GFS 5th Graders Present “Annie JR.” this Week in Bedford Square; Tickets Still Available
Learning their steps from co-choreographer Kristine Nielsen. After months of outdoor rehearsals, Greens Farms Elementary School fifth graders are excited to present their show “Annie Jr.” this week in Bedford Square.
Laura Curley Pendergast, owner of Theater Camp 4 Kids Broadway Academy, directs the show Annie Jr. Musical theater wasn’t on the amenities list for tenants of Bedford Square, but residents and passersby have gladly noticed the small acting school practicing outdoors - in all weather - throughout the pandemic in yet another example of the theatrical arts thriving in Westport. The Westport Local Press was able to visit the group at the rotary parking lot at 12 Elm Street - watching as the sidewalk became a stage, and apartment owners leaned from their balconies to enjoy the show below.
The acting school is run by Westporter Laura Curley Pendergast, who is directing the sidewalk show with the help of volunteers and interns. The sets are mobile, with a makeshift indoor studio space and the use of the sidewalks being lent to the group of singing, dancing kids by Bedford Square’s David Waldman. Waldman has allowed them the space, as other indoor venues were shuttered this past year - such as the auditoriums of many local schoolhouses.
Holden LaForce fills Bedford Square with his voice as he practices one of Annie Jr’s musical numbers. Capri DiVincenzo, playing Grace Farrell, and Charlotte Pendergast, Co-leading as Annie. The tiny dancers captured the attention of many who walk past the group as they sing, dance, flip, “sleep”, and laugh through their rehearsals - with Pendergast leading them as they glide through their lines and moves. The fifth graders make the work seem effortless, with scene changes and dance routines moving along without missing a beat during rehearsals, even while pedestrians crossed and twisted around the kids with bright sun beating down on their faces.
However warm now, the school had continued through this past winter - with students hopping onto the sidewalk stage in thick coats, hats, gloves during the cold New England days to prepare for their next show.
Co-lead Jasmita Mani-Lorenzato as Annie.After months of hard work and pandemic-era adaptations, the Greens Farms School fifth graders welcome the community to attend their shows this week - right on the sidewalk where they’ve been singing and dancing all along. A sweet rendition of Annie, Annie Jr. will gives Westporters a chance to enjoy a live performance under the bright skies and street lamps of Downtown Westport.
Annie JR. Performance Schedule:
Friday, June 4th: 6:30 PM
Saturday, June 5th: 2:00 PM
Saturday, June 5th: 4:30 PM
Sunday, June 6th: 4:30 PM*
To attend the outdoor performances, contact Director Laura Curley Pendergast by texting her at 917-734-8462 or by emailing anniejr2021westport@gmail.com to purchase the $18 tickets. For information on camps and lessons, visit their website.
Charise Siblings Sell Kid-Created Art for a Cause; Youngest Exhibitors at Westport Fine Arts Festival
Ashley and Austin Charise stand inside their booth surrounded by the student-created art, all of which is being sold for a good cause. Austin (11) and Ashley (9) Charise had the idea to join the Westport Arts Festival this year, however when they realized how large of an event it is and that they would be juried, they went back to the drawing board as they worked to meet their goal of obtaining a booth that displayed art created by fellow elementary schoolers.
Thinking about how to enter the show as elementary schoolers, and with guidance from the Downtown Merchant’s Association, the siblings were able to find a sponsor in their parents’ local business and with help from local artist Miggs Burroughs and the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center - and their booth was secured. With a spot on Brooks Corner, they were the youngest exhibiting members of the Festival and enjoyed meeting the artists who worked alongside them to sell their art to the community.
Their booth exhibited art from Westport elementary schoolers, from 5 to 11 years old. Each piece required a $20 fee to enter, which was donated to the international charity BuildOn. The artist named their price for their pieces, and when sold, they collected 80% of the sales - with the other 20% also going towards BuildOn.
The Charise siblings have a goal in mind with those BuildOn donation dollars: build a school in Malawi, Africa. As of Sunday, they had raised nearly $1,500 dollars towards their goal, with hope that Sunday afternoon will bring more success as the festival comes to a close at 5:00 PM today.
Westonite Drew Klotz Takes Home the $500 Pen Sculpture Award from Fine Arts Festival
Sculpture artist Drew Klotz holds his blue ribbon after being awarded the Pen Sculpture Award by the Downtown Merchant’s Association. Klotz has participated in 5 of the 48 years of the Westport Fine Arts Festival, and has kinetic sculptures visible throughout both Westport and the region.
The Effort of a Damp Day
Oil painter Ning Lee, Booth 128, protects his canvases by clearing a large collection of rainwater from his tent’s roof. Preston Siroka for the Westport Local Press.