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 20/07/23

• Author discusses women’s suffrage: The Tory Hill Author Series will feature feminist historian and biographer Susan Ware on Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m. on the video conferencing platform Zoom. Ware will discuss her book Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote (2019), which looks at some of the lesser-known icons of the women’s suffrage movement. Ware is currently the Honorary Women’s Suffrage Centennial Historian at Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library and is the general editor of American National Biography. The Library of America will publish her edited volume American Women’s Suffrage: The Long Struggle for the Vote, 1776–1965 this summer. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online. Every year the Tory Hill Author Series, presented by the Warner Historical Society, features local and nationally known authors who read from and discuss their books and personal experiences. Other authors being featured will include biology writer Bernd Heinrich on Saturday, Aug. 8, and storyteller Rebecca Rule and middle-grade and young adult novelist Adi Rule on Saturday, Aug. 22. Visit toryhillauthorsseries.com.

• Forest inspiration: Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) presents a new art exhibit, “Tree & Twig,” from July 25 through Aug. 23, with an opening reception on Saturday, July 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. It features 10 local artists — Debra Claffey, Richard Gombar, Susan Lirakis, Laura Morrison, Katy O’Gorman, Adele Sanborn, Jean Stimmell, Pam Tarbell, Dave Therrien and Arielle Van De Water — whose work focuses on their deep and personal connections to New Hampshire forests. There will be paintings, photography, sculptures and other media. Gallery hours are Thursday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• Reopening pushed back: Cinemagic Stadium Theaters in New Hampshire (1226 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 644-4629; 11 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, 423-0240; 2454 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 319-8788; cinemagicmovies.com) has pushed its reopening date back to July 31 because of changes to theatrical release dates, according to a press release. All locations will feature classic movies for $5, as well the premiere of Unhinged (R), starring Russel Crowe. Moviegoers are required to wear face masks while moving around the facility but can remove them while seated in the auditorium, observing social distance at all times. Contactless ticket and concession purchases are encouraged and can be made via the Cinemagic app. A limited-time buy-one-get-one-free popcorn special will be available, and beer, wine and specialty drinks can now be purchased at the concessions stands, according to the release.

• Jewish Film Fest continues virtually: In place of its traditional festival, which was canceled due to Covid-19, the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is presenting a virtual summer film series featuring international films that would have made their New Hampshire premieres. The next film is My Name is Sara, a U.S. drama, on Thursday, July 23, followed by Futures Past, a U.S. documentary, on Thursday, Aug. 6; Shooting Life, an Israeli drama, on Thursday, Aug. 20; and Paris Song, a Latvian historical drama, on Thursday, Aug. 27. My Name is Sara, Futures Past and Paris Song screenings will include a post-movie discussion with the filmmakers on the following Sunday at 7 p.m. All screenings are free, with a suggested donation of $18 to support the festival and future programming. Advance registration is required. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com/2020-virtual.

Featured photo: Art by Pam Tarbell featured in “Tree & Twig” at Twiggs Gallery.

Physical theater

Copenhagen opens as live shows return to the Hatbox Theatre

The Hatbox Theatre will reopen on July 24 with Phylloxera Productions’s staging of Copenhagen, the first show at the small Concord theater since it closed its doors in the spring.

Friends and physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg were the world’s leading experts in nuclear fission during World War II. With their countries at war — Bohr was from Germany and Heisenberg was from Denmark — and Germany racing to develop atomic weapons, meeting would be a dangerous endeavor. Copenhagen, written by Michael Frayn,is a speculative look at what happened during the secret meeting between the two men that took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1941.

The playpremiered at the National Theatre in London in 1998 and opened on Broadway in 2000. It won numerous prestigious awards, including the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Best Play and the Tony Award for Best Play.

Director and producer Gary Locke first read the script for Copenhagen 12 years ago after he had seen several actors perform monologues from the play as part of their auditions for his productions.

“They were such rich, complex and wonderful monologues, and that made me curious about [the play],” Locke said. “I started reading it, thinking I’d be reading a story about World War II, but what I got was insight into the way the world works philosophically, emotionally — from every standpoint. It’s been on my radar [to produce] ever since.”

The three-person cast depicts Heisenberg, Bohr and Bohr’s wife Margrethe.

“It’s a wonderful play for actors,” said Jim Sears, the actor playing Niels Bohr. “There isn’t a lot of fanfare to it. It’s just three people and their interactions, with nothing else in the way. It’s one of those plays where you [as an actor] discover who you are during rehearsals.”

Though Copenhagen is chock full of science-related dialogue, audience members do not need to be fluent in the scientific concepts to enjoy the play, Locke said.

“I don’t want to convey the idea that it’s dense, not interesting and not fun,” he said. “It’s really a fascinating slice of history and character study of these three people.”

The play was originally scheduled to open in late April. The actors started learning their lines last fall and rehearsing in January, but in March, Covid-19 brought their in-person rehearsals to a halt. Still, they continued running their lines together over the video conferencing platform Zoom.

“We had to have a way to keep interacting and repeating the words while looking at each other,” Sears said. “It’s an incredibly pale [way of rehearsing] relative to being on stage with the other actors, but it was all we could do, and it was necessary.”

Locke said that because the play only has three cast members he “never had any doubt that it could still go forward in the era of Covid,” and he had always planned on bringing it to the stage as soon as theaters were allowed to reopen.

“This is a massive work of memorization for these actors, so they had already put a big commitment into it at that point, and I owed it to them not to cancel,” he said, adding that, even though the actors will be paid less than expected due to the limit on ticket sales, “I never heard a single complaint or doubt from any of them.”

Copenhagen
Where: Hatbox Theatre, Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord
When: Friday, July 24, through Sunday, Aug. 9, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $18 for adults; $15 for theater members, seniors and students; and $12 for senior theater members.
Covid-19 guidelines: Audience members will be required to social distance and wear face masks during the performance.
Contact: 715-2315, hatboxnh.com

Summer QuaranTEEN

Camp offers creative outlet for teen girls

Tracey Miller, a wellness coach and yoga instructor from Manchester, and her teenage daughter McKenzie have created a new two-week virtual summer camp for teen girls called Camp QuaranTEEN. Miller talked about camp activities, how the first session is going and how teen girls can benefit from a program like this. The next CampQ session starts Aug. 3. Visit traceymiller.co/campq.

What inspired you to create Camp QuaranTEEN?

I have a 14-year-old daughter, and all of her camps were canceled. Then, I started talking to other mothers, who told me their kids’ camps were also canceled, and they felt that their girls were becoming isolated. It’s really easy for girls to get stuck sitting around on their phones all day. My daughter, for example, is really very creative, and I know she loves [doing creative projects], but the older she gets, the more I have to provide a little initiation or inspiration to get her to keep doing it. … I wanted to [create a program] where girls could engage and collaborate safely, be creative and think outside the box so that they don’t get bored at home.

What are some camp activities?

The girls get an e-journal and guide with journaling prompts and art projects for them to do each day. The first art project is actually making a notebook for their journal, which they’ll print out. … Another project we’re doing is a fashion project, where the girls are upcycling a piece of clothing to express something about who they are and what they like. … They do a scavenger hunt, which is my attempt to get them outdoors, because all the things they have to find are around their house. … There are live cooking demos that teach the girls how to cook healthy food, and one of the final projects is a cookbook that the girls put together with their own recipes. … We meet online for an hour to an hour and a half each day to talk about what they’ve been doing, to brainstorm random acts of kindness they can do and other [topics] that get the girls to be more reflective and expressive about who they are and what’s important to them.

How is the first session going?

It’s been really great. We have eight girls participating, and I’m so inspired at how creative the girls are. Some of them already sew, and many of them like to cook. It’s been really fun, and the girls seem to be really excited about it.

How is your daughter helping with the camp?

She’s helping me come up with ideas for the girls to keep it cool, because when you’re 14 your mom’s not so cool. … She loves to cook, and she inspired some of the recipes that the girls are learning. She’s also helping with the cooking lessons. This morning she taught the girls how to make a poached egg and avocado toast.

How can parents get involved?

I’ve provided parents with a materials list and a shopping list of food they need for the recipes, and I’ve tried to keep it simple with a lot of common ingredients that they probably already have. I’m really encouraging the girls and their parents to be creative and use what they already have around the house so they don’t have to go out and spend $80 on materials and ingredients. … I’m also encouraging the girls to go through their journal with their parents at the end of the week so they can share some of the things that came out in their journaling and show them their art projects.

What would you like girls to take away from their camp experience?

I’m hoping to really provide more tools for them during these teen years that they can carry with them through their whole life. This is such a formative time for girls, and an important time for them to start expressing themselves, become more confident and take care of their bodies. … I want them to learn new cooking skills and be creative [with] and curious about new food. I want them to become more mindful about their uniqueness and to appreciate their uniqueness rather than feeling like they have to be “normal.” I want them to be able to share their feelings so they can understand that they’re not in this alone, and that other girls are going through some of the same things and having some of the same thoughts and feelings.

Do you plan on continuing CampQ, or something like it?

I definitely plan on continuing to do some workshops in the fall that teach girls about how to be more mindful and grounded, how to be more confident and how to deal with things like stress and anxiety.

The Art Roundup 20/07/16

• Return to the big screen: Cinemagic Stadium Theaters in New Hampshire (1226 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 644-4629; 11 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, 423-0240; 2454 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 319-8788; cinemagicmovies.com) will reopen on Friday, July 24, with a lineup of classic movies for $5 a ticket. First-run feature films are scheduled to begin, with tickets at regular pricing, on Friday, July 31, with the Russell Crowe movie Unhinged (R) and later Tenet (PG-13), scheduled to open Aug. 12, and Mulan (PG-13), scheduled to open Aug. 21. Moviegoers are required to wear face masks while moving around the facility but can remove them while seated in the auditorium, observing social distance at all times.

• Award-winning films by New Hampshire students: The premiere screening event for the New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival that was scheduled to take place in May at Red River Theatres in Concord was canceled due to Covid-19, but you can still watch this year’s 32 films on YouTube. The festival features short films created by New Hampshire high school students. The winning films include The Beauty of Believing by Michaela Short of Pinkerton Academy, Grand Prize Jury Award; It’s All About the Green by Lily Hipp of Souhegan High School, Jury Award Runner-up; Color Dance by Lyle Setnick-King of Concord High School, Jury Finalist No. 1; Mirrored by Garrett Fleury of Nashua Technology Center, Jury Finalist No. 2; Unfortunate by Charlie McKelvey of Nashua Technology Center, Jury Finalist No. 3; and See Something Say Something by Grace Lumley of Salem High School, PSA Award. Two special awards were also given in light of the unique circumstances under which some students were making their films this year. The Quarantine Award, given to The Dark Mode by Aziz Guedoura of Somersworth CTC, was created to recognize a film that was created during quarantine by a single filmmaker using only available resources. The Out of Bounds Award, given to COVID-19: A Documentary by Zoe Deyermond of Pinkerton Academy, was created to recognize a film that made use of available technology to collaborate safely with others in the making of the film. Visit nhstudentfilm.com for the link to the festival on YouTube.

• All kinds of gardens: The Symphony NH Garden Tour takes place on Sunday, July 19, from 3 to 7 p.m., in Nashua. The tour will feature four gardens in different styles: a bonsai garden, an Asian-inspired garden, a garden filled with uncommon perennial and tree specimens and a backyard oasis with a plunge pool and waterfall at a woodland edge. The gardens are located at 9 Cheyenne Drive, 59 Cheyenne Drive, 11 Brackenwood Drive and 11 Governors Lane. There will also be a plant sale at the Brackenwood Drive garden. Face masks and social distancing are required during the tour. Registration is not required; simply show up at any of the gardens in any order you like. Donations are appreciated by cash or check. Visit symphonynh.org/garden-tour.

• Craftsmen’s Fair goes virtual: The 87th annual Craftsmen’s Fair, hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, will be held as a virtual fair, the League announced in a press release. “When we decided to shift to an online format, the response from our members was overwhelmingly positive, so we are confident there will be a robust opportunity to explore art and craft and the creative process in a way that will capture the excitement of … [seeing] everything in person,” Miriam Carter, League executive director, said in the press release. “Our staff and our talented League members have worked overtime to provide a really comprehensive online fair which we hope triggers the same enthusiasm from visitors.” Traditionally the nine-day fair is held outdoors at Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury in August and features hundreds of craftspeople with vendor booths plus special craft exhibitions, live demonstrations, hands-on workshops and more. This year’s fair, happening Saturday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 9, will replicate those activities and more through a virtual experience that will include the ability to shop fine crafts directly from more than 140 craftsmen and communicate with the craftsmen; live demonstrations presented by craftsmen; on-demand video content including at-home craft workshops and projects for all ages; a virtual exhibition tour, musical performances and more. A variety of contemporary and traditional crafts will be represented at the fair, such as baskets, blacksmithing, hand-blown glass, functional and decorative ceramics, framed original prints, metal sculptures, vibrant folk art, modern and traditional furniture, elaborate quilts, wearable art and jewelry. Call 224-3375 or visit nhcrafts.org.

• Hatbox Theatre reopens: Get your tickets now for the Hatbox Theatre’s (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) reopening show Copenhagen, produced by Phylloxera Productions, running from Friday, July 24, through Sunday, Aug. 9, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The Tony Award-, Drama Desk Award- and New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play-winning play dramatizes one of the 20th century’s greatest mysteries: what happened during the secret meeting between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, two friends, physicists and experts on nuclear fission, who were on opposite sides of World War II in September 1941. Tickets cost $18 for adults; $15 for theater members, seniors and students; and $12 for senior theater members. Audience members will be required to social distance and wear face masks during the performance. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

Featured photo: Metalwork by Tom Burns, participating craftsman in this year’s virtual Craftsmen’s Fair.

Theater for kids

The Palace brings back live theater with summer series

After suspending its programming for four months, the Palace Theatre reopened its doors on July 7 with Beauty and the Beast, the first show of the 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series, which will continue with kid-friendly live theater performances every week through mid-August. Palace Theatre President and CEO Peter Ramsey discussed why the theater decided to move forward with live performances this summer and how Covid-19 has changed the theater-going experience.

What is the 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series?

We’ve done it at the Palace for 20 years now, and it’s become very successful. [The shows are] generally performed by college graduates and college students who are seeking theater degrees. … We generally have between six and 12 [shows], so for eight or nine weeks in the summer, we do a different children’s theater title every week. … We have a list of about 25 shows that we choose from, and they’re generally shows that are popular with people and that have a nice message. They’re typical kinds of shows that kids would like, because this is really for the kids. … It’s generally mothers, grandmothers and young children between [the ages of] 3 and 12 who come.

Why did you decide to move forward with the series, amid everything that’s going on with Covid-19?

The governor of New Hampshire and the CDC created guidelines about a month ago that allowed public theaters to open, so we worked with the City of Manchester and the State of New Hampshire to reopen under these guidelines. We had been closed for four months and lost $1.5 million in ticket sales. We had 70 employees, and now we’re down to 15, so we felt very strongly that this was an opportunity to keep some of our employees employed, and to invite the public back in.

How did your reopening week go?

People loved it. The response has been fabulous. [There was] not one complaint. Everyone brought a mask with them to the theater; we’ll offer a mask to anyone who doesn’t have one, but everyone brought one. … The phones have been ringing a lot this week, and people seem very excited about [the upcoming shows].

How has live theater at the Palace changed as a result of Covid-19?

Everything’s different. We are only selling tickets by phone. When a customer walks up to the front door, we greet them, we ask them to put a mask on and we ask them questions, like ‘Have you been sick?’ and ‘Do you have a fever?’ … There’s actually a list of seven questions that the State asks that we ask everyone who comes into the theater. … We’re at 40-percent [capacity], so we have about 350 seats blocked off where people can’t sit. There is six feet between every seat, so if a mom and daughter sit together, there would be six feet between them and anybody else. … The shows are very short — they’re 45 minutes — and we keep the doors open so we can keep the air going in the theater. … There are no concessions. … We have very strict rules for the ushers; they have to wear a mask, and they can’t touch anybody. … The actors [on stage] are always 25 feet away from the audience, so there’s a lot of room between them. We’ve always had the [Summer Series] actors come out and meet the kids after the shows, which is very popular — the kids would wait an hour to meet Cinderella — but we canceled that, so there’s no interaction between the audience and the actors this year, which is very important.

How was the cast able to rehearse safely?

They committed that they would behave themselves and be very careful. We tested some of them [for Covid-19], and others had already been quarantined. They all live at home. We know each actor. We’ve known most of them for four or five years through our children’s theater program; these are our young actors who trained with us, then went off to college. Backstage, they stay six feet apart at all times. They are very careful during rehearsals, and they rehearse with masks on. There’s very little interaction.

Did you need to modify the shows in any way to maintain distance between the actors?

Yes. There’s no hugging or kissing — nothing like that. They’re very careful about staying separate. There’s no live music; it’s all tracked, so that helps. There are very few props and not a lot of things [for the actors] to touch. We have this beautiful video wall which is 20 feet high and 30 feet wide, and it looks really cool, so, because of that, we don’t need to use a lot of props.

What does the return of live theater do for the community right now?

It helps bring our community back together again. … It’s not normal to stay at home for months. Stress levels are very high. … Going to the theater allows you to smile. It allows you to do something with your child. These are family shows, and I think [families] can feel that it’s safe.

What are the Palace’s other plans moving forward?

We hope to open the Rex Theatre in two weeks and [accommodate] 100 people in there, safely spaced and wearing face masks. We hope to bring Bob Marley — he’s a big, famous comedian — to the Palace in August, and we hope to open up for our regular theater season in September … with Nunsense.

2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series
The lineup for the rest of the summer includes The Wizard of Oz on Thursday, July 16; The Little Mermaid Tuesday, July 21 through Thursday, July 23; Aladdin Tuesday, July 28 through Thursday, July 30; Alice in Wonderland Tuesday, Aug. 4 through Thursday, Aug. 6; Peter Pan Tuesday, Aug. 11 through Thursday, Aug. 13; and Cinderella on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and Wednesday, Aug. 19. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. The Palace Theatre is located at 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org.

The Art Roundup 20/07/09

• Children’s theater is happening: The 2020 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series is going on now through mid-August at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester), with kid-friendly theater performances every Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The lineup includes Beauty and the Beast on July 9; The Wizard of Oz July 14 through July 16; The Little Mermaid July 21 through July 23; Aladdin July 28 through July 30; Alice in Wonderland Aug. 4 through Aug. 6; Peter Pan Aug. 11 through Aug. 13; and Cinderella Aug. 18 and Aug. 19. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• Get your free comics: Free Comic Book Day has been reworked as Free Comic Book Summer, which starts on Wednesday, July 15, and continues through Wednesday, Sept. 9. Participating local comic book shops will put out five or six different free comics every week. The comics include superhero stories, television and move spinoffs, sci-fi adventures and more. Visit freecomicbookday.com for the full list of this year’s free comics and to find participating comic book shops in your area.

• In-person workshops: Wild Salamander Creative Arts Center (30 Ash St., Hollis) has two upcoming in-person art workshops — one for adults and one for kids. In “Simple Books for Adults” on Wednesday, July 15, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, participants will learn how to make a simple book for journaling and art making, using watercolor and ink to decorate the cover. The cost is $27. Then, on Friday, July 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon., kids in grades 4 through 7 can create a felted strawberry keychain. The cost is $29. Call 465-9453 or visit wildsalamander.com.

• New Hampshire artist becomes a national leader in the arts: Laura Morrison of Concord, longtime member of the Women’s Caucus for Art’s New Hampshire Chapter, has been named the national president of the WCA, according to a press release from WCA/NH. Morrison has served as the WCA/NH newsletter editor, exhibitions chair, vice president and president and served nationally as the WCA vice president of Chapter Relations. She is also currently the gallery director at Twiggs Gallery in Boscawen. “Moving forward with Laura Morrison as president makes our local chapter very proud,” WCA/NH board member Kimberly J.B. Smith said in the press release. “We look forward to her intellectual vision on how the organization will proceed into the future.” WCA seeks to create community through art, education and social activism. Its members include artists, art historians, students, educators and museum professionals. Every year, the WCA presents lifetime achievement awards to women who have made outstanding contributions in the arts. Visit wcanh.org.

• Duo display: Work by two artists and members of the New Hampshire Art Association will be featured in a display, “2020 Double Vision,” on view in the lobby at 2 Pillsbury St. in Concord now through Sept. 17. Both artists create paintings inspired by scenes in New England and beyond. Debbie Mueller’s style uses bold, simple designs with a focus on light and how light affects the shapes and colors within a scene. Marianne Stillwagon’s paintings depict picturesque villages and changing seasons in a contemporary primitive Americana style. “It’s extraordinary how two artists can look at the same scene and create vastly different paintings,” Mueller said in a press release. “We each have our unique vision and way of interpreting our world … [and] our unique viewpoint to our scenes.” All artwork is for sale. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Featured photo: Debbie Mueller art. Courtesy photo.

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