Artful Talent Shines in Westport Community Theatre's Production of Nine, the Musical

The Westport Community Theatre is proud to have Carole Schweid and Lucia Palmieri, Westport residents and accomplished professionals working on their current production of Nine, the musical. Carole Schweid is choreographer for the show and soprano Lucia Palmieri contributes her incredible voice to several performances on stage. The Tony award-winning musical, based on the book by Arthur Kopit, opens on Friday, June 5 and runs during the month of June.

Schweid has performed on Broadway in Minnie’s Boys, in Pippin for Bob Fosse, and was an original cast member of the Pulitzer Prize winning A Chorus Line. She has directed over 100 short plays in her role as Artistic Director of CT’s popular lunchtime play-reading series, Play With Your Food.

Schweid started out her life on stage as a dancer. “I was fortunate to be working on Broadway when most of the top directors were also choreographers, and I got to work with many of them, including Michael Bennett on A Chorus Line.” Her most recent role with Play With Your Food, allows her to try something new when its season ends. She was happy to oblige director Mark Graham when he asked her to stage Nine’s musical numbers. “Nine is not your average musical. The story, based on the Fellini film 8 1/2, centers around a brilliant film director, who is having a bit of a creative mid-life crisis, surrounded by all the women in his life. Our cast is fabulous and their voices are making the music even more beautiful and haunting.”

Lucia Palmieri, a chef turned soprano, was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Schweid and Graham as well. “I don’t usually perform in anything like this. I am so happy to work side-by-side with the likes of with Carole and Mark and with WCT, which I love.” Trained by Juilliard, Palmieri has sung internationally on television after a critically renowned debut at Carnegie Hall. Prior to a national TV debut on Bravo’s Rocco’s Dinner Party, she had performed in New York City at the 9th Avenue Street festival, The New York Public Library, and has had leading roles in the Central Park Summer Series with City Grand Opera. She has sung at The US Open and has been on numerous networks including ESPN, ABC and NBC. Palmieri is a fourth generation Staples graduate, a former Staples Player, and is cantor each week for St Margaret’s Shrine in Bridgeport.

Mark Graham is at the helm of the WCT show produced by Sam Mink, Robert Watts and Donna McLaughlin Wyant. Cast members are Beth Bria, Josie Bielmeier, Mia Cenholt-Haulund, Ainsley Dahlstrom, Lisa Dahlstrom, Nicholas Ferreira, Stephanie Ficarra, Karen Hanley, Sarah Hernandez, Robie Livingstone, Jodi Maxner, Lucia Palmieri, Bennett Pologe, Janice Rudolph, Betsy Simpson and Donna McLaughlin Wyant.

Nine performances are from June 5 through June 28, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays, with a Thursday performance on June 11 at 8:00 p.m. There is an extra matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 27. Tickets are $28, $26 for seniors and students, and can be purchased at westportcommunitytheatre.com or by calling (203) 226-1983. Westport Community Theatre is located at 110 Myrtle Avenue in Westport.