Haystack Woods development plans open house Oct. 25

Development is well underway for 10 new affordable homes in Norfolk.
Kim Maxwell

Development is well underway for 10 new affordable homes in Norfolk.
NORFOLK — The Foundation for Norfolk Living (FNL) will hold an open house on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the new Haystack Woods development off Old Colony Road in Norfolk.
Construction is well underway, and the open house will give prospective buyers and area residents a first-hand opportunity to tour the innovative, energy-efficient two- and three-bedroom homes.
FNL is accepting applications for Haystack Woods on a rolling basis. Interested applicants can contact Lindsay Larson at the Litchfield County Housing Collective at LindsayL@thehousingcollective.org.
Questions about the houses themselves can be directed to FNL at norfolkliving@gmail.com.
Ulysses Quartet
Music Mountain is partnering with Wethersfield Estate & Garden in Amenia to present the acclaimed Ulysses Quartet, joined by clarinetist and Music Mountain artistic director Oskar Espina Ruiz. The performances, on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15 and 16, will open Music Mountain’s Winter Concert Series — an extension of the beloved summer festival into the colder months and more intimate venues.
The program features Seth Grosshandler’s “Dances for String Quartet,” Thomas Adès’s “Alchymia for Clarinet Quintet,” and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44, No. 2. Adès’s 2021 composition draws inspiration from Elizabethan London. Each movement is “woven from four threads,” writes the composer with titles that refer to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” John Dowland’s lute-song “Lachrymae,” variations on the playwright Frank Wedekind’s “Lautenlied” and more.
Praised for their “otherworldly magic” (The Millbrook Independent), the Ulysses Quartet brings a remarkable chemistry to the stage, one honed through years of international accolades and residencies. Espina Ruiz, known for his “tender warmth” and “rhapsodic ease” on clarinet, will join the quartet for Adès’s modern masterwork.
The Carriage House at Wethersfield, with its singular acoustics and historic charm, offers an ideal setting for this blend of heritage and innovation. A reception with the artists will follow each performance.
Tickets are available at wethersfield.org or by calling (845) 373-8037. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Performances at 3 p.m.
Gabriel Sousa as Jack and Marilyn Olsen as Bridgit in “Death By Design.”
Take your seats in the spacious Nancy Marine Studio Theatre at the Warner Theatre in Torrington to be transported to a cozy 1930s English country manor house, the setting for “Death By Design,” a farcical murder mystery by playwright Rob Urbinati and presented by the resourceful volunteer-run Stage @ The Warner.
A pleasing amalgam of classic drawing room English comedy and Agatha Christie-style murder mystery — with sharp dialogue, eccentric characters, and suspenseful plot twists —the play keeps the audience guessing and laughing until the final curtain.
The premise involves playwright Edward Bennett and his actress wife, Sorel (played by Darrel Cookman and Christiane M. Olson), who withdraw to the country after a particularly disastrous evening. Unexpected guests arrive, much to the dismay of the couple and their staff, and a murder takes place. Their sassy, smart and resourceful Irish housekeeper, Bridgit (Marilyn Olsen), is determined to solve the mystery instead of just reading about them in novels.
Playwright Rob Urbinati has a clear love of his source material and his writing often out-Cowards Noël Coward with witty wordplay (Coward’s famous line from “Private Lives,” “Don’t quibble, Sibyl,” here becomes “Mustn’t quarrel, Sorel”) and other delightful turns of phrase and aperçus. Under Jonathan Zalaski’s able direction, the production’s game cast dives gleefully into their over-the-top characters, including, in addition to those previously mentioned, an inquisitive chauffeur (Gabriel Sousa); a conservative politician (David Macharelli); a bohemian, free-spirited artist (Adriana Medina); a high-strung revolutionary (Ron St. John III); and a nearsighted ingénue (Zazzy Cores).
The creative team includes David Verdosci (set designer), Renee Purdy (costume designer), Chris Lubik (lighting designer), Nicole D’Amico (props master), Alyssa Archambault (production stage manager), Kyla Madore (assistant stage manager), Charlene Speyerer (production manager), Lee Evans (technical director), Marrianne Parks (choreography), Tracy Liz Miller (intimacy coach), Chet Ostroski (fight coordinator), and Melissa “PK” Tonning-Kollwitz (dialect coach).
The cast’s enthusiasm and the play’s inherent wit provide ample laughs and intrigue to keep the audience amused, engaged and guessing until the end. Though not a play, as one character puts it, of “social significance,” “Death By Design” definitely sets its sights, as another character says, on “cocktail and caviar.” It makes for a fun evening of murderous mayhem.
“Death By Design” runs through Nov. 16th, with an ASL-interpreted performance at 2 p.m. on Nov. 16.
Stage @ The Warner is a community theatre program with over 800 volunteers producing Broadway-style shows at the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre, 84 Main St., Torrington. Founded by Jim Fritch and Neil Pagano, the company makes quality theater accessible at reasonable prices. Stage @ The Warner inspires local performers while enriching the community through exceptional theatrical experiences.
Running time for “Death By Design”: Two hours, including a 15-minute intermission. For tickets, go to warnertheatre.org.
Richard Feiner and Annette Stover have worked and taught in the arts, communications, and philanthropy in Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Passionate supporters of the arts, they live in Salisbury and Greenwich Village.
Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s girls soccer team celebrates a goal in the quarterfinal game Nov. 7.
FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s girls soccer team advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament.
The Mountaineers were the highest seeded team of the four schools remaining in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S playoffs.
HVRHS (3) got matched against Morgan High School (10) in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket was Canton High School (4) versus Old Saybrook High School (9). The winners of both games will meet in the Class S championship game.
To start the tournament, HVRHS earned a first-round bye and then had home-field advantage for the second-round and quarterfinal games.
In the second round Tuesday, Nov. 4, HVRHS won 4-3 against Stafford High School (19) in overtime.

Ava Segalla scored three goals for Housatonic, including the overtime winner, and Lyla Diorio scored once.
Bella Coporale scored twice for Stafford and Gabrielle Fuller scored once.
HVRHS matched up against Coventry High School (11) in the quarterfinal round Friday, Nov. 7.
In the 2024 tournament, Coventry eliminated the Mountaineers in the second round. Revenge was served in 2025 with a 4-2 win for HVRHS.
Segalla scored her second hat trick of the tournament and Georgie Clayton scored once.
Coventry’s goals came from Jianna Foran and Savannah Blood.
“The vibes are great,” said HVRHS Principal Ian Strever at the quarterfinal game.
The semifinal games were played Wednesday, Nov. 12, on neutral ground. HVRHS and Morgan met at Newtown High School.
Morgan was the runner-up in last year’s Class S girls soccer tournament, losing in penalty kicks to Coginchaug High School.
WATERBURY — The Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football team record improved to .500 after defeating Waterbury Career Academy 16-12 on Saturday, Nov. 8.
It was the third consecutive win for GNH. After bouncing back from a 1-4 start, the Yellowjackets moved into fourth place in Naugatuck Valley League standings.
Two games remain for the Yellowjackets: at home Saturday, Nov. 15, against Holy Cross High School (5-3) and then away at St. Paul Catholic High School (2-5) for the Turkey Bowl on Wednesday, Nov. 26.