An apprentice company of 16 young people with theatrical aspirations -- from acting to costume design to directing -- has been assembled by Shakespeare on the Sound in support of its 18th outdoor production, "As You Like It," which will be staged at Norwalk's Pinkney Park June 13 to 30. The trainees were selected from upwards of 60 applicants who were given auditions to showcase their talents by delivering monologues, singing or presenting concepts for stage design and other facets of behind-the-scenes theater.

The adage accurately applies to the Norwalk, Darien and Wilton letter carriers, who -- in the pouring rain -- collected more than 76,000 pounds of grocery items from households throughout the three towns to benefit Person-to-Person during the agency's 21st annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Despite the rain, the mood was completely upbeat and positive, and a great opportunity for people of all ages, including families with children and youth groups, to work together for a very worthy cause.

Jan Dilenschneider threw open the French doors in her painting studio and welcomed the ice-cold weather. During that storm two years ago, Dilenschneider created a mixed-media oil painting with pastel, "A Birch and a Pine in a Whiteout," which earned her best in show at the 20th annual School of Art Student Exhibition, sponsored by the Silvermine Arts Center. Dilenschneider's works include landscapes and still-life pieces. Sitting in her studio two weeks ago, the muted walls highlighted by her landscapes and still-life pieces, Dilenschneider discussed her upcoming show. [...] Dilenschneider said the room, which is on the second floor and offers a balcony overlooking the Sound, doubles as a dining area when she entertains. Two doors, hidden to the naked eye, slide open to reveal where she puts her paintings when company arrives. [...] someone pointed out to her that "some people actually hang paintings on the walls." Today, she takes advantage of her surroundings, painting landscapes of the water and tall reeds, as well as her penchant for still-life fruit.

Back in 1964, British director Michael Apted began to create a series of documentaries that profiled seven year-old children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in order to evaluate how class structure affects their lives. [...] he's questioned them again every seven years. Steven Soderbergh's "Side Effects" is a far-fetched psycho-thriller about an ex-con (Channing Tatum), his depressive wife (Rooney Mara) and two psychiatrists (Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones) who become involved in their lives; unfortunately, what could have been a cautionary fable or social commentary strains credulity, becoming a lurid murder mystery.