traditional radio theater and today’s podcasts. (Remember when Americans huddled around the radio, listening to plays? Hey — we’re back huddling together.)

Nick Sadler (center) with Phillip Seymour Hoffman in “Scent of a Woman,” starring Al Pacino. Sadler landed this supporting role shortly after graduating from Juilliard.

His “Virtual Play Series” will teach students how to stage a fast-paced play (or two). Each week the cast will meet via Zoom to read, rehearse and ultimately “release” the play to an online audience.

Students will take on multiple roles, challenging them to invent a variety of characters. It’s a collaborative effort — just like all great theater. (An adult version is in the works too.)

It runs for 7 Sundays, from 3 to 4 p.m. for high schoolers, and 5 to 6 p.m. for middle schoolers. The first session is this Sunday (March 29).

Meanwhile, the third part of Triple Threat — dance — heads online too. Kim Porio offers a class this Sunday (10:45 to 11:45 a.m.) for young actors and singers. It’s “Bring a Friend Day,” so even those not enrolled can try it out.

It all should be quite a show.

(For more information about Triple Threat Academy’s offerings, including registration, click here, email TripleThreatAcademyCT@gmail.com, search on Facebook, or follow @TripleThreatAcademy on Instagram.)

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