First Light: Discoveries
Event Details:
November 17th, 2026
Doors: 7:00pm (Come early to get a seat and explore the museum!)
Show Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets: $15 online or at the door.
Free parking is available on both sides of the building, plus unmetered street parking
Guests 18+ are welcome; alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase at the historic Anchor Bar.
First Light is a new live storytelling show featuring true, personal stories told on stage by the people who lived them.
Join us for our inaugural show, First Light: Discoveries, an evening of stories of unexpected discovery--the moment something comes into view for the first time.
Hosted by Christine Gentry and Brandon Ogbunu. Produced by Emily Dombroff.
Meet your Storytellers:
Lee Cruz
Lee Cruz is most in his element on foot, turning Fair Haven public spaces into open-air classrooms. As an avid walker and long-time community advocate in New Haven, Lee uses science and history to help people take notice, spark their curiosity, and see their surroundings in a new light. He approaches storytelling much like his neighborhood walks: rooted in place, shaped by the voices around him, and centered in lived experience.
Rachel Fine
Rachel Fine is the Executive Director of the Yale Schwarzman Center. Prior to her current role, Fine served as Executive Director & CEO of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, establishing it as a major player and leading cultural organization in Los Angeles. A concert pianist, Fine attended the Music Academy of the West, Eastman School of Music, and U.C. Irvine, where she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. She also holds a Master of Arts in musicology from Yale University and was a distinguished arts management fellow at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Dolores Garcia-Blocker
Dolores Garcia-Blocker is an accomplished educator with more than 30 years of experience working in public school systems. She started her career as a teacher in Washington, D.C., led schools in New York and Connecticut, and has held district leadership roles for 10+ years in Connecticut. Dr. Garcia-Blocker has focused her career on providing equitable opportunities for all students, regardless of background, and has been the executive director of Teach For America Connecticut for the past 5 years. Dr. Garcia-Blocker holds degrees from Spelman College, American University, and Teachers College, Columbia University.
Claudia Merson
Young in spirit but old in every other body part, Claudia Merson brings passionate commitment to youth education through innovative programming, strategic coalition-building, and visionary leadership—all delivered with warmth, quick wit, and humor. As Director of Public School Partnerships in Yale’s Office of New Haven Affairs, she serves as the university’s primary liaison to the New Haven public school community. Merson’s background includes sixteen years of international experience as a teacher, librarian, and curriculum developer in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Geneva, Switzerland.
Charlie Nixon
Charlie Nixon was born and raised in New Haven, along with his seven siblings. He attended Harry A. Conte Elementary School for K-8 and Richard C. Lee High School for his freshman and partial sophomore years before leaving Connecticut to continue his education in a vocational setting. He is a devout community activist at heart and always looking to build on that legacy. It’s an honor to serve.