'Iconic' Westport Oil Painting by Steven Dohanos on Display During Performance of 'The Music Man'

WESTPORT, CT — The iconic oil painting of Westport by artist Steven Dohanos, "The Band Played On (The Big Game)," will be on display during the run of the Staples High School Players' production of "The Music Man," announced members of the Friends of Westport Public Arts Collections Committee (WestPAC).

The painting, which was conserved by WestPAC, was created as a Saturday Evening Post cover and depicts five members of the 1946 Staples High School Band. It will hang in the Staples auditorium lobby throughout Staples Players’ run of “The Music Man” on November 11, 12, 13, 18 & 19, alongside the promotional posters for the 2001 and 2016 Staples Players’ productions of “The Music Man” that were inspired by the painting.

First Selectman Jim Marpe, Staples High School Principal James D’Amico, Town Curator Kathie Bennewitz, and Staples Players Director David Roth unveiled the exhibit this week.

Limited Edition prints of the Dohanos painting are available for purchase during performances and at http://www.westport.k12.ct.us/uploaded/site_files/www/westpac/Dohanos_Band_Print_Funrasider_2016.Final.pdf. Proceeds of the sale will benefit Friends of the Westport Public Art Collections, Staples Music Parents Association and the Westport Historical Society.

Tickets to “The Music Man” are available at www.staplesplayers.com.

Photo: From left, Caroline Elizondo, Michele Mechanic, First Selectman Jim Marpe, Staples High School Principal James D’Amico, Kathie Bennewitz, Christie Stanger, and David Roth. Photo credit: Kerry Long

(Editor's Note: Patch is re-posting this story in case you missed it the first time around.)