Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
The only way New London could have a richer maritime history would be if Eugene O’Neill had written Moby Dick.
He was busy that day, but that’s OK. Our history with the sea is an interwoven wonder — and that’s why September’s annual Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival is such a popular and anticipated event.
The Garde kicks off the celebration with a Friday screening of The Guardian. It’s a film starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher that honors the legacy of the United States Coast Guard and its much-heralded rescue swimmers — many of whom started their careers in New London at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Awe-inspiring fact: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Coast Guard rescued an estimated 35,000 people. In doing so, they largely relied not on scuba divers but rather rescue swimmers. Astonishing and humbling.
In that spirit, the screening will also honor Chief Harold A. Tantaquidgeon, a Mohegan leader, trailblazer and distinguished member of the United States Coast Guard whose legacy of service continues to inspire generations.
In anticipation of our screening of The Guardian, we reached out to Margarida Martins-Querido, president of the board of directors for OpSail Connecticut, Inc., the organization that produces the Maritime Fest, to ask her a few questions about the event. She responded with wit and wisdom, and we all felt brinier for the conversation!
The Garde: Since you’re a principal figure in OpSail and its tangential Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival, we think it’s important to know: Can you swim?
Margarida: Absolutely! As the granddaughter of a beloved professional diver and fisherman in the Cape Verde Islands, I am proud to say I learned how to swim when I was about four years old.
The ocean has always been part of my family’s story. So yes, putting me in charge of a maritime festival was not completely reckless.
I can swim! (Now, how gracefully I swim is an entirely different interview question.)
Garde: Talk about the area’s expansive and colorful maritime history in the context of producing a festival like this in contemporary life. We’re specifically thinking about social media and the by-product of our collective and shortened attention spans.
Do you try to incorporate elements designed to appeal to a generation that perhaps isn’t attuned to the assimilation of history — or do you count on the fact that CT Maritime Fest is a solid and attractive traditional family attraction?
Margarida: We absolutely have to think differently about how we present history today.
Let’s face it, we are competing with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and an entire world of information sitting inside everyone’s phone. If I start giving someone a 45-minute history lesson, I might lose them by minute three!
But if I can get you onto a historic ship, introduce you to a living-history character, let your child participate in a STEM activity, watch something exciting happen on the waterfront, and then end your day looking up at hundreds of drones telling a story in the sky, suddenly you aren’t just learning history. You’re experiencing it.
That’s what I love about this festival.
We can respect tradition without being stuck in the past. We want grandparents, parents, teenagers and little kids to all find something that makes them curious.
And sometimes curiosity is all you need. You come for the ships, the music, the food or the drone show, and somewhere along the way you accidentally learn something. Don’t worry. We won’t tell the kids.
Garde: As with most things happening in our community, the Garde is involved — in this case via the presentation of The Guardian. Does it make your job easier knowing that you have Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher on your side? Have you seen the film?
Margarida: Well, when Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher decide to join your team, you certainly don’t turn them away!
I believe I watched The Guardian years ago when it first came out. At the time, let’s be honest, those two very handsome gentlemen were at the peak of the A-list!
But beyond the obvious Hollywood appeal, I love the connection to the Coast Guard and the message of service, sacrifice, courage and saving lives.
Having the Garde incorporate The Guardian into the celebration gives people another way to connect with the maritime story. Not everyone learns the same way. Some people connect through history, some through ships, some through personal stories and some through movies.
And, apparently, some learn through Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. Whatever gets you there!
Garde: Another thing the festival shares with the Garde is an emphasis on the cultural diversity of Connecticut — in this case, as it applies to our relationship with the sea. The demographics of New London, in particular, seem to reflect that. I wonder if enough people realize that, and how do you reach out to folks in that regard?
Margarida: This is actually one of the things that means the most to me.
The sea has never belonged to one culture, one generation or one type of person. Maritime history is incredibly diverse.
I grew up with that personally. I was born in Portugal, raised in France, my parents are from Cape Verde, and my grandfather made his living from the sea. Now here I am helping lead a maritime festival in Connecticut. Life has a sense of humor!
New London and Southeastern Connecticut have incredibly diverse communities, and I want people to understand that this is their festival, too.
That means reaching people where they are, working with community organizations, using different languages when possible, involving local leaders and making sure the stories we tell reflect more than one perspective.
When people see themselves represented, they feel invited. And that’s important.
The goal isn’t for people to look at the festival from the outside and think, “That’s nice.”
I want them to say, “That’s ours.”
Garde: Is it true you lobbied to have the Garde backstage crew provide life preservers to everyone who attends The Guardian screening?
Margarida: I can neither confirm nor deny any speculation or rumors.
However, if you know me, you know that safety is very important to me at all times.
So, let’s just say that if anyone sees me walking into the Garde carrying 500 life preservers, please mind your business. I’m simply being proactive.
Garde: Any other thoughts or comments you’d like Garde patrons to know about The Guardian and the festival in general?
Margarida: Come have fun with us!
You don’t have to be a history buff. You don’t have to know anything about ships. You don’t even have to know your port from your starboard. Between us, we’ll forgive you.
Just come curious.
Watch The Guardian. Visit the festival. Walk along the waterfront. Step aboard the ships. Talk to people you wouldn’t normally meet. Bring your children and grandchildren. Learn something about Connecticut that you didn’t know before.
This festival celebrates our maritime heritage, but it also celebrates who we are today.
Different communities. Different backgrounds. Different stories. One Connecticut.
And if all else fails, we have really cool ships.
Oh, and apparently Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher are helping us now too.
We’re in good hands!