The 29th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Spirit of Dr. King award ceremony at The Ridgefield Playhouse on January 20th remembers the civil rights leader with music, poetry and honoring community leaders
On Monday, January 20th at 3:00pm, the Town of Ridgefield will host the 29th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, honoring the legacy of the great civil rights leader, with an awards ceremony, speakers and performances at The Ridgefield Playhouse. The event, which is free for the community, brings together many of the town's arts organizations and speakers, as well as honoring community leaders with The Spirit of Dr. King Community Service Award. This year includes performances by A.C.T. of Connecticut’s Youth Choir, singer/actress Jennifer Babiak, Poet Laureate Ira Joe Fisher, musician/music director Bryan Perri, Ridgefield Chorale, SPHERE, actress/writer Kimberly Wilson, and a special introduction to the newly formed Youth Ambassadors of Compassionate Ridgefield: Julia Knispel, Donnelly Rodgers and Naomi Vakil. This year's Spirit of Dr. King Award will be presented to A.C.T. of Connecticut's founder and artistic director Daniel C. Levine for his outstanding commitment to community service and his leadership in the Ridgefield arts community.
Started in 1995 as one of several community activities and initiatives organized and sponsored by ROUND (Ridgefielders Organized for Understanding and Diversity), the MLK celebration has changed and grown over the years; from standing on the steps outside of the Community Center, to becoming a larger event in the basement of Town Hall, to becoming even more celebratory when moved to The Ridgefield Playhouse in 2013. When Rudy Marconi took office as First Selectman in 1999, he became Ridgefield’s first elected official to formally participate and has joined Mark Robinson as a co-organizer of the event ever since, with former Ridgefield Playhouse Executive Director Allison Stockel joining the team about 11 years ago. “This years performances will include everything from the more traditional melodies like “We Shall Overcome,” and “Let There Be Peace,” to some of the more popular songs such as “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, “Galileo” by the Indigo Girls, and even the Yiddish version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” says Allison Stockel, who has been producing the shows since she joined the committee. “We will also have speakers, poetry and more. Since it started to take place in the Playhouse about 11 years ago, it has really grown and now draws crowds upwards of 200 attendees.”
Daniel C. Levine, who has had a successful career as a Broadway actor and is now the co-founder and Artistic Director of A.C.T. (A Contemporary Theater) of Connecticut, will be receiving the Spirit of Dr. King Award. In addition to running A.C.T. of Connecticut (along with Producing Director Erin Craig), he has donated his time to The Ridgefield Playhouse, Founders Hall, Keeler Tavern Museum, the Ridgefield Library, ROAR, Compassionate Ridgefield, SPHERE and many other non profits in town. Daniel helped the non profit Jane Doe No More by donating his time and talent to create an original musical production that was based on survivors of sexual crimes, which not only empowered them to share their stories but also raised money for the non profit. That show is now in the works to become a film. He brought the community together by reimagining Stephen Schwartz’s musical “Working” for A.C.T. of CT, creating a powerful rendition that celebrated the town of Ridgefield and its dedicated workforce. Daniel has been a resident of Ridgefield for more than thirteen years and served as a Commissioner on Ridgefield’s Conservation Commission for more than 6 years. He was the recipient of the Arts Volunteer Award, the Dr. Henry C. Lee Award, and received a Special Congressional Recognition from the 5th district. Daniel and his husband Bryan Perri are proud to call Ridgefield their home.
“The Martin Luther King Day celebration has become an enduring and highly regarded tradition in Ridgefield,” says Mark Robinson, ceremony organizer and former member of the state’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission, “Our purpose is to ensure that the spirit with which Dr. King lived and the struggles for which he died are remembered and live on in the hearts and minds of our community.” The event is free to the community and takes place at The Ridgefield Playhouse.
The Ridgefield Playhouse is located at 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; 203-438-5795; https://ridgefieldplayhouse.org/