Author: Kate Sahagian

Even closer to opening night

Nashua Community Arts receives another gift

With the smell of sawdust lingering in the air and the first layer of flooring and drywall up, the Nashua Center for the Arts is physically constructed.

While the project was in talks for the better part of a decade, and ground broke almost five years ago, seeing the modern building design, the 750-seat theater and the lights and sound systems being installed makes the project much more real.

Construction, according to Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess, is due in large part to Bank of America and the generous gift of $250,000 they gave in 2022. On Wednesday, Feb. 8, the bank has matched that amount, to give a total of half a million dollars for the project.

“When [Bank of America] stepped up for $250,000 and became a donor of a lobby … that really showed the community that there is a lot of interest,” said Richard Lannan, the president of Nashua Community Arts. With the new donation, the theater in the Nashua Center for the Arts will be called the Bank of New Hampshire Theater, said Lannan.

Lannan said he has been a champion for this project from the start, helping conceive the idea 10 years ago when Nashua Community Arts first pitched the prospect of a state-of-the-art theater in the downtown area. Lannan said a survey was conducted to ask members of the community if they wanted to see a theater built and if they thought it would be a good thing for downtown. With much positive feedback, the project was decided.

Choosing architects and contractors and designing the theater took two years, Lannan said. Construction began in 2020.

Now, only eight weeks from completion, Lannan is amazed that the project is so close to being finished.

“I’m in here every week,” said Lannan. “Even with that, I’ll be wondering, ‘Oh wow, when did they do that?’ It’s awesome.”

For now the stage is just concrete, the seats are in storage, and the reception area is matching shades of off-white walls and gray base layer flooring, but the image of a theater with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems and a special type of floor that can hold seats or be used as a function hall, a standing-room-only pit or even a banquet area is coming to fruition.

“We are a destination now,” said Wendy Hunt, president of the Nashua Chamber of Commerce. “I personally cannot wait for April 1. [Visitors are] going to find out that we are state of the art in so many ways. Really, Nashua has it all.”

April 1 will be the official opening reception for the Nashua Center for the Arts, ahead of the first show coming to the theater, Winnie the Pooh, opening on April 6. Not all the shows will be plays, with a magician coming, several concerts, and a ballet rendition of Beauty and the Beast.

The reception is completely sold out.

“It feels good to come in and see things happening,” Lannan said, looking around the soon-to-be-filled theater. “I’ve been involved since the beginning. I can’t wait to start coming to shows.”

Winnie the Pooh
Where: Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St.
When: Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7, at 6 p.m.
Price: $39 to $69
Visit: nashuacenterforthearts.com

Featured photo: There won’t be a bad seat in the house at the Nashua Center for the Arts. Photo by Katelyn Sahagian.

A week of adventure

Camps for the February vacation week

Winter break (Feb. 27 through March 3 for many area schools) is coming on fast. Here are some of the camps planned to keep kids busy. Know of any vacation camps for February or April not mentioned here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.

• Action Kids at Brentwood Commons (112 Crawley Falls Road in Brentwood; brentwoodcommons.com, 642-7200) is holding a February vacation camp for kids ages 4 and older from Feb. 27 through March 3 with different themes for each day. Camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with an option for early or late care as well. Pricing is $85 per day, $400 for all five days, with early and late care costing $12 per day $50 per week and $15 per day $65 per week respectively.

• Young actors and actresses can participate in Bedford Youth Performing Co.’s (55 Route 101 in Bedford; bypc.org, 472-3894) winter musical camp, or the preschool February vacation camp. The musical camp will have kids acting in the classic tale of dogs to the rescue, 101 Dalmatians. At the end of the week the production will be filmed for the kids to bring home. The preschool camp will introduce toddlers and preschoolers to dance, music, performance and science through books and outdoor playtime.

• The Community Players of Concord’s Children’s Theatre Project will hold a musical theater camp to run Sunday, Feb. 26, through Friday, March 3, for kids ages 8 through 14. On Feb. 26 there will be a two-hour orientation session at the Players Studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road in Concord), according to a press release. Monday through Friday, campers will rehearse for a performance of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr. which will be presented Friday evening at the Concord City Auditorium (where Friday’s day rehearsals will also take place). Tuition costs $225. Register at communityplayersofconcord.org/membership or contact director Karen Braz at k.braz@comcast.net with questions, the press release said.

• Get cooking with the Culinary Playground (16 Manning St. in Derry; culinary-playground.com, 339-1664). The cooking school is offering two types of cooking camps, a traditional cooking camp for kids ages 6 to 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a teen baking camp for ages 12 and older from 2 to 5 p.m. One day costs $60, four days cost $240. There is limited availability for the morning sessions.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is holding an in-person art camp from Feb. 27 through March 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for kids in kindergarten through grade 9. The camp, called Dreamscapes, will encourage kids to use art to express their daydreams, nighttime dreams and any dreams in between. The week of camp costs $315 for members, $350 for nonmembers. Register at currier.org.

• Girls, Inc. (administrative office at 1711 S. Willow St., Suite 5, in Manchester; 606-1705, girlsincnewhampshire.org) is hosting a February vacation campfor girls of all ages at both its Manchester (340 Varney St.; 623-1117) and Nashua (27 Burke St., 882-6256) locations, according to the website. Girls will have a chance to do activities like science experiments, arts and crafts, team-building workshops and more. Hours of the camp are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and include breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. Call to register and for pricing.

• McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Way in Manchester; mcintyreskiarea.com, 622-6159) is hosting a ski campfor kids ages 4 to 6 and 6 to 12 from Feb. 27 through March 3. Kids will learn all the fundamentals of skiing in lessons with other kids their ages. Camp time for the younger session is from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., for the older group is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Camp prices for five days are $345 for the younger session, $370 for the older kids.

• Kids ages 6 through 12 can enjoy nature at the New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org, 224-9909) for nature camp. Kids will learn more about local nature with hands-on activities, crafts, storytimes and more. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Feb 27 through March 3. Registration is $65 per day.

• Get that extra energy out at a three-day ninja camp at Ninja Challenge Hudson (14 Friars Dr. in Hudson; ninjahudson.com) from Tuesday, Feb. 28, to Thursday, March 2. Kids will climb, balance, jump and swing while learning different apparatuses. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon and costs $225.

• New Morning School (23 Back River Road in Bedford; newmorningschools.com, 669-3591) has vacation camp for kids ages 6 to 12 (kindergarteners and up) from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The camps feature themed clubs (such as basketball, Lego, art, comic books), according to the website. The cost is $75 per day or $325 per week.

• Seacoast United is hosting a February vacation soccer campat the Seacoast United Indoor Facility (10 Ferry St., Suite 105, in Concord) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a half-day option at noon as well. Kids ages 8 to 14 will learn more about their favorite sports, and run drills and practices to get even better. Camp with a half-day release costs $230, with a full-day release costs $320. Visit seacoastunited.com to register.

Opening day for new show

Nashua playwright’s production comes to the Concord stage

At the Hatbox in Concord, the community theater troupe Lend Me a Theatre is preparing the first production of The World Was Yours, by Nashua playwright William Ivers. Matthew Parent, director of The World Was Yours, said he was extremely excited to bring this play to life.

“It’s a great story about the value of art and what people think of art and whose opinion about art is right or not,” Parent said. “It’s this debate, and you can extract that to be about anything, not just art.”

This isn’t the first of Ivers’ plays to be produced, but it is the first time Lend Me a Theatre has produced an original and independent text.

In the play, three artists compete for the same grant: aging art professor Adley Schwartz, his young student Joy and guerilla graffiti artist Z-Jones, according to a press release. Watching the action from the ether are Bob Ross, Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol, the release said.

Parent, who is a new member to Lend Me a Theatre, said having an original play be his directorial debut is extremely exciting. He said it’s incredible that he is allowed a chance to put his own spin on the text, to work with the Ivers to realize his vision, and to work with actors to breathe life into characters that have never been portrayed before.

Even though this is the first performance of The World Was Yours, Parent said there is a very good chance that it won’t be the last. This show will have a reading done in New York City, and it has gathered interest from the Royal Court Theatre in London.

“It’s unusual for a community theater or nonprofessional theater to do new plays,” Parent said. “Usually they do shows that have been published and done before. In that respect, [The World Was Yours] is brave.”

The World Was Yours
What: Original play by New Hampshire playwright William Ivers produced by Lend Me a Theatre
Where: Hatbox Theatre, 270 Loudon Road in Concord
When: Friday, Feb. 3, through Sunday, Feb. 19, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students
More info: hatboxnh.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Frozen fun

The annual Winter Festival in Concord is back

Intown Concord is bringing some post-holiday fun to the city with the annual Winter Festival, with ice sculpting competitions, unique food options and more starting on Friday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m.

Haylie Stoddard, a representative from Intown Concord, one of the organizations that has partnered to run the festival for the last five years, said that this year will have a few new additions to the festivities.

“New this year we’ll have the Capitol Street warming hut and beer garden, and we’re excited to have that,” said Stoddard, adding that there is a lounge area in the tent as well, and the garden will serve local canned beers and drinks.

There will also be a dozen vendors, from media corporations to artisans. Stoddard said this was the first time in a while that the group had brought on vendors to the partnership.

The main event of the festival is the ice carving competitions, Stoddard said. This year the competitions will take place in front of the Statehouse. On Friday the sculptors will honor the sponsors of the festival with something inspired by the company’s logo or industry. Stoddard said that it used to be sculptures of the logos, but that proved to be too time-consuming for the smaller sculpting.

On Saturday, the six sculptors will spend the whole day working on creating the semi-permanent masterpieces. Stoddard said that it was important to the festival committee to give the sculptors as much free range as they wanted when it came to the creation of the frozen artwork. She said there is something magical about the ice and the way sculptors work it into their own vision.

“It brings uniqueness … during a colder time of year,” Stoddard said about the sculptures. She said it also gives people a chance to enjoy the winter weather. “Not everybody has the opportunity to get out, especially if they have a family and if they don’t do skiing or snowboarding. [The festival] gives a free option for families to get out and do something during the day and get some fresh air.”

Red River Theatres is partnering with the event this year and is showing family favorite Frozen (PG, 2013) on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. The Concord Public Library will host a snowy storytime that might feature everyone’s favorite ice queen and her younger sister.

The Black Ice Pond Hockey tournament,originally slated to coincide with the Festival, has been postponed to March 17 through March 19. According to Intown’s website, the O Steak & Seafood ice bar also has been postponed.

The winter festival is all about bringing the community together and outside during a time of year when most like to stay indoors, Stoddard said.

“It’s fun and something to do in the wintertime,” said Stoddard. “Get some fresh air and check out beautiful pieces of art. Even though it’s temporary, it’s exciting and unique.”

Concord Winter Festival
Where: New Hampshire Statehouse, 107 N. Main St., Concord
When: Friday, Jan. 27, from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit: intownconcord.com

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of Intown Concord.

A winter oasis

Concord Garden Club holds 20th annual Art in Bloom

Every year the Concord Garden Club celebrates the winter with its Art in Bloom event. This year’s show features 23 bouquets inspired by the creations of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.

“It’s not all paintings, textiles, pottery,” said club president Nancy Betchart. “It’s interesting to see the creativity and to see what people use to come up with arrangements.”

Betchart’s own project was inspired by a birch tree lamp with a red and orange shade. Betchart said that she and her partner took a few hiking trips in preparation to mimic the lamp with their vase, covering the glass holder with birch tree bark and arranging a colorful bouquet in the vases.

Other projects florists have selected for inspiration in years past have been hand-sewn clothing, pillows, woodworking and more. Betchart said it’s not just about capturing the visual representation of the craft, but it could be the color palette, the textures or even the feeling that it evokes in the club member.

The hardest part of the show, after selecting a craft, is sourcing the flowers for the arrangement, Betchart said. The wintertime makes it challenging to find the vibrant blooms and specific flowers the arrangers might be looking for. Betchart said she’d seen club members use flowers from a grocery store in a pinch.

“Garden club members aren’t professional florists,” Betchart said. “It’s just a lot of fun. It’s a way to develop a new friendship and just an opportunity to be creative.”

One of the most creative displays Betchart ever saw, she said, was when a garden club member created a flower cushion to match a throw pillow. She said the florist copied the design and texture of the craft, and it was something she never would have thought of.

Each bouquet will be on display next to the item that inspired it. The display will have a plaque that tells viewers what flowers and techniques were used in the making of the bouquet, and a sign explaining the item that inspired it.

Garden club members who participated in creating the bouquets will be at the gallery for the opening day, Thursday, Jan. 26, at 1 p.m. to talk about their creations and why they were inspired by the crafts they chose.

“It’s a nice way to encourage people to see some creative things and to get out and mingle and see the nice crafts artisans are making,” Betchart said.

The Concord Garden Club’s Art in Bloom
Where: 49 S. Main St., Concord
When: Thursday, Jan. 26, 1 to 5 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 27, and Saturday, Jan. 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit: concordgardenclubnh.com

Featured photo: Art in Bloom photos courtesy of Nancy Betchart.

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