Westport Country Playhouse’s Board of Trustees Elects Six Members

Six new members were recently elected to the board of trustees at Westport Country Playhouse, bringing the total to 26. The new Playhouse trustees are Dave Altman of Westport, Ben Frimmer of Weston, Darnell K. Graham of Bridgeport, Rashana J. Graham of Bridgeport, Anne Keefe of Weston, and Jonathan H. Levy of Westport.

"We are thrilled to bring on six wonderful new trustees, who all bring unique strengths to the table,” said Athena T. Adamson, board of trustees chair. “This group will help enrich our dedicated board in many ways."

Dave Altman is a Principal for Bernstein Private Wealth Management where he has been creating complex financial and investment planning for family offices, entrepreneurs, foundations + endowments since 2003 after exiting his own start-up. Previously he co-founded WebMadrid, a bilingual internet technology company in Spain. He holds a BA in Spanish and Government from Dartmouth College, an MS in Digital Commerce from La Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the Certified Financial Planner designation from New York University. While at Dartmouth, he threw the hammer with the Dutch and Spanish Olympic teams. He later captained two semi-professional American football teams in Europe. Currently, he serves on the philanthropic boards of UrbanGlass as treasurer, the Children’s Support Foundation, and as board co-chair of Dartmouth College Friends of Track and Field. Additionally, he invests in and serves on boards of private companies in the health, technology, and real estate industries.

Ben Frimmer is a theatre arts educator with over 30 years of experience and the director of Coleytown Company. He holds a BFA in acting from Ithaca College and an MA in educational theatre from NYU.  Frimmer served as producer of the Playhouse fundraiser, “An Evening with Justin Paul & Friends with Kelli O’Hara & James Naughton,” as producer/director of “Voices for Volunteers of Fairfield County” at the Playhouse on January 24, and has had the privilege of serving as assistant to producer Roy Somlyo for “The Tony Awards Show” in New York. As a director, he has been responsible for over 50 productions with both children and adults.

Darnell Graham is a manager for Legal and General Retirement America in Stamford. He has a degree in sociology from University of Connecticut. He is an avid reader, loves trying out new restaurants, and enjoys musical theater.  He currently resides in Bridgeport with his wife and three children.

Rashana J. Graham is executive director of Horizons at The Foote School in New Haven. Originally from Waterbury, she studied elementary education, and earned a first Master’s in curriculum and instruction at UConn’s Neag School of Education. In 2020, she received her sixth-year Master’s to become a school administrator. Filled with passion, Graham became dedicated to creating an equitable opportunity for students growing up in the urban community. In her sixteenth year in education, she has held several positions within both public and charter schools, most recently as an instructional literacy coach at Edgewood STEAM Magnet School.

Anne Keefe has been with Westport Country Playhouse off and on in many capacities since 1973. She was part of the original group who in 1999 gathered to renovate the Playhouse. She served as the Playhouse artistic director with Joanne Woodward in 2008 and as associate artistic director from 2000 to 2006, also with Woodward. At the Playhouse she co-directed with Woodward a production of “David Copperfield” as well as initiating and curating the popular Script Iin Hand Series, directing over 50 staged readings in 10 years. Formerly she stage managed at Long Wharf Theatre (27 years), McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, and on Broadway. She has been involved over the last 35 years with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Gala, directing both the 2018 and the 2019 events. She was awarded the Del Hughes Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Stage Managers’ Association, honored by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame as one of 10 Women of Distinction, and received the Westport Arts Award for Theatre and the Tom Killan Award from the Connecticut Critics Circle. Keefe has previously served on the board of Westport Country Playhouse. She lives in Weston with her husband, writer/playwright David Wiltse, and has three accomplished daughters as well as four grandchildren.

Native Westporter Jonathan H. Levy is a problem solver and storyteller who takes a practical and risk-based approach to investments. As an attorney, Levy spent seven years as a commercial litigator with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, focusing his practice on complex commercial litigation, including representing trustees of Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities against fraud claims stemming from the global financial crisis, as well as False Claims Act litigations and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations. In August 2021, he left the firm to build a venture capital business with eye towards finding expert operators with innovative ideas to achieve explosive growth. He currently serves as General Counsel and secretary at portfolio company Leviant, Inc., where he is shaping the UV disinfection company into a dominant force in the environmental services industry. Before studying law, Levy was a musical theatre actor, appearing in regional productions including “Les Misérables” and “My Fair Lady.” He also served as vice president of acting for Staples Players in 2003-2004. Levy holds a B.A. in Communications and Certificate in Musical Theatre from Northwestern University, a Certificate in Business from Columbia University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.