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events
"Spring Time, Swing Time" Concert
Showcase of Local Singers and Musicians
Norfield Church Parish Hall, Weston, CT
Sunday, May 20th 3pm
WestonArts and The Friends of The Weston Senior Center are pleased to present “Spring Time Swing Time,” an afternoon concert of upbeat jazz standards and ballads performed by local artists and nationally recognized stars.
Serving as host for the afternoon is two-time Tony Award winner and Westonite, James Naughton who will be accompanied by local recording artist and pianist, Chris Coogan.
Joining this dynamic duo on stage will be Greg Naughton, and a lineup that features stars of the theatre and regional venues, well-known local performers, and graduates of the performing arts program at Weston High School.
Tickets will go on sale on March 15th and are expected to sell out for this truly special afternoon that showcases our local musical talent. Norfield Church Parish Hall, 64 Norfield Road will serve as venue and seating is limited. Tickets can be purchased online at www.westonarts.org or at the Weston Senior Center and cost $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and students.
Proceeds from this concert will be divided with the Weston Senior Center and with WestonArts for their scholarship program.
Singers scheduled to appear include: Rebecca Borowik, Chris Coogan, Kristen Hahn, Emilie Roberts Hannon, Greg Naughton, James Naughton, Samantha Rehr, Barbara Schottenfeld, Janna Sturgis, Nancy Sturgis.
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WestonArts is a 501c-3 formed in 2005, whose mission is to support and develop the Arts in Weston. The generosity of donors has enabled us to provide myriad programs through grant requests from our schools and town.
The Friends of the Weston Senior Activities Center, a 501-c3, is dedicated to supporting the Center and enriching and expanding the programs and activities the Center provides.
Website: www.westonseniorcenter.info
Tickets Prices:
*Special Note - ticket names will be at the door for any purchases done online. Paper tickets are not provided, seating is open.
JAMES NAUGHTON
From Broadway and regional theater to television and films, James Naughton has won critical acclaim in dramas, comedies and musicals. He is the winner of two Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of media-savvy lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway hit “Chicago” (1997) and for his role as a film-noir era detective in “City of Angels” (1990), which also earned him a Drama Desk Award. He won the 1999 MAC Award as best male vocalist for his one-man concert show, “Street of Dreams,” presented by Mike Nichols, and recorded his CD, “It’s About Time,” for DRG records. In 2014, he recorded his Live from Lincoln Center Special for PBS, “James Naughton Sings Randy Newman”. A graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, Naughton made his New York debut in Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” with Robert Ryan and Geraldine Fitzgerald, winning immediate recognition with Theatre World, New York Drama Critics and Vernon Rice Awards. On Broadway, he also starred as Willy Brandt in “Democracy,” and in “Whose Life Is It Anyway,” and “I Love My Wife.” He directed two critically acclaimed Broadway productions: Arthur Miller’s “The Price,” which was nominated for a Tony, and Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” starring Paul Newman, which he also shot for Showtime. He has directed and acted extensively in Williamstown and in Westport, and played off-Broadway and in regional theatres for decades. Naughton’s film credits include “Equity,” currently at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “Factory Girl,” playing Sienna Miller’s father, “Childless,” opposite Barbara Hershey, “The Devil Wears Prada,” “First Wives Club,” “The Glass Menagerie,” with Joanne Woodward, “The Good Mother,” “The Paper Chase,” and “Cat’s Eye.” On TV, he starred in “Planet of the Apes,’ “Who’s The Boss?,” “Brooklyn Bridge,” “Making the Grade,” “Ally McBeal,” “The Cosby Mysteries,” “Damages,” “Gossip Girl,” “Hostages,” and most recently, “The Black List” and “The Affair.”
Chris Coogan
Coogan as Jazz Musician For over 20 years, Coogan has led the Chris Coogan Quartet, a combo with a repertoire that includes straight-ahead jazz, fusion jazz and boogie-woogie.S’Funky, Coogan’s first jazz album containing his original songs, was released in 1995 and re-released in 1999. It features the song Cranberry Isle which took the top jazz prize in the 1997 John Lennon Songwriting Competition. Coogan’s credits as a jazz musician include performing with the late Sal Salvador, Bette Midler, Donna Summer, Paul Newman, Whoopie Goldberg, Jo Ann Woodward, Alec Baldwin, Gene Wilder, Larry Coryell, Dave Liebman, Harold Danko, Ronnie Spector, James Naughton and Phoebe Snow, as well as arranging for Teo Maceo, producer for the late Miles Davis He appeared on television’s Celebrity Jeopardy and the Arsenio Hall Show and has performed at Manhattan’s Blue Note and the Montreaux Jazz Festival.Coogan as Gospel Musician Coogan also leads a successful career as a choral director; as well as a writer and arranger of gospel music. He weaves jazz black gospel and white choral music into a new brand of music that engages a broad, cross-cultural audience. In 1993, he founded the good News Gospel Choir with 15 members. Today, this 50-voice, multi-denominational singing group performs nearly every weekend at churches, festivals, fundraisers and various community events throughout the state of Connecticut. The group has released two albums, 1997’s Joy, Unspeakable Joy and most recently, Light a Candle. Through a choral workshops, Coogan has begun to helpreinvigorate church and community choirs by teaching directors and members the vocal techniques and gesture that accompany Gospel music. These workshops have been offered throughout California and in Sydney, Australia and will be offered to churches throughout the country in Spring, 2001. I see myself as a catalyst who uses the medium of music to bring people together” Coogan said. “It’s my passion to help people find joy in making music and singing from their souls”.
Barbara Schottenfeld, critically acclaimed composer, lyricist, playwright, performer, writes for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and performs her “wickedly funny” one-woman show of her original material at Feinstein’s, Lincoln Center and other top venues. The LA Times raves “Schottenfeld gives a lesson in comedy and cabaret.” As lyricist, she collaborated with legendary composers Henry Mancini, Jule Styne, Burton Lane & Steve Allen. At Princeton she wrote book, music, lyrics, orchestrations for the Off-Broadway hit I Can’t Keep Running In Place, starring Helen Gallagher and Phyllis Newman, book, music & lyrics for Hot And Sweet (Director’s Choice Award, New York Musical Theatre Festival, starring Katie Finneran, Leah Michelle; Catch Me If I Fall (Promenade Theatre, Drama League Award), and Sit Down And Eat Before Our Love Gets Cold (starring Marin Mazzie, Scott Bakula). Upcoming shows include: Broadway musical about a multi-racial all-girl swing band in WWII, a sketch comedy show about technology. “Diversely talented”(The New York Times), “a true verbal artist” (New York Magazine) “a megatalent” (UPI) with a “razor-sharp wit” (Wall Street Journal).
Greg Naughton is pleased to re-unite with his very first singing partner tonight: Dad. And with Chris Coogan, with whom he partnered on many far too loud garage-bands through their Weston High days together (belated apologies to the Coogan family). Greg performs at far more moderate volumes today, as a singer-songwriter and 1/3 of folk-rock trio, THE SWEET REMAINS, whose music recently achieved the rare distinction for little independent band of more than 20 Million “plays” on Spotify. Greg is also proud alumnus of Weston’s ‘COMPANY’ players, and later brought the training and love of theatre he garnered there (special love and thanks to the great Doris Fiotakis!) to NYC, founding The Obie-winning Blue Light Theater Co where he served as Artistic Director through 6 seasons and 16 productions. Greg is in the final throes of post-production on his first feature film, THE INDEPENDENTS, a musical-comedy of sorts, inspired by his experiences with his band-mates of the Sweet Remains.
Emilie Roberts Hannon has appeared Off & Off-Off Broadway, creating leading roles in five original musicals, and appearing in As You Like It and Scapin. Regionally, she has starred in Deathtrap, The Respectful Prostitute, She Loves Me, Oklahoma, The Robber Bridegroom, A Threepenny Opera and more. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Emilie has performed in such operas as The Magic Flute (Queen of the Night), La Juive (Eudoxie)& Pagliacci (Nedda). In CT she has appeared in 8 musicals at the Summer
Theatre of New Canaan, as well as at the White Barn Theatre and Westport Country Playhouse. Emilie is a member and past president of the Theatre Artist's Workshop, and is Adjunct Professor of Voice and Theatre at the University of Bridgeport.
Samantha Rehr is a Weston-raised actor, theatre-maker, and podcaster based in New York City. Recent acting credits include The Cherry Orchard (UV Theatre Project/Ragdale Foundation), Juliet & Romeo (The Brick), The Story of Anne Frank (National Theater for Education), The Taming of the Shrew (Connecticut Free Shakespeare). Her Shakespearean adaptation, Juliet & Romeo, premiered in Brooklyn in 2017. Her podcast, Feminist Popcorn, a celebration and growing archive of the greatest films about women, will be available this Spring. www.samrehr.com
Rebecca Borowik graduated from Weston High School in 2014. Serving as secretary on the Company Board for 2 years, she participated in numerous shows like The Crucible, Guys and Dolls, and Kiss Me, Kate. Some of her favorite roles include Marian in The Music Man (WMS '09), Maria in Twelfth Night (WHS '13), and Carrie in Carousel (WHS '14). Rebecca is also a recent graduate of Marymount Manhattan College where she attained a BA in Theatre Arts with a minor in musical theatre.
Kristen Hahn is a proud graduate of the Weston school system (class of '07) and had the great joy of working with Doris Fiotakis on many school productions. Some favorites include Cinderella, Noises Off, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Brigadoon, and My Fair Lady. Professional credits include Phoebe D'Ysquith on the 1st National Tour of the Tony-winning A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder and Miss Barley in the Broadway production of the same name; Rebecca Gibbs in Our Town starring Paul Newman and directed by James Naughton
(Broadway and Westport Country Playhouse); regional productions of Guys and Dolls and Death Takes A Holiday; and feature film Five Flights Up starring Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman. Kristen holds a BFA in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University.
Nancy Kelly Sturgis is a Westonite, my three children graduated from WHS and all were involved in performing arts as well as fine arts in Weston HS as well as Weston MS. Nancy has been performing in regional theaters in the tri-state area. She is a guest cantor at St. Francis of Assisi, an avid gardener and truly enjoys living in this artist-rich haven of Weston, CT.
Janna Sturgis
Janna spent one year at Oklahoma City University as a musical theatre student and is currently enrolled at AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) in NYC, in musical theatre. She performed in WMS and WHS productions of Curtains, Annie, Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, and Barnum.
Janna studied voice with Kathy Meighan and completed the musical theatre program at MTC under the direction of Kevin Connors.
Paul Bogaev is a multi award-winning artist whose film credits include the Oscar-winning Chicago, for which he won a Grammy Award; Nine; Dreamgirls, starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson; Across the Universe; and the Disney films Mulan, The Lion King, and The Emperor’s New Groove. Among his many Broadway credits are Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, for which he won his first Grammy; Tarzan; Bombay Dreams, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award; Sunset Boulevard; Chess; Cats; Starlight Express; Les Miserables; and most recently, Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark.
Bogaev also served as music director of the ABC-TV musicals Cinderella, South Pacific, and Annie, for which he won an Emmy Award. He has worked with a number of pop, film, and theater stars over the course of his career, including Sting, Phil Collins, Bono, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Hugh Jackman, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Penelope Cruz, Keith Urban, and Fergie. As a symphony conductor, he conducted the music for Francis Ford Coppola’s presentation of the silent film epic Napoleon with major orchestras around the world.
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