The Westport Country Playhouse’s New Works Initiative, a program to develop new plays and musicals through workshop and reading opportunities, will present a public reading of a new play, “Out of the Mouths of Babes,” by award-winning playwright Israel Horowitz on Thursday at 7 p.m. Pictured are cast members (front row, l-r) Judith Ivey, Angelina Fiordellisi, Estelle Parsons and Francesca Choy-Kee. (back row) Barnet Kellman, director, Israel Horowitz, playwright and Mark Lamos, Country Playhouse artistic director. All tickets are $10.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By Susan Granger

The red carpet is ready as the 6,200 Oscar voters choose among the 305 films that qualified for the 88th Academy Awards. To be eligible, a film must run more than 40 minutes and open by Dec. 31, 2015, for a minimum of seven-days at a theater in Los Angeles.

When Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs read off the 20 acting nominations back in January, she said she was heartbroken and frustrated by the lack of diversity. That ignited many protests.

Yet, in the past, the Academy has honored Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman,  Jamie Foxx, Terence Howard, Forest Whitaker, Eddie Murphy, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o and Don Cheadle – to name only a few. “12 Years a Slave” won three Oscars in 2014; “Selma” was nominated for Best Picture in 2015.

This year, the primary contenders generated by African-Americans were “Concussion,” “Creed,” and “Straight Outta Compton.”  Although I gave CREED a 10-out-of-10, Warner Bros., unfortunately, marketed it to black audiences, not mainstream.  Although I would love to have seen young writer/director Ryan Coogler nominated, Sylvester Stallone did get a Best Supporting Actor nod.

The next pop up exhibit by the Westport Artists’ Collective will be held Thursday, March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Westport Arts Center, it was announced today.

The 15 artists who exhibited at the September 2015 pop up exhibition have selected the 15 participating artists.

The latest exhibit will include works by Jeanine Esposito, Susan Fehlinger, MaryEllen Hendricks, Jana Irejio, Michael Kozlowski, Arpad Krizsan, Liz Leggett, Toby Michaels, Nancy Moore, Susan Newbold, Melissa Newman, Guy Philips, Marlene Siff, Lee Walther, and Florence Zolan

Founding members of the Westport Artists’ Collective include Nina Bentley, Tammy Winser, Jahmane West, Duvian Montoya, Miggs Burroughs, and Helen Klisser During, Westport Arts Center’s artistic director emeritus.

Applications are currently being accepted through March 25 for this summer’s 43rd Westport Fine Arts Festival, the Westport Downtown Merchants Association (WDMA) announced today.

Categories for the juried show scheduled for July 16 and 17 are in oil, watercolor, photography and digital art, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, drawing with pastel, pencil or ink, glass, ceramics, jewelry and wood.

According to the WDMA, the festival is one the area’s most popular art shows, drawing collectors from throughout New England and New York.

It was voted by Art Fair Source Book as one of the top 100 crafts shows in the country, attracting thousands of visitors each year to its venue along the Saugatuck River.