Category: Arts & Leisure - Page 174

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Question Time

Participants in today’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) Talk take questions from the Town Hall audience. The talk with the theme “Portrait of the Artist: Earnings vs Yearnings,” explored the career challenges and rewards artists face today. They included (l-r, seated) writers Jessica Bram and Tommy Greenwald; Stephanie Plunkett, deputy director at the Norman Rockwell Museum; artists Miggs Burroughs and Sooo-z Mastropietro; pianist Frederic Chiu, and composer Ryan Lester. Nancy Diamond, WAAC co-chair, is at podium. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

He Created ‘Hamilton’ Poster

Westport author and illustrator Tommy Greenwald points to the poster he created for the hit show “Hamilton” during today’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) Talk at Westport Town Hall. He was interviewed by Westport writer Jessica Bram. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

She Brought Her Own Chair

Westport artist Sooo-Zi Mastrropietro brought her own chair she designed to Westport Town Hall today for her talk with fellow artist Miggs Burroughs. They participated in the Westport Arts Advisory Committee TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) talk. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Gallery: TEA Talk at Town Hall

Scenes from today’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) Talk at Westport Town Hall. Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Friday, October 21st, 2016

The Real Mike Greets Actor Mike

Mike Krysiuk (l) of Westport tonight greets actor Cooper Ramsey who plays Krysiuk in Krysiuk’s and co- author Frank S. Petrilli’s play “I Don’t See My Shadow” presented tonight at the Westport Historical Society. The one-act play recounts Krysiuk’s experiences as the victim and ultimate survivor of a drunk driver when he was a Staples High School student in 1974. He hopes the play, directed by Jason Howard and produced by Suzanne Sheridan and Rozanne Gates, will be performed before teens to warn of the dangers of drinking (and, as he says “now texting”) while driving. (See WestportNow Sept. 22, 2016) (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Group Think

There was a strategy session Wednesday at the Westport-Weston Family YMCA involving the Y, Westport Library, Westport schools, and Westport Parks and Recreation Department. The informal conversation was about leveraging existing resources to better serve Westport and enhance opportunities for learning together, a library announcement said. Pictured (l-r) are YMCA CEO Pat Riemersma, Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer, Westport Parks and Recreation Director Jen Fava, and Westport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Palmer. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Thursday, October 20th, 2016

Granger at the Movies: ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,’ ‘American Honey,’ ‘The Accountant’

By Susan Granger

Special to WestportNow

Full Disclosure: My son, Don Granger, produced “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.”

When novelist Lee Child’s stoic hero, ex-Military Police Major Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), learns that Army Maj. Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), who heads his old investigative unit, has been arrested for espionage, causing the death of two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, he knows she’s innocent.

But trying to prove that is another matter. When he appeals to a Judge Advocate in Washington D.C., Reacher discovers a paternity claim against him, revealing that he may have a delinquent teenage daughter, Samantha (Danika Yarosh).

Basically a lone wolf, a laconic, hitchhiking vigilante who lives off-the-grid, Reacher must work with Susan Turner, whom he breaks out of a high-tech military prison, and rebellious Samantha to unravel a nefarious government conspiracy, involving a sneering contractor (Patrick Heusinger) and smarmy General Harkness (Robert Knepper).

Wednesday, October 19th, 2016

‘American Housewife’ Dips in Ratings in 2nd Outing

The ABC TV sitcom “American Housewife” set in Westport, stumbled in the ratings in its second outing Tuesday night.

Katy Mixon and Diedrich Bader in “American Housewife.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) ABC TV photo

The half-hour comedy staring Katy Mixon pulled a 1.6/6 share and 5.7 million viewers, down 16 percent among the coveted 18-49s from its premiere last week, according to Deadline.com.

CBS ‘s “NCIS” and NBC’s “The Voice,” both hour-long entries in the 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot did better.

An ABC news release about “American Housewife” noted that actor Diedrich Bader, who plays Mixon’s husband, has spent plenty of time in real life Westport.

Actress Cecilia Hart Jones, 68

Cecilia Hart Jones, wife of actor James Earl Jones, died Oct. 16 after a year of battling ovarian cancer. She was 68. She is pictured with actor Paxton Whitehead when they played husband and wife roles in the Westport Country Playhouse 2015 production of the Alan Ayckbourn comedy “Bedroom Farce.” (See video here of Jones and Whitehead) Whitehead and Hart said they have played stage roles of husband and wife five times in four plays over the years. Hart met her real husband while working on the TV series “Paris” in 1979. She appeared twice on Broadway; in “Dirty Linen” in 1977 and played Desdemona to Jones’ Othello in 1982. In addition to her husband, their son, Flynn, and her brothers James A. V. Hart and William F. Hart III, survive her. Donations may be made in Cecilia’s name to: The Actors Fund https://donate.actorsfund.org/donate or Hudson Valley Hospice https://www.hvhospice.org/index.php/foundation/donate/. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016

Getting Ready for TEA Talk

Members of the Westport Arts Advisory Committee today make final preparations for Sunday’s TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) Talk at 2 p.m. at Town Hall. This fourth TEA Talk, “Portrait of the Artist: Earnings vs Yearnings,” will explore the career challenges and rewards artists face today. Panelists include writers Jessica Bram and Tommy Greenwald; artists Miggs Burroughs and Sooo-z Mastropietro; pianist Frederic Chiu and composer Ryan Lester. Stephanie Plunkett, deputy director at the Norman Rockwell Museum, will offer opening remarks. A reception will follow at the Westport Historical Society. The Westport Library is a community partner. For more information, visit http://www.westportarts.org. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo