Scene & Heard

+ If you build it, they shall come
Development associate Jon Donk and marketing associate Audra Lang took me on a construction-site tour of the of the new FST’s Gompertz Theatre. “Please mind our dust,” they said, as we walked through the construction mess. The groundbreaking took place in January, and construction will last through January 2015. Gompertz Theatre, the café and lobby space are set to open Nov. 30; Cabaret is set to open in January 2014; and the Lab theater space will complete the phased project in January 2015. Donk says that it’s been an all-hands-willing effort, and that he helped paint. It’s all coming together. You can see the progress with a photo tour at YourObserver.com.

+ Cat is out of the bag
In January 2011, Diversions featured East County resident Maria Wirries, the up-and-coming ice-skating, dancing and singing teenager. For her 15th birthday celebration Sunday, Aug. 12, Wirries was surprised by about 20 guests at Cat Depot. A cat pod, “Maria’s Manor,” was named in her honor.

This winter, Wirries found a stray cat, Artemis, to whom she became attached to. Wirries arranged to have the cat live at Cat Depot until he was adopted. As a gift, Cat Depot volunteer Nancy Colby gave Maria photo of Artemis the stray. “Grandpa” Gregory Friedman, and his wife, Ileen, hosted the party.

Those in attendance included her mother, Jeaneen Wirries; Beatrice Friedman and her aide Samantha Craig, a Cat Depot volunteer and the family’s link to the facility; Dr. Joseph Holt, artistic director of the Gloria Musicae professional chorus with which Maria performs; her teacher and accompanist Alan Corey; Seth Wertz, Sandra Orlando, Sue Bennett, Harold Ronson and The Observer’s Molly Schechter.