Clear Skies over I-95

Crisp blue skies gave way to the warmth of sunset along the Saugatuck River. Photo by JD Dworkow for WestportLocal.com

UU Players Present “The Laramie Project” to Benefit LGBTQ Community Center

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After three riveting performances in November, UU Players will present an encore performance of The Laramie Project on Saturday, December 10, to benefit Triangle Community Center, which serves Fairfield County’s LGBTQ community. For the company’s previous closing performance of Moises Kaufman’s play exploring the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, the actors took the stage just hours after news broke of the shooting at a gay bar in Colorado Springs. The painful reminder of just how timely this play still is combined with the powerful performances that day on The Unitarian Church stage spurred on audience members to encourage the cast to consider reprising their roles in a benefit performance.

Now community members have another opportunity to see this important play, while supporting an organization that does vital work for our LGBTQ neighbors. Triangle Community Center is Fairfield County’s leading provider of programming and resources to nurture growth and connection within the LGBTQ community. TCC is home to more than two dozen free groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly at the center. Groups include peer support, recovery, older adult daytime programming, crafts, sober social events, and youth groups. 

The Laramie Project, Saturday, December 10, at 7pm, at The Unitarian Church, 10 Lyons Plain Road, Westport, and via Livestream. $20 suggested donation or pay what you can. All proceeds will go to Triangle Community Center. Talkback with the director and cast immediately following the show. For tickets/info, visit: www.uuwestport.org/uuplayers

More about the show: Part of the power of this production is its simplicity. It involves no set, just ten actors in chairs on stage, with their costumes/props near them to aid in bringing to life the 60+ characters in the play—all of whom were real people in Laramie. Without the distraction of a complex set, attention is focused on the words—all of which were actually spoken by the townspeople of Laramie; the script is made up of direct quotes from interviews conducted by the Tectonic Theatre Project with residents of the area in the year after the crime occurred.

While a play about a brutal hate crime may seem too sad to endure, the story is also about Laramie, Wyoming. It would be easy to dismiss this Western town as one populated by redneck, Trump-y red-staters with whom we enlightened Eastern elites have nothing in common. But you will be surprised by the folks you meet there. The Laramie Project offers a glimpse into a community that was rocked by events both within and out of their own control. And, this story is not just Laramie’s story. Our nation is one which struggles to embrace compassion and tolerance, and so, in a very real way, Laramie is every town. 

Morning Weather Report

Today

Sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Tonight

Clear, with a low around 27. Calm wind.

Tomorrow

Sunny, with a high near 48. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph.

Tomorrow Night

A 20 percent chance of rain after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near 39 by 8pm, then rising to around 43 during the remainder of the night. Calm wind.

Bashkin “Bash” Derti, 56, Died; LA Rams Fan, “loved a good joke.”

Bashkim "Bash" Derti, of Westport, Connecticut passed away peacefully at home while in the presence of his loving wife on December 1, 2022 after a long struggle against Glioblastoma. He was 56 years old.

Bash was born in Manhattan, New York on November 16, 1966. Bash graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in Political Science in 1988. He later attended Duke University and received his MBA in Finance in 1997.

Bash was predeceased by his father, Nazmi Derti and his mother, Lihe Derti. Left to cherish his memory are his wife Melissa Kindle, and his two children, daughter Laura Granda and son Knox Derti. He also leaves behind his two brothers, Gzim Derti and Petrit Derti as well as many nieces, nephews and sisters-in-law who adored him.

While Bash had many interests, he most enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, playing golf, reading, and watching football. He was especially passionate about his Los Angeles Rams. He loved a good joke. Most of all, Bash will be remembered for his sense of humor, genuine interest in others and his unfailing kindness to friends and strangers alike.

Bash will be missed by his family and the many friends and acquaintances whom he has left a mark on forever!

Friends may greet his family on Saturday, December 10, 2022 from 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. at the Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Rd., Fairfield, CT 06824. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m.

To sign his online guestbook, please visit www. shaughnesseybanks.com