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The Sharon Playhouse honors Bobbie Olsen at its annual Spotlight Gala.
Tricia DeSario, Molly Model, and Michelle Lemon performed at the Sharon Playhouse Spotlight Gala live show.Justin Boccitto
The musical tribute opened — and true theater fans will know what follows — none other than a “Company,” the title song from Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical that begins with the chant of “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby!” With lyrics adapted/parodied by Michael Kevin Baldwin’s husband a Playhouse performer Will Nash Broyles, The Bobbie Olsen tribute medley was sung by “Bobbie’s Angels” a group of six made up of Ricky Oliver, Michael Siktberg, Jeff Raab, Tricia DeSario, Molly Model, and Michelle Lemon. The Angels also performed Broyles-penned versions of songs from “Kiss Me Kate” and “Rent.”
“We wanted to honor Bobbie by recreating numbers or creating new numbers from titles that had been on the main stage when she was president of the board,” Andress said.
The evening also included stand-out performances from talents like Danny Drewes, who will return to the mainstage this summer after last year’s “Something Rotten!” to star in “Rock of Ages” and “The Prom,” as well as Julia Murney (“Wicked” on Broadway and the U.S. national tour), a powerhouse vocalist who will take the director’s chair for “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and two-time Tony Award and four-time Drama Desk Award nominee Kate Baldwin who will also star in “The Prom.”
As Andress described the upcoming summer at The Playhouse “It’s a season of joy.”
The Playhouse’s creative team, Carl Andress, Michael Kevin Baldwin, and Rod Christensen paid tribute to gala honoree Bobbie Olsen.Justin Boccitto
Matica Circus duo from Harwinton, Connecticut performing at NWCT ARTS Connected event in May
NWCT Arts is one of 8 regional Arts Councils designated by the Connecticut Office of the Arts, a branch of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). The mission of NWCT Arts is to “elevate the role of the arts to build community and economic vitality.” The NWCT Arts was founded by Amy Wynn in June of 2003 in collaboration with the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation and the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.
Brian Boye, Litchfield County resident, Vice President at Nike Communications, NWCT Arts board member emphasized “Our goal with Arts Connected was to highlight the rich tapestry of artists that live and work in our community. We are blessed with such a diverse range of talent, from world-class dance ensembles like Momix to incredible visual artists like Stace Dillard who work solo in studios across our 25 towns. I am thrilled that we were able to feature more than 80 local artists in a variety of formats throughout the event. Our art gallery featured more than 60 artists and we had live performances from musicians, calligraphers, DJs, drummers, photographers, dancers, aerialists, and singers. It was such a joy to witness the community coming together to celebrate all this talent.”
Steph Burr began her time as Executive Director of NWCT Arts in the heart of the Covid pandemic. A fierce advocate for artists, Burr had to immediately shift gears to create the NWCT Artist Emergency Relief Fund to aid local creatives through the hardship caused by COVID-19. NWCT Arts raised funds to support artists in financial distress. 51 artists from 13 towns in the region applied for help; arts educators, performing artists, musicians, commercial artists, fine artists, and artisans who depend on craft fairs and farmer’s markets to sell their wares. 73% of the applicants were not receiving unemployment and 31% of those applying were housing insecure. Burr is also an artist who lives in Torrington.
For 20 years, the Arts Council has been advocating for artists and the creative process in our region. They empower, facilitate, network, collaborate, and secure funding for local arts initiatives. Burr knows it is still hard for new arts organizations, and artists, to achieve lift-off. Funding for the arts has been cut back by the State to pre-pandemic levels with no adjustment for inflation. Burr would like to see greater advocacy from more established artists and organizations to help emerging artists get on their feet.
Board member Boye said, “We want to raise the profile of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, which typically works behind the scenes to ensure that artists and arts organizations can continue to thrive in our 25 towns. We’ve learned over the past few years that the arts are a major economic driver here. When we have a thriving arts community, people will visit our towns, shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants and stay in our inns. In 2022, the non-profit arts and culture industry generated more than $30 million in economic activity in our community. But there are a lot of challenges artists face to live and work here. Our mission is to ensure that there’s a network of support for them. We know that access to their work brings joy to us individually, but it also positions our region as a cultural destination that has a positive economic effect that benefits everyone.”
NWCT serves the towns of Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Burlington, Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village/Canaan, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury/Lakeville, Sharon, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester/Winsted.
Sunday Fisher, chair of the board of directors, lives in Sherman and is an operational strategist after decades working in the retail world. “Northwest Connecticut is truly a special place, renowned as a sanctuary where artists have historically come to create and find inspiration. It’s my hope that our region be recognized as a vibrant hub for all forms of art. At the Council, we are deeply committed to honoring our rich history as stewards of this artistic legacy while also forging paths that ensure the arts not only survive but thrive. Balancing these roles is essential to fostering an environment where the arts can flourish and enrich our community for generations to come.”
“The arts are a powerful economic engine for our region and are very worthy of expanded investment,” said Burr. “Our nonprofit arts organizations connect our communities and help define our culture. They also attract substantial revenue to the local economy and support many jobs and small businesses. It is no easy feat to do both.” NWCT Arts is working closely with the Connecticut Department of Tourism as the arts are responsible for increased tourism in the region.
Our state representative Maria Horn agrees with Burr. “Arts and culture are a defining part of the Northwest Corner for those who live here and those who visit the region. Communities like ours that support arts and culture not only enhance their quality of life— they also invest in their economic well-being. We know this because we’ve studied it.”
Cinderfella is a fire and flow performer from Naugatuck, Connecticut. He performed at NWCT ARTS Connected, a celebration of the arts at Spring Hill Vineyards in Washington, Connecticut. Jennifer Almquist
Stephen Gass, former President of sesamestreet.org, and vice board chair said, “When I was asked to join the board of the NWCT Arts Council, I said “OK” with one condition: the organization embraces the idea that our area’s sustainability does not rely solely on caring for our environment. Rather, given the countless ways the arts can feed our collective souls, fuel curiosity, create shared experiences, and critically serve as economic drivers, we champion the idea that the arts are essential to our well-being. Just as environmental sustainability requires that we think beyond a town’s borders, the NWCT Arts Council’s 25-town purview provides the “big picture” perspective that helps ensure a rich, far-reaching, and fertile arts and culture landscape for us all.”
Executive Director Burr, whose dream for NWCT Arts is to provide equity in the arts, reiterated their underlying credo, “As an arts organization, we work to put the voices that are most unheard at the forefront to empower the movement toward creative justice. The arts are a human right and bring us together to celebrate cultural diversity. Everyone deserves access to art and culture, to be included, and to feel a sense of belonging. We are dedicated to serving the needs of everyone regardless of race, age, physical or mental ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status.”
Burr, “Our plan is grounded in the belief that the arts have the power to transform lives and communities, and that by supporting artists and the creative process, we can create a more vibrant and prosperous region. I am so grateful for the support of our board, staff, and stakeholders. I am confident that together we can achieve our vision of a region where artists can thrive, and everyone can experience the arts.”
NWCT Arts recognizes the positive impact the arts have on our mental health. Access to arts and culture is a universal human right, meeting both a social and psychological need. Jackie Armstrong, an educator at MOMA, said “Art can harness the healing power within each of us and help bring us into community with one another. When in front of an artwork, we are connected to the artist and to others who have experienced it. And connection, to us and others, is at the core of art and healing.”
Board chair Fisher continued, “As we reflect on the success of our first annual fundraiser, we’re filled with optimism about the future of the arts in Northwest Connecticut. This event has crucially boosted our ability to provide artists with the everyday tools they need to flourish. Our aim is to elevate the arts across the towns we serve, emphasizing not only their role in fostering community connections but also their significant impact as an economic driver. Looking ahead, we envision a partnership where municipalities seamlessly invest in arts and culture, ensuring every resident has access to these enriching experiences. Our first annual event marks a pivotal step towards making that dream a reality.”
Burr summed it up, “Our plan is grounded in the belief that the arts have the power to transform lives and communities and that by supporting artists and the creative process, we can create a more vibrant and prosperous region. I am so grateful for the support of our board, staff, and stakeholders. I am confident that together we can achieve our vision of a region where artists can thrive, and everyone can experience the arts.”
How can people help the NWCT Arts Council? They currently have eighty paid members. Information on how to join or support them and listings of future arts events can be found by going to www.artsnwct.org
The catch of the day for the Tangled column of the week.
This meant remembering where his house is.
In that part of the world, there is a Route 23, a Route 23A, and a Route 23C.
I have often wondered why the geniuses that assign numbers to roads couldn’t just call them Route 23, Route 24, and Route 25.
Maybe a sequential clump of numbers is too easily confused. How about Routes 23, 47 and 59?
Luckily Gary’s neighbor has hung a gigantic American flag a couple doors down.
Whoops, there’s the flag, turn around.
R&D project A was a town reservoir. I’m not going to name the town because everything about this adventure was highly irregular.
Acting on intelligence gleaned from unusually reliable sources, we drove past a series of increasingly unpromising signs.
First we were warned to keep out. Then it was no hunting, fishing, trapping or trespassing for any reason. Then the signs returned to the general “keep out” theme.
We finally got to a gate. It was open. There were two men talking about something.
Gary went over to them. He conversed with one. He returned.
“We’re good,” he said. He had been talking to the water supply boss, who said it was fine if we parked outside the gate, out of the way, and walked up.
“It’s only about a quarter mile,” said Gary.
Of course it was mostly uphill, and not a gentle grade, either.
At the midway point, we heard yelping and hollering from the deep woods.
Two men emerged. They did not look outdoorsy. They looked out of shape and frustrated. (I am, after all, a highly trained observer.)
They had lost two chihuahuas. The dogs had been in the woods all night. The plan seemed to be to stumble around the woods in haphazard fashion yelling variations on “Here doggy!”
There didn’t seem to be anything we could do so we soldiered on, eventually reaching a large pond of sorts which was the reservoir that supposedly held big rainbow trout.
We tried, but it was windy and squishy and I was wearing a pair of boat shoes, handy enough in the right context but next to useless here.
I caught two bluegills. Gary caught a shiner.
On the way back the rescue team had located one dog. The other one had gone silent. I suggested opening a can of the ripest dog food available, on the theory the rich scent might overcome the dog’s terror.
The R&D continued at Lake Colgate, which is really more of a pond, created by damming up the East Kill. There is another impoundment about a mile upstream, and in between is a nice-looking bit of stream that should contain brook trout.
There is another impoundment about a mile upstream, and in between is a nice-looking bit of stream that should contain brook trout.
On this day it contained shiners and nothing else.
We tracked it down to where it merges into the lake, and I caught another bluegill which was sitting in about three inches of water making faces at me.
I showed him.
The guru in action in his natural habitat: the slow wait by the watery depths.Patrick L. Sullivan
The good thing about riding around with Gary is his catalog of amusing anecdotes and vivid character sketches. Also cigar smoking is allowed.
This time I learned about Cowboy George. A Brooklynite, George found himself in New Mexico, where he developed a taste for garish, stage cowboy attire.
Upon his return to Brooklyn, he developed the theme, with a twist.
George was also a cross-dresser. And a cocaine dealer, with a sideline in illegal guns.
Gary once asked him why he liked dressing like Dale Evans.
“When that buckskin hits my thighs, the years just melt away,” George replied.
Back in Phoenicia, I convened with my nomadic attorney, Thos., who was ensconced at the Woodland Valley Campground nearby.
I’m not sure how we got on the subject, but he explained his “layered defense” for personal protection that does not involve a firearm. His travels take him all over the place, and carrying a gun just isn’t practical for legal reasons.
The first item is pepper spray.
The second is a gas mask. “One of those World War One things, I want it to be terrifying.”
And the third is a spear.
He explained he had returned a custom made spear to the Japanese maker. It wasn’t pointy enough.
“I’d do more damage hitting someone with the handle.”
Thos. further explained that sometimes he finds himself bivouacking in less than ideal circumstances.
Thos. saw “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” at a tender age, and it left a lasting impression.
One Florida campground reminded him of the film enough that after talking with his new neighbors for five minutes, he got back in the car and left, without unhitching the camper or even stopping at the office to get his 15 bucks back.
Some fishing did get done on this trip.
Woodland Valley Creek is a major Esopus tributary and for 60 years or so, the Woodland Trout Fund (which sports the easily misconstrued acronym WTF), has planted brown and brook trout on Memorial Day weekend with a smaller stocking in July.
There is excellent access to public water downstream, and the WTF has a long-standing arrangement with the homeowners in the valley that trespassing for the purpose of fly-fishing is allowed.
The years have not been kind to the stream. Hurricanes and floods have reconfigured the streambed several times and left exposed clay banks. Forests of knotweed have eliminated cherished pools and runs.
And the new generation of homeowners are not as accommodating as their predecessors.
Nonetheless, it is where I learned to fish, and I always chip in. I try to catch my first Catskill trout of any given year in Woodland, with a bamboo rod and a dry fly.
That didn’t happen this year. I was unfaithful and hit the Beaverkill, Schoharie and a couple of others first.
But I did chuck a Chubby Chernobyl into the pool where my late father caught his last trout, and a feisty brown obliged by smacking it hard.
I used a Phillipson bamboo rod, seven feet for five weight, which my father gave me as a college graduation present.
Other kids got fancy cars, or a seat on the board, or a months-long trip to Europe.
But I’m still using the rod.
So who got the better deal?
