The Art Roundup 24/02/29

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

Also coming to the Currier: In addition to the new exhibit on Feb. 29, the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) will open “I live a journey of a thousand years: Raphaël Barontini” on Thursday, March 7. The exhibition features “La Bataille de Vertières” as its centerpiece, “a monumental 65-foot-wide painting that first premiered inside the Panthéon and will be on view in the U.S. for the first time,” according to a press release.

The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, June 23.

First Friday at Center for the Arts: The Kearsarge Conservatory of the Performing Arts will present “Dance Through Time” at the Center for the Arts’ First Friday event on Friday, March 1,at 6:30 p.m. at Whipple Hall in New London, according to a press release. The event is described as an “interactive journey through the captivating history of dance styles,” the release said. The event is free; see centerfortheartsnh.org.

Shakespeare workshop: Truepenny Arts (truepennyarts.com) will hold a workshop on Shakespeare with former National Theatre Conservatory faculty and professional coach Michael Cobb on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalism Church of Concord (274 Pleasant St. in Concord). The cost is $25 ($20 if registered and paid by March 1). The workshop is designed for both beginners and experienced actors/directors of Shakespeare and will introduce conservatory-level acting exercises and coaching techniques, according to a press release.

Animals of the world: The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce (49 S. Main St., Suite 104, Concord) will present “Wildlife from 7 Continents” by artist Kae Mason Tuesday, May 5, through Monday, May 6. The works in the exhibit feature paintings of “animals in their natural habitat” and are “influenced predominantly by global safaris that she embarks on with her wife,” according to a press release. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The pieces are for sale by contacting the New Hampshire Art Association at 431-4230, the release said.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
The Milford Area Players present The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, this weekend and next at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford). Tickets cost $20 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors, and are available at rb.gy/t4jcd. The production, directed by Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal, is set in a courtroom in purgatory where Judas Iscariot is on trial to decide whether he deserves hell or redemption, according to a press release. The show contains adult language, drug and alcohol use, discussions of suicide and other dark situations; viewer discretion is advised, according to the content warning on the press release (see milfordareaplayers.org for the full content warning). The play runs Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 3, at 2:30 p.m.; Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 10, at 2:30 p.m.

Silent film screenings: Jeff Rapsis, accompanist who “specializes in creating live musical scores for films,” will play with several silent film showings in early March:

On Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. Why Worry? (1923), a comedy starring Harold Lloyd, at Wilton Town Hall Theatre (40 Main St. in Wilton). Admission is free; a $10 per person donation is suggested.

On Wednesday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. Way Down East (1920) at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center (39 Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com). The film stars Lillian Gish and was directed by D.W. Griffith. The cost is $10 per person.

On Sunday, March 10, Peter Pan, a 1924 release that is the original silent film adaption of the film, at 1:30 p.m. at the Bedford Public Library (3 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford). Admission is free but registration is required. Register at bedfordnhlibrary.org.

Piano lessons: Palace Youth Theatre is offering piano lessons with instructor Marc Willis starting in March, according to a press release. Half-hour lessons are one-on-one and for students grades 1 to 12, with a cost of $30 per half hour, the email said. Sign up by contacting MeganAlves@palacetheatre.org.

Kara Walker at the Currier
The exhibition “Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated)” opens Thursday, Feb. 29, at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) and will be on display through Monday, May 27. According to a press release, “15 works on paper by Walker will be presented alongside a selection of prints by Winslow Homer … that inspired them. The direct comparison between the original images by Homer and Walker’s reinterpretation of the same material was first undertaken by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2017.” Homer worked as a war correspondent for Harper’s magazine and his drawings “of soldiers on the front lines of battle and civilians caught up in the war’s horrors became a visual history of the Civil War,” the release said. “These historic prints represent a starting point for Walker, who revisits them utilizing her signature silhouettes to introduce new elements that complicate their initial, seemingly objective narrative,” the release said.

A members-only tour will be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 29; register online.

Kara Walker, Alabama Loyalists Greeting the Federal Gun-Boats, From Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated), 2005. © Kara Walker, Courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and Sprüth Magers.

Vintage true crime

Cue Zero production explores Lizzie Borden case

One century before O.J. Simpson’s televised court proceeding captivated a nation, a murder case in Fall River, Mass., was the country’s first big media trial. In it, Lizzie Borden was acquitted of killing her parents with an ax, but she remained forever guilty in the court of public opinion. Blood Relations, written by Canadian playwright Sharon Pollock and due to be performed by Cue Zero Theatre Co., explores the many questions that still remain.

Brian Dembkoski has long been drawn to the Lizzie Borden legend.

“Being a homegrown New England boy, it’s always been intriguing,” Dembkoski said in a recent phone interview. He decided to direct Blood Relations after seeing two very different performances of the play, in different parts of the country. “When I got to read it myself, I just kind of fell in love with it. Every single scene is a power struggle between characters, and it’s just so well-written.”

Billed as Lizzie’s side of the story, it’s structured as a play within a play. The main character, Miss Lizzie, played by Cass Durand, talks with her friend The Actress, played by Heidi Krantz, who wants to learn what really happened on the night of the murder.

“She basically says, ‘OK, you want to know if I did it? Let’s play a game,’” Dembkoski said. “Her friend then becomes the younger version of herself, and Miss Lizzie takes her through the scenario, puts her in the same situation … for her to make her own decisions.”

What ensues may or may not be a confession, he continued, noting that Borden is “a bit of an unreliable narrator, which is just one of the really neat, fascinating things about it…. We still have that ambiguity at the end; did she or didn’t she? Are we any closer to an answer than we were in the beginning? Hard to say.”

Along with playing the lead, Durand also acts as the play’s intimacy coordinator, a role Dembkoski felt was needed to help actors navigate a stiff-as-starch family dynamic. “It’s not so much because we’re having a lot of steamy scenes or anything; very much the opposite — rather, looking at what happens with people when they don’t have that basic intimacy…. It helps in exploring the idea of touch starvation or skin hunger.”

The cast includes Nate Faro playing “the ill-fated Andrew Borden” and Christie Conticchio as “the even more ill-fated Abby Borden.” Both have appeared in previous Cue Zero efforts. Faro was in Radium Girls and Conticchio directed the Harry Potter send-up Puffs two years ago. Dembkoski also appeared in that production, his initial Cue Zero foray.

Adding to the play’s meta multiplicity, Lizzie’s sister Emma is represented twice; Crystal Welch plays her late in life, and Chrissy Kelly, in a role created specifically for this production, plays a “modern-day Emma Borden, the actual sister much like Miss Lizzie is the actual Lizzie,” Dembkoski explained.

Rounding out the ensemble are Joshua Benham as Harry Wingate, Lizzie’s step-uncle and a pivotal character in her plot — if, of course, she was really guilty. The role of Dr. Patrick, Lizzie’s close ally, is played by Matthew Brides, who played the lead in Cue Zero’s 2023 production of Macbeth.

This is Dembkoski’s first directing job at Cue Zero. In the 1990s he studied theater arts at Plymouth State and then earned a master’s from Humboldt State, now Cal Poly Humboldt. After working in Southern California in the early 2000s, he left the theater world; he moved back to New Hampshire in 2007. When he began teaching at Nashua Community College in 2016, he was recruited to be an adviser with the school’s Theatre Arts Guild.

“That was my first kind of dipping my toes back into it … helping the younger folk and sharing some of my knowledge,” he said. As the pandemic was ending, Hatbox Theatre in Concord asked him to appear in its production of A Christmas Carol; there, he met Conticchio, which led him to Cue Zero.

There, he met Executive Director Dan Pelletier, who would agree to his pitch to do Blood Relations.

“A saying I’ve always clung to when it comes to doing anything in our field is ‘things lead to things,’ because doing Christmas Carol led me into Puffs,” he said. “Step forward a few more times to putting forth the idea to direct Blood Relations. Dan was happy to let me do it…. It was a great example of things leading to things.”

Sharon Pollock’s Blood Relations
When: Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.,
and Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m.
Location: Arts Academy of New Hampshire, 19 Keewaydin Dr., No. 4, Salem
Tickets: $15 at cztheatre.com

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 24/02/22

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

• “Voice of the city”: Positive Street Art (48 Bridge St., 3rd floor, in Nashua; positivestreetart.org) will host “Vicus Vox” open mic night on Friday, Feb. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $5 for spectators and participants — bring comedy, poetry, singing and more, according to a post on the organization’s Facebook page. All ages are welcome and the content must be all-ages-friendly, the post said. Sign up at tinyurl.com/4ckh3pzp.

Spend your time at the Frank Lloyd Wright houses: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is looking for volunteers to give tours of its two Frank Lloyd Wright houses, according to a recent newsletter. A training class for volunteers begins in March. Fill out an application at currier.org/volunteer.

19th-century magic: Andrew Pinard, performer and founder of the Hatbox Theatre, will inhabit 19th-century magician Jonathan Harrington at the Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St. in Portsmouth; playersring.org, 436-8123) for Jonathan Harrington — 19th Century Magician with performances Friday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 25, at 2:30 pm. Tickets cost $28, $25 for students and seniors.

Al Jaeger
Potter, ceramist and juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen Al Jaeger will give an art talk titled “A Life With Wood Fire” on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. the Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center (Alumni Hall at Saint Anselm College in Manchester; anselm.edu/chapelart). Jaeger will discuss his life as an artist and his technique, according to a press release.

Why Worry? In March: A screening of the 1923 silent comedy Why Worry? was rescheduled from Feb. 18 to Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. at Wilton Town Hall Theatre (40 Main St. in Wilton). The movie stars Harold Lloyd and will feature live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, according to a press release. Admission is free but a suggested $10 per person donation is accepted, the release said.

Basket craft: The League of NH Craftsmen’s Nashua Gallery is offering a class making a round Cherokee-style storage basket on Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The class will be taught by Ruth Boland at Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon; register at snbornmills.org. The fee is $250 plus a $60 materials fee, according to a press release.

Save the date for fiddles: The New Hampshire Fiddle Ensemble announced a spring schedule for concerts in New Hampshire and Maine, according to a press release. Granite State concerts include Friday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Rochester Opera House (31 Wakefield St. in Rochester); Saturday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Interlakes High School Auditorium (1 Laker Lane in Meredith); Saturday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Exeter Town Hall (9 Front St.) and Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m. at the Derryfield School (2108 River Road in Manchester). The ensemble features fiddles, guitars, banjos, mandolins, basses, harps, cellos and more, according to the release. See nhfiddleensemble.org for tickets.

Maker market: Cottage Place at Squam Lake (1132 Route 3 in Holderness; cottageplaceonsquam.com) will hold a Squam Lake Vintage & Makers Market on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Admission is $5. The market will feature vendors, live music, food and a mobile bar, according to an email.

Film fest news: The Music Hall in Portsmouth officially takes over the New Hampshire Film Festival for its 22nd annual outing, according to a press release from Jan. 30. The four-day festival will run Oct. 17 through Oct. 20. The call for entries to the festival, for film and screenplay submissions, is open and can be made via nhfilmfestival.com, the release said

‘Stories of the Sea’
Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) presents On the Exhale, a full-length drama that “offers a complex examination of America’s gun violence crisis,” at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m., according to a press release. Carey Cahoon, Kapow co-founder and managing director, will play the sole character in the show. Tickets to the show cost $33.75 ($26.75 for seniors & students). The Sunday, Feb. 18, show will feature ASL Interpretation as well as a post-show conversation about the impact of gun violence on New Hampshire, according to Theatre Kapow’s website. The play will also run Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith. See tkapow.com for tickets to either show.

Life, death, transcendence

NH Philharmonic performs Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony

Among the most well-regarded of Gustav Mahler’s nine symphonies is his second. Commonly called the Resurrection Symphony, it’s a daunting work. For Mark Latham, conductor and musical director of The Phil — the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra — scale is a big reason he’s drawn to it.

“It’s not very often done because it’s just so large and it’s a challenge to get all the forces in place,” Latham said by phone recently. “But I think it’s actually the dream of probably all conductors — the challenge of this incredible masterpiece.”

Latham promised an “immersive” experience when The Phil performs Mahler’s Second Symphony in C Minor at two afternoon shows, on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.

“There are gigantic forces involved,” he said. “A huge orchestra, gigantic percussion, an off-stage band, a chorus of about 80 or 90, and two soloists. I think the audience can’t help but get immersed.”

The upcoming performance will feature two guest solo vocalists. Alto Hannah Murray is a Plymouth State University faculty member, and soprano Dr. Evangelia Leontis is from Keene State University. As the combined choirs from both schools are also performing, “it seemed appropriate and sensible to use their own faculty,” Latham said. “I have worked with both of them; they both have fabulous voices.”

The Keene State Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Sandra Howard, is non-auditioned and open to all students regardless of major. Plymouth State’s includes both students and community members in its non-auditioned University Chorale. Conversely, the Chamber Singers are an auditioned ensemble that tours nationally and internationally. Both are directed by Harmony Markey.

Despite its name, the Resurrection Symphony isn’t a Christian work; most biographers say the Jewish born composer was agnostic, though it does explore life, death, and death’s transcendence. Mahler, who was born in the mid-19th century and had siblings who died in infancy, was captivated by the topic of death.

“One of the games that he and his brothers and sisters would play would be to reenact funeral marches — a natural thing as kids, right?” Latham said, adding that Mahler wrote a piece called Polka and Funeral March before he was 10. “Even from a very young age, he was concerned with dying … how we can better live through understanding what death means, and what happens after death.”

Finishing the symphony was difficult for Mahler, who got stuck on choosing a text for the choral section in the final movement (stirringly recreated in the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro). Before that, he’d shared the first section with renowned conductor Hans von Bülow, who didn’t like it; he covered his ears. “This sent Mahler into a big funk,” Latham said. “He didn’t compose for quite a while after that.”

When Bülow died, though, a reading of Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock’s poem “Die Auferstehung (The Resurrection)” at his funeral finally gave Mahler clarity. “That was the a-ha moment for him,” Latham said. “He raced back and began finishing the final movement.”

For Latham, the Resurrection Symphony “is an incredible journey … an exploration of the big themes of our lives.” He offered his thoughts on its five stages.

“The first movement is as long as a Beethoven symphony; its original name is Funeral Rites, and in a way, it’s the funeral of the hero that he presented in his first symphony,” he said. “Then it just goes from there, there’s a lovely, gentle, what’s called a Ländler, a German dance, in the second movement, then Saint Anthony and the Fish in the third movement,” which includes a song from a set of Mahler poems.

“Philosophically, it’s expressing in a way what seems to be the senselessness of human existence,” Latham said. “Saint Anthony goes to preach and the church in Padua is empty; then he goes and preaches to the fishes. They’re swimming about, and don’t pay much attention either. The actual song is hilarious.”

The fourth movement, Primordial Light, “is really pure and angelic,” and includes Murray’s alto solo. An apocalyptic vision commences the first half of the fifth movement, “followed by looking at what resurrection might mean — even if you’re not Christian, in fact. It’s just a gigantic voice, and you get swept up. Before you know it, it’s almost over. It’s fantastic.”

Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony
When: Saturday, Feb. 24, and Sunday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
Location: Seifert Performing Arts Center, 44 Geremonty Dr., Salem
Tickets: $5 to $35 at nhpo.booktix.com

Featured photo: Mark Latham. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 24/02/15

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

An Agatha Christie mystery: The Community Players of Concord will present Witness for the Prosecution, the 1953 play by Agatha Christie about a man accused of murdering a rich widow, this weekend at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). The play “covers a sensational murder trial both in the courtroom of London’s ‘Old Bailey’ and behind the scenes in the barrister’s chambers as the action unfolds,” according to a press release. Witness for the Prosecution runs Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 65+ or 17 and under. See communityplayersofconcord.org for tickets and a cast list.

Celtic dance: The Aaron Tolson Dance Institute will hold a Celtic Intensive on Tuesday, Feb. 20, and Wednesday, Feb. 21, with four separate classes each afternoon starting at 4 p.m. at the Dana Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Manchester (tickets.anselm.edu). On Feb. 20 the classes will be intro to Cape Breton (4 p.m.), intro to Irish soft shoe (5 p.m.), intro to hard shoe (6 p.m.) and intro to Ceili dancing (7 p.m.), according to tickets.anselm.edu. Classes on Feb. 21 will be the intermediate versions of all those classes. A one-class pass costs $30, a four-class pass costs $100; see the website for details.

A Continuation of Love
NSquared Dance Company will present A Continuation of Love, a dance performance and fundraiser featuring food, drinks, raffles, a silent auction and of course dance, on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). The event is presented by the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative, and many of the professional dancers from NSquared Dance Company are originally from New Hampshire, according to a press release. Tickets cost $50. To learn more about NSquared, see nsquareddance.org; see nhdancecollective.org for more on their organization.

Open mic: An open mic for writing of all kinds is held on the third Wednesday of each month at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) from 5 to 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, poet and artist Stephan Anstey will provide the featured reading, according to a press release. The event is free.

Art show: The Prospect Hill Gallery Winter Art Show at Prospect Hill Antiques (31 River Road in Sunapee; prospecthillantiques.net) will open Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show will feature artists from the Center for the Arts as well as other artists, such as Ron Brown, according to a Center for the Arts press release. See centerfortheartsnh.org.

Youth auditions: The Palace Youth Theatre will hold auditions for its April production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The auditions are performers in grades 2 through 12 with rehearsals generally Thursdays through Saturdays, according to an email from the Palace Youth Theatre. The auditions will take place Thursday Feb. 29, with sessions at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. at Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St. in Manchester). After signing up for the auditions, performers will receive a list of monologues to choose from to perform at the audition, the email said. Contact meganalves@palacetheatre.org with performer’s name, age and preferred audition time, the email said.

On the Exhale
Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) presents On the Exhale, a full-length drama that “offers a complex examination of America’s gun violence crisis,” at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m., according to a press release. Carey Cahoon, Kapow co-founder and managing director, will play the sole character in the show. Tickets to the show cost $33.75 ($26.75 for seniors & students). The Sunday, Feb. 18, show will feature ASL Interpretation as well as a post-show conversation about the impact of gun violence on New Hampshire, according to Theatre Kapow’s website. The play will also run Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith. See tkapow.com for tickets to either show.

Brotherhood, family and one big hammer

Thor & Loki tale turns theatrical

The Marvel Comic Universe meets High School Musical, sans big song and dance numbers, in Hammered: A Thor & Loki Play, to be performed by the Peacock Players youth theater group at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre in Nashua from Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 18. The original work comes via Marvel Spotlight, a brand extension that aims to put a different spin on the comic book and blockbuster film franchise.

Hammered was written by two-time Tony-winning actor Christian Borle. In a 2019 video to promote Marvel Spotlight, Borle talked about liking the idea of using characters and comic tropes to get deeper into the superhero dynamic — while also shaking up the story a bit.

“In my universe, Loki is not the bad guy,” he said. “They drive each other crazy, but there’s a real fraternal bond between them. It’s brotherhood, family, and one big hammer.”

Directing the Peacock Players production is Samantha Searles, who grew up in southern New Hampshire and returned last November at the behest of Peacock Executive Director Elle Millar. Searle attended UNH’s Manchester campus and earned her undergraduate degree at Suffolk University in Boston.

“I’ve been a big fan of the Marvel Universe since I was in middle school, so to be able to work on it, with middle and high school kids, is really cool,” first-time director Searles said in a recent phone interview. “It’s fun, and we get to play around with accents, costumes and all that to bring it from big movies and TV to the stage.”

The hour-long play is set in a modern high school and revolves around a story, told by an aged Thor to his granddaughters, of life when he was a teenager.

“You travel between Earth through the eyes of some kids in the school, back through the cosmic void … to Asgard,” Searles said. “This would take place after Avengers: Endgame, but before the Loki show.”

The earthbound protagonists are a jock and a comic book nerd, patterned after Thor and Loki, but “they’re written to kind of subvert the traditional roles a little bit,” Searles observed. “The jock is actually interested in reading about Thor, which makes a lot of sense because Thor is the jock character, but he’s got a heart of gold … hopefully, audiences will get a kick out of a different take on these classic characters.”

The teenage cast “is super talented and having a lot of fun together,” Searle continued. “So much fun that last week during rehearsal my asthma got triggered because I was laughing so hard. The show is quirky, really weird, and I’ve told them to lean into that. [For example], Asgardians live for thousands of years, so even though it seems like you’re teenagers you really have thousands of years of backstory and things; play around with that.”

The current show offered a unique opportunity for newcomers reluctant to try out for musicals, like Once Upon a Mattress Youth Edition, which opens March 17, and Xanadu, which runs May 12 to May 21. “It’s just a play, and that widens the number of kids we can have,” Searles said. “Not everyone’s a singer or a dancer.”

Auditions for a teen-centric production of the Broadway hit Six will begin in June. Peacock Players welcomes new talent; the cast of Hammered also includes a first-timer.

“We can always use more kids,” Searles said. “Our tech and stage crew are largely kids too, and they get to learn about all the technology and stuff behind the scenes. There’s definitely lots of room for people to join.”

When: Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 17, 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
Location: Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua
Tickets: $12 to $18 at peacockplayers.org

Featured photo: Rehearsal for Hammered: A Thor & Loki play. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 23/02/08

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

Own an original Tomie dePaola: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; Currier.org, 669-6144) is selling 200 tickets at $50 each for a raffle of two original artworks by artist, author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. The sale runs through Feb. 29. See the website for a look at the pieces being raffled and to purchase tickets. The funds raised support the Tomie dePaola Art Education Fund, which was “created by the Currier in Tomie’s memory” and “awards scholarships to lower-income families and disadvantaged youth, allowing them to participate in our classes and camps throughout the year,” according to the website.

Save the date for Chris Bohjalian: Author Chris Bohjalian will discuss his new novel The Princess of Las Vegas and more at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. The event is part of Authors on Main and is a collaboration between Gibson’s Bookstore, New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts and will feature Bohjalian in conversation with NHPR’s Rick Ganley, according to a press release. Tickets cost $39 (one admission and one hardcover copy of The Princess of Las Vegas) and $49 (for two admissions and one book).

More coming up at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) has several author events coming up. On Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m. Margo Cooper will discuss her book of photographs and interviews Deep Inside the Blues with Holly Harris, host of WUMB’s Spinning the Blues. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. Leila Philip will discuss her book Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m., Matthew J.C. Clark, a Maine carpenter, will discuss Bjarki, Not Bjarki: On Floorboards, Love, and Irreconcilable Differences. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m., Pembroke-based author Avree Kelly Cark will discuss her book Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime That Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England. On Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. author and gardener Jane Hawley Stevens will discuss her new book The Celestial Garden: Growing Herbs, Vegetables and Flowers According to the Moon and Zodiac. On Thursday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. Casey Sherman will discuss her book A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime.

New exhibit: Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center (26 Main St. in Peterborough; 924-455, mariposamuseum.org) features an exhibit from New Hampshire photographer Becky Field called “Crying in the Wilderness” that illustrates “the physical and emotional toll of immigrant detention,” according to a press release. The exhibit features the story of an African man who sought asylum in the U.S. in 2018 and moved in 2020 to the Seacoast, where his movements were tracked via an ankle monitor, according to a press release. Admission to the museum costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, April 14. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On display in Rochester: The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (rochestermfa.org) exhibition “Neither Created Nor Destroyed” featuring works by Julie K. Gray is on display in the Bernier Room at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center (150 Wakefield St. in Rochester) through Friday, March 1. The building is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
Celebrate Mardi Gras (Tuesday, Feb. 13) with a performance by the Soggy Po Boys at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature New Orleans-style jazz, Caribbean music, funk, soul and brass band/street beat music, according to the website. Tickets cost $29.
CIRQUE US
Circus company Cirque Us, featuring “acrobats, aerials and quirky clowns,” will present One Man’s Trash on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre (44 N. Main St. in Derry; stockbridgetheatre.showare.com, 437-5210), according to a press release. Tickets cost $22.


Not all hearts and flowers

Mosaic Art Collective takes on Valentine’s Day

In its latest month-long themed exhibition, Mosaic Art Collective in Manchester turns to matters of the heart; fitting, given Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of February. However, the pieces submitted thus far — photos, sculptures, paintings and prints — cover the spectrum of emotions, and the depth of feelings.

“It’s not just lovey-dovey,” Mosaic’s founder and president Liz Pieroni said by phone recently. “I would say the ones that are depicting heartache are more definitely gripping.” One example of this is “Release,” a jarring graphite-on-paper drawing by Jaida Mei that depicts a woman facing a powerful wind that’s literally tearing her up.

“This is a new artist to us, so I haven’t met them,” Pieroni said, calling Mei’s work “really, really powerful and almost a little bit scary, almost surreal.”

More playful is “The Love Letter,” from New Hampshire Institute of Art graduate Andrew Freshour. The ink and watercolor print is reminiscent of a Tomie dePaola illustration. It shows a royal coach carried by two dogs in powder wigs. “It’s about self-love, self-indulgence … living your most authentic life,” Pieroni opined, calling its style “like a fairy tale but also very over the top … kind of like the Muppets meet real life.”

Yes, there are flowers as well, Pieroni continued.

“We also have some beautiful botanical paintings that are probably more palatable to some people, they’re just really beautiful,” she said. “Red Between the Lines,” from Manchester painter Susanne Larkham, is a zoomed-in pastel of a rose in many shades of red. Jonathan Pereira’s “Love in the Form of Time and Growth,” on the other hand, is multicolored and brimming with childlike innocence.

More submissions are expected for the open call event, Pieroni continued.

“We don’t really know what we’re going to get until the night before we select pieces,” she said, adding that invitational shows like the one in March with Manchester high school students to celebrate Youth Art Month are more predictable.

A Hooksett native and an artist herself, Pieroni moved back home from Vermont in the wake of the pandemic. “I have three small kids, [and] after homeschooling and trying to figure out all that, we were really in need of a little bit more help … and we wanted to be closer to family,” she said.

Searching for a gallery and realizing that the closest ones were either on the Seacoast or in Boston, she opened Mosaic Art Collective in September 2022.

“I was searching for a place to show my work locally, but I also needed an art studio,” she said. “I felt like I couldn’t be the only one in that same boat; ultimately, I was correct.”

Recently Mosaic began offering live music, and Pieroni is planning more.

“We’re trying to open up the gallery as much as possible,” she said. “The music event was one way, but then we’re also offering art talks. The Struggle Bus improv group did a performance here, and we also have run some workshops. We’re trying to find different ways of bringing people in, for all sorts of reasons.”

Art is available for purchase at Mosaic; some pieces can be acquired for as little as $36.

“The majority of things that we hang on the wall are under $500 typically, so they’re pretty reasonably priced,” Pieroni said. “Ultimately, you’re supporting a local artist, so you get good-person points.”

She urged anyone with uncertainty about ownership to consider Mosaic.

“Our biggest challenge is trying to bring people in who maybe haven’t purchased art before or considered themselves as collectors,” she said. “Finding those people and making it relevant to them and, also, a little less scary than walking into a gallery.”

ALL Heart Statuses
Where: Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester
When: Through Wednesday, Feb. 28 (opening reception Saturday, Feb. 10, at noon

Featured photo: The Love Letter – Andrew Freshour Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 23/02/01

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

Youth ensemble: Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St. in Manchester; mcmusicschool.org) will hold New Hampshire Youth Ensembles concerts on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. (featuring the Suzuki Violin Group, String Pep, Concert Orchestra, Boom wackers, Percussion Ensemble, Rock & Blues Orchestra and the NH Youth Jazz ensemble) and at 6 p.m. (featuring Queen City Voices, Queen City Concert Choir, Flute Choir, Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra), according to a press release. The event is free and open to the public.

Exhibit closing: “Heart of a Museum: Saya Woolfalk” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) ends its run Sunday, Feb. 4. Described as “a new experiential installation by artist Saya Woolfalk, the exhibition is a commission for the museum that investigates the history of the institution and revisits its iconography and original design,” according to the website, which says the exhibition uses the mosaics designed by Salvatore Lascari that were the entrance of the Currier as the starting point. The Currier is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for 65+, $15 for students, $5 for ages 13 to 17, and children 12 and under get in free.

Sounds of Dune:The music of frequent movie composer Hans Zimmer (Dune, The Dark Knight, Gladiator) will be the focus at the Candlelight Concert on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $60.

At Balin: Next weekend at Balin Books (375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza, Nashua; balinbooks.com) author Deborah Roof will sign her book Words, Wonder and the Divine in You on Saturday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1 p.m.

More playwrights, more stories: The next “Expanding the Canon” play reading circle from Theatre Kapow will take place Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. featuring the work Blanche and Stella by A.A. Brenner. See tkapow.com and contact info@tkapow.com for information on joining this Zoom event.

The kids take ABBA to Greece: The Londonderry High School Drama Club will present Mamma Mia! Thursday, Feb. 15, through Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. daily plus 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Derry Opera House (26 W. Broadway in Derry). Tickets to this show, which they rate as PG-13, cost $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students. See lancerdramaclub.org.

Coming up from Community Players of Concord: The next main stage production from the Community Players of Concord is coming Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 18. Witness for the Prosecution, a play by Agatha Christie, is described as “suspenseful thriller” about a man accused of murdering a rich widow, according to communityplayersofconcord.org. The show is at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday; tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 17 and under and 65+.

• “Banjos, Bones and Ballads”: Folklorist and traditional music performer Jeff Warner will perform Thursday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. in studio A at the YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St. in Manchester), for a show open to both members and non-members (non-members will need an ID), according to a Y Facebook post. He will present 19th-century music including music that would have been familiar to people of Adirondack Mountain lumber camps, Outer Banks fishing villages and New England whaling ports, according to the post. See jeffwarner.com for more on Warner and his music.

Improv night: Queen City Improv will perform at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) on Friday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 and are on sale now.

The Players will also hold auditions for their early May main stage production, Pride and Prejudice, on Sunday, Feb. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Players’ studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road in Concord). See communityplayersofconcord.org/auditions for the requirements.

Save the date for Dana: The March schedule has three events coming up at the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu, 641-7700). On Friday, March 1, Ernest Thompson — the playwright and screenwriter who won an Oscar for On Golden Pond — will discuss his latest book, The Book of Maps, and tell stories from his 50-year career, according to the website. The event begins at 7:30 p.m; tickets cost $45. On Thursday, March 14, Delfeayo Marsalis, a jazz and blues trombonist and composer, will perform at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $35. On Saturday, March 16, celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with Irish folk band The Jeremiahs and the trio Kalos at 7:30 p.m.; tickets cost $45.

Wartime music
The Thursday, Feb. 1, “Bach’s Lunch” program at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) has had a program change; the Feb. 1 program will be “Echoes of Struggle and Triumph” featuring works by composers from World War I and World War II, according to a press release. Flutist Erin Dubois, clarinetist Stephanie Ratté and bassoonist Maria Isaak will present music from “Rosy Wertheim, a Dutch Jewish composer who lived and hid in Amsterdam during World War II; Walter Piston, an American composer born in Maine who became a Navy musician during World War I; Jacques Ibert, a French composer whose musical studies were interrupted during World War I and his music later banned during World War II; and Joachim Kötschau, a German composer and organist who was 26 when World War II began,” the release said. The event is free and open to the public.

The Art Roundup 23/01/25

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

Classical by candlelight: Candlelight Concerts, thea presentation of classical and other musical genres in “a live, multi-sensory musical experience,” will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and more on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $61. See candlelightexperience.com for more on the concerts.

At the music school: The Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) will hold a Purple Finches Youth Chorus open sing on MOonday, Jan. 29, according to a newsletter. The event is free and open to the public. Fledglings (for kids in grades kindergarten through 2nd) meetsmeet at 4:10 p.m., Fliers (for grades 3 to 5) meetsmeet at 5 p.m. and Finches Select (for grades 6 through 8) meet at 6 p.m.

A Canterbury Singers open sing for adults meets on Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Find out more about the group and how to join at ccmusic.org/canterbury-singers.

The school’s spring semester of classes begins on Monday, Jan. 29. Go online to see the spring offerings or call 228-1196.

And Slide Guitar 101, a workshop for early intermediate to advanced guitar players interested in the blues, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 7 to 8 p.m. The cost is $25 and the class will provide slides, ; bring your own guitar. Register online.

In addition to the Bach’s Lunch lecture on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 12:10 p.m., Peggo and Paul (the wife and husband team of Peggo and Paul Hodes) will offer a concert on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 12:10 p.m. called “Bach’s Lunch: Share the Love Valentine’s Day Concert with Peggo, Paul and Friends.” The event is held in the Recital Hall and is free and open to the public, according to a newsletter.An Integrated Arts Recital will be held on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. featuring student musicians who will also display visual art they’ve created to go along with the recital, according to a newsletter. The event is free and open to the public.

Blossoming Beyond
“Blossoming Beyond: Celebrating Queerness in Nature,” an exhibition that “showcases work that embodies the resilience, strength and beauty of both the natural world and the LGBTQ+ community,” according to queerlective.com, is slated to open at the New Hampshire Audubon Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn) on Wednesday, Jan. 24, and run through Saturday, March 30. An opening reception will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, from 2 to 5 p.m.

More Paul: You can also catch the former 2nd District U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. at a fundraiser for Gather (a nonprofit providing healthy food to individuals experiencing food insecurity in Seacoast communities), at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 3sarts.org), according to a press release. Tickets are pay what you choose starting at $22. Hodes will play with The Blue Buddha Band, the release said.

At the audi: The Concord Community Concert Association will present the Frisson Ensemble at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord; theaudi.org) on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. The concert will feature a trio of cello, piano and clarinet, according to the website. Tickets cost $20 at the door or $23 online at ccca-audi.org. See frissonensemble.com for a look and listen to Frisson performances.

Saya Woolfalk
There are two more weekends to catch “Heart of a Museum: Saya Woolfalk” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144). Described as “a new experiential installation by artist Saya Woolfalk, the exhibition is a commission for the museum that investigates the history of the institution and revisits its iconography and original design,” according to the website, which says the exhibition uses the mosaics designed by Salvatore Lascari that were the entrance of the Currier as the starting point. The exhibition is on display through Sunday, Feb. 4. The Currier is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for 65+, $15 for students, $5 for ages 13 to 17, and children 12 and under get in free.

Afternoon of dance: NSquared Dance Company will present A Continuation of Love, a dance fundraiser with a Valentine’s Day theme, on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). “This performance is full of vignettes and will treat the audience to the full breadth of the company’s high-caliber dance styles,” said Zackery Betty, Cco-Ffounder of NSquared Dance, in a press release. “It’s also a chance for people to learn more about what we do and the importance of dance within the community as an expressive art form for entertainment and community engagement.” The event will also feature catered food and a silent auction, the release said. Tickets cost $40. See nhdancecollaborative.org.

Footloose The Musical: Youth Edition
Can Ren bring dancing to Bomont? The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (669-7469, majestictheatre.net) presents Footloose The Musical: Youth Edition Friday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry). Shows are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $13 for 65+ and $10 for youth ages 17 and under.

February at SAA plus a call for art: “Photos as Canvas,” a show featuring the digital artwork of photographer Dean Scott of Exeter, will open at the Seacoast Artist Association (130 Water St. in Exeter; seacoastartist.org) on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and run through Sunday, Feb. 25, according to a press release. An artist reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. as part of the Second Friday Artwalk and will feature SAA exhibiting artist Cheryl Sager and her husband, Neal Zweig, in a Valentine concert, the release said.

Artists are also welcome to submit artwork for the February Valentine e-themed show “Let Me Show You What I Love,” the release said. Drop-off is Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or at the aAssociation’s website, according to the press release. Attendees at the Second Friday event will vote for a people’s choice award, with the winner receiving a future free month’s entry, the release said. The March theme will be “Shadows and Light” with a drop -off on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Email gallery@seacoastartist.org with questions.

Also at SAA, Cleo Huggins’ show of oil paintings “Sea Creatures” will open on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and run through Sunday, Feb. 25. according to a release. Huggins will also be at the artist reception, which will feature a raw bar provided by Huggins and her husband, according to the release.

Author event: Matthew Delmont, author of the new book Half American: The Heroic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad, will discuss his book on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St. in Portsmouth; themusichall.org), according to a press release. The event will include author conversation, audience Q&A and a post-show meet and greet, the release said. Tickets cost $34 and include a signed book.

Bach’s Lunch
The Bach’s Lunch at Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) will feature a “Songwriting Lecture with Peggo and Paul” on Thursday, Feb 1, at 12:10 p.m. This husband-and-wife duo (together for 45 years) have collaborated on numerous compositions and recordings, according to a newsletter. Peggo is a classically trained vocalist and Paul plays by ear, the newsletter said. The lecture will include discussion of their composition process along with performances of examples, the newsletter said. Call 228-1196 or visit ccmusicschool.org/event/bachs-lunch-songwriting-2024.

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