Westport Culture and the Arts
Posted on January 9, 2008
Filed Under Westport, Connecticut - Events and Activities | Leave a Comment
Most Westporters are well educated, charged with creativity and actively involved in the pursuit and support of all those elements that make the good life. Energy and opportunities are in the air; the town has a strong pulse and lots of heart.
Devotion to the arts is strong and broadly popular. Since its inception in 1930, The Westport Country Playhouse has been a showcase for national theatre. A star-studded line-up of America’s performing greats have walked upon the stage: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Christopher Plummer, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr,, Geraldine Page, Gene Kelly, Lillian Gish, Jane Fonda, Helen Hayes, Liza Minelli and the list goes on and on. And so do the singing, dancing, musicals and plays. Totally renovated in 2005 the Westport Country Playhouse continues to enlighten, enrich and engage a diverse community of theatre lovers, artists and students by presenting excellent professional theatre and by offering a welcoming experience that perpetuates the long tradition of the Westport Country Playhouse “red barn”. In addition, the Playhouse hosts an equally professional and heavily attended Children’s series.
The Westport/Weston Community Theatre is at home in the Westport Town Hall. There is fresh new work by debuting playwrights, drama, comedy, musicals and experimental theatre. A great community builder and resource, anyone who wants to be in, around or attend theater can start here.
The Levitt Pavilion on the banks of the Saugatuck River with a great view across the river and back toward town is another of Westport’s summer performance hallmarks. Throughout the season over 50 nights of FREE outdoor entertainment from reggae to rock, musicals to blue grass, big band, choral singing, barbershop and dance, all tastes and all ages find something to love. Its amphitheater shell, the river walk and grassy knoll make just the right setting for a summer night.
The Westport/Weston Arts Center is a performing and visual arts organization dedicated to providing meaningful experiences for area residents of all ages. The programs include the visual arts, performing arts, film, lectures, education and special events. The galleries of the Arts Center provide ongoing exhibitions open to the public. Through its comprehensive artistic and educational programming the Arts Center has achieved the highest standard of professionalism within a fifty mile radius of New York.
The Nature Center for Environmental Activities is devoted to public environmental education, preservation and conservation. Located in the woodsy interior of Westport, Earthplace is a 62 acre preserve with trails, natural science museum, and aquarium.
Wheeler House,c.1795, houses the Westport Historical Society. The museum features changing exhibits dedicated to preserving, presenting and celebrating the history of Westport. www.westporthistory.org
Comments
Leave a Reply
Subscribe
