Westport Woman’s Club Presents Fairfield County’s Own Mia Gentile and Brett Boles

Westporters are truly in for a treat when New York Rising Stars Mia Gentile and Brett Boles return from NYC to thrill audiences with some of their favorite jazz and classic show tunes at the Westport Woman’s Club on April 28 at 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm.  The April 28 Cabaret is the second event in a two-part Waiting in the Wings Cabaret:  Broadway and Jazz Classics series designed to raise funds to support the WWC 2012 Scholarship Program.

“Mia and Brett grew up on Fairfield County stages—Mia in Westport and Brett in Newtown,” noted WWC President Mary Lee Clayton. “We are so pleased and grateful that they have both agreed to lend their extraordinary talents to benefit our Club’s 2012 Scholarship program.”

Cabaret Co-Chair and Bedford Middle School Theater Director Karen McCormick noted, “There will be a group of us in the audience on April 28 who feel as though we have a vested interest in Mia and Brett’s careers. A number of us have had the privilege of watching these two young artists grow over the years and develop into the spectacularly talented young professionals they are now.” In addition to the two soloists, four students from Bedford Middle School--Julia Mandelbaum, Jordan Goodness, Riley Thrush and Katherine Coogan--will take to the stage for a featured cameo performance during both of the shows.

Mia, a graduate of Staples High School received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. As a member of Staples Players, Mia played Sally Bowles in the 2004 production of Cabaret, which received the New England Theatre Conference Moss Hart Award. She also played Eve in Children of Eden, Dorothy in the Wiz and Princess Puffer in Drood, among an impressive list of other leading roles. When not in a high school production, Mia performed on weekends with Chris Coogan’s Good News Gospel Choir and sang on his 2006 album, Every Day I Wanna Praise You. While in college, her professional credits included Natalie in Next to Normal at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati and the title role of Thoroughly Modern Millie in a summer stock production at the New London (New Hampshire) Barn Playhouse. Mia received several Cincinnati Acclaim Awards for Professional Performances as well as the Cincinnati Acclaim Rising Star Award of 2011. She performed with accomplished jazz pianist Ed Moss at his jazz club Schwartz Point in Cincinnati. She also collaborated with Moss on the album, Seeing You.

Brett Boles, a soloist and the music director for the April Cabaret, is a graduate of Newtown High School and earned his undergraduate degree in Music Composition from Ithaca College.  In addition to being an accomplished performer, he is a composer, lyricist and librettist. He is currently a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop in New York City, and his latest musical Foreverman has been selected as one of ten musicals to be performed as part of the Next Link Project at the New York Musical Theatre Festival this July. Like Mia, Brett starred in a number of productions at his high school and has appeared in a variety of regional musical theater productions. He most recently played Sky Masterson in the Shelton Center Stage production of Guys and Dolls. He was also a featured soloist in the Fairfield Follies Stars Sing Cole Porter benefit held in February at the Bridgeport Downtown Cabaret.

The Waiting in the Wings Cabaret series is sponsored by the Westport Woman’s Club with all proceeds going to underwrite the WWC’s Scholarship Program.  The WWC Scholarship Program was first established in 1925. Every year since then the Scholarship Committee, in consultation with Staples High School Administration, has provided a variety of college scholarships to deserving local students. The amount and number of scholarships vary from year-to-year, depending on funds raised and the qualification of the applicants.

In addition to raising funds, the WWC Cabaret series is designed to provide a warm-up venue for emerging young prorofessionals to workshop their acts before taking them to the New York City cabaret circuit or beyond. Furthermore, by including local middle school and high school students in the events, the series also aims to inspire these teen performers with a vision of what their dreams can become.

Through the generous sponsorship of six Community Partner restaurants, the $35 tickets to the event include complimentary hors d’oeuvres plus two $5 Dining Dollar Certificates (minimum purchase of $25) redeemable through May 20, 2012, at any of the participating restaurants: Blue Lemon, Bobby Q’s, Da Pietro’s, Matsu Sushi, River House and Rizzuto’s. Cabaret attendees will also receive complimentary beverages (wine and soft drinks).

Seating in the Club Room at the Westport Woman’s Club, 44 Imperial Avenue in Westport, is limited; advance reservations are strongly encouraged and may be purchased online, www.westportwomansclub.org, or by calling the WWC at 203-227-4240.

The Westport Woman’s Club (WWC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising of funds in support of the charitable, educational, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.