If they ever need a new candidate for the Most Interesting Man in the World, Wilton resident Shahan Islam may be an excellent choice. He retired after 38 years as an intellectual property attorney and now works as the Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Society of Hartford. Born in Bangladesh, he grew up in Ohio and has two degrees from Columbia University (in Mineral Engineering and German Literature), and his law degree from Tulane. His many hobbies include numerous languages, stand-up comedy and board game development.

It’s no surprise that Islam wears a lot of other hats (and sometimes a ski helmet). From organizing community outreach for the Wilton Playshop to hosting an ABC of Wilton student-scholar to producing comedy shows at Mohegan Sun to advancing social justice issues at the Westport’s Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s Voices Cafe, and so much more, this Wiltonian definitely knows his way around town and maybe a good punchline. Lesley Kirschner would be lying through her teeth if she said she anticipated the last line of this interview. 

1. I’ve often heard people say that Wilton is such a “family town.” Is that why you moved here? What brought you to the area? Work? Family? 

Shahan Islam: Family was definitely a big part of it. We were looking at towns with good school districts, of course. At the time, we were living in Cheshire and that was a really long commute to New York… two hours and 40 minutes each way. So, family. It was definitely related to family (and the schools). 

2. The Wilton Playshop is such a gem in our community and I know ‘Death Trap’ is coming up soon. How did you get involved in doing their community outreach and more importantly, are you an Ira Levin fan? 

Islam: I am an Ira Levin fan, yeah. I think he was an amazing playwright. I’m a big Wilton Playshop fan. I think everybody should support it. 

I started doing some publicity work for the playshop and then I thought maybe community outreach would be a better role for me so I switched to that and I’ve been enjoying that ever since. 

I do want to say that there are a lot of people who put a huge amount of time into the Wilton Playshop… Laura Ploss and Sarah Michaels. The role I have is really very small in comparison to a lot of others. 

But I reach out to advertisers for various projects… the Playbill. I get local businesses and people to advertise with us. That’s really my role. 

3. In addition to having your own kids, you and your lovely wife, Teryl Eisenberg, are host parents for ABC of Wilton (A Better Chance). For people not familiar with the program, can you give us a little bit of insight into how hosting works and how to potentially become a host family? 

Islam: Being a host family for ABC House is pretty new to us. But the program is really great. It gives students from economically challenged families an opportunity to attend a better school system. 

I’ve been involved in a lot of youth exchange programs internationally, so hosting youth in our home is something that we’ve always done. It’s just something that came sort of naturally to us I guess. 

For us, it’s only one weekend a month or sometimes a little bit more. We’ve taken her on a couple of ski trips with our own daughter and she’s a great kid, really nice girl. We really think she’s wonderful. But if anyone is interested in becoming a host family, they can definitely even just get information on the ABC website.  

4. The Unitarian Community is a big part of your life. Are there ways being Unitarian has changed or helped your thinking or approach in dealing with more challenging life experiences and situations? 

Islam: It’s helped me to be a little more open about people’s differences. Unitarians are usually a little more on the progressive side and I think in this time of big polarization obviously, we have to be careful. 

People who think differently are our neighbors, our friends; they’re also Americans. 

We’ve got to come to a point where we start accepting people who think differently. So I think in a sense, being Unitarian has helped me with that… how to act toward your fellow human. [For me], that’s more important than doctrinal belief… and I’m very involved in the international aspect of Unitarianism… Africa, Asia, Europe. 

I actually started a Unitarian exchange program connecting youth and families, really on both sides of the Atlantic and it’s been going strong since about 2008.  

5. Like downhill skiing or at-home highlights, it’s sometimes hard to find the funny in failure. How has being a comedian taught you to laugh first in a “took my skis off and am walking down the mountain”-slash-“I meant to dye my hair orange” kinda way? 

Islam: Oh boy. Well, I’m really a neophyte comedian and I’ve been producing some comedy shows. It’s something I really enjoy. 

I have my wonderful wife to thank for that. For my birthday, she bought me a comedy course. I wanted to do it but I don’t think I’m very good at it. I think I’m definitely a better producer but I do a lot of things I’m not good at… like skiing. 

I produce for the Comedy Roadhouse at Mohegan Sun… some of their comedy shows and that’s been fun and I’m doing a second one soon. 

That’s great. Is there anything else that you wanted to talk about or forgot to mention? 

Islam: (thinks for a minute) … My underbite?