Category: Art & Theater

Terminus Underground hosts outdoor arts fair

After a raucous indoor afternoon metal show last Sunday, New Hampshire Underground will move outdoors for the Parking Lot Pop Up Unplugged Music & Art Fair. It happens one day after the Nashua Summer Stroll and includes a vendor fair with art, clothing, plants, pottery and other creations from Underground members MyArtbyKF, LAD Art NH, Keira Curtis, Prospero Eaton, Aimee Dumont, Cosmo Loona, Joshua Jackiewicz, and Dubz Dyes.

Of course, there’s music, but dialed down a notch, according to the organization’s CEO Eleanor Luna.

“Out of respect for the residents, we will keep it acoustic,” she said recently. “We hope to create an enjoyable, accessible event for all.”

After a performance by AirFlow Projection Art at 1 p.m., Lyle Hutchins, supporting a new album, performs light rock. Named after alt country star Lyle Lovett and raised in a rural corner of the state, Hutchins “always knew he wanted to be a musician,” according to his website. Inspired by Bon Iver, Ruston Kelly, Snail Mail and others, his music blends alt rock, Americana and folktronica.

After attending college in New Orleans, Hutchins released his debut album, Flatlander, described as “a fourteen-song narrative which explores the beauty and danger of nostalgia, homesickness and heartbreak, underscored by the trials and tribulations of pursuing an often misunderstood career in music.”

Next up is Soul Thread, an all original family-friendly rock band from Nashua. At 4 p.m., Keira Curtis and her band Ashborne will “amp it up just a little bit,” according to Luna, followed by the even more boisterous acoustic metal from Konseptikor. Also performing are local musicians Joshua Nobody and Jesse Rutstein.

“Artists and musicians are the lifeblood of the work we do bringing independent talent to the forefront,” Luna said. “This event is about boundary pushing, hence the first time we are hosting Terminus Underground outside.” Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the family-friendly event.

“Let’s have a unique experience at Terminus Underground al Fresco,” said Luna.

Parking Lot Pop Up Unplugged Music and Art Fair
When: Sunday, July 27, 1-6 p.m.
Where: Terminus Underground, 134 Haines St., Nashua
Tickets: $15 at newhampshireunderground.org

Featured photo: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Courtesy photo.

Theatre Kapow and Ballet Misha combine for Romeo & Juliet

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been a staple of Saint Anselm College’s Shakespeare on the Green series since it began in 2023, but this year’s selection is Romeo & Juliet. It’s a work that the play’s director, Emma Cahoon of Theatre Kapow, believes is sometimes misunderstood. That’s one reason why she looks forward to doing it.

“I enjoy taking these texts that people feel they really know or have sound notions of, and doing something different with them to see if we can encourage audiences to experience that story in a new way,” she said by phone last spring.

More recently, Cahoon said the production is a pivot from her company’s regular fare in a couple of ways. First, working outdoors is a big change.

“The foundation of a lot of our work is intimate spaces … that allow the audience to be as close and personal to the actors and the story as possible. That’s where the name Kapow comes from — in your face, right there.”

Next, the company began collaborating with Ballet Misha, led by Amy Fortier, for last year’s series, at the behest of Dana Center Director Joe Deleault. The pairing provides what Cahoon termed “a third, middle ground” that unifies Romeo & Juliet’s dance and drama.

“It is … a very physical story, and I’ve been thinking about marrying the physical language of both the dance and then our fight and intimacy choreography,” she said. She hopes to “take the language of both, work with our actors, observe Amy’s choreography and then build this … hybrid language that will be both things.”

As rehearsals commenced on June 29, she’d already had the chance to see some of Ballet Misha’s dancing for the play, saying it was a “really helpful” experience.

“For me as a director, music is a huge entry point,” she said. “It’s really a way that I can connect with the emotional world of the play. Having the baseline right away of the Prokofiev score that Ballet Misha is using and accessing the world that way has been really getting me in the mindset, and getting me so excited.”

Removing close physical proximity of the actors in the audience is a challenge, she allowed. “But I’ve been thinking about ways to heighten the intensity and the reality of the emotion for these characters, and one choice that we’ve made I’m super excited about, because it’s an experiment that either really won’t work or will be awesome.”

Most Theatre Kapow Shakespeare productions feature doubling — one actor in two roles — and gender ambiguity. “We typically have female or non-binary actors playing characters across the gender spectrum,” Cahoon said. “This time around we have one actor playing both Juliet and Tybalt, which is a really crazy track.”

For those unfamiliar with the plot: At one point Romeo kills Tybalt, making the casting a particularly bold move. “That unlocked something for me when we figured out it could even be an option,” Cahoon said. “It felt like a key to exploding some of these more buried themes in the text that I was really interested in pulling out.”

Another difference this year is the cast.

“With Midsummer we were typically working with actors of around the same age, because in that piece it’s mostly teenage lovers and fairies, who are timeless in a way,” Cahoon said. Romeo and Juliet, on the other hand, is a generational story that calls for age diversity.

“So between our seven actors we span generations — and also experience level,” Cahoon said. “I think it’ll be a really great opportunity for those of us working on the piece [to] bring to life that generational thing that’s really present in this play, and it’s something that I’m particularly interested in exploring right now.”

Shakespeare On The Green – Romeo & Juliet
When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., July 17 through July 26
Where: Alumni Hall, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester
Tickets: $25 at anselm.edu (under 12 free)
In the event of inclement weather, performance will be held inside at Koonz Theatre

Featured photo: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Courtesy photo.

Film, fine arts, music and more in Sunapee Harbor

Center For The Arts, located in the Sunapee region, has a wide reach. This distinction will be apparent during the annual Arts Week, which opens July 11. Along with bucolic paintings and photographs at a “Naturally New England” juried show in the historic Livery, there will be a film about barn preservation, and a songwriter’s circle.

“We dabble and focus on not only the visual, but performing and literary arts, which is super different — I don’t know of many that really address all three of those things,” Dana Stahlheber, CFA’s Executive Director, said recently. “I love that, I think it’s really special … the performing arts and music piece is just so beautiful.”

Stahlheber will moderate the July 19 Behind The Lyrics event ($15/$20) with Tom Pirozzoli, Click Horning, Grace Rapetti and Colin Nevins. The four will, she said, “share their storytelling and how they go about writing their music, and then they’ll play a song. It’s an open discussion and sharing on … the creative process that they use to come about their songs.”

A Friday evening kickoff party ($45/$55) at Prospect Hill Antiques marks the event’s official start. After a temporary tenancy at the still-closed Anchorage Restaurant, a Bow craft brewer has moved its Sunapee outpost to the first floor of the gallery. “It’s a wonderful marriage,” Stahlheber said.

Prospect Hill’s upper level remains a gallery store.

“We’re going to be up there for a good portion of time, with art from the’ Naturally New England’ artists up there,” she said. “But down the stairs on the first floor is the Hoptimystic Brewery now. There’s a little mini porch out front that you can sit on and look at the bubbling brook that goes by.”

Guests will receive tickets to sample beer, enjoy live music and explore art. Some artists will speak about their work or demonstrate their process, adding an educational and interactive layer to the evening. As Dana notes, “We’re raising funds at this point for a community arts campaign,” a sign of how much the organization has expanded in just the past year.

The 14^th annual Arts in the Harbor happens July 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a gathering of crafters, artists and artisans under tents, with fine art and crafts for purchase such as oils, acrylics, watercolors, monotypes, pastels, drawings, photography, block prints, sculpture, pottery, fine jewelry, gold and silver work, weaving, fiber arts, wood, metal, stone and sculpture.

On July 13 at the Livery, located at 58 Main St. on the approach to the harbor, there’s a showing of Jim Westphalen’s film Vanish – Disappearing Icons of a Rural America ($15/$20), along with an art exhibit dedicated to the many barns, meetinghouses and historic buildings that are quietly disappearing from New England’s landscape.

The Livery itself is a testament to the importance of preservation. Once an old structure, it has been revitalized into a jewel of the community, frequently hosting music and art events. For example, on Friday, July 11, Grammy-nominated singer songwriter Ari Hest will perform, a show that’s not affiliated with Arts Week ($20, thelivery.org).

Stahlheber urges the curious to “come and make a weekend of it,” noting that while Sunapee may be a bit off the beaten path, that’s part of its charm. It remains laid-back, scenic and accessible, with a medium bowl of porridge feel — just right. Yes, parking in the harbor can be tight, and shuttle solutions are still under discussion, but the slower pace and close-knit vibe make up for logistical challenges.

Sunapee Arts Week
When: Friday, July 11, through Sunday, July 20
Where: Sunapee Harbor and other locations
Tickets: centerfortheartsnh.org

Featured photo: LiveryFalls By Jay Fitzpatrick Courtesy photo.

Fourth of July weekend craft fair at Gunstock

From chainsaw art to high-tech birdhouses, along with pottery, jewelry and paintings, there’s a little bit of everything at an upcoming crafts fair at Gunstock Ski Resort in Gilford. For two days, more than 120 individual exhibitors will offer wares that are unaffected by tariffs — everything’s made in America, mostly in New England.

The event is one of several organized by Joyce’s Craft Shows. Joyce Endee is a former educator who turned to her quilting hobby when she grew frustrated with the job market more than 30 years ago. Promoting crafts shows came naturally, she said in a recent phone interview.

“I turned my passion into a business,” she said. “I was a business teacher, so I liked doing marketing and advertising. It’s been very good to me, and I’ve made a lot of good friends. I care about these people; I hope that sets me apart…. I work to help them be successful. They’re exhibitors, but by and large, these are all artists too.”

The fair is not just a marketplace; it’s an immersive experience that offers glimpses into the creative process. One of the best is a demonstration by an artist who takes a chainsaw to large chunks of reclaimed trees and sculpts intricate figures, all without sketching a design beforehand.

“She doesn’t even draw on the wood, she just does it from her brain, and it’s amazing,” Endee said of Sanbornton wood carver Elise Ford. “She carves beautiful bears and a whole different group of birds, like cardinals. And then she’ll stain them — the bears will typically be black, the cardinals, obviously, red.”

The live artistry continues with a potter who’ll be working on a wheel, showcasing traditional ceramic techniques. Other craftspeople will be spinning yarn and creating handmade jewelry. Some artists offer customization of their works, Endee said. “I have a wonderful exhibitor that makes his own charcuterie boards and cutting boards, which he will personalize, so it makes them extra special.”

There are some options for those interested in what Endee calls “true art,” but it’s really a crafts show.

“I do have artists; I have one that does watercolors of mountains, and people love his work,” she said. “He does very well because I have a lot of shows in the mountains. I don’t have a lot of acrylic artists; I’m always looking.”

Endee emphasizes that her fair offers a way to support both the local economy and its arts.

“These people have amazing creativity, and I’m very proud of them,” she said.

4th of July Weekend Craft Fair
When: Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Where: Gunstock Mountain Resort, 719 Cherry Valley Road, Gilford
More: joycescraftshows.com

More Fourth of July events
Concord also celebrates on Friday, July 4; festivities start at 6 p.m. in Memorial Field with food vendors and music followed by fireworks at 9:20 p.m., according to the city’s parks and rec summer brochure. See concordnh.gov.

Manchester’s Independence Day celebration starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, in Arms Park with vendors and DJ Adam Furious, according to the city’s Economic Development office’s Facebook page. Fireworks are at 9 p.m. The NH Fisher Cats game on Thursday is also slated to have fireworks; gametime is 6:35 p.m. versus the Portland Sea Dogs. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Merrimack’s Fourth of July celebration include a patriotic concert on Thursday, July 3, at 6 p.m. in Abbie Griffin Park; a parade on Friday, July 4, at 1 p.m. and fireworks at Merrimack High School that evening at 9:15 p.m., according to merrimackparksandrec.org.

Amherst’s July 4th celebration starts at 9 a.m. on Friday with food vendors and activities on the Village Green, according to the Amherst NH July 4th Committee Facebook page. A children’s bike parade is at 9:45 p.m., before the main parade at 10 a.m. See amherstnh4th.org.

Nashua’s July 4 celebration starts at 11 a.m. with a Silver Knights game at Holman Stadium (first 500 adults and children under 12 get in free; reserve tickets in advance at nashuasilverknights.com). A free concert with The Slakas starts at 5:30 p.m. followed by other local acts at 7:30 p.m., the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps at 8:30 p.m. and fireworks at dusk. See nashua.gov.

New Boston’s July 4 happenings are at the Hillsborough County Youth Center Fairgrounds, where the gates open at 4 p.m. and offerings include kids’ activities, food, live music and more before fireworks at approximately 9:30 p.m., according to newboston4thofjuly.org and the organization’s Facebook page.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Grand opening party at School of Rock

Typically, the urge to play a musical instrument begins with a song. Wouldn’t it be great to learn “Seven Nation Army” and play it at a barbecue or talent show? The School of Rock is tapped into those sentiments. Students there begin with performance and gradually fill it out with skills, going from air guitar to the real thing.

The first New Hampshire School of Rock franchise debuted in Nashua late last year.

“We work backwards,” owner Andy McKenna explained at the time — starting with a star pose, “Students learn specific songs [and] in the process, learn about the music theory that goes into the song. So they do get a full music education.”

Anyone who watched the movie starring Jack Black knows that it culminates with a concert. That’s one reason McKenna waited until the end of his first season to have an official grand opening. That happens on July 1, with live performances, jam sessions, free ice cream and a Pete Townshend guitar smashing ceremony.

There’s a lot to celebrate.

“Right now we’re well over 50 students, and we put on our first performances, because that’s the cornerstone of what School of Rock does,” he said. “Getting our students learning their instruments, obviously, but then playing together in groups and setting up gigs in the community.”

The first happened May 18 at the Shaskeen in Manchester.

“Three different groups played, and it was great, standing room only,” McKenna said. “School of Rock told me that as an owner, when you put on your first show, there will be tears. I’m not sure that there were for me, but I was definitely pretty emotional.”

For the grand opening, a house band representing the Berwyn, Pennsylvania, School of Rock franchise will visit and play at nearby Spyglass Brewing Co., joined by Nashua students.

“It’s our 8- to 12-year-old Rock 101, our performance group, which is our teenagers, 13 to 18, and then our adult group. We’re all performing.”

He learned about the craft brewery from his instructors.

“Some perform quite frequently out in the community and know all the venues,” he said. “They’re set up for musical performances indoors and outdoors. They’ve got a little stage on an outdoor patio, and if the weather’s good … we’re open to play outside.”

The staff of local musicians he recruited was McKenna’s happiest surprise in his first six months running the school.

“Playing the role of CEO and CFO and doing everything, including hiring, I didn’t have a lot of time to scrutinize or be that selective,” he said. “I took a chance on a lot of the instructors, and it’s been great. The team we’ve put together, their passion, enthusiasm, quality of instruction and their willingness to go through this journey with me — it’s been fantastic.”

School of Rock is located between Lens Crafters and the Friendly Toast restaurant on the Daniel Webster Highway. That may seem odd, but like a good power chord or a memorable riff, there’s a lot packed into it. Anyone attending on July 1 can discover what more than a few already know, and get ready to rock.

“It’s a narrow storefront … we’re kind of tucked in,” McKenna said. “But when people take a tour of the school, which extends to the back of the building, most are shocked at the quality of our facility and what we’ve built out here and just how cool it looks and how functional it is.”

Along with music and ice cream, the grand opening will offer discounts for new students.

“Anybody who’s interested in music, possibly taking lessons or has even kind of toyed with the idea or dreamed about it, regardless of age … kids all the way through adults, even retirees, this is a home for them,” McKenna said. “It’s a wonderful way to explore that interest and, frankly, not only learn an instrument, but, again, what we’re about is playing and making music together with others…. We’re a very welcoming organization.”

School of Rock Grand Opening
When: Tuesday, July 1, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: School of Rock, 225 DW Highway, Nashua
More: schoolofrock.com/locations/nashua
Performances follow at Spyglass Brewing Co., 306 Innovative Way, Nashua

Featured photo: School of Rock. Courtesy photo.

Currier hosts new works, dance group

When Juneteenth became a national holiday four years ago, many Americans learned about what had been known as Black Independence Day for the first time. On June 19, 1865, slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation at the end of the Civil War. News traveled by horseback then; the Lone Star State was the last to know and make it official.

Kelly Touhey-Childress, COO of the New Hampshire justice organization Racial Unity Team, was surprised to learn that a family member of hers was among those new to Juneteenth.

“I called my grandmother, who was 90 and grew up in West Virginia during Jim Crow and all of that, and she didn’t know what it was either,” she said by phone recently. “ To me, it’s a light shined on all of those untold stories … and it’s the fight to not have people’s histories erased.”

Racial Unity Team will lead an Arts Off the Wall Juneteenth event at Currier Museum of Art that will include an unveiling of works by Black artists along with a focus on some pieces already in their collection, as well a program of interpretive dance from the Concord-based Vibes of Style.

The group’s dancers come from diverse backgrounds, and the company is run by a Black female RUT volunteer. For the Currier event, they will perform in a mixture of styles.

“They’re all in individual pieces and some together,” Touhey-Childress said. “It’ll be a medley of dancing, and dancing from the heart, around the topic of freedom.”

Earlier in the day, curators Bruce McColl and Anastasia Kinigopoulo will lead a tour of the Currier’s African American collection.

“The works we have settled on are historical and modern/contemporary,” McColl explained recently. Among them is “Slow Murder” by Sanford Biggers. It’s a painting of black crows on a canvas made from scraps of 19th century quilts believed to have been used as signposts on the Underground Railroad.

“It’s an abstracted murder of crows,” McColl said, “a powerful piece” that evokes the history of its materials, as well as “Strange Fruit,” Billie Holiday’s 1939 song about lynching. The work is on loan for one year from Crystal Bridges, an Arkansas based museum of American art that both collects and interprets American art. It also actively loans major works from its collections and supports the field of museum work. It’s been especially helpful to the Currier.

Another is “Our Father,” a contemporary rendition of Jesus’s crucifixion by self-taught artist Purvis Young that’s been part of the Currier’s collection for a few years; it was recently the centerpiece of a Whitney Museum show on the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

“Young is known for his figurative paintings, made on roughly surfaced boards and found materials,” McColl said. “The paintings are assemblages of a sort — and beautifully painted in an expressive manner.”

Fittingly, the Vibes of Style performance connects nicely with Ailey’s celebration of African-American heritage through movement.

“They’ve been focused on certain objects in the collection to interpret with dance,” McColl said. “That’s kind of a wonderful juxtaposition between one of our prized paintings with an interpretive dance experience.”

A Robert S. Duncanson painting on display is a classic 19th-century landscape that’s important both because of the artist and the work itself.

“He descended from a freed Black family from the south, who moved to the north in the early 1800s,” McColl explained. “We’re gonna start the tour with that painting. It just shows, even in the middle 19th century, that there were Black American artists who were trained and who were doing really high quality work.”

When asked what Juneteenth means to him, McColl pointed to ongoing efforts by the Currier.

“We’ve got a really beautiful, deep and rich collection of paintings and sculptures that tell the story of the emancipation of Black people in our country,” he said. “These holidays are a wonderful moment for us to stop, reflect and celebrate the history of that emancipation, but also to be mindful of the work that needs to be done.”

A Chorus Line

When: Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays at 2 & 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 22
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: $39 and up at palacetheatre.org

Featured photo: The cast of A Chorus Line. Photo courtesy of AnnMarie Lidman Photography.