Art & Theater – Page 18

The art of community

Greeley Park Art Show returns

By Hannah Turtle

hturtle@hippopress.com

In its 69th year, the Greeley Park Art Show returns to Nashua with a whole host of artists both familiar and new. It’s happening on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21, when visitors will be able to view hundreds of works by local artists and even take some home.

“We have over 45 artists this year, and they’re all different mediums. Some do impressionism, some do abstract, watercolor, oils, acrylics [and] sculpture,” said Lauren Boss, co-director of the show, which is hosted by the Nashua Area Artists’ Association. “A lot of the artists will actually work on their art while they’re there. It’s really cool to watch. … They explain things [and] answer questions, [so] there’s always learning to be had.”

Over the years, the show has cultivated its own reputation as a place to not only appreciate, but learn.

“A few years ago I had an artist tell me that they could tell the people who come every year because they stop and talk to the artists, and they know certain things that not every crowd knows,” Boss said. “The people who come year after year are getting an education on art and art mediums.”

Each artist has a unique story to tell through their work. One such artist who will showcase her paintings is Zoe Brooke of Portsmouth, who has a unique eye for art.

“My favorite things to paint are portraits. People or animals,” Brooke said. “Anything with eyeballs.”

Brooke, whose solo exhibition, “Wellspring,” is also currently running through Aug. 28 via the Seacoast Artist Association, said her artistic eye is often at odds with her actual eyes. Last year she was diagnosed with a rare degenerative eye condition that is eroding her vision.

In response to the diagnosis, Brooke has been painting as much as she can.

“I wanted to focus on moments in time,” she said. “I looked at the little things that happened throughout the day or throughout the week that bring me joy, or that encapsulate the feelings of what’s going on.”

This includes paintings of everything from her cats taking a nap, to the natural landscape of Portsmouth and the various scenes that have unfolded throughout the past few years. The experience, Brooke said, has been a therapeutic one.

“Painting helped me to notice more of those moments, to stay in a place of gratitude and a place of appreciation,” she said.

Brooke began taking her art seriously during the pandemic, painting as much as she could and developing her signature style. Her prognosis is unclear, as her condition is so rare it doesn’t yet have a name. Her macula is degenerating due to her eyes’ inability to process vitamin A. She describes the condition as mainly deteriorating her central vision.

“The things that usually make people’s eyes stronger make mine weaker,” she said.

Showing her work around the state and meeting other members of the local arts community has been a boon to Brooke.

“It is a big inspiration to see local artists,” she said. “I think, ‘Wow, you’re so talented and you’re just my neighbor!’”

It’s something Boss also looks forward to experiencing at the show.

“We have found that our artists are exceptionally willing to share,” Boss said.

Greeley Park Art Show
When: Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua
Cost: Free admission
Visit: nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow

Featured photo: Painting by Zoe Brooke. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/08/11

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

• Last call for Footloose: It’s the final weekend to catch Footloose, this summer’s Prescott Park Arts Festival (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth; prescottpark.org, 436-2848) outdoor musical. The show runs in Prescott Park on Thursday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 7 p.m. See the website for information on general admissions (by donation) and reserving a blanket or a table.

• Last call for Samuel Lancaster Gerry’s exhibit: The exhibit “A Faithful Student of Nature: The Life and Art of Samuel L. Gerry,” featuring 38 paintings by the 19th-century artist (who depicted the White Mountains and the Old Man of the Mountain), will be on display at the New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St., Concord; 228-6688, nhhistory.org) through Saturday, Aug. 13, according to the website. The Historical Society is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• August art: Yasamin Safarzad is the artist behind the August Art on the Wall at City Hall exhibit, according to a Manchester Arts Commission Facebook post. The art hangs at City Hall (1 City Hall Plaza, near Elm Street, in downtown Manchester) which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A post about the exhibit on Safarzad’s website shows some of the pieces on display, including paintings and a yarn-based piece.

Create artist trading cards
Members of the public can drop in on Saturday, Aug. 13, from noon to 3 p.m., to create artist trading cards for the residents at the Merrimack County Nursing Home at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Trading cards are mini works of art the size of a baseball trading card. The gallery is hosting the New Hampshire Women’s Caucus for Art’s “Just North of Concord” art group for this event. The artists will have all the supplies you need to create the cards. Four stations will be set up and attendees can rotate to make cards using different art techniques. Artists will be on hand for guidance and inspiration. Guests can learn a new technique and create fun pieces of tiny art for a nursing home resident to choose and display in their room. The event is free and suitable for all ages. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• Opening night for Out There: The young performers of Andy’s Summer Playhouse (582 Isaac Frye Hwy., Wilton; 654-2613, andyssummerplayhouse.org) will present Out There, this season’s musical, described as “a new musical about aliens, astrophysics, theater and imaginary friends, asking questions of identity as community and as self,” according to the website. The curtain goes up Thursday, Aug. 11, at 7:30 p.m. The show also runs Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. as well as next weekend (Thursday, Aug. 18, through Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m.). Tickets cost $10.60.

• Also at Andy’s: Andy’s Summer Playhouse (582 Isaac Frye Hwy., Wilton; 654-2613, andyssummerplayhouse.org) and Toadstool Bookshop will present an event with Tom Moore, one of the authors of the bookGrease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More: Stories from the Broadway Phenomenon That Started It All on Friday, Aug. 19, at 5 p.m. at Andy’s Summer Playhouse. Moore directed the original Broadway production, eight national tours and two London West End productions of Grease, according to a press release. The book is “a collection of memories and stories from over 100 actors and musicians, including the creative team and crew who were part of the original Broadway production and in the many touring companies it spawned.” See andyssummerplayhouse.org/grease to RSVP to the event.

• Hopkinton art show: Two Villages Art Society presents the work of three Rotary Club members in an exhibit titled “Pixels, Wood, Clay,” on display Friday, Aug. 12, through Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Bates Building (846 Main St. in the Hopkinton village of Contoocook). Hopkinton photographer Tony Gilmore captures nuanced images of nature and man-made objects, taken in his extensive travels with nonprofits. Wood turner Rick Manganello of Hudson creates wooden bowls and other objects. Caren Helm, owner of Pizzazz Pottery in Vermont, creates functional and sculptural hand-built and wheel-thrown stoneware.“Pixels, Wood, Clay” is open to the public free of charge Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. There will be an opening reception with the artists Saturday, Aug. 13, from noon to 2 p.m. Hopkinton musician Brad Myrick will provide music at the reception. For more information, including artist bios, visit twovillagesart.org.

• Stone wall workshops: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, 783-9511) is offering opportunities to work on restoring a section of natural stone walls at two-day hands-on Stone Wall workshops led by master stone artisan and mason Kevin Fife, who will discuss the history of stone walls in New England and show participants different types of walls throughout the Village. Some walls in New England date back to the mid-1600s. Two workshops are offered: the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 13, and Sunday, Aug. 14, or the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 27, and Sunday, Aug. 28, both from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. To enroll, visit shakers.org. The workshop includes materials, gourmet lunch and drinks each day. Tuition is $150 for returning participants and $250 for new participants.

Off-Broadway in Wolfeboro
ReEntry: Actors Playing Jazz, directed by Academy Award-winner Estelle Parsons, comes to Wolfeboro for two nights, on Wednesday, Aug. 17, and Thursday, Aug. 18, at 7:30 p.m., at The Village Players Theater (51 Glendon St., Wolfeboro), a nonprofit community theater that welcomes onstage and non-stage members of all ages. ReEntry: Actors Playing Jazz is the story of six formerly incarcerated men who have come together after release from prison to start a theater group with a goal to keep them on the right side of the law. The performance is a benefit for Village Players Theater. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at village-players.com.

• From nuns to cats: Catch the final shows of the Interlakes Theatre (1 Laker Lane, Meredith; interlakestheatre.com, 707-6035) production of Sister Act this weekend. The show runs Thursday, Aug. 11, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $36. Then on Wednesday, Aug. 17, the theater’s production of Cats will begin with a show at 7:30 p.m. Be part of the Jellicle fun Wednesday, Aug. 17, through Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 21, at 5 p.m. as well as Thursday, Aug. 18, at 2 p.m.

• Cruel summer: Tickets are on sale now for the Actorsingers’ production of Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical at the Janice B. Streeter Theater (14 Court St., Nashua) on Friday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 28, at 2 p.m. Closely following the film’s plot, the show centers on the manipulative, revenge- and passion-fueled world of Manhattan elite teens Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil. It features a score full of the era’s top hits from Christina Aguilera, N-Sync, No Doubt, Boyz II Men, and more. Cruel Intentions contains themes that are not suitable for teens and children, according to the website. Tickets range from $18 to $20 and are now available online at actorsingers.org or by calling 320-1870.

ART

Exhibits

• JESSICA KELLY, a local artist, whose work will be featured at the New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St., Wolfeboro, 569-4554, nhbm.org) in the museum’s gallery in August. Working in photography, the art depicts coastal scenes and other natural beauties. Kelly’s work is available for viewing with paid admission to the museum. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and free for children under 13, members, and active military personnel.

• STANDING TOGETHER The Seacoast LGBT History Project holds its sixth annual show, titled “Standing Together,” at RiverStones Custom Framing and The Franklin Gallery (33 N. Main St. in Rochester; riverstonescustomframing.com) through Wednesday, Aug. 31. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit the Seacoast NH LGBT Facebook page, email seacoastnhlgbthistory@gmail.com or call RiverStones at 812-1488.

• “ARGHAVAN KHOSRAVI” Artist’s surrealist paintings explore themes of exile, freedom and empowerment; center female protagonists; and allude to human rights issues, particularly those affecting women and immigrants. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through Sept. 5. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.

• “MANAGING MISCELLANEA” The Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy (11 Tan Lane, Exeter) hosts “Managing Miscellanea,” an art exhibition that draws from the gallery’s “undefined” collection. It centers around questions of defining and maintaining collections, and showcases unseen works from the storage vault, including works by Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Motherwell. The exhibition runs through Sept. 24, available for viewing during the gallery’s normal hours: Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free but reservations are required. For more information, visit www.exeter.edu/lamontgallery.

• “THE PEOPLE’S SCULPTOR: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ROGERS” Exhibit celebrates the art of American sculptor John Rogers, who came to Manchester in 1850, and explores the influence that Manchester had on Rogers’ life and work. Presented by the Manchester Historic Association. On view now through September. Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62 and up and college students, $4 for youth ages 12 through 18, and is free for kids under age 12. Call 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum.

• “WOOL: CONTEMPORARY FIBER ART EXHIBITION Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) through Sept. 2. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibition in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email tsink@concordnhchamber.com.

Fairs and markets

• GREELEY PARK ART SHOW The annual outdoor juried art show hosted by Nashua Area Artists Association features a variety of artwork for sale. Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua. Sat., Aug. 20, and Sun., Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow.

• CONCORD ARTS MARKET The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Market dates are Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15. Rollins Park, 33 Bow St., Concord. concordartsmarket.net. The first market will be held on Saturday, June 11. Visit concordartsmarket.net/summer-arts-market.html.

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/nashua-art-tour for more information.

THEATRE

Classes/workshops

• STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS Monthly workshop series hosted by True Tales Live storytelling showcase. First Tuesday (except November), from 7 to 8:30 p.m., virtual, via Zoom. Registration is required. Visit truetaleslivenh.org for more information.

Shows

• ROBIN HOOD The Winnipesaukee Playhouse Professional Company (33 Footlight Circle in Meredith; winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) presents Robin Hood Wednesday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39 and $29.

• 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS about two performers as they grow from children to adults and featuring a variety of music styles, according to the website, opens Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Peterborough Players indoor stage (55 Hadley Road in Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org, 924-7575). Tickets cost $47. Shows continue Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m.

• DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID Jr. Tickets are on sale now for the Peacock Players’ production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., which will run Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Court Street Theater (14 Court St. in Nashua). Shows on Fridays are at 7 p.m., Saturday shows are at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. The show is “our first ever student-produced title,” according to the Peacock Players website (peacockplayers.org), where you can buy tickets, which cost $15 to $18 (plus fees) for adults and $12 to $15 (plus fees) for kids. Or call the box office at 886-7000.

• BEAUTY & THE BEAST presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Thursday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• NUNSENSE, the musical that has been updated with new jokes, will be presented by the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7649) on Fridays, Aug. 12 and Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.; Saturdays, Aug. 13 and Aug. 20, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $20.

• SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 16, through Thursday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 20, at 11 a.m., and Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

• THE GREAT ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC SHAKESPEARE COMPANY presented by Granite Playwrights at the Hatbox Theatre (inside the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) from Aug. 19 through Aug. 28, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members.

• DISNEY’S FROZEN KIDS presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 23, through Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• LES MISERABLES presented by the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth; seacoastrep.org, 433-4472) teen company from Aug. 25 through Sept. 4, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for students and $30 for adults.

• SHREK THE MUSICAL presented by the Riverbend Youth Company at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford; svbgc.org/amato-center) from Friday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 28.

• DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID, the season-opening musical at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588), will run Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 2. The shows run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., with a show also on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.

Painting the city

Arts Build Community to host mural project in Manchester

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

Manchester is gaining three huge murals, all approximately three stories tall, that will tell the stories of the Queen City’s residents. Arts Build Community, a nonprofit organization, is hosting the first Community Canvas, a mural program that will amplify local voices and highlight local culture through three giant canvases all around the Pearl Street parking lot.

The murals, which will be painted directly onto walls of participating buildings, will all be around 30 feet tall and anywhere from 20 to 50 feet wide. One will be at 1225 Elm St., the headquarters for Arts Build Community. Chase said that all of the murals will be maintained over the years to make sure the artwork lasts for as long as possible.

“If it was just a mural festival, it would be a cakewalk, but we’re trying to think about every level,” said James Chase, the founder of Arts Build Community and co-creator of Community Canvas.

Chase, who is also an art professor at New England College and a former member of the Queen City’s Arts Commission, said it was important for the program to focus on people in the community. He said that, more than just about creating art, it was about creating the representation locals wanted to have.

Chase worked with groups like My Turn and the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester to talk with the youth of the city. He said that one question asked during brainstorming was “what does home feel like?” This question, Chase said, opened the conversation to include more than just aspects of Manchester; it also looks at the people who live in it.

Chase said that brainstorming sessions with the city’s young people have led to a mural featuring not just symbolism and old mills in the artwork, but also more personal scenes, like a group of teens playing basketball and a portrait of one mother cooking.

“We really wanted [the] conversation to … be built by the community rather than for them,” Chase said, adding that having meaningful art that was community inspired was just as important as the artwork. “I think that those times in between are just as important as the end product.”

Part of the reason the project is 10 days long is that communicating these feelings and ideas to artists painting the murals has been challenging, Chase said. Because the artists primarily working on the murals are traveling to Manchester from as far away as Portugal, he said, they’ll need at least a full day to finish the plans.

That means that the first day of the festival, Thursday, Aug. 11, will be a day of finalizing the sketches, but also a chance for the professional artists to meet their assistants, local young art students and artists who will be doing a sort of residency program for the 10-day project.

Chase said that having young artists learn the ins and outs of mural work was a huge factor he wanted to explore with this first project.

“Some of the artists … are emerging artists who will be assisting these professional artists,” Chase said. “[The newcomers will] become the lead artists in the next evolution. Now that they have this skill set and this experience, … they can step forward and be the lead artists.”

On Saturday, Aug. 20, a small block party outside Art Build Community’s headquarters will host a meet-and-greet with the muralists. The party, which will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be a chance for everyone who helped inspire the artwork to talk to the artists and celebrate the end of this project, Chase said.

In addition to the meet-and-greet, a few food trucks, including Kona’s Shaved Ice, will be serving up goodies. There will be crafts for kids, as well as a face-painting station. With the end of the project, Chase said he wanted to continue the community feeling that has inspired the project since the beginning.

Chase said that the main goal was to make sure that the murals represented the locals and was something special for Manchester. He said that he wanted to make sure the residents felt like they were as much a part of the art project as the muralists were.

“We don’t want it to be just art for art,” Chase said. “We want it to reflect Manchester today. We brought the community in, and the conversations became bigger than ourselves.”

Community Canvas Mural Project
Where: 1225 Elm St., Manchester
When: Thursday, Aug. 11, through Sunday, Aug. 21
Visit: facebook.com/artsbuildcommunity

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of James Chase.

Art for friends

How a newcomer to the Queen City started the Manchester Craft Fair, all to get to know her new neighborhood

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

Moving to a new city can be scary, especially as an adult. Kathy Daneman decided that instead of worrying about her big move from Brooklyn, New York, she would do what she does best: plan an event.

A brand-new craft fair will take Manchester by storm on Saturday, Aug. 13, simply because Daneman, one of the co-founders, wanted to get to know her new home city better.

“It’s so hard as an adult to move and find your people,” said Daneman, who has only resided in the Queen City for five months.

Daneman said when she first moved from Kansas as a little girl, her mother said she used to go running up and down the street, knocking on doors of their new neighbors asking for kids to be her friends. Now, Daneman said she’s using this festival to accomplish the same goal.

Daneman worked in the publishing industry in New York City and Boston for 25 years, and worked planning events for the last five. She was one of the organizers for events like the literary festival in New York, a celebration of local writers and books published in the Big Apple.

The first thing Daneman did upon coming to Manchester was join the library board. There, she met her co-founder of the Manchester Craft Fair, Kim Doherty. Together they set to work, hunting down artists and working with city officials to make this fair a reality.

“[Doherty]’s lived here all her life,” Daneman said. “She wanted a craft fair, something downtown so older people could be part of downtown, too.”

In approximately three months, Daneman and Doherty signed up 20 booths and two food trucks. They got everything in place to have the inaugural craft fair. While it is the first, Daneman hopes that it won’t be the last.

“Come buy crafts from a lot of amazing people,” Daneman said. “This particular fair, I hope it grows so we can do more things in the future.”

Vendors will be selling everything from macrame and hand-crafted jewelry to specialty brined pickles and bowls made from wound cloth. Daneman said that it was important to her to find people selling unique and unusual things, items that fit her style of artistic expression.

While there won’t be live music at the fair, Daneman said that she’d encourage any busker or street musician to come and perform at the park. She said that the whole operation was done without a budget, and she didn’t feel comfortable asking musicians to play music for free.

Daneman said that it was fitting that someone with her recent history of living in New York should have a hotdog cart at the event. Jose’s Hot Dogs Cart will be serving up sausages and vegan eatery The Green Beautiful will have assorted plant-based goodies.

The highlight of the event, Daneman said, will be the puppy pen filled with adoptable pups, sponsored by the Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter. The pen will be there from 9 a.m. until noon. It may close earlier if all the fur babies find forever homes.

Daneman, who joked that she’ll be spending most of her morning with the dogs, said that she is excited to get to know more people in the city and make more cool friends.

“It’s been a good way to learn the city,” Daneman said. “There’re so many exciting people here. Isn’t this great, to all meet in Veterans Memorial Park and see neighbors you don’t normally see?”

Manchester Craft Fair
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 723 Elm St., Manchester
When: Saturday, Aug. 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission: Free
Visit: manchesterartsandcraftsfair.com

Featured photo: Some of the items available at this year’s Manchester Craft Fair. Photos courtesy of Kathy Daneman.

The Art Roundup 22/08/04

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

• LGBT history exhibit: The Seacoast LGBT History Project holds its sixth annual show, titled “Standing Together,” at RiverStones Custom Framing and The Franklin Gallery (33 N. Main St., Rochester) now through Wednesday, Aug. 31. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be an opening reception for this exhibit on Thursday, Aug. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., with light refreshments to be served. Visit the Seacoast NH LGBT Facebook page, email seacoastnhlgbthistory@gmail.com or call RiverStones at 812-1488.

• Opening night — Peterborough: The show 2 Pianos 4 Hands, about two performers as they grow from children to adults and featuring a variety of music styles, according to the website, opens Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Peterborough Players indoor stage (55 Hadley Road in Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org, 924-7575). Tickets cost $47. Shows continues Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 7, at 4 p.m. (with an after show talkback), Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m.

NUNSENSE THE MUSICAL
The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester) presents Nunsense The Musical, from Aug. 12 to Aug. 21. The show follows the Little Sisters of Hoboken after they discover that their cook has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they need to raise money for the burials. They decide to put on a variety show, and hilarity ensues. Nunsense will run Friday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 13, Friday, Aug. 19, and Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $15 for seniors ages 65 and over and for kids and teens ages 17 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling the box office at 669-7649, or online at majestictheatre.net.

• Opening night — Concord: Bubble Boy, the musical based on the 2001 Jake Gyllenhaal-fronted movie of the same name, opens on Friday, Aug. 5, at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315). Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and tickets cost $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students. The show continues Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 7, at 2 p.m. and next Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. Hannah Turtle talked to the director of production about the show in the July 28 issue of the Hippo in a story on page 10 (find the e-edition at hippopress.com).

• Welcome to Sherwood Forest: The Winnipesaukee Playhouse Professional Company (33 Footlight Circle in Meredith; winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) presents Robin Hood through Saturday, Aug. 13. The show, which was slated to have its opening night Aug. 3, continues with shows on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39 and $29.

• Singing nuns: Sister Act is on the stage at the Interlakes Theatre (1 Laker Lane in Meredith; interlakestheatre.com, 707-6035). Slated to open Aug. 3, the show continues through Aug. 14 with shows at 2 p.m. on Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and Wednesday, Aug. 10, and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $25 to $36.

• Shakespeare: Project Shakespeare’s PS Too! Youth Company will present The Taming of the Shrew on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Peterborough Community Center Lawn (25 Elm St. in Peterborough). Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under. See projectshakespeare.org; the show will also be presented Friday in New Ipswich and Saturday in Keene.

• More Shakespeare: Ballet Misha will perform an original ballet adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St.), and on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m. at the John Hay Estate at The Fells (456 Route 103A, Newbury). The ballet tells the classic Shakespeare tale of lovers interfered with by mystical forces. At The Fells, the performance will take place outside under the pavilion, allowing guests to enjoy a picnic dinner while watching. Tickets are $25 to $35 and are available for both performances as balletmisha.com.

KEEPING TRACK OF TIME
The Gallery at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth presents “Keeping Track of Time,”which features work by Philip Brou. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Aug. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m., when Brou will give a brief talk about the work. Brou, whose work consists of ink wash drawings and watercolor paintings, created this exhibition during the pandemic. He used his passion for running to examine how we dealt with time during isolation, both running and slowing down. There are a total of 197 drawings documenting each time he went running during the pandemic. The exhibit remains open until Oct. 2 during regular business hours, and is free and open to the public. Visit 3sarts.org.

• Here we go again:Mamma Mia! concludes a run at the New London Barn Playhouse (84 Main St. in New London; nlbarn.org, 526-6710) this weekend with shows Thursday, Aug. 4, through Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $22 through $47.

• Book talk With Kennedy biographer: Acclaimed biographer Kate Clifford Larson, author of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter and Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, visits the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. to discuss her New York Times bestselling book about Rosemary Kennedy. The event is free and no registration is required. Books are available for purchase and signing.

• The Demon Barber of Keefe Auditorium: Actorsingers (actorsingers.org) will hold auditions for its November production of Sweeney Toddon Sunday, Aug. 14, and Monday, Aug. 15, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Actorsingers Hall (219 Lake St. in Nashua). Callbacks will be Aug. 16. Go online to register for a Zoom info night on Friday, Aug. 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. to meet the production team, and to find the registration forms for the audition itself and the show page.

• Save the date to be part of that world: Tickets are on sale now for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the season-opening musical at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588), which will run Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 2. The shows run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., with a show also on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.

NATURALLY NEW ENGLAND EXHIBIT
The Livery (58 Main St., Sunapee Harbor) is hosting “Naturally New England,” an exhibit featuring works by local artists, now through Sunday, Aug. 7, to help raise money for the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and the Center for the Arts NH. The collection of work celebrates the natural beauty of New England’s landscape and features more than 60 artists showcasing a wide diversity of works. The exhibition is free and open to the public on weekdays from noon to 4 p.m., and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit centerfortheartsnh.org.

– Hannah Turtle

ART

Exhibits

• JESSICA KELLY The New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St., Wolfeboro, 569-4554, nhbm.org) will host a member reception on Friday, Aug. 5, for local artist Jessica Kelly, whose work will be featured in the museum’s gallery in August. Working in photography, the art depicts coastal scenes and other natural beauties. Kelly’s work is available for viewing with paid admission to the museum. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and free for children under 13, members, and active military personnel.

• “PIXELS, WOOD, CLAY” Two Villages Art Society presents an exhibition of work by artists Tony Gilmore, Rick Manganello and Caren Helm. The Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook). Aug. 12 through Sept. 9. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. There will be an opening reception on Sat., Aug. 13, from noon to 2 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Fairs and markets

• CRAFTSMEN’S FAIR The annual nine-day outdoor craft fair hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen features hundreds of craftspeople with vendor booths, plus special craft exhibitions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and more. Sat., Aug. 6, through Sun., Aug. 14. Mount Sunapee Resort, 1398 Route 103, Newbury. Call 224-3375 or visit nhcrafts.org for more information.

Tours

Workshops and classes

• WOOL FEATHER TREE The League of NH Craftsmen’s Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes, 279-7920) will host a Wool Feather Tree Class with instructor Jean Reed on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Use wire stems and felted wool to make 18-inch trees and decorate with decorative berries, lighting and ornaments, according to a press release. The class costs $130 per student; call for advance registration (which is required).

• ART CLASSES Art classes for teens and adults, including Pottery, Stained Glass, Intermediate Watercolor and Clay Hand Building. Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester). Five-week sessions. Classes met for two hours a week. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com for the full schedule and cost details.

• 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 or email arthousejb@gmail.comfor more information.

• GENERAL ART CLASSES Weekly art classes offered for both kids and adults of all skill levels and cover a variety of two-dimensional media, including drawing and painting with pastel, acrylic, watercolor and oils. Classes are held with small groups of three to eight to five students. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Kids classes, open to ages 10 and up, are held on Thursdays and Fridays, from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. Adult classes are held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuition is pay-as-you-go at $20 per student per class, due upon arrival. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

THEATRE

Classes/workshops

Shows

• FOOTLOOSE Prescott Park Arts Festival (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth; prescottpark.org , 436-2848) presents this outdoor musical through Aug. 14, with showtimes on most Thursdays and Sundays at 7 p.m., and most Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with some matinee showtimes TBA. General admission costs $5, and reserved seating tickets cost $55 to $150.

• CINDERELLA presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Thursday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• JACK AND THE BEANSTALKpresented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

• THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, presented by the Peterborough Players at their new outdoor space, the Elsewhere Stage, on the grounds of the Players (55 Hadley St., Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org), will run on Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. The show is performed by the Players Second Company, which features young professionals and is geared toward a younger audience. Tickets are $15 each for adults, $10 each for children, available online or at the door.

• BEAUTY & THE BEAST presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Thursday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• JACK AND THE BEANSTALK presented by North Country Center for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a Touring Children’s Theatre Troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

• CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE ’90s MUSICAL presented by the Actorsingers at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua; actorsingers.org) Friday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 28, 2 p.m. TIckets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 62+ (plus fees).

• TITANIC THE MUSICAL Presented by the Manchester Community Theatre Players. Manchester Community Theatre Players Theatre, located at the North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester; manchestercommunitytheatre.com, 327-6777). Showtimes on Fri., Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, and Sat., Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.

• TRUE TALES LIVE Portsmouth-based storytelling showcase. Monthly, last Tuesday (no shows in July and August), from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Shows will be held in person (Portsmouth Public Media TV Studio, 280 Marcy St., Portsmouth) starting in April, and returning to the Zoom format for the winter, starting in November. Each month’s showcase is centered around a different theme. The series is free and open to all who want to watch or participate as a storyteller. Pre-registration for attendees is required for Zoom shows but not required for in-person shows. Visit truetaleslivenh.org and email info@truetaleslive.org if you’re interested in being a storyteller.

CLASSICAL

Open calls

• THE RHYTHM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOW CHORUS Women’s a cappella chorus is looking for female singers in the region to join. The group, an affiliate of the North American singing organization Harmony, Inc., performs a wide variety of music, including Broadway musical songs, patriotic songs, pop, jazz and seasonal pieces, for community and veterans’ events and private functions. Rehearsals are held weekly on Thursdays from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. at the Marion Gerrish Community Center, 39 W. Broadway, Derry. Masks are required for singing, but both vaccinated and unvaccinated singers are welcome. Visit rnhchorus.org or email info@rnhchorus.org for more information.

New Hampshire swan

Iona Darling takes on dual-role lead in Swan Lake

By Hannah Turtle

hturtle@hippopress.com

At only 19 years old, Iona Darling, born and raised in Milton Mills, will dance the lead roles of Odette and Odile in Northeastern Ballet Theatre’s production of Swan Lake, playing this weekend at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Though still a teenager, Darling is not new to ballet, having danced since she was 5.

Still, Swan Lake is a big leap, for lack of a better term, for the young dancer.

“It’s the most demanding role I’ve ever had. There’s a lot to it,” Darling said.

In fact, it’s a famously hard role, including what is largely considered the most difficult sequence in all of ballet: 32 fouettes en pointe. To pull it off, the dancer must turn 32 times in a row with her raised leg never touching the ground. It’s a move so difficult that physicists have studied how it’s even possible.

For Darling, the tricky steps are not the hardest part, though. The lead also must dance two roles.

“You have to play two different people: the white swan and the black swan,” Darling said. “The white swan is the most challenging for me — she’s closed off and shy, and I have to dig deep to pull out that character. The black swan is very fierce. That comes more naturally to me.”

Portraying the different characters requires a lot of acting choices, ones that often can’t be taught.

“It’s something you have to figure out for yourself. You’re taught the steps, but you have to spend a lot of time with yourself to learn the character,” Darling said. “I spend a lot of time in front of a mirror, and watching videos of other dancers doing the role.”

Rivaled only by The Nutcracker in popularity, Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a beautiful maiden cursed by the sorcerer Rothbart to turn into a swan, only returning to her human form at night by the side of an enchanted lake. One night, she is discovered by Prince Siegfried, and the two fall in love. Later, Rothbart disguises his own daughter, Odile, to look like Odette, and the two attend a costume ball to trick the prince into marrying Odile instead of Odette.

For the role of Prince Siegfried, the Northeastern Ballet has brought in Yuval Cohen, a dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet, who has an impressive resume. Born in Israel, he won Russia’s Nutcracker competition in 2018, and danced with the Bolshoi before coming to the US.

It’s a partnership that makes the ballet all the more exciting for Darling.

“Working with Yuval has been amazing,” she said. “It’s my first time working with someone so professional. He’s just insanely good. It’s cool because we’re the same age, and he’s someone I really look up to.”

With all the excitement happening in her ballet career, it’s easy to forget that Darling is still a teenager. Even with her busy schedule, she still finds time to hang out with her friends at her family’s summer lakehouse.

“I still do all the normal teenage stuff,” she said.

NBT’s Swan Lake
When: Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m.
Where: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $20 for adults, $10 for seniors and children under 12
More info: Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com

Featured photo: Iona Darling and Yuval Cohen. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/07/28

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

• Unwind with art: At this week’s Art After Work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) catch live music from Halley Neal during the weekly event, which features free admission from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Also on Thursday, July 28, the exhibition tours are of the newly installed second floor east galleries (at 5:30 p.m.) and of the Arghavan Khosravi exhibit (6:30 p.m.), according to the website. In addition to live music and free admission, during Art After Work, the museum’s cafe offers happy hour drink specials and the full menu available for purchase, the website said. Next week, the jazz group Causeway Collective will play the Art After Work on Thursday, Aug. 4.

• Midsummer’s night theater: The Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) will finish up its presentation of Shakespeare on the Green this weekend. Catch A Midsummer’s Night Dream on Thursday, July 28, and Saturday, July 30, at 7:30 p.m. Or (and?) see Romeo and Juliet on Friday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 per person and can be purchased at tickets.anselm.edu.

• Reports from ‘Little America’: Author Ken Kalfus will discuss and sign his new novel, 2 A.M. In Little America, at the Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough (12 Depot Square; toadbooks.com, 924-3543) on Saturday, July 30, at 2 p.m. The novel “imagines a future in which sweeping civil conflict has forced America’s young people to flee its borders” according to the Toadstool website, which describes the book as “brimming with mystery, suspense and Kalfus’s distinctive comic irony.”

Zoe Brooke’s art in Exeter
A new exhibit will run at the Seacoast Art Association (130 Water St., Exeter) from Aug. 3 through Aug. 28. Zoe Brooke, a self-taught artist whose work can be found in galleries across New England, presents an exhibition with a sense of urgency. Diagnosed last year with a rare genetic eye disease, Brooke will eventually lose her central and color vision. For now, she has set out to create as many works as possible. Her exhibit, called “Wellspring,” is available to be seen during regular gallery hours, Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. A public reception will be held to celebrate the collection on Friday, Aug. 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. Visit seacoastartist.org.

• Book signing in Tilton: Poet and artist Jeff Mellin will sign copies of his new book, Player Piano (Dream 19),on Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Book Warehouse at Tanger Outlets (120 Laconia Road in Tilton; 286-7880). According to a press release, the book “features Mellin’s ‘hopeful dream-ballad’ illustrated with images he adapted and collages from a painting by pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Coley Burne-Jones and a 16th-century Book of Flower Studies, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

• Under the sea: Tickets are on sale now for the Peacock Players’ production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., which will run Friday, Aug. 5, through Sunday Aug. 7, and Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Court Street Theater (14 Court St. in Nashua). Shows on Fridays are at 7 p.m., Saturday shows are at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. The show is “our first ever student produced title,” according to the Peacock Players website (peacockplayers.org), where you can buy tickets, which cost $15 to $18 (plus fees) for adults and $12 to $15 (plus fees) for kids. Or call the box office at 886-7000.

• Never too early for celebratory trees: The League of NH Craftsmen’s Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes, 279-7920) will host a Wool Feather Tree Class with instructor Jean Reed on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Use wire stems and felted wool to make 18-inch trees and decorate with decorative berries, lighting and ornaments, according to a press release. The class costs $130 per student; call for advance registration (which is required).

Players premiere
The Peterborough Players (55 Hadley Road, Peterborough) introduce the U.S. premiere of Marcia Johnson’s Serving Elizabeth now through July 31. The play follows the story of a Kenyan restaurant owner who is vehemently anti-monarchy but is given the opportunity to cook for Princess Elizabeth in 1952. At the same time, it follows a Kenyan-Canadian film student in 2015 as she reckons with the history of colonialism. Single tickets for Serving Elizabeth are $47 and can be purchased at peterboroughplayers.org or by calling the box office at 924-7585.

• August art: The New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St. in Wolfeboro; nhbm.org) will feature the works of local artist Jessica Kelly in August and hold a reception for the exhibit on Friday, Aug. 5. Kelly, a photographer and local kindergarten teacher, will present works with coastal scenes, nature, sunsets and more, according to a press release. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission costs $9 for adults, $7 for ages 14 to 21 and for 65+; kids 13 and under and active military and their family get in free.

• An evening with Gen. John Stark: The Manchester Historic Association (manchesterhistoric.org) will hold “An Early Glimpse of Manchester” walking tour of Stark Park on Thursday, Aug. 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event, a collaboration with the Majestic Theatre, will feature an actor-led tour with Gen. John Stark and his wife Molly (along with contemporaries Samuel Blodget, Robert Rogers, Samantha Plantin and Elizabeth Stark) giving first-person accounts, according to the website. Registration costs $15 and is required in advance. Go to the website or call 622-7531.

• Save the date for animal knowledge: Author Susie Spikol, a naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, will come to Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) to “teach your kiddos how to find critters in their neighborhood” on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. with her book The Animal Adventurer’s Guide: How to Prowl for an Owl, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed, according to a press release. The book, which is slated for release Sept. 13, features “50 hands-on activities and adventures that bring you closer to wild animals than you’ve ever been,” the release said. Spikol will also bring supplies to do one of the crafts from the book.

Uncommon Art in Goffstown
The 14th Annual Uncommon Art on the Common outdoor art show will take place along Main Street in Goffstown on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Forty-two local artists will be featured, including Goffstown artist Ann Trainor Domingue. She will display original coastal-inspired artworks, notecards, prints and more. Uncommon Art is held rain or shine and is sponsored by the Goffstown Main Street Program and other local businesses. Visit goffstownmainstreet.org.

– Hannah Turtle

ART

Exhibits

• SUMMER MEMBERS SHOW Two Villages Art Society presents a mixed-media art show at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) through July 30. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• ROBIN CORNWELL The New Hampshire Boat Museum will feature local artist Robin Cornwell in the museum’s gallery (399 Center St. in Wolfeboro; nhbm.org) in July. Cornwell produces art quilts as well as bark paper paintings and woven placemats and rugs. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more about Cornwell, visit robincornwellembellishments.com.

Fairs and markets

• CONCORD ARTS MARKET The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Market dates are July 30, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15. Rollins Park, 33 Bow St., Concord. concordartsmarket.net. The first market will be held on Saturday, June 11. Visit concordartsmarket.net/summer-arts-market.html for more information.

Tours

Workshops and classes

THEATRE

Classes/workshops

Shows

•

• THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, presented by the Peterborough Players at their new outdoor space, the Elsewhere Stage, on the grounds of the Players (55 Hadley St., Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org), will run on Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. The show is performed by the Players Second Company, which features young professionals and is geared toward a younger audience. Tickets are $15 each for adults, $10 each for children, available online or at the door.

• PETER PAN presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Thursday, July 28, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, July 29, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• MARY POPPINS JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

• LEGALLY BLONDE JR. musical presented by RB Productions Theater Company at the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors (plus fees).

• CINDERELLA presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 2, through Thursday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• RETURN TO OZ presented by North Country Center for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a Touring Children’s Theatre Troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

•THE GREAT ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC SHAKESPEARE COMPANY presented by Granite Playwrights at the Hatbox Theatre (inside the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) from Aug. 19 through Aug. 28, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members.

• SHREK THE MUSICAL presented by the Riverbend Youth Company at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford; svbgc.org/amato-center) from Friday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 28.

CLASSICAL

Open calls

Bubble Boy, the musical

Road trip love story goes pop

By Hannah Turtle

hturtle@hippopress.com

Perhaps years ago, nobody would have expected that Jake Gyllenhaal’s most timely work would not be Brokeback Mountain, nor Nightcrawler, nor Donnie Darko, but instead Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio’s 2001 film Bubble Boy. The largely critically panned film (the movie has a 31 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes), part late-night comedy, part road trip flick, part heavy-handed social commentary on the constraints of being raised in a religious household, part surrealist fever dream, follows Gyllenhaal playing Jimmy Livingston, a boy born with no immune system, whose devoutly Christian mother forces him to live in an airtight plastic bubble throughout his adolescence.

Later, Bubble Boy was adapted into a musical by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (whose body of work includes Despicable Me and Schmigadoon!) and received far more favorable reviews than the original film.

While largely allegorical at the time, the idea of a plastic bubble used to protect an immunocompromised boy from viral infection seems far less unrealistic to today’s audience.

The Hatbox Theatre is presenting Bubble Boy, the musical, in Concord from Aug. 5 through Aug. 14, produced by Dive In Productions.

“When I initially signed on to do the project, I don’t think I quite realized just how on-the-nose it really was,” said Jordan Formichelli, director of the production.

“I was drawn to the characters. They’re funny, they’re ridiculous, but ultimately, at the core of the show, it’s a love story. Yes, it’s about how far you’re willing to go for love, but it’s more so about what you’re willing to risk, and about stepping outside of your comfort zone to be with someone you care about,” Formichelli said.

For Formichelli, the bubble is something that’s relatable.

“We all have bubbles we’re trapped inside,” she said.

Formichelli hopes the audience will find something to laugh at — of which there are many options including a singing cult, a biker banned from the state of Nebraska, and of course, a boy in a giant plastic bubble. But most of all, she hopes the love story shines through.

“I think everyone will find something about the show to fall in love with,” she said.

Bubble Boy
Where: Hatbox Theatre, 270 Loudon Road, Concord
When: Friday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 14, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $25 for adults; $22 for students, seniors and members; $19 for senior members
Visit: hatboxnh.com

Featured photo: Bubble Boy. Graphic courtesy of The Hatbox Theatre.

The Art Roundup 22/07/21

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

• Mural project for Manchester: The deadline is 9 p.m. Monday, July 25, to donate to Arts Build Community’s fundraiser to bring a mural festival to Manchester in August. The Community Canvas festival is meant to “amplify community voices rather than the individual,” according to the fundraiser page at patronicity.com. Arts Build Community is a New Hampshire-based group of artists, residents, businesses and others, and for the mural project. the artists “will engage, research, and reflect while actively listening to community members, integrating their stories into each mural,” the fundraiser page said. Find out more and donate at patronicity.com/abc2022.

• Musical in the mall: The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) presents Gutenberg! The Musical! on Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 24, at 2 p.m. This musical comedy follows Johannes Gutenberg as he struggles to invent the printing press, hindered by his nemesis, The Monk, and his bumbling assistant Helvetica. Nominated for Best Musical by the Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Best Book by the Drama Desk awards, the show is only playing for one weekend. Tickets are $22, $19 for students, seniors, and Hatbox members, and $16 for senior members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit hatboxnh.com.

• Undefined art: The Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy (11 Tan Lane, Exeter) hosts “Managing Miscellanea,” an art exhibition that draws from the gallery’s “undefined” collection. It centers around questions of defining and maintaining collections, and showcases unseen works from the storage vault, including works by Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Motherwell. The exhibition runs through Sept. 24, available for viewing during the gallery’s normal hours: Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free but reservations are required. For more information, visit www.exeter.edu/lamontgallery.

Buster Keaton screens with live music
The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St., Manchester) will present a screening of the 1926 silent film The General on Wednesday, July 20, at 7 p.m. The General follows Buster Keaton as a locomotive engineer whose train is hijacked by Northern spies during the U.S. Civil War. The film screening will be accompanied by a live musical performance led by Jeff Rapsis. Admission is $10 per person. For more information, visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• Phil in the fall: The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its plans for its 118th year of performances, according to a recent press release. Five shows (each of which has two performances) are on the calendar for the 2022-2023 season, starting with shows on Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. and Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Most shows are at The Phil’s home performing space, the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem), the release said. See nhphil.org for ticket information, including season tickets.

• Author visit and birthday hike: Mary Ellen Humphrey, author of My Mountain Friend: Wandering & Pondering Mount Major, is coming to New Hampshire to hike Mt. Major for her 70th birthday and to stop at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) on Thursday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m., according to a press release.

• More authors, more books: Also appearing in person at Gibson’s are mystery writers Paula Munier (the author of the Mercy Carr mystery series, the most recent of which is The Wedding Plot, which hit shelves on July 19) and Sarah Stewart Taylor (author of the Maggie D’Arcy mystery series, the most recent of which is The Drowning Sea, which hit shelves in June). Catch them on Thursday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. See the store’s website to order books.

Sergei Novikov on piano
Sergei Novikov, who once won praise from former President George H. W. Bush, will perform Friday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem). Tickets cost $45 for adults, $40 for seniors and children and are available at speakingmusic.com. Find out more about Novikov’s career path, which took him from Russia to Kennebunkport and beyond, in the story on page 15 of the June 30 issue of the Hippo. Find the e-edition of the paper at hippopress.com.

• Authors inspiring authors: Authors Kelsey Gallant and Kate Spofford, both from the Nashua area, will be at the Toadstool Bookshop (375 Amherst St., Nashua; toadbooks.com, 673-1734) on Sunday, July 24, at 1 p.m. to discuss their journeys in self-publishing, according to the Toadstool website. The event is geared toward people who are also looking to have their manuscripts published, the website said.

• An author, artist and naturalist: The Warner Historical Society’s Tory Hill Author Series will present artist-naturalist and writer David Carroll on Saturday, July 23, at 7 p.m. at the Warner Town Hall, according to a press release. Carroll, who won the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (the Genius Grant) in 2006, has written and illustrated the natural histories The Year of the Turtle, Trout Reflections and Swampwalkers Journal as well as a memoir called Self-Portrait with Turtles and a fifth book called Following the Warner, A hydromancer’s Notebook, the release said. His natural history drawings and watercolors have been on exhibit at the Currier Museum of Art, according to the release. Tickets cost $10 each (or three for $24) and can be purchased at toryhillauthorsseries.com or at the door (and via the Warner Historical Society and MainStreet BookEnds), the release said. A dessert and a book signing will follow the readings.

– Hannah Turtle

ART

Exhibits

• “WARHOL SCREEN TESTS” In the mid-1960s, American multimedia artist Andy Warhol had shot more than 400 short, silent, black-and-white films of his friends at his studio in New York City. Warhol referred to the films, which were unscripted and played in slow motion, as “film portraits” or “stillies.” The exhibition will feature 20 of those films, provided by the Andy Warhol Museum, in loops across four large-scale projections. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through July 24. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.

• SUMMER MEMBERS SHOW Two Villages Art Society presents a mixed media art show at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) from July 1 through July 30.Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Fairs and markets

Tours

Workshops and classes

THEATRE

Classes/workshops

Shows

• ANYTHING GOES The Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth; seacoastrep.org, 433-4472) presents the musical through July 23, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $32 to $52.

• RAPUNZEL presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Thursday, July 21, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, July 22, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• MATILDA JR. musical presented by RB Productions Theater Company at the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors (plus fees).

• GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL produced by the Community Players of Concord at the Hatbox Theatre (inside the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 24, at 2 p.m. TIckets cost $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students.

• PETER PAN presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, July 26, through Thursday, July 28, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, July 29, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD presented by North Country Center for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a Touring Children’s Theatre Troupe, Tuesday, July 26, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

• LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 20, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

•THE GREAT ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC SHAKESPEARE COMPANY presented by Granite Playwrights at the Hatbox Theatre (inside the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) from Aug. 19 through Aug. 28, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members.

• LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

CLASSICAL

Events

• SERGEI NOVIKOV PIANO RECITAL The NH Philharmonic’s Summer Concert Series will host accomplished pianist Sergei Novikov on Friday July 22 at 7pm at the Seifert Performing Art Center, 44 Geremonty Drive, in Salem. Part of ticket sales will go to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help assist Ukraine. Tickets are available online at speakingmusic.com or by calling (800) 595-4849.

• PROGRESSIVE GARDEN PARTY Monadnock Music’s summer festival presents a botanical tour of Jaffrey set to classical music, performed live by soloists in 3 separate gardens, and featuring unique food and drink at each location, Saturday, July 23, noon to 5 p.m., location TBA. Tickets cost $100. Visit monadnockmusic.org.

• FAMILY CONCERTS Monadnock Music Summer Festival hosts three family concerts on July 27, titled “Moonstrike: Tellings of American Indian Legends.” The program features a string quartet with a narrator. The first is at noon at George Holmes Bixby Memorial Library, Francestown Old Meeting House, the second at 2 p.m. at Peterborough Library, 1833 Room, Peterborough, and the third at 4 p.m. at Olivia Rodham Memorial Library, Nelson Town Hall. Performances are free and open to the public. For more info, visit monadnockmusic.org.

• THROUGH THE FIRE The Village Players present Oscar-winner Estelle Parsons’ and Victor Almanzar’s newest production, Through The Fire, on Friday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Players Theater in Wolfeboro. The show follows Almanzar’s own life, including his immigration from the Dominican Republic to New York City, and his time serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in Kosovo and Iraq. Tickets $25 each, on sale at www.village-players.com and at the door.

Open calls

Jazz hands

The scene is strong in southern NH

By Hannah Turtle

hturtle@hippopress.com

Outside a recent performance at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club in Portsmouth, the line stretched around the block. Patrons from all over the area filed in to see jazz legend Wynton Marsalis perform with his band. The club had the kind of atmosphere you’d expect from a jazz venue — dim candlelit tables, a moodily lit stage overflowing with instruments and performance gear, and a waitstaff of smartly dressed young people.

Marsalis took the stage and began telling a story in his signature gravelly voice, speaking slowly and smoothly: “I have a prayer I always say. It goes like this. ‘Dear lord help us, we are surrounded by ignorance, especially when we’re alone.’” The audience erupted into laughter and applause. When he put his trumpet up to his mouth, though, one could hear a pin drop in the packed venue.

As venues across the state again offer live shows, jazz is alive and well. Local venue owners have ideas about what allows live jazz music to endure.

At Hermanos in Concord, cultural versatility is on full display. Though it’s a Mexican restaurant, they’ve been hosting live jazz performances most nights for more than 20 years. Owner Jane Valliere says it comes down to its popularity.

“We have an audience that ranges from teens to people in their 80s,” Valliere said. “To me, jazz is the most universally loved genre. Though you can have a conversation and eat while listening, I find that it’s not just background music. People really love to listen.”

Other venues that offer live jazz performances throughout the summer include The Purple Pit in Bristol, Hermit Woods Winery in Meredith, and Strange Brew Tavern in Manchester, which hosts blues music most weekends.

Tristan Law, manager at The Press Room, the oldest music club in Portsmouth, sees jazz as an extension of the larger culture.

“It’s the original American art form, but it’s constantly evolving,” Law said. “As music becomes genreless, the foundations of jazz allow it to evolve really well. It’s the way the culture is — you don’t just need to have one interest. It’s like food, you’ve got Tex-Mex or Asian cuisine blending with creole, it’s taking flavors from different genres, and making it your own.”

The Press Room, which hosts a variety of genres from klezmer to rock, sees jazz as an important linchpin of the establishment, hosting a weekly Tuesday night “jazz jam” and bringing in a variety of jazz musicians to play at the venue.

Local jazz clubs
Hermanos Cocina Mexicana
Where: 11 Hills Avenue, Concord; 224-5669, hermanosmexican.com
When: Live music offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Tickets: No cover charge

Hermit Woods Winery
Where: The Loft, 72 Main St., Meredith; hermitwoods.com
When: Find a listing of events on the website, ticket prices vary

Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club
Where: 135 Congress St., Portsmouth; 888-603-JAZZ, jimmysoncongress.com
Tickets: Prices vary

The Press Room
Where: 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth; 431-5186, pressroomnh.com
When: Jazz Jam is Tuesdays, 6 to 9 p.m.
Tickets: Jazz Jam is free to public; see website for other event pricing

The Purple Pit Coffee Lounge
Where: 28 Central Square, Bristol; 744-7800, thepurplepit.com
When: See the calendar for dates
Tickets: No cover charge for the summer (tips for performers welcome)

Strange Brew Tavern
Where: 88 Market St., Manchester; 666-4292, strangebrewtavern.net
When: Strange Brew is closed Mondays; find music there most other nights.

Featured photo: Joey Placenti Trio. Photo courtesy of Hermanos.

Category: Art & Theater

The art of community

The Art Roundup 22/08/11

Painting the city

Art for friends

The Art Roundup 22/08/04

New Hampshire swan

The Art Roundup 22/07/28

Bubble Boy, the musical

The Art Roundup 22/07/21

Jazz hands

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!