Author: Angie Sykeny

Angie Sykeny is a Hippo staff writer covering local arts, theater, music and pop culture. She can be reached at [email protected].

The Art Roundup 21/05/13

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

The Nashua International Sculpture Symposium returns May 20. Courtesy photo.

• The sculptors are coming: The 14th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium will commence on Thursday, May 20, with a private opening reception, which will be recorded for the public to watch online. During the symposium, three renowned sculptors will spend three weeks in Nashua creating three outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. This year’s sculptors, all coming from the U.S., are Gavin Kenyon from New York, Sam Finkelstein from Maine, and Nora Valdez, from Boston, Mass., originally from Argentina. The sculptors will work outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua) Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday, May 24, through Friday, June 4. They will relocate to the sculpture installation site on Saturday, June 5, where they will continue their work until the closing ceremony on Saturday, June 12.During those times, the public will be able to watch the sculptors work and interact with them during their breaks (masks and social distancing required). The closing ceremony, at which the finished sculptures will be revealed, will take place at the installation site and will also be available to watch online. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.

• NH Jewish Film Festival returns: The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival returns virtually Wednesday, May 19, through Thursday, June 10, with 11 independent foreign films as well as a series of food-themed shorts. The feature films — all New Hampshire premieres — come from eight countries: the United States, Israel, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. They will be released one at a time on different days, each with a 72-hour watch window, starting with When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, a period drama from Germany and Switzerland, on May 19. “Our goal is to bring thought-provoking and enlightening documentaries, fiction films and shorts that you can’t find anywhere else,” festival co-chair Ross Fishbein said in a press release. “We’re delighted to bring some of the world’s best indie films straight to your living room.” Additionally, there will be Q&A events with the filmmakers for five of the films, to be held over Zoom. Tickets are per household and cost $12 per film, $43 for a four-pack film pass and $110 for an all-access pass to all 11 films. The shorts series, which includes five short films, will be free and available to watch at any point during the festival. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com.

• A call for Covid poetry: New Hampshire residents are invited to submit original poems for review and possible publication in COVID Spring Vol. II,an anthology of poetry about the pandemic experience in New Hampshire, to be edited by New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary and published by Hobblebush Books this summer. The anthology is a follow-up to COVID Spring: Granite State Pandemic Poems, published in September 2020, which features original poems submitted by more than 50 New Hampshire writers, providing “a thirty-day snapshot of what life was like in the Granite State in April of 2020” through topics such as Covid-related “job loss, loneliness and love, masks, social distancing, surreal visitors, uncertainty, graduations deferred, grief, neighborly and less-than-neighborly acts, observing the beginning of the pandemic and making projections about the future, recalibrating or confirming what it means to be human, to be a resident of this region,” Peary said in the anthology’s introduction. Youth age 18 and under may also submit original poems to be considered for the anthology’s new youth section. Submit a poem or poems (up to three) by Sunday, May 23, through the online submission form at hobblebush.com/anthology-submissions. Poets will be notified of the editor’s decision by June 15.

• Joining together for Portsmouth arts: The All Together Now benefit concert series kicks off Friday, May 14, with singer-songwriter Zachary Williams performing live at The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) at 5:30 and 8 p.m. The series is a collaboration between The Music Hall and its fellow Portsmouth arts venues Prescott Park Arts Festival and 3S Artspace to raise funds for the latter two to help them recuperate from the pandemic. The series continues with Rachael & Vilray on Saturday, May 22 (sold out), and Son Little on Friday, June 11, at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25, $40, and $60. Visit themusichall.org.

Art

Exhibits

• DUO ARTIST EXHIBIT Features oils by Jim Ryan and watercolors by Lorraine Makhoul. On view during May. Seacoast Artist Association, 130 Water St., Exeter. Call 778-8856 or visit seacoastartist.org.

• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents a group art show featuring works in a variety of media by NHAA members and non-members. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). On view now through May 30. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.

• “TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• “GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION THROUGH CUT AND PASTE” City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition featuring the works of Meri Goyette, including statement collages and collectible greetings cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. On display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua). Now through June 11. Visit cityartsnashua.org.

• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

Events

• 14TH ANNUAL NASHUA INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM Three renowned sculptors will spend three weeks in Nashua creating three outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. The public will be able to watch the sculptors work and interact with them during their breaks (masks and social distancing required). Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fri., May 24 through Fri., June 4, outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua), and Sat., June 5 through Sat., June 12, at installation site. A private opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 20, and closing ceremony and sculpture reveal on Saturday, June 12, both of which will be recorded for the public to watch online. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.

Theater

Shows

• 42ND STREET Recorded live in London. Virtual screening presented by Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Now through May 19. $15 per ticket. Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com.

•​ FUN HOME The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 28. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

•​ GODSPELL The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 30. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• DISCOVERING MAGIC WITH ANDREW PINARD The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Wed., May 19 and June 16, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• A WIDER CIRCLE The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of the play, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick. Virtual, via Zoom. Thurs., May 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.

• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., May 21 and June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

From the ground up

UNH students send a biology experiment to space

A student team from University of New Hampshire Manchester is one of five student teams selected by NASA to send a project to the International Space Station in 2022. The NoMADS project — Novel Methods of Antibiotic Discovery in Space — will examine the mutation of soil bacteria in space and its potential for developing new antibiotics. Sydney Rollins ’20, ’22G and Raymond Miller ’21 co-lead the team, advised by Biology faculty member Suzanne Cooke.

What are your roles on the team?

Raymond: I head the science side of the project, so I’m in charge of developing the science background knowledge and leading the lab technicians and the overall laboratory execution of the process.

Sydney: I head the outreach part of it. As part of NASA’s requirements [for the program], we need to do a lot of outreach with our community and [include] involvement from schools, from kindergarten through high school.

How did you get involved in NoMADS?

S: We were both taking a class called “Small Microbial World” with Dr. Sue Cooke … and the aim of that class is to discover novel antibiotics from soil bacteria. … We both loved the class and asked Dr. Cooke if we could do research with her, and she agreed. Then, she saw this [NASA] opportunity in a science newsletter and thought it would be good experience for us to write a project proposal. We ended up getting accepted.

What kind of data are you looking to get from this experiment?

R: We want to look at how bacteria mutate in space. …We’ll be sending a soil sample and using a device called an AI chip to collect bacteria. … We’re hoping that, based on the microgravity effects and electromagnetic radiation effects [in space], we’ll be able to collect bacteria that can’t normally be collected in a laboratory [on Earth].

What is the ultimate goal?

S: Space travel is really growing right now, especially with commercial and civilian experiences and opportunities for space travel. … Inevitably, people going to space are going to get infections, and we need to know if we can treat them and how to treat them, because our current antibiotics don’t work very well in space. …There has been some research coming out recently about bacteria mutating at a different rate in space than on Earth, so we want to see if we can produce antibiotics through those mutations. … We could possibly find new antibiotic compounds that affect bacteria on Earth as well.

What are you working on right now, specifically?

R: We’re still in the beginning stages. Our launch window is tentatively [scheduled for] the spring of 2022, so we have some time. Right now we’re concentrating on background knowledge, figuring out what biological components we’re actually going to send up to space, and going through troubleshooting to make sure that our project will succeed once it’s on the ISS and out of our hands.

S: We’re also in the beginning stages of outreach. We’re developing a curriculum for … presentations that we’ll be [bringing to] schools starting in September, and we’re reaching out to schools now.

What do you expect will be the biggest challenge?

R: Figuring out how to get these bacteria back from space and keep them safe while we work through them on Earth.

What are you doing for the community engagement element?

S: We’ll visit schools, K through 12, and do an interactive presentation where students will learn about bacteria, antibiotic resistance and our experiment in space. There will also be a … competition [for] middle schoolers; they’ll assemble in teams … and submit proposals to us to select the location for [collecting] the soil that will go into space. … We’ll pick the winner, and [those students] will get to come with us to collect the soil and … come to our lab to do microbiology experiments on the soil sample with us. … After our experiment is over, the curriculum we’re developing will still be available [to schools], and [students] will be able to use it to meet their common core science standards.

What are you most excited about?

S: Involving the students and seeing them get excited about STEM.

R: Learning how to lead a team while developing science, and then teaching that science to my team.

Follow NoMADS
Visit nomads-teamcooke.com or email [email protected]. The NoMADS team will be documenting its progress on social media (@unhm.spocs on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and @unhm_spocs on Twitter).

Featured photo: The UNH Manchester NoMADS team. Left to right: Irma Vrevic, Ben Beane, Sydney Rollins, Dr. Sue Cooke, Raymond Miller, Nela Klonowski, Dianne Moschitta and Thomas Gerton. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – JC Haze

JC Haze

Voice-over actor, JC Haze Voice Over

JC Haze is an independent voiceover actor and producer based in Manchester and a voiceover instructor at NH Tunes in Manchester.

Explain your job and what it entails.

On a day-to-day basis, I could be auditioning for clients [based] locally or around the country and around the world. … Seldom do [clients] hire you right away. You could be auditioning with a dozen or so other voice talents. … They send me a little script … and I sit here in my in-home studio and produce a demo and send it to them and hope they call me back and tell me I got the gig. … Once they’ve hired you for the gig, the client will tell you what they’re looking for, and you just need to deliver the goods. … If I’m recording at home, I’ll send them a bunch of takes. … If you’re recording in a professional recording studio, the client will be there with you, directing you.

How long have you had this job?

I launched JC Haze Voice Over about 14 years ago, in 2007 … but I had been doing a lot of voice recordings since I first got into the radio and broadcast business in 1979.

What led you to this career field?

I always wanted to do something with my voice. … Listening to radio commercials, I’d think, ‘I could do that. … I could use my voice to make clients happy, and to make myself happy, and to pay the mortgage.’ … When I was let go of a programming job in radio, I decided that it was time to be more of a business person for myself … so I created my own voiceover business.

What kind of … training did you need?

You don’t need a college education to be a voiceover actor. What you do need to have is thick skin. You have to be ready for a lot of people saying ‘no’ before you get the occasional ‘yes.’

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Since I’m working in my own studio, I don’t have to worry about that, outside of the occasional Skype or Zoom call. I can wear whatever I want, whatever is comfortable.

How has your job changed over the last year?

During these days of Covid, a lot of work has been on the shoulders of the voiceover talent to do in their own studio. They record [at home] and email the to the agency or client so that no one has to go into a studio. Once Covid restrictions are lifted, we’ll probably go back to some [in-studio recording], but I think a lot of companies have realized, ‘Hey, we don’t need to have the voiceover talent drive 40 miles to come to our studio. They can do it in their own studio … and we can direct them over the phone or a Zoom call if we want to.’

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

It’s really important to back up your audio files. I knew that, but you always think, ‘[A computer crash] isn’t going to happen to me.’ Then, you have a computer crash and you lose everything.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

We’re not making tons of money. It’s like any other industry, where there’s a top 5 percent making 70 percent of the money. You have to really want it … and you have to work really hard to make money doing it.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked at Brooks Brothers clothing store, down in the shipping department.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t give up, and don’t stop believing in yourself; just keep plugging away.

Five favorites
Favorite book: The Art of Voice Acting by James R. Alburger
Favorite movie: Blazing Saddles
Favorite music: The Beatles and ELO
Favorite food: A good salmon and a good ravioli
Favorite thing about NH: Coming from New York, I like the slower and more relaxed pace here, and the friendly vibe.

Featured photo: JC Haze

Dropping a line

Rob Azevedo makes poetry debut

Local radio host, columnist, author and filmmaker Rob Azevedo adds poetry to his list of activities with his debut collection, Turning on the Wasp, recently released by Spartan Press.

The new venture, which he started in April 2020, came as a surprise even to himself, Azevedo said.

“For some reason, I just started getting these poetic lines in my head … and when I get something in my head, it doesn’t leave my head until I do something about it,” he said, “so I just started writing them down.”

While Azevedo has done some creative writing in the past, including the screenplays for six short films featured at the SNOB Film Festival in Concord, and a memoir, Notes From The Last Breath Farm: A Music Junkie’s Quest to be Heard, released by Plaidswede Publishing in 2019, poetry is a literary art form he hadn’t explored since his college days, he said.

“I went from having written maybe 10 or so poems in my whole life to writing 50 poems over the course of four or five months,” he said, adding that his poems now total more than 250.

With modest expectations, Azevedo submitted a few of his poems to the Spartan Press, hoping to get one featured on its website, he said, but the publisher had bigger plans for Azevedo’s poems.

“He loved them and said, ‘What do you think about putting out a book of your poetry?’” Azevedo said. “That [scenario] is unheard of when it comes to publishing — normally, getting something published is a grind … and could take years, so I really hit the jackpot.”

Turning on the Wasp features 80 free verse poems, “perfect for flash poetry,” Azevedo said, at around 100 to 150 words each. They explore a wide range of subject matter, such as love, lust, rock ’n’ roll and social issues, with a tone that Azevedo described as “darkly comic.”

“They could be prompted by a line in a song, something I’m watching on TV, a work of art or something that happened in my own life,” he said. “Whatever [causes] that rush of poetry in my head, I just go with it and dive right into it.”

In the title poem, for example, Azevedo reflects on a near-death experience that he had two years ago, when he was stung by a wasp. He went into shock and stopped breathing.

“It’s all about me getting back at that wasp that almost took me out,” he said.

Azevedo continues to write poetry every morning, he said, and has no plans of stopping.

“I can’t seem to get away from it; I’m hooked,” he said. “It has consumed me to the point where I’m barely writing anything else.”

He has already assembled a collection of poems for another book, which he intends to pitch to his publisher at the end of the summer and, if approved, release in the winter.

“I’m just going to keep writing more and more poetry until this phase of my creative life is over and I move on to a new one.”

Turning on the Wasp by Rob Azevedo
The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Find Azevedo on Twitter (@robazza33) or email him at [email protected].

The Art Roundup 21/05/06

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

The work of Roberto Lugo is currently on display at the Currier Museum of Art. Photo by Neal Santos, courtesy of Wexler Gallery.

• Pottery joy: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) presents a new exhibition, “Roberto Lugo: Te traigo mi le lo lai – I bring you my joy,” from May 6 through Sept. 26. Lugo is a Philadelphia-based potter, painter, social activist, spoken word poet and educator. His pottery reimagines traditional forms and techniques with inspiration from urban graffiti and hip-hop culture. In this exhibition, Lugo pays homage to his Puerto Rican heritage and explores his cultural identity and its connection to family, place and legacy. “The Currier Museum has a long history of collecting and displaying studio ceramics, and Roberto Lugo is undoubtedly one of the most significant voices working today,” Samantha Cataldo, the museum’s curator of contemporary art, said in a press release. “We are excited for the public to experience this unique installation and find their own connections to these important themes of community, value, and legacy.” Museum admission costs $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online in advance. Museum hours are Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (free after 5 p.m.); and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the hour of 10 to 11 a.m. currently reserved for seniors and museum members. Lugo will give a virtual talk on Tuesday, May 11, at 5 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. In July, Lugo and fellow ceramicist Margaret Kinkeade will be in residence at the museum and will lead community workshops on ceramics. Details on the workshops are TBA. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• Exploring opioid addiction through theater: The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of A Wider Circle virtually over Zoom on Thursday, May 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. Now in its fourth year, the Elephant-in-the-Room Series presents play readings followed by open discussions about subjects that are difficult to talk about, such as human trafficking and sexual abuse, death and dying, mental illness and more. A Wider Circle, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick, centers on the family of a woman in the aftermath of her opioid overdose death. Following the reading, there will be a panel discussion on the opioid crisis’ effect on families with Hedrick, Rebecca Throop of Seacoast Mental Health Center and other opioid addiction and recovery experts. The event is free, and registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.

• Meri Goyette makes her artist debut: City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition, “Geometric Abstraction through Cut and Paste,” featuring the works of Meri Goyette, on display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua) now through June 11. Goyette, who is 95 years old, has been a longtime supporter and patron of the arts in Nashua and beyond, but has never publicly shown her own work until now. The exhibition will include statement collages and collectible greeting cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. “Meri is such an inspiration to all of us in the arts here in Nashua and we are so fortunate that she serves on our Advisory Board and partners with us to support City Arts Nashua’s mission,” City Arts Nashua president Lisa Bissonnette said in a press release. Visit cityartsnashua.org.

• New artisan market: Henniker Community Market will host its first annual Henniker Handmade & Homegrown event at Henniker Community Center Park (57 Main St., Henniker) on Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nearly 40 local vendors and artisans will sell handmade items including jewelry, pottery, textiles, soaps and body care products, baskets, candles, birdhouses, fine art paintings and prints, home decor and more. See “Henniker Community Market” on Facebook or email [email protected].

Art

Classes & lectures

• GENERAL ART CLASSES In-person art classes for all levels and two-dimensional media. held with small groups of two to five students. Private classes are also available. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Students are asked to wear masks in the gallery. Tuition costs $20 per group class and $28 per private class, with payment due at the beginning of the class. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

• DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org.

Exhibits

• DUO ARTIST EXHIBIT Features oils by Jim Ryan and watercolors by Lorraine Makhoul. On view during May. Seacoast Artist Association, 130 Water St., Exeter. Call 778-8856 or visit seacoastartist.org.

• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents a group art show featuring works in a variety of media by NHAA members and non-members. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). On view now through May 30. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.

• “TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• “GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION THROUGH CUT AND PASTE” City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition featuring the works of Meri Goyette, including statement collages and collectible greetings cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. On display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua). Now through June 11. Visit cityartsnashua.org.

• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

Special events

• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CELEBRATION Youth artwork showcased to help raise awareness and decrease stigma of mental illness and affect change to ensure social and emotional health for all children in New Hampshire. May, date TBA. Visit tinyurl.com/magnifyvoices2021 or email [email protected].

Tours

• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org.

Theater

Shows

•​ FAME JR. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre PAPA Jr. presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 12. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

•​ FUN HOME The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 28. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

•​ GODSPELL The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 30. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., May 7, May 21 and June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• COMEDY OUT OF THE ’BOX The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Sat., May 8, May 22 and June 5, and Thurs., June 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• 42ND STREET Recorded live in London. Virtual screening presented by Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. May 12 through May 19. $15 per ticket. Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com.

• DISCOVERING MAGIC WITH ANDREW PINARD The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Wed., May 19 and June 16, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

• A WIDER CIRCLE The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of the play, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick. Virtual, via Zoom. Thurs., May 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.

• ROTARY PARK PLAY FESTIVAL Presented by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and Community Players of Concord. Features short original plays by New Hampshire playwrights. Sat., May 29, and Sun., May 30. Outdoors at Rotary Park, 30 Beacon St., E. Laconia. See Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative on Facebook or email [email protected].

•​ PIPPIN The Seacoast Repertory Theatre PAPA Jr. presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. June 10 through July 18. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• HOLMES & WATSON Phylloxera Productions presents. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). June 11 through June 27. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

•​ STEEL MAGNOLIAS The Majestic Theatre presents. Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester. June 18 through June 27, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit majestictheatre.net or call 669-7469.

• HAMLET Post-apocalyptic reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic, produced by Cue Zero Theatre Co. June 18 through June 27. Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry. Visit cztheatre.com or email [email protected].

•​ ‘TIL BETH DO US PART The Majestic Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester. July 16 through July 25, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit majestictheatre.net or call 669-7469.

•​ CABARET The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. July 22 through Sept. 5. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.

• THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW: A PUPPET PARODY at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Sat., Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., now through June, and September through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.

Positive change

Plymouth State student recognized for civic service

Alyssa Griffin of Londonderry is a second-year student at Plymouth State University, where she’s studying meteorology. She was recently honored with Campus Compact for New Hampshire’s Presidents’ Leadership Award and a spot in the Newman Civic Fellowship for her service work on campus and in the community.

What is the Student Support Foundation, and what has your involvement been?

The Student Support Foundation … awards emergency financial grants to students in need, and we manage an on-campus food pantry, as well as some other satellite miniature pantries across campus. In the fall semester I was elected food pantry manager. … I noticed that the food pantry didn’t really have any type of inventory system or donation system … so I created an inventory tracking system on Google Sheets … which was highly successful. We continued that system this semester, and I’m hoping we can continue it going forward. … This semester, our previous president didn’t return, and in our first meeting I was elected SSF president. I was kind of sad in a way because I loved my food pantry manager position, but I was also happy for all these new opportunities and connections that I can make as president.

How does the pantry inventory system work, and why was it needed?

We didn’t really know what was moving in and out of the pantry or what the items that students really needed were. If people reached out to us about organizing a food drive and asked us, ‘What do you guys need?’ we would have to physically go into the space and look and figure that out. … [With the new system] we do inventory once a month, and every time we get donations, we log those, so we’re very easily able to [assess the need] every month. … For example, if we were getting a lot of donations of chicken noodle soup and the inventory of chicken noodle soup was continuously going down, [that indicated that] chicken noodle soup was a hot, popular item, so we’d ask for donations of chicken noodle soup. Similarly, on the opposite side, if we were getting a lot of donations of toothbrushes and the toothbrush inventory kept going up, we [knew we] didn’t have to ask for toothbrushes for our next drive.

What have you and SSF accomplished during your time as SSF president?

[We accomplished] opening a couple of those satellite miniature pantries across campus, as well as organizing a partnership with Hannaford in Plymouth, New Hampshire. [Hannaford] donated over 100 boxes of pasta, bags of rice and canned products to us, and they featured us as their charity for a couple months.

What does the Newman Civic Fellowship entail?

The purpose is to connect me with other students and like-minded individuals across the nation — I think there are over 200 other colleges and universities [involved with the program] — who are doing amazing things on their campuses, to kind of inspire us and give us a support system and network to continue our work. There are going to be workshops on leadership and entrepreneurship, connecting us with professionals in different disciplines who are working with social justice issues, environmental issues, food insecurity, all of that stuff. They hold a big conference for all of us in the spring in Boston … where we’ll get to meet all these people and do some workshops and just get inspired by other people’s energies and aspirations.

What about the fellowship are you looking forward to most?

I’m definitely very excited to branch out. Being a STEM major, I haven’t had the opportunity yet to take a lot of classes in the social sciences, so [with the fellowship] I’ll be able to get involved in that way and also meet students who are a little more knowledgeable about some of the social injustices and things that are happening in the world. I have a feeling it’s really going to open my eyes to the struggles that other students are facing across the campus and the unique ways that [my] peers are tackling these issues.

How would you like to continue serving the campus over the next two years?

We want to make sure that we’re reaching the students who need our help … [with] whatever issue they’re facing right now, whether it’s a financial hardship or not being able to have a meal for the evening, so my goal is to make sure that our services are widespread and very easily accessible. … [Plymouth State] serves a lot of first-generation college students and low-income students and minorities in that aspect, so I’d love to talk to students who are comfortable talking about those challenges to see what else SSF can do to better support them.

How would you like to serve the wider community after you graduate?

In whatever line of work I end up in, whether it’s research or being a forecaster or a consultant or something completely different, I hope that I can find ways to continue to connect with the public. … I am extremely interested in educating the public on climate change and the science [behind it] and … making sure people have the tools and the knowledge at their disposal … to understand and prepare for it.

Featured photo: Alyssa Griffin

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