Laura Linney (right) and moderator Lynne Meadow
“Tonight, we honor an artist of the highest caliber, Laura Linney.”
With that, Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer presented the 2023 BOOKED for the evening guest of honor with her award, eliciting a standing ovation from the capacity crowd of 450-plus who turned out for the 24th edition of the Library’s signature fundraising event — and who made this year’s edition the most financially successful BOOKED for the evening in the event’s history.
It was a stunning evening, replete with a cocktail reception, in-person tributes from former New York Times chief theatre critic Ben Brantley, actor John Benjamin Hickey, and playwright Donald Marguiles, and video tributes from actors Jason Bateman, Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeanne Tripplehorn, among others, all celebrating Linney’s life and career.
That was followed by an extended conversation between moderator Lynne Meadow, the longtime artistic visionary behind the Manhattan Theatre Club, and Linney, covering a wide variety of topics that included Linney’s introduction to acting, her process, her love of books, and much more.
“Where the arts and community intersect anywhere, it’s a really powerful and important part of our culture,” said Linney, whose remarkable career includes two Golden Globe and four Emmy Award wins and three Academy Award and five Tony Award nominations. “I think there is a profound need for community and the arts. And I’m so happy to be here and to see so many people here. The arts are essential for culture. They’re medicinal. They help us understand things we didn’t understand before and they make you understand things about yourself that you had no idea of — it’s a profoundly important thing to keep alive.”
Linney emphasized the special place the arts serve not only in her life, but for society as a whole — “Time in the arts is never wasted time,” she said — and how meaningful it was to receive this award from a library, an institution she reveres.
“Books are one of the first aspects of the arts that we all encounter — the small books as a child, things that you have, holding a book in your hand,” said Linney. “So, it’s really a joy to be here. I’ve had, in some ways, my most spiritual experiences in libraries — the library in my college, the library in my high school, the library I created in my home. I love being there. I love being quiet. I love staring at the books and they all talk to me as you remember what you’ve read, what those characters had to say. I find it such a wonderful, calming place to be.”
[Related: BOOKED for the evening 2023 photo album]
BOOKED for the evening 2023 closed with a song from American Idol finalist and Staples High School graduate Drew Angus, who performed a soaring rendition of Time for Me to Fly by REO Speedwagon, and with drinks and dessert in the Hub on the Library’s main level.
“The night was electric,” Harmer said. “It was everything we could have asked for and more. Once again, we realize how honored we are to live in such a vibrant arts community — and in a community that understands the importance of libraries and that supports our mission and goals. That an actress of Laura Linney’s immense talent would feel at home in our space is a testament both to the Library and the people who sustain it.”
“It was, start to finish, a remarkable evening,” said Westport Library Development Director Agata Slattery. “I cannot say enough about the incredible efforts of the BOOKED for the evening committee, led by co-chairs Wendy Brown and Candice Savin, all the Library staff members who have worked for months to make the event come to life, and of course all the patrons who came out to support the Library. We cannot wait to try to top this again next year when we celebrate 25 years of BOOKED for the evening.”
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Photos: Pamela Einarsen Photography
