Author George Hodgman signs copies of his book “Bettyville” tonight following his WestportREADS keynote address at the Saugatuck Congregational Church. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

The Westport Arts Center tonight was transformed into a jazz lounge as Darren Litzie and the Saxtet played a tribute to jazz legends Benny Goodman and Stan Getz.  They performed their own arrangements of songs such as “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Flyin’ Home,” and “The Girl From Ipanema.”  Guests enjoyed high top tables, appetizers and wine, and enjoyed a sneak peak of the exhibition “As We Are!,” opening Friday, Jan. 27. The next jazz performance at the Center will be the jazz jam, open to local musicians and students, on Sunday, Feb. 26. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Aubrey Grodin for WestportNow.com

Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director, told a courtyard crowd tonight at the Playhouse’s Ghostlight Project event: “Tonight is not anti-anything. Tonight we celebrate the commitment by theaters nationwide to greater inclusion, participation, and compassion.” With him is Michael Barker, Playhouse managing director. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The Westport Country Playhouse said today on Thursday it will join more than 500 theaters and organizations nationwide in the Ghostlight Project, a shared, ongoing commitment to social justice by the theatrical community across the country.

The Westport Country Playhouse is one of more than 500 theaters and organizations taking part in the event. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed graphic

The 5:30 p.m. event will take place in the outside courtyard. The nonpartisan event is free and open to the public, an announcement said.

The ghostlight, a theatrical tradition, is the national organizers’ inspiration. When theaters go dark at the end of the night, a ghostlight is turned on, offering visibility and safety for all who might enter.

To simulate a collective ghostlight at the event, attendees are requested to bring a light source that is in the “off” position upon arrival, organizers said.  At a specific point, all lights will be turned on to create one giant blaze.  Flashlights, lanterns, and cell phone lights are suggested.

By Susan Granger

In “The Founder,” Michael Keaton (“Spotlight,” “Birdman”) plays ruthless Ray Kroc in this backstory of the ubiquitous McDonald’s franchise, an innovative, assembly-line idea that revolutionized the fast food industry.

In 1952, when traveling salesman Kroc is peddling milkshake machines to drive-ins in the Midwest, he gets a huge order from a roadside restaurant in San Bernardino, California, run by brothers Maurice “Mack” (John Carroll Lynch) and Richard “Dick” (Nick Offerman) McDonald.

Intrigued, Kroc marvels at their mechanized fast-food operation, learning how they transformed their kitchen into a speedy “symphony of efficiency” and persuading them to allow him to franchise their carefully managed concept.

As Kroc’s enterprise grows, he becomes increasingly alienated from his long-suffering wife (Laura Dern) and develops a relationship with the wife (Linda Cardellini) of one of his business associates (Patrick Wilson).