Tag Archives: Robin Moyer Chung

“Primary Trust”: Tender Script, Rich Characters, Unexpected Turns

Posted on April 23, 2026 | 4 comments

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung reports:

Over the past few days, “06880” has posted several readers’ praises of Westport Country Playhouse’s latest production, the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Primary Trust.”

I’ll add mine.

Eboni Booth wrote the play during the pandemic, while a student at Juilliard. It premiered Off-Broadway in May 2023.

Touching on isolation, neurodiversity and self-worth, “Primary Trust” illuminates the “invisible” people who float in the margins of our lives.

The characters are rich. The powerful script is tender and charming, with unexpected turns — a quiet uncoiling of the long, relentless tentacles of childhood trauma.

Alphonso Walker Jr., and Lance Coadie Williams.

The show follows Kenneth (Alphonso Walker Jr.), a lonely and unobtrusive 38-year old Black man. Kenneth has worked in the same small bookshop for 20 years. He wanders to Wally’s Tiki Bar every night for the 2-for-1 mai tai special, which he drinks with his only friend, Bert.

Bert, played brilliantly by Lance Coadie Williams, is a jovial and committed companion.

Jasminn Johnson, who effortlessly plays a carousel of entertaining Wally’s waitresses, also plays Corinna, Kenneth’s favorite waitress.

When the small bookstore closes, Kenneth follows a tip from Corinna and applies for a teller position at a local bank.

I don’t want to reveal much else.

Alphonso Walker Jr. and Jasminn Johnson. (Photos/Carolyn Rosegg)

For me, there was one small nag. The 3 main characters — Kenneth, Bert and Corinna — are Black (in accordance with the script). One actor is white: Kenneth’s boss at the bookstore, then the bank, played by the comical Greg Stuhr.

Though not denoted in the script, this casting choice was also in its original smash success off-Broadway.

An antagonistic relationship between older white men and younger Black men is a strong thread throughout modern theatrical and cinematic history, and it threw me off-course. Throughout the show I anticipated a clash or misunderstanding to be its climax, which never happened.

This expectation distracted me from the important themes of the play. Perhaps the casting was intended to disrupt this thread, and alter our preconceptions. I’m all for that.

Lighting designer Jonah Bobilin and sound designer Andrea Allmond deserve a special shout-out for their mastery of some tricky and impactful effects.

“Primary Trust” runs through May 2, 2026.  Click here for show times, tickets and more information.

(“06880” covers Westport’s vibrant arts scene — and much, much more. If you appreciate any features on your hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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“Savannah Sipping Society” Sparkles

Posted on April 21, 2026 | 3 comments

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:

The Westport Community Theatre is far more passionate about theater than about public relations.

Which is too bad, because that means not enough people may know about their current production. “The Savannah Sipping Society” is terrific. It’s funny, energetic, and a steal at $30 a seat.

Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting the show to knock me over. Perhaps my low expectations raised my appreciation of it, but I’m pretty sure it’s great by any measure.

First, a bit about WCT. I’m pretty sure, judging by Saturday night’s smattering of theater-goers, precious few of you have seen one of their productions.

Now in its 68th season (68!), WCT is a non-profit company run largely by volunteers. It embraces local talent, and provides opportunities to community members for acting, backstage work and directing.

The play, written by Jones Hope Wooten (a 3-woman comedy writing team), is a Southern-based comedy about 4 middle-aged/liminal senior women who wilt out of a hot yoga class, and bond over their shared disdain for it.

From left: Heather DeLude, Gillian Holt, Dandy Barrett, Ellen Krinick Porto. (Photo/Westport Community Theatre)

They’re all single, they all have baggage, and they all decide to overcome their discomforts and hang weekly with appetizers and libation.

It’s “Sex and the City” without the sex and designer wardrobes — “Sip and the City.”

There are tropes – Marlaflaye’s husband dropped her for a younger woman, Randa was fired from her high-pressure job after a professional meltdown, Dot is recently widowed without financial security, and sexpot-adjacent Jinx has decided to become a life coach.

However, it avoids caricature and melodrama. The play is less about coping with past trauma, and more about 4 strangers navigating new friendship territory after a hard crack from their previous lives.

The women are a strong ensemble, adeptly playing off of each other in witty asides and differing levels of enthusiasm for awkward ideas. I especially liked the unapologetic Marlaflaye, played by Dandy Barnett, with fiery red hair.

The prop master and set designer delightfully bolster their lifestyle and culture: Dot shows up at Randa’s home with a dinner plate full of appetizers, speared with frilly supermarket toothpicks and covered loosely with a square of plastic wrap. In Randa’s home is a makeshift curtain rod and sort-of-coordinating-but-not-really throw pillows on a worn wicker sofa.

The costume designer’s wardrobes, from synthetic separates to artsy/ menopausal ensembles to cautiously décolletage-baring dresses, define each woman’s personality.

One word of caution: Yes, the theater is in Town Hall — but it’s not the upstairs auditorium. They perform in a black box tucked in the basement. Directions to it are helpfully scrawled on a piece of paper taped to the stair railing.

The WCT’s passion for theater outweighs their passion for professional signage as well.

“The Savannah Sipping Society” ends its run this weekend. Performances are Friday and Saturday, April 24 and 25, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. Click here for tickets.

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts and entertainment scene — and much more. If you enjoy these stories, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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VersoFest: “06880” Culture Correspondent’s Critique

Posted on April 1, 2026 | 4 comments

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:

At VersoFest’s headline concert Friday night, Westport Library executive director Bill Harmer introduced Wyclef Jean to a packed Trefz Forum, saying, “What you’re experiencing here does not exist in any other public library in this country.”

I’d argue hardly anything exists like VersoFest in any institution at all.

Each year, the days-long music festival features performances, installations, business insights and author discussions that entertain, enlighten and engage.

It has also galvanized a unique community of renowned musicians, artists, industry professionals and journalists to support VersoFest in myriad ways. At any event you’ll see legendary recording artists, transformative business professionals, and Westport’s own media stars.

And of course Grammy-winning Wyclef Jean, the powerhouse recording artist/ writer/producer, and co-founder of the Fugees.

Imagine the library packed with 800 people dancing and hollering lyrics as though they were in a place that’s not a library.

Wyclef Jean (Photo/Jerri Graham Photography)

While expertly riffing through instruments and singing hits — both his (“Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “Maria Maria”) and covers (“Jump Around”) — Wyclef’s inexhaustible exuberance emitted some sort of particle hallucinogen that caused everyone to go nuts. Even those who had quietly saved seats on the “grandstand” could hardly resist the urge to stand up and go moderately nuts.

Toward the end Wyclef welcomed kids to climb on stage and rock out with him, proving both his multi-generational appeal and his being a great guy.

Fans of all ages loved Wyclef Jean. (Photo/Jerri Graham Photography)

Saturday offered a series of talks, culminating in a performance and discussion with David J. of Bauhaus.

The first was an interview with Claire Dederer on “Monsters, a Look at What to Do with Great Art by Bad People.” In part, her book questions how we can accept artistic works as important, even masterpieces, despite the  the lascivious and sometimes criminal behavior of men who create them.

The discussion with the journalist Hilarie M. Sheets rambled for about 15 minutes before finally hitting on the subject: why the works of convicted or accused predators such as Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Picasso and Hemingway are still considered creative diadems.

A tough question to tackle, especially in our current cancel culture. The once-acceptable masculinity of Picasso and Hemingway is now often viewed as toxic. However, the nascency and naiveté of then-emerging “mass marketing” overlooked their womanizing (or worse), and promulgated their brooding character as the ideal of manliness.

Does historical context disallow cancellation? Seemingly yes, but why? In the light of #MeToo it’s important to know what we’re seeing or hearing, and understand its context.

Next, a rock star who was definitely not a monster: Tom Petty. Adria, his daughter and a well-known rock music director and managing partner of Tom’s estate, spoke with Sam Hendel, a pioneer in the music industry.

Adria Petty chats with Sam Hendel. (Photo/Kerry Long)

Adria recounted little-known stories about her dad, such as his donating all of the revenue, in perpetuity, from his hit ‘90s Christmas song, “Christmas All Over Again” to Special Olympics. And during his concerts. audience members could submit song requests by writing them on a roll of butcher paper. The band honored every request.

At one point the discussion veered dangerously into a seminar sales pitch for “uber deluxe” packages of records and random souvenirs. A Petty superfan might find merit in this but, honestly, who can blame her? We’re all selling something.

She promptly re-engaged with us though, and continued telling humorous anecdotes about her famous father, making him less an icon and more a caring, quick-witted human being.

Lastly, a woman who defended herself against monsters, actress Gina Gershon, discussed her memoir “AlphaPussy” with former CNN anchor (and Westport resident) Alisyn Camerota.

I’m not crazy about the title. True, young Gina possessed a wherewithal that many women at her age and in her situation may not have had. But that doesn’t make her “alpha” and another “beta,” as the title “AlphaPussy” suggests. I was expecting a self-aggrandizing monologue.

Gina Gershon (left) and Alisyn Camerota.

I was wrong. Gina was entertaining, and had great rapport with Alisyn. She talked about meeting Prince when he considered casting her in “Purple Rain,” and sneaking into a cinema and stumbling onto a porn flick (she grew up in the “porn capital of the world.”)

Mostly though, I loved the questions from the audience. Women asked about inner strength and initiative, viewing Gina as a warrior in a minefield of sexual judgment and assumptions.

Capping off that evening was a performance and discussion with alt-rock superstar David J. He’s credited with “spearheading the post-punk alternative music scene of the early 1980s.”

His crowd was smaller, but passionate. David received a standing ovation as soon as he walked on stage.

David J.

He read stirring poems from his new book, “Rhapsody, Threnody & Prayer,” including a haunting one about meeting Kurt Cobain 2 years before his suicide. (Kurt was lying in a fetal position in his wife’s dressing room).

David then gave a heartfelt and energetic performance of a few of his popular songs, before speaking with author and documentarian Douglas Rushkoff.

Best of all, David attended almost all of VersoFest’s events over the weekend — and was impressed by every one of them.

(“06880” covers Westport’s cultural events of all kinds, plus much more. If you enjoy keeping up with all the action — before and after it happens — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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“Art, Jazz + Blues”: MoCA Exhibit Sings

Posted on March 11, 2026 | 2 comments

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung visited MoCA\CT’s new exhibition, “Art, Jazz + The Blues.” She reports:

In 2006 Westport artist Eric von Schmidt decided his master series, “Giants of the Blues,” should be hung in Staples High School, instead of the Smithsonian Institution.

Painted from the 1990s through 2004, the series of 7 paintings is an exhaustively researched visual account of legendary folk, blues and jazz creators and performers throughout the 20th century. The Smithsonian was eager to add it to their artistic and cultural accessions.

“Blues Piano Players” — from Eric von Schmidt’s “Giants of the Blues” — hung for 20 years in the Staples High School auditorium lobby (above). Most students, staff and theater-goers are unaware of its significance. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

But von Schmidt wanted the series to culturally enrich local students, as well as give back to Staples — his alma mater, which he credited with fostering his love of art.

Twenty years later these paintings — on long-term loan to Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC), courtesy of the artist’s family — are largely ignored. Their historical importance is muted by the institutional halls and activity of a bustling school.

Planning “Art, Jazz + The Blues,” curators Anne Boberski and Ive Covaci knew that von Schmidt’s series should be its cornerstone. Boberski calls it “a lens to think about how music impacts visual arts.”

The curators then expanded von Schmidt’s narrative. with musically-themed works from the WestPAC collection and local artists.

Given that the exhibit features a number of Black figures, and the WestPAC collection is of primarily white artists (a current initiative will broaden its diversity), Boberski and Covaci reached out to area institutions for works from well-known African American artists like Faith Ringgold (whose works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim and Museum of Modern Art), Romare Bearden, Jack Whitten, and celebrated quilter Michael Cummings.

“Groovin’ High” (Faith Ringgold)

These appear alongside cover art for several David Brubeck records, drawn by Joan Miró and Arnold Roth, as well as a charming lithograph of Brubeck himself by Robert Risko.

Each piece displays an optimistic passion for its musical counterpart, manifested in colorful and chaotic patterns (the jazz room), or the energy of folks participating in or simply enjoying the soundtrack.

The exhibit is exuberant, and ties a deft string around the intertwining relationship of music, dance and art. Truly, it does “visualize sound, celebrate performance” of its period.

“Dave Brubeck” (Robert Risko)

Which brings us back to high school.

Each year MoCA\CT and WestPAC create a themed exhibit, coupled with works by student artists, based on a prompt associated with the theme.

This year, those works offer an interesting juxtaposition to the larger WestPAC show. The theme is “The Sound of Us.”

The number of submissions was fewer than usual. Perhaps that is because of the prompt: “Choose a song between 2020 to now and create a work of art that shows its effects on youth culture either through fashion, social interactions, speech, education, political alertness and activism, and life in general.”

That is an intriguing question — though personally I had a tricky time trying to answer it with words, let alone art. Few students could. I applaud those up for the challenge.

What it did effect were some unexpected and dispirited responses to today’s music, and its interdependence on videos.

A few examples:

Julia W., “Older”: “… music is no longer about the song but also the singer …many popular singers are young and ones that are not use Botox and plastic surgery to make them look younger. The title of my piece comes from a line in the song where people are telling the singer not to age.”

“Older” (Julia W.)

Mia C., “Stuck”: “My piece focuses on feeling like you’re stuck as everyone else moves around you. That there is just so much going on, you’re tempted to try everything but you don’t really know where to go, and that’s when you feel like you can’t escape.”

Josephine C.O., “American Teenager”: “My generation is growing up under the expectation of not being able to own a house, an extreme political divide, and an online world that we still haven’t quite figured out how to integrate into our lives.”

“American Teenager” (Josephine C.O.)

Many songs in today’s youth culture tackle tough subjects head-on, like mental health struggles, poverty, and violence. Hip hop, rap and emotionally honest pop lyrics have opened new veins of awareness and concern.

Fortunately, in this culture also exists a dialogue and acceptance of issues that were not available in years past.

As “Art Jazz + The Blues” is informed by the independence and resiliency of its age, “The Sound of Us” is informed by the angst, tension — and joy — of theirs.

(The exhibit runs through June 7. Click here for more information. To learn more about WestPAC, click here.)

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s diverse arts scene. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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MTC: Nurturing Actors And Audiences For 40 Years

Posted on February 6, 2026 | 2 comments

Staples Players has earned well-deserved praise, for launching the careers of many young actors.

But Music Theatre of Connecticut plays an important “role,” too. It’s based now just over the border in Norwalk. But its Westport roots run deep.

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung reports on the award-winning non-profit professional company. 

Music Theatre of Connecticut was co-founded by Kevin Connors (now executive director) and Jim Schilling (the current managing director).

Since 1987 they’ve produced and directed — and sometimes starred in — a swirl of plays and musicals for every conceivable audience.

That’s in addition to running a popular conservatory, for children and adults on the side. Classes — for those as young as kindergarten — cover acting (including TV and film), musical theater, improv, dance and voice. There is a special “college prep” program too.

MTC offers a variety of classes for young actors.

MTC began at Fairfield’s Andrew Warde High School nearly 40 years ago. Their first play, “Ebenezer!,” was “a twist on ‘A Christmas Carol,’” Kevin says. “It has an Ivan Boesky character” — appropriate for the time.

They soon built a sliver of a theater in the lower level of Westport’s Colonial Green. With seating for only 47, the space felt intimate to both performers and playgoers. That immediacy has been an MTC hallmark ever since.

Kevin Connors

On that tiny stage Connors and Schilling re-imagined shows of all sizes — even large ones — while reducing casts to 14 at most.

They produced shows like “Evita” and “Ragtime” with dexterity and confidence, and one of the best productions of “The Fantasticks” I’ve ever seen (Schilling was excellent as the eccentric Mortimer).

Audience could purchase beer or wine, and drink during performances (they still do). This was thrilling, at a time when Broadway theaters prohibited pretty much everything but breath mints and epi-pens.

Soon MTC was “exploding” out of their beloved micro-theatre. The founders searched for larger spaces.

After 13 years they found their current spot: a former kitchen cabinet warehouse at 509 Westport Avenue in Norwalk. They built a black box theater. Just about the only drawback: It’s a bit tricky to find.

In this space, Connors and Schilling have nurtured talent like composer Justin Paul (“he could never walk by a piano without playing it”). They cast Broadway veterans such as Adam Pascal and Joanna Gleason, and developed both new shows and standard favorites.

They expanded seating to 110 seats, due to growing demand. But they’ve maintained their signature cozy, personal theater experience.

MTC works with A Better Chance of Westport students, and developmentally challenged adults through STAR. Children from the Norwalk Housing Authority are invited to 2 annual 8-week workshops. They stage shows for their parents, in a partnership funded by corporations and the state of Connecticut.

Today, Connors and Schilling are expanding again, creating a shared space for audiences. They purchased empty ballet studios next door. The lobby is now a gathering spot for play-goers to sip cocktails, enjoy snacks, and mingle.

MTC lobby.

They’re also tearing down walls; adding an 80-seat cabaret, rehearsal studios and additional dressing rooms, and making empty spaces available to dance companies such as Dance Collective.

“I’m really hell-bent on this — anything we can do to form a community for our donors, our subscribers, with other organizations,” Connors says. “So much of what we do is about community.”

And — first in Westport, now Norwalk — that community has been nurtured, ever since Ivan Boesky was a household name, and Justin Paul wunknown.

Upcoming mainstage productions include “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” by Frank McCourty (March 6-22), and “9 to 5: The Musical,” with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton” (April 17-May 3). Click here for more information, and tickets. Click here, then scroll down for directions.

Scenes from a few of MTC’s mainstage productions.

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Westport Arts Scene, Part 3: Finding — And Losing — A Home

Posted on January 22, 2026 | 8 comments

Our town’s thriving visual arts scene includes 2 major institutions: MoCA|CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

How did they get there?

In part 3 of this 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores the history. Click here to read her first story. Click here for the second piece.

After the Westport Arts Center became MoCA\CT, many members felt abandoned by the very board cobbled together to support them.

They felt that their Riverside Avenue gallery had been exchanged for a grander “regional culture center,” straddling the Norwalk border.

One member says, “All of us were shocked and upset by the relatively sudden decision by the Westport Arts Center, after 50 years, to divorce themselves from the very artists who were the heart and soul of that organization from day one in 1969.”

Early Westport Arts Center logo.

Being kicked out of their gallery, however, was not new to the WAC.

In the early 1980s, fewer students in Westport rendered unnecessary the Greens Farms Elementary School building. WAC paid $1 a year for the space.

In exchange, WAC paid for its upkeep.

A WAC board member at that time recalls, “The town only took care of the roof in that building. Everything else was our responsibility. So we had to deal with a rather ancient boiler. We painted walls and we did everything to make it look nice.”

The WAC rented classrooms to artists as affordable studio spaces, at $80-100 a month. Members would wander to other studios to spark ideas and share techniques.

Artist Sue Sharp, in her Westport Arts Center studio.

One of the first artists to rent space was Herz Emanuel. His sculptures and drawings are on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Whitney, an the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He worked in the same space that — more than 25 years earlier — had been his son Adam’s 3rd grade classroom.

Other artists at the WAC included Howard Munce and Miggs Burroughs.

Sculptor Herz Emanuel, at work in his studio.

Pianist Heida Hermanns donated about $500,000, to turn the gymnasium into a 200-seat performing arts space for the Theatre Artists Workshop, and symphonies and orchestras. Named Artur Holde Hall, after her husband, and designed by architect Arthur Rothenberg, it was also used for visual arts exhibitions.

Jason Robards read “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” surrounded by works by Paul Cadmus, the controversial Weston artist whose works are now in the collections of the Whitney, Met and many more institutions.

Artur Holde Hall, as exhibition space.

The WAC was funded by studio rentals, ticket sales, and donations.

Best of all, the school superintendent — brightly, warmly, with a signed agreement — guaranteed their lease through 1999.

In 1992, executive director William “Clancy” Thompson told the New York Times, “I have never seen a model like it. I know of theater companies and ballet companies sharing facilities, but not a community of artists such as this, such fine performance space in a town with the wisdom to make the building available. It’s’ an unusual combination of factors, filled with promise.”

The center thrived.

Westport Arts Center, by a resident illustrator.

Until 1996 when the same superintendent broke the lease, and demanded that WAC compliantly leave the premises. The town schools were now packed with students.

Instead of building another school, officials decided to renovate this one.

Greens Farms School, as the Westport Arts Center.

Greens Farms School had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

However some parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that  artists were populating school space that could belong to their children.

A then-WAC board member says, “They thought the Arts Center was full of frivolous housewives with all this money to burn, who wanted to become painters so they could rent from us.”

In fact, some of those “frivolous housewives” included Anne Chernow, a lithographer with works at the Met, and artists like Marianne Rothballer and Judy Kamerschen, well noted for their work in juried exhibits and shows.

Still, according to an accomplished WAC member, “We became pariahs. It was really horrible. People would come to exhibitions and grab anybody they realized was part of the board or an artist and tell us, you know, you’re not very nice people.”

How did the artists respond to the loss of their home? That’s part 4 of this series. Much of this information comes from a WAC film, produced by Katie Hacala and 4th Row Films.

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Westport Arts Scene: Drawing Out The Back Story

Posted on January 14, 2026 | 7 comments

Westport’s arts scene is robust. And it has been, for over a century.

Right now the 2 major visual arts players are MoCA\CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

In this first of a 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores how we got here.

Sources asked for anonymity, to describe sensitive issues.

The management of any institution is rife with roadblocks. And in an institution for the arts, financial realities can sometimes guide, or perhaps overwhelm, artistic missions.

Which brings us to the highly anticipated — and controversial — 2019 opening of MoCA Westport (now MoCA\CT).

As early as the 1920’s, Westport’s arts scene drew attention. In 1929 a newspaper called this “the home of the most distinctive arts community in the world.” (Um … Rome? Paris?)

James Earle Fraser was one of Westport’s earliest, and best known, artists. He 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.

In 1934 the town of Westport provided $3,000 ($75,000 today), to kick off the Westport- Weston Arts Council (WWAC). The goal was to encourage and nurture the burgeoning arts scene, including writers, actors, fine artists, cartoonists, illustrators, musicians and more.

WWAC thrived for decades, in a variety of venues. In 1983 it found a physical home in what had been Greens Farms Elementary School. After years of declining birthrates, it and 2 other elementary schools were closed.

The WWAC leased the building from the town, for $1 a year. They changed their name to the Westport Arts Center (WAC). They rented the school’s classrooms at affordable rates, as studios for members.

The WAC also built an exhibition space for shows and performances, in the former gymnasium. In return, they were responsible for the building’s maintenance and upkeep.

From 1983 through 1998, this was the Westport Arts Center.

Gradually, the school population rebounded. In the late 1990s, town officials decided the building would revert back to a school.

They broke the WAC’s lease, leaving members without economical studio options or dedicated exhibition space.

After a years-long search the WAC landed in a brightly renovated Riverside Avenue gallery, not far from the Post Road. They sponsored exhibits from members and other artists around Connecticut, and offered arts education for youngsters.

The long, narrow space was not adequate, however. Offices were cramped, and it could not accommodate large pieces.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue.

Around 2018, the executive director of the WAC and supporting board members decided they needed a larger, more suitable location. After examining the Baron’s property on Compo Road South, and Martha Stewart’s former television production facility, they chose the latter.

A press release gushed, “Thanks to 50 years of connecting an entire community around a love of the arts, it will open its new doors at 19 Newtown Turnpike under an evolved identity and mission.”

A town official added, “We are excited to see the Arts Center expand to meet the creative demands of our active, artistic town … the new campus will be a regional cultural destination, drawing audiences to Westport from all over Connecticut, Westchester County and New York City.”

Mo\CA, at 19 Newtown Turnpike.

WAC member sources for this article say they were not made aware of either the search, the new name or the new mission — which mentioned a local audience but not local artists.

Nor did it say that the building is primarily in Norwalk, with most taxes paid to that city.

Instead, members learned the news from the press release.

What happened next? That’s in Part 2 of this series.

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene — and the town’s history. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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“06880” Podcast: Robin Moyer Chung

Posted on December 30, 2025 | Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Robin Moyer Chung

This is Robin Moyer Chung’s second time on our “06880” podcast.

I interviewed her a couple of years ago, as editor of Westport Lifestyle magazine.

Now she’s back — as “06880”‘s culture correspondent.

The other day, we chatted on the Westport Library stage about all things cultural. The Westport Country Playhouse, Mo\CA, Staples Players — you name it, Robin knows it.

We talked too about our reputation as an “arts town.” Is it still true? Where do all the new arrivals fit in? What’s ahead?

Click here or below, for our very cultured conversation.

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Ana Gasteyer’s “Sugar & Booze”

Posted on December 24, 2025 | Comments Off on Ana Gasteyer’s “Sugar & Booze”

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung reports:

Ana Gasteyer rocked the Westport Country Playhouse Monday night.

Her show “Sugar & Booze” — based on her holiday album of the same name — is touted as “an uproarious homage to Christmas albums of old” by Billboard.

The comedian, musician and actor — best known for her iconic send-ups of Martha Steward and Celine Dion on “Saturday Night Live” — interspersed comedy (“Hello Westport! … Did I pronounce that correctly?”) and songs she pointedly assures the audience are “seasonal secular songs with Santa.”

She did it hot on the heels of the “SNL: The Anniversary Special” (in which she revisited her famous characters), and the 20th anniversary of “Wicked” (in which she played Elphaba on Broadway).

As a treat, she threw into the song mix her restrained and passionate rendition of “Defying Gravity.”

Ana Gasteyer (Photo/Shervin Lainez) 

It was an exuberant performance tempered by deadpan comic delivery, her red sequin shirt sparkling in the footlights like a holiday ornament, accompanied by 8 band members and her violin.

A fun bit: Halfway through the show the bandleader wandered into the audience with a bag of “white elephant” gifts (things Ana had ostensibly dragged out of her closet and couldn’t wait to get rid of).

To 3 excited winners — judged by the ridiculousness of their holiday attire — he gifted useless things like a green sparkly fringe sweater.

Like chocolate chips in the larger cookie of the Westport Country Playhouse season (Martha Stewart reference — get it?), these one-night shows mixed into larger ones offer glimpses of stunning, sometimes legendary talent. They include Mandy Patinkin who performed earlier this month

The show was, as her bare-breasted kitchen vixen once said, “a good thing.”

(“06880” covers Westport’s cultural scene — and much, much more. We rely on reader support to do it all. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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“Enough Already”: MoCA’s Women Artist Exhibit Is Ebullient, Celebratory, Thought-Provoking

Posted on November 20, 2025 | 1 comment

“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung says:

MoCA\CT’s latest exhibit, “Enough Already: Women Artists from the Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection,” composed of highlights from the collection of 2 women from Cincinnati, is described as “politically charged.”

I don’t see it that way.

Perhaps because I arrived carrying the weight of a 4-hour antisemitism presentation, or perhaps because every day’s cursory review of the news bristles with negative rhetoric vying for our trepidation.

Instead, it felt exuberant. If the ebullient mood at the opening is any indication, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Admiring “Picnic on Wine,” by Sandy Skoglund, at MoCA\CT.

On the wall in the last room of the exhibit is a question for viewers: “What have you had enough of?”

Scrawled on numerous papers are the words “patriarchy,” “politics,” “judgment.” On one paper is written: “Having to make a delicious dinner EVERY. DAMN. NIGHT OF MY LIFE.”

First, solidarity. Second, this struck me as an apt description of this exhibit. It’s less about “enough already,” and more about “I can make a delicious meal every night.”

There are things we have to do, everyday life stuff like cooking dinner every night. We can (well, many of us can) choose to make it delicious or not. Artists can choose to illustrate their everyday life as stuff worth living, or not. In this case, many chose the former.

When they embraced mundane challenges of womanhood, I saw power, one that is independent of beauty, money or influence.

And I think that’s the point. The overarching politicality of being a woman has been successfully addressed in art, and now women are free to granulize their lives without fear (or care) of denigration.

MAGE: S’manga, Amsterdam, 2016, 2016 © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson, New York.

Whether it’s their bodies, their illnesses or their sexualization, they own and appreciate what belongs exclusively to them as individuals. They’re owning the male narrative, and re-shaping it.

Though the title alludes to exasperation, named after a neon sign by Deborah Kass, I found the exhibit, with a few violent exceptions, more celebratory than defiant. Kass’s sign itself is colorful and flamboyant, belying frustration and signaling optimistic decisiveness.

One of the most dynamic pieces is a large photo of a nude female statue raising her left arm, a scar where her left breast used to be (“Intra-Venus.” Marina Vargas, 2021).

She may be raising her arm to offer a full view of her mastectomy, but it seems more an expression of jubilance; she’s a breast cancer survivor, not a woman with a perceived imperfection.

A small marble stool (“Survival Series, 1983-1985,” Jenny Holzer) includes an inscription “It is in your self-interest to find a way to be very tender.” Motherly, womanly, advice for children and loved ones, fingers crossed they’ll follow it. Yet the weight and immobility of the marble indicates its substance — this is spelled out in a nurturing tone for palatability, but its hardcore prophetic, as is most delicately relayed motherly advice.

The Vance Wadells began purchasing these works 20 years ago, intentionally mixing acclaimed artists (Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Yoko Ono) with emerging artists to amplify lesser known voices.

Ironically, Yoko Ono’s felt like the least impactful work (“Touch Me,” 2008) — a primed canvas, 12 x 12, with a cross section cut in the center. Its message is either histrionically obvious or lost on me.

Important question, though. What have you had enough of, and what can you do with that energy?

(The exhibit runs through February 15. It includes nudity and violence. Click here for more information.)

(“06880” covers the arts scene in Westport, in all shapes and forms. If you enjoy this — or anything else in our hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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