Art & Theater – Page 22

Capital authors

Meet four Concord-area writers at “An Evening to Remember”

Concord author Paul Brogan is on a mission to show locals that the Capital City area is home to talented writers of all genres — in fact, he’s using all of the royalties from his recently published book, The Concord Theatre, to pay for what he hopes will be an ongoing free series of talks that spotlight these local authors.

The first event will bring four of those writers — Brogan included — to the Bank of NH Stage for “An Evening to Remember: Conversations with Concord Area Authors” on Wednesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m.

“There are lots of people in this area who write, who love to write, who express themselves beautifully in all genres,” Brogan said. “I want to do something that makes the people of the area understand that we have some really talented people who are writers. We know we have really talented performers [like] Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman, and there are [well-known] writers like Dan Brown and Jodi Picoult, but I want to showcase some of the people who aren’t selling books at that same level but who are writing passionately … [and] writing because they have something they want to say.”

“An Evening to Remember” will be led by former longtime NHPR host Laura Knoy and feature Brogan as well as authors Margaret Porter, Virginia Macgregor (who writes as Nina Monroe) and Mark Okrant.

“Laura will talk with each of us and let us tell a little bit of our story, ask questions and encourage people in the audience to ask questions [about things like] why do we do it, how we get inspired,” Brogan said.

Brogan’s writing story began relatively recently.

“I went to Catholic schools and writing was one of those things nuns instilled in you … but I never did anything with my writing for a long, long time,” Brogan said. “I was past 50 when I finally sat down and wrote my first book.”

That book, Was That A Name I Dropped?, was published in 2011, and Brogan didn’t get the writing bug again until several years later, when he was inspired by the old Concord Theatre being converted into the Bank of NH Stage. He had worked at the Concord Theatre for 27 years, starting when he was 14.

“I had such affection for the [Concord Theatre], so I wrote a book three years ago about the theater’s history and Concord’s history with movies,” he said.

The feedback he got after his latest book came out showed him how few people are aware of what New Hampshire authors have to offer, with people saying things like, “I didn’t know anyone around here could write,” and assuming that you have to be in a more metropolitan area “to have the muse hit you,” Brogan said. But that’s because most people aren’t taking advantage of local resources; Brogan calls Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, for example, “a writer’s best friend,” with owner Michael Herrmann hosting book launches for local writers and displaying their books in a special section. He also said the NH Writers’ Project is a great resource, but “would wager that a lot of people don’t click on that website.”

So Brogan started thinking about putting on an event to spotlight local authors and spoke with fellow author Margaret Porter at Gibson’s one day, asking her what she thought about it. She was all in, and the two approached Monroe and Okrant to see if they’d be interested as well. They were on board, and Porter suggested they ask Knoy to moderate the discussion.

“I said, ‘If you can get her, she would be amazing.’ … And she jumped at it,” Brogan said.

Knoy met with Brogan and Porter recently to check out the venue.

“Within an hour I felt like we’d been friends for years, and I think she’s the perfect person to put us all on stage at ease, and put the audience at ease,” Brogan said.

They want to make sure the whole atmosphere is comfortable too.

“We want it to be [like] the audience is looking at people in a living room having a conversation and then have the audience become involved and then stay around and mingle,” Brogan said.

Porter said she’s looking forward to sharing a small sample of the creativity within the Concord region, as well as their experiences of writing and publication.

“We hope to provide helpful information, maybe even some inspiration, to anyone aspiring to write fiction or nonfiction, or has questions about pursuing a writing career,” she said.

Brogan said he wanted to make the event free so that people can check it out without making any kind of financial commitment.

“They can come see the Bank of NH Stage — now there’s no excuse not to check the place out — and meet Laura in real life. … There’s a number of reasons for someone to give it a try,” he said.

Both Porter and Brogan hope the audience will come away with new notions and ideas and a curiosity to read one of their books or to check out the section of local authors at Gibson’s.

“New Hampshire has long been noted for its literary associations, a legacy that we’re privileged and excited to continue,” Porter said.

“We hope, if it really goes nicely, we’ll do a second one next year with different area authors,” Brogan said.

“An Evening to Remember: Conversations with Concord Area Authors”
When: Wednesday, April 6, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Cost: visit ccanh.com to register

Featured photo: Laura Knoy, Margaret Porter, Paul E Brogan. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/03/24

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

• High standards: Catch the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s triennial exhibit “Setting the Standard,” on view at the League’s headquarters gallery (49 S. Main St., No. 100, Concord), before it’s gone on Thursday, March 31. The exhibit features new works by 45 League jurors, master craftsmen who volunteer to work with League hopefuls and review their work to uphold the League’s standard of artistic excellence. A variety of media is represented, including wood, textile, clay and metal. “These works … will reflect the spirit of the maker,” League executive director Miriam Carter said in a press release. “Given the difficulties faced during the past several months, the work of our members takes on an almost indomitable nature, mixing the strength and resilience of the artists with the vulnerability that we have all experienced,” Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Pieces are for sale and can be picked up when the exhibit closes. Visit nhcrafts.org or call 224-3375.

• Musical prince: The Pinkerton Players will perform Pippin at the Stockbridge Theatre (located at Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry), with showtimes on Friday, March 25, and Saturday, March 26, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 27, at 2 p.m. The musical, based on the book by Roger O. Hirson, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, is the story of a young prince searching for meaning in his life, as told by a traveling theater troupe. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Call 437-5210 or visit stockbridgetheatre.com.

• Ancient lens: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) has an exhibition, “Appeal of the Real: 19th Century Photographs of the Ancient World,” on view now through June 12. It features photographs of the ruins of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, taken prior to when tourists could take their own photographs, often at the request of wealthy European and American tourists. 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 under age 13 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.

• Stories on Zoom: The Portsmouth-based monthly storytelling showcase True Tales Live returns with a virtual show over Zoom on Tuesday, March 29, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. This month’s theme centers on activism and exercising rights. The series is free and open to all who want to watch or participate as a storyteller. Registration is required. Shows have been held over Zoom during the pandemic but will tentatively be held in person at the Portsmouth Public Media TV Studio (280 Marcy St.) starting in April. Interested storytellers are encouraged to participate in a storytelling workshop, which is held on the first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. over Zoom. Visit truetaleslivenh.org or email info@truetaleslive.org.

• Birdie’s back: The Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St., Manchester) current mainstage production, Bye Bye Birdie,continues now through April 3, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon. The classic Broadway musical is set in 1958 in the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, and centers around an Elvis-like rock ’n’ roll star named Conrad Birdie who is drafted into the Army. As a publicity stunt, Birdie’s agent and songwriter arranges for Birdie to appear on a television program, where he will perform a new song called “One Last Kiss” and give one lucky girl from his fan club a real last kiss before reporting for duty. Ticket prices range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• Premiere play by local playwright: New World Theatre presents the premiere production of Places You Go, an original play by New Hampshire playwright William Ivers, at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) from March 25 through April 1, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The play follows Maddy Wear, a young musician destined for Julliard, and the tensions that arise in her family while she is in the hospital recovering from a car accident. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.

ART

Exhibits

• “STITCHED TOGETHER – ELEMENTS OF NATURE FROM TEXTILE FRAGMENTS” New Hampshire Art Association exhibition features the textile collages of Cheryl Miller, inspired by the colors in nature. On view now through April 15. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All work is for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “REAWAKENING” Two Villages Art Society presents an exhibition featuring work by artist members of the New Hampshire chapter of the Women’s Caucus for the Arts. Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook). On view March 18 through April 9. An opening reception with the artists and live music will be held on Sat., March 19, from noon to 2 p.m. Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• “WARHOL SCREEN TESTS” exhibition features 20 films from Andy Warhol’s silent black and white Screen Tests, shown in loops across four largescale projections. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view March 31 through July 3. 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 under age 13 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.

THEATER

Shows

• PUFFS! OR SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC Cue Zero Theatre Co. presents. Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem). Fri., April 29, through Sun., May 1. Visit cztheatre.com.

Classical

• DRAWN TO THE MUSIC 2022 – STORIES IN MUSIC The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra performs. Seifert Performing Arts Center, 44 Geremonty Drive, Salem. Sat., April 9, 2 p.m., and Sun., April 10, 2 p.m. Visit nhphil.org.

11 features, 5 shorts

NH Jewish Film Fest offers in-theater & virtual screenings

This year’s New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is combining the benefits of virtual screenings — reaching more people in more places, for example — and hosting in-person screenings too, to bring back that festival vibe that’s been missing for the past two years.

“It’s been a journey, that is for sure,” festival co-chair Pat Kalik said of holding the event during the pandemic. “We did get some benefits from going virtual, but we missed, of course, the community feeling of seeing a movie in the theater and then having the discussion after.”

This year’s festival, which runs March 31 to April 10, will feature five in-theater screenings, two of which will have post-screening discussions. Virtual attendees will have a 48-hour window to watch each movie any time during the festival, and there will be virtual screenings of four of the in-theater films as well after the festival ends.

The festival features independent and foreign films from 12 countries. Kalik said they start screening films in July and view about 50 before picking their final lineup. She said they try to pick different kinds of films, from dramas to documentaries, to appeal to all tastes.

“Our goal is to bring these films to the community, films that would not come to the independent theaters in New Hampshire,” Kalik said. “Some of the films are subtitled — some people won’t go to subtitled films, but we try to get a mix. … My hope is that everyone will give these types of films a try.”

One of her favorites is the documentary that’s going to open the festival at Rex Theatre.

“I thought The Automat was a fascinating film, and that’s going to be our opening night at the Rex in Manchester,” Kalik said. “[At Automat restaurants] you would put money into a wall of windows, and behind each window was the food you wanted to buy. This is a film about the history of the Automat.”

The closing film is Cabaret at Red River Theatres in Concord. Typically the festival features newer films; in this case, it’s celebrating Cabaret’s 50th anniversary. The screening will be followed by a discussion with film buff Zachary Camenker of Concord.

“The film kind of broke the glass ceiling 50 years ago in ways that people weren’t expecting,” Camenker said.

Cabaret, which is about Berlin nightlife during the Nazi rise to power, won eight Academy Awards. Camenker said it’s the winningest film that did not win best picture in Oscar history; it lost that award to The Godfather.

Still, “It’s one of those musicals that has stood the test of time,” he said. “It’s a good reminder of where things were a century ago as opposed to where they are now.”

Another film that looks back at a difficult time in history is “Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin.” The documentary explores the life of the Israeli prime minister.

Director Jonathan Gruber of Black Eye Productions in New York said he didn’t know much about Begin before he started working on this project.

“I didn’t realize how instrumental he was in Israel’s becoming a state,” Gruber said. “I was just impressed with him as a leader. He never enriched himself through his position.”

Begin was a controversial leader, though, which Gruber saw firsthand in his interviews. He said he heard some criticism that the film is slanted favorably toward Begin, while others have thought the opposite.

“Begin does not get a free pass in the film,” Gruber said. “We annoy everybody.”

Gruber, who was born in Israel, was able to get all of his interviews done in person overseas just before the pandemic started. He used a third-camera angle for some of the film.

“The content is so powerful but I also visually wanted to make it arresting,” he said.

Gruber will discuss the documentary via Zoom on Tuesday, April 5, at 7 p.m.

With the exception of Cabaret, Zoom will be used for all film discussions.

“I think we’ve learned a lot because of [the pandemic], and we’re going to take advantage of it in the future, but it’s not going to replace the traditional film festival where you can go to the theater and bond and eat and drink,” Kalik said.

New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival
When: March 31 through April 10
Where: Various locations in the state and online
Cost: $12 per in-theater ticket or per virtual household ticket
More info: For festival pass information, movie trailers and more, visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com.

Here are the films according to festival descriptions.

In-theater screenings

The Automat

Thursday, March 31, 7 p.m. at The Rex, Manchester

Documentary, 2021, U.S., English. Before fast food, one American restaurant empire was unstoppable. Experience the untold story of the Automat with this documentary film starring Mel Brooks about the popular 1950s restaurant chain that served its meals in vending machines.

Following the screening, director Lisa Hurwitz will discuss her film via Zoom, and Automat collector Steve Stollman will join the conversation.

Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen

Sunday, April 3, 1 p.m. at 3S Art Space (Portsmouth), The Rex (Manchester) and Showroom (Keene)

Documentary, 2022, U.S., English. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen captures the humor and drama of film director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic.

The Un-Word

Thursday, April 7, 7 p.m., Red River Theatres, Concord

Narrative, 2020, Germany, German with English subtitles. In this German satire, tempers flare after a Jewish student is goaded by Muslim classmates into a schoolyard brawl, injuring an Iranian and a Palestinian student. A hopelessly naive teacher arranges a summit with the fuming parents and spineless principal. But her do-gooder attempts at peacemaking, complete with Palestinian and Israeli flags decorating the snacks, expose her own misguided beliefs.

Tiger Within

Sunday, April 10, 1 p.m., Red River Theatres, Concord

Drama, 2020, USA, English. Multiple Academy-Award-winner Ed Asner, in one of his last performances, stars in this tender story of the unlikely friendship between Samuel, a Holocaust survivor, and Casey, a skinhead teen runaway. Despite their respective traumas and initial mistrust of one another, they form a powerful bond that yields a sense of family and mutual support.

Cabaret

Celebrating Cabaret’s 50th Anniversary!

Sunday, April 10, 3:30 p.m., Red River Theatres, Concord

Musical/Romance, 1972, U.S., English

Starring Liza Minelli, the musical about Berlin nightlife during the Nazi rise to power won eight Academy Awards.

Following the screening, New Hampshire educator and film enthusiast Zachary Camenker will lead a discussion about the history and impact of the film a half century later. (This screening is in-person only and does not have a virtual option.)

Virtual-only screenings

200 Meters

Drama, 2020, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Italy, Sweden (Arabic, Hebrew, English with subtitles). Mustafa and his wife live 200 meters apart in villages separated by the Israeli border wall. One day he gets a call every parent dreads: His son has been injured in an accident. Rushing to cross the Israeli checkpoint, Mustafa is denied on a technicality. But a father’s love won’t give up, and he will do anything to reach his son.

Apples and Oranges

Documentary, 2021, Israel (Hebrew, English with subtitles). A wave of foreign volunteers came to Israel in the 1960s through 1980s to work on a kibbutz, a communal village centered around agriculture. During the ’80s, the war in Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict forced volunteers to decide whether supporting the kibbutz meant supporting the state of Israel.

On Monday, April 4, at 7 p.m., Director Yoav Brill will discuss his film and reflect on the changing nature of the volunteers as Israel’s geopolitical situation evolved.

Greener Pastures

Drama, 2020, Israel (Hebrew, English with subtitles). Dov, a widower, is forced by his family to move to a nursing home. He’s broke since he lost his pension, and he blames the state. When Dov notices that all his fellow residents smoke legal medical cannabis, he realizes that weed can be his salvation — selling it, not smoking it.

Neighbors

Drama, 2021, Switzerland, France (Kurdish with English subtitles). In a little village on the Syrian-Turkish border in the early ’80s, a 6-year-old Kurdish boy experiences his first year in an Arab school and sees how his little world is radically changed by absurd nationalism.

Persian Lessons

Narrative Feature, 2020, Russia, Germany, Belarus (German, French, Italian, English and Persian with English subtitles). Occupied France, 1942. Gilles is arrested by Nazi SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach the Farsi language to Koch, the head of camp, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over.

Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin

Documentary, 2020, USA (English) Prime Minister Menachem Begin was a tireless fighter for the Jewish people. He was, at the same time, a controversial leader.

On Tuesday, April 5, at 7 p.m. Director Jonathan Gruber will discuss his documentary on the life of Menachem Begin.

Short films (virtual only)

Beefies

Comedy Short, 2021, U.S. (10 minutes, English). Josh wants to find his late mother’s “beefies” recipe for Passover but must reconnect with his estranged brother to do so.

Ganef

Short, 2020, U.K. (14 minutes, English with Yiddish phrases), London, 1962. 6-year-old Ruthie discovers Lynn, the cleaner, is a thief.

Masel Tov Cocktail

Short, 2020, Germany (30 minutes, German, Russian with English subtitles). A Russian-Jewish teen in Germany offers a comic take on modern Jewish life.

The Shabbos Goy

Comedy Short, 2019, U.S. (7 minutes, English). God literally forbids Chana to turn off her vibrator gone rogue.

The Tattooed Torah

Animated Short, 2021, U.S. (21 minutes, English, Hebrew). True story of the rescue and restoration of a Torah from Czechoslovakia.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/03/17

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

• Celebrating women aviators: The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry) welcomes Keith O’Brien, author of Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History, on Thursday, March 24, at 7 p.m. for a presentation and book signing to celebrate Women’s History Month. The book, published in 2018, tells the story of a group of five female pilots and friends who fought for their place in the male-dominated sport of airplane racing during the 1920s and 1930s. “This isn’t a book about airplanes,” O’Brien told the Hippo when the book was released. “It’s a compelling human story about women who fought against impossible odds and were determined to change the world.” Copies of the book can be reserved in advance, and a limited number of copies will be for sale at the museum that day. Tickets cost $10 for general admission and $40 for a package that includes admission and a hardcover copy of the book inscribed by the author at the event. Call 669-4877 or see “Aviation Museum Fly Girls” on eventbrite.com.

• Trash turned fashion: There’s still time to have your wearable art feature in the upcoming Upcycled Fashion Show, happening on Saturday, April 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Makers Mill (23 Bay St., Wolfeboro). The show, presented by Makers Mill and the Governor Wentworth Arts Council, invites designers of all ages to create fashion pieces composed of at least 75 percent recycled, reused or repurposed materials. Registration for designers is free and open now through the end of March or until participation is full. Additionally, a workshop, “Attachments & Embellishments,” will be offered on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brewster Academy (80 Academy Drive, Wolfeboro) in Room 103 of the Rogers Building Student Center. Participants will learn skills such as ancient lashing techniques, traditional zippers, basic buttons and hand and machine techniques; and about how to embellish a garment with dye, paint, hand sewing, hot glue and machine techniques. The workshop is open to registered designers for free and to the general public for a cost of $15. Visit makersmill.org/blog or call 569-1500.

• Theater auditions: The Community Players of Concord is holding auditions for its upcoming production of Eugène Ionesco’s play The Bald Soprano on Monday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at the Players’ Studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord). Roles are open for three male adults and three female adults. Proof of vaccination against Covid-19 is required to audition. The cast’s first read-through will be held on Monday, March 28, at the Players’ Studio. The show is scheduled to run for two weekends from June 17 through June 26 at the Hatbox Theatre in Concord. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org/auditions for more information about the play and to read the script.

Roommate humor
Don’t miss the final weekend of the Manchester Community Theatre Players’ production of Ripcord at MCTP Theatre (located at North End Montessori School, 698 Beech St., Manchester), with showtimes on Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. The 2015 comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire follows a pair of ill-matched roommates at a senior living facility. Abby claims that nothing can scare her, while Marilyn claims that nothing can make her angry. The two make a bet — whoever gets the other to crack first will get the room to herself. Tickets cost $20 per person, and seating is limited. Proof of vaccination and masks are required. Visit manchestercommunitytheatre.com or call 327-6777.

• Spring art: Two Villages Art Society presents a new exhibition, “Reawakening,” at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) from March 18 through April 9. It features work by artist members of the New Hampshire chapter of the Women’s Caucus for the Arts. “As sunshine and warmth return to the earth in spring, so we reawaken to our lives,” WCA/NH exhibitions committee chair Linda Greenwood said in a press release. “The theme not only illustrates our reawakening of spring, but it also represents an illustration of memories that remind us again of passions lying deep.” An opening reception with the artists and live music will be held on Saturday, March 19, from noon to 2 p.m. Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

ART

Exhibits

“CONNECTING THREADS” New Hampshire Art Association fiber art invitational exhibition features hand-dyed fabrics, Japanese weaving, fine art quilting, embroidery and felting by New England fiber artists. Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through March 27. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “AWAKENING” New Hampshire Art Association exhibition features members’ works inspired by the natural or inner world. Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through March 27. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “SETTING THE STANDARD” Exhibition features new work from League jurors in all media areas. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters, 49 S. Main St., #100, Concord. On view now through March 31. Regular exhibition hours are Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Visit nhcrafts.org.

• “STITCHED TOGETHER – ELEMENTS OF NATURE FROM TEXTILE FRAGMENTS” New Hampshire Art Association exhibition features the textile collages of Cheryl Miller, inspired by the colors in nature. On view now through April 15. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center. Gallery hours are Monday througwh Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All work is for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “APPEAL OF THE REAL: 19TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD” exhibition features photographs taken throughout the Mediterranean to record the ruins of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through June 12. 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 under age 13 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.

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.

Workshops and classes

• “HANDS-ON 3D PRINTING FOR BEGINNERS” A one-day crash course covering the basics of 3D printing. Making Matters NH (88 Village St., Penacook). Sat., April 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $15 for Making Matters members and $50 for nonmembers. Call 565-5443 or visit makingmattersnh.org.

• “INTRO TO 3D PRINTING” Workshop for 3D printing beginners. Port City Makerspace (68 Morning St., Portsmouth). Wed., April 13 and June 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $25 for members of the makerspace and $45 for nonmembers. Call 373-1002 or visit portcitymakerspace.com.

• WINTER 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.

• 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.

THEATER

Auditions

• THE BALD SOPRANO The Community Players of Concord holds open auditions for its June production of The Bald Soprano. Mon., March 21, 7 p.m., Players’ Studio, 435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org/auditions.

Classes/workshops

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

Shows

• CHICKEN LITTLE presented by Upside Arts. The Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). Showtimes are on Sat., March 12, and Sun., March 13, at 10 a.m., and on Sun., March 20, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for kids under age 12. Visit playersring.org or call 436-8123.

• BYE BYE BIRDIE A mainstage production by The Palace Theatre. 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Runs March 11 through April 3, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon. Ticket costs range from $25 to $46 per person. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• PIPPIN The Pinkerton Players present. Fri., March 25, and Sat., March 26, at 7 p.m., and Sun., March 27, at 2 p.m. Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Call 437-5210 or visit stockbridgetheatre.com.

• TRUE TALES LIVE Portsmouth-based storytelling showcase. Monthly, last Tuesday (no shows in July and August), 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 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

• “FROM THE NEW WORLD” Symphony New Hampshire presents. Concerto for electric harp featuring Rosanna Moore, performing Farrenc, Overture No. 1 and Dvořák, Symphony No. 9. A New Hampshire premiere. Sat., April 23, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua); and Sun., April 24, 3 to 6 p.m., at Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). Tickets cost $20 to $60 for adults, $18 to $55 for seniors age 65+, and free for children with a paying adult. Visit symphonynh.org.

Love is all around

Real-life couple performs Love Letters

On stage and off, Kathryn and Erik Hodges are in love, and the married Penacook couple brings that real-life emotion to Love Letters, a two-person show that explores the relationship of Andrew and Melissa through letter writing over the course of 50-plus years.

“It’s an unconventional love story,” said Lauren Shelby Douglas, who’s directing the piece for Hatbox Theatre. “It’s not high-energy, it’s not anxiety-driven — it’s a very kind show.”

Love Letters was written by A. R. Gurney and nominated in 1990 for a Pulitzer Prize in drama. The Hodges first performed it to limited, socially distanced audiences in September 2020 at Hatbox, during the brief period when the venue was allowed to reopen after being shut down due to Covid, only to be shut down again shortly after.

“Love Letters was very well-received critically, but it was lightly attended,” Hatbox Theatre founder Andrew Pinard said. “[I brought it back because] I thought the work was really strong, and it’s a powerful piece about keeping people together when they’re apart. … I’m not so concerned about ticket sales. This level of work deserved more eyes.”

This is Douglas’s directorial debut, replacing the previous director and offering a new perspective.

“Everybody comes in with their own insight, which is what you want — even though our previous director did a wonderful job,” Kathryn Hodges said. “She’s a youngster, and she does have her own vision.”

Douglas said she had never seen or read the play before, so she really came into it with fresh eyes.

She said it’s a subtle, understated play, with no grand drama — just a conversation between two people that starts in grade school and continues through war, the Great Depression, marriages and more, with ups and downs throughout the years.

“It’s not your average play in the fact that the actors don’t memorize their lines — they read from the script right on the stage,” Douglas said. “Gurney strictly had instructions not to memorize lines, [because he] wanted it to be like they were really reading these letters.”

There are no costume or scene changes either, which allows the actors to focus on how they’re emoting through their words.

“You don’t have to sweat the small stuff — you don’t have to learn the blocking [for example],” Kathryn Hodges said. “The lights come up and you start reading these lovely snapshots of these bygone times.”

The real-life couple has been together for 36 years, and Kathryn Hodges said they really relate to the relationship between Andrew and Melissa.

“They are very fond of each other, they are very much each other’s best friend, and that’s us in a nutshell,” she said.

Andrew and Melissa’s relationship, though, evolved during a very different time period, so understanding their characters was a process.

“As a warm-up for this production we did a little exercise where we reversed roles,” Erik Hodges said. “This play is very much written from the analogous male point of view [and] seeing the character from her point of view was an eye-opener. While the male just sails through [life] … [Melissa], because she’s a little eccentric and different, she’s penalized.”

The Hodges have been part of the local theater scene for decades; Erik Hodges started performing with the Community Players of Concord when he was 10, and Kathryn Hodges joined the Players when she was 20.

“Even though both Erik and I have a long history with community theater, we don’t often appear in the same show, or if we are in the same show our characters have nothing to do with each other,” Kathryn Hodges said.

Love Letters has been a special opportunity for them as actors, and it’s a unique play for audiences to experience as well.

“The show seems very, very simple, but it’s so much more,” Kathryn Hodges said.

Love Letters
Where: Hatbox Theatre, 270 Loudon Road, Concord
When: Friday, March 18, and Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 20 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students and $16 for senior members. Tickets may be reserved by calling 715-2315 or visiting hatboxnh.com.

The future of Hatbox Theatre

It’s been a tumultuous month for Hatbox Theatre founder Andrew Pinard. The venue was unexpectedly served with an eviction notice from Steeplegate Mall Realty on Feb. 11; that notice was rescinded shortly thereafter. Pinard said in a phone interview on March 9 that he couldn’t imagine how he would have packed everything up and gotten out of there in 30 days.

Now, Pinard has faith that the verbal agreement that Hatbox made with the mall to stay put — and to extend the amount of eviction notification time — will be honored.

“We’re waiting for the mall to provide written confirmation. We expect that will be the case,” he said.

And while the news that Hatbox could stay came as a relief, it also served as a wake-up call.

“It was a very alarming moment in time,” Pinard said. “[We realized] we need to be thinking of our future and forever homes. We hope to stay in our current location for a long time, but we have to be pragmatic and look into other options.”

Even if the mall allows Hatbox to stay indefinitely, the theater company itself has been struggling since the pandemic started, which might force some changes anyway.

“The numbers are still not what they ought to be,” he said. “Things where people congregate — sports, concerts … are still not attended in the way that people expect.”

Pinard recently attended a meeting with fellow performing arts groups, and the general consensus is that most are not expecting to get back to even 70 percent of their typical audience numbers until summer 2023.

“From an artistic perspective … even though we’re starting to reconnect in person, there’s still a lot of concern,” he said.

Along with less income from ticket sales, venues are also dealing with increased costs. Pinard said he had about $7,500 worth of utility bills in two months, when revenue was “maybe $800, maybe $1,000.”

“We can only continue to operate a deficit for so long,” he said. “We’re in the hole, and every weekend we do performances, if we don’t meet a certain number of attendees, we continue to be in the hole.”

Pinard said he’s “cautiously optimistic that we’re going to make it through this,” and they’ve invested heavily in protective measures like UV filters to make sure patrons are safe and feel comfortable returning. But things are going to need to start improving fairly quickly.

“If this doesn’t come back within a year, we may not be able to afford to stay open,” Pinard said.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/03/10

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

• A Chicken and a Birdie: The Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St., Manchester) next mainstage production, Bye Bye Birdie, will have its opening show on Friday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. The Broadway classic is set in 1958 in the small town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, and centers around an Elvis-like rock ’n’ roll star named Conrad Birdie who is drafted into the Army. As a publicity stunt, Birdie’s agent and songwriter arranges for Birdie to appear on a television program, where he will perform a new song called “One Last Kiss” and give one lucky girl from his fan club a real last kiss before reporting for duty. Bye Bye Birdie will run through April 3, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon. Ticket prices range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Seacoast-based Upside Arts Company presents Chicken Little at the Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth), with showtimes on Saturday, March 12, and Sunday, March 13, at 10 a.m., and on Sunday, March 20, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The production is an original musical, adapted from the classic children’s story, with a book and music by Portsmouth theater artist Joshua Goldberg. “I had a picture book when I was little with a few different folk and fairy tales, and for some reason the Chicken Little illustrations have always stuck with me,” Goldberg told the Hippo in January. “My adaptation is centered on the idea of fame; at first, Chicken Little is fed up with everyone teasing him and wants to be anonymous, but then, the king validates his fear that the sky is falling and calls him a hometown hero, so he has experiences with two ends of the spectrum and has to navigate to the middle.” Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for kids under age 12. Visit theupsideartscompany.org/chickenlittle or playersring.org, or call 436-8123.

• From nature to fabric: See “Stitched Together – Elements of Nature from Textile Fragments,” an exhibition presented by the New Hampshire Art Association featuring the work of NHAA member Cheryl Miller, on display now through April 15 at NHAA’s gallery space at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (49 S. Main St., Concord). Miller is a textile artist who creates fabric collages using hand dyed cottons, batik and machine-stitched vintage fabrics. The exhibit includes a series of her textile collages that were inspired by the colors seen in nature. “The compositions are mostly abstract but also incorporate some elements of landscape, trees or leaves,” she said in a press release. “The idea of these pieces is to evoke a mood through the use of color and focus on small details in nature.” Gallery hours at the Chamber are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All works in the exhibition are for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Political laughs
It’s the final weekend for local theater company Bedford off Broadway’s production of The Senator Wore Pantyhose at the Bedford Old Town Hall (70 Bedford Center Road, Bedford). Showtimes are on Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 13, at 2 p.m. The 1989 comedy by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore centers on a failing presidential campaign where the candidate’s unwavering integrity and honesty are set against a sleazy campaign manager who will do whatever it takes to win votes. Tickets cost $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students. See “Bedford off Broadway” on Facebook.

• Writers welcome: The Merrimack Valley Writers’ Group is looking for new members, according to an email from Pembroke Town Library, which hosts the group in partnership with the Hooksett Public Library. All published and unpublished local writers who are interested in sharing their work with other writers and giving and receiving constructive feedback are invited to join. The group meets regularly; the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, from 5 to 7:15 p.m., and will be held virtually over WebEx Meetings. To reserve your spot, email pembrokenhtownlibrary@gmail.com.

ART

Exhibits

• “STITCHED TOGETHER – ELEMENTS OF NATURE FROM TEXTILE FRAGMENTS” New Hampshire Art Association exhibition features the textile collages of Cheryl Miller, inspired by the colors in nature. On view now through April 15. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center. Gallery hours are Monday througwh Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All work is for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Tours

Workshops and classes

• GENERAL ART CLASSES Weekly art classes are 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 kids 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 on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuition is pay-as-you-go at $20 per student per class and is due upon arrival. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

THEATER

Auditions

Shows

• LITTLE WOMEN The Franklin Footlight Theatre presents. Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin). Thurs., March 10, through Sat., March 12, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sun., March 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Visit franklinoperahouse.org or call 934-1901.

• THE SENATOR WORE PANTYHOSEBedford off Broadway presents. Now through March 13, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students.

• CHICKEN LITTLE presented by Upside Arts. The Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). Showtimes on Sat., March 12, and Sun., March 13, at 10 a.m., and on Sun., March 20, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for kids under age 12. Visit playersring.org or call 436-8123.

• BYE BYE BIRDIE Mainstage production by The Palace Theatre. 80 Hanover St., Manchester. March 11 through April 3, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon. Tickets range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Classical

• WINTER MAINSTAGE CONCERT The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra performs. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Sun., March 13, 3 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $35 for adults, $20 for students and $25 to $30 for seniors age 60 and up. Call 436-2400 or visit themusichall.org.

The Art Roundup 22/03/03

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

• Printmaking exhibition: Catch Two Villages Art Society’s exhibition “For the Love of Impression” at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) before it’s gone on Saturday, March 5. The exhibition features eight local artists who are members of the group New Hampshire Printmakers. Their work utilizes traditional techniques and materials, combined with contemporary aesthetics, new materials and new technology. “Printmaking is a time-honored artistic process in which images are transferred from a wooden, metal or glass matrix onto another surface, such as paper or fabric,” Two Villages Art Society president Alyssa McKeon said in a press release. All pieces are for sale. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• Auditions for Macbeth: Manchester-based Cue Zero Theatre Co. is looking for actors for its June production, an original female-driven interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth by Cue Zero’s artistic director Dan Pelletier. “It can be argued that all of the important action of the play is motivated by the ambitions and desires of Lady Macbeth,” Pelletier said in a press release, “and I want to lean into that; make her the central focus and maybe even the cause of every plot point.” Auditions will be held on Sunday, March 13, from 3 to 6 p.m., and Tuesday, March 15, from 6 to 9 p.m., with callbacks, if needed, on Thursday, March 17, from 6 to 9 p.m., and will take place in person at Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem). Performers should sign up for a timeslot in advance on the Cue Zero website and prepare two contrasting Shakespearean monologues totaling no more than four minutes combined. Actors will rehearse three days a week between Sunday and Thursday based on their availability. The performance is planned for Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, at the Derry Opera House. Visit cztheatre.com or email cztheatre@gmail.com.

Nature textiles
The New Hampshire Art Association presents an exhibition “Stitched Together – Elements of Nature from Textile Fragments,” featuring the work of Cheryl Miller, at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (49 S. Main St., Concord) now through April 15. Miller, a textile artist, creates fabric collages using hand dyed cottons, batik and machine-stitched vintage fabrics. The exhibit includes a series of her textile collages inspired by the colors in nature. “The compositions are mostly abstract but also incorporate some elements of landscape, trees or leaves,” she said in a press release. “The idea of these pieces is to evoke a mood through the use of color and focus on small details in nature.” Gallery hours at the Chamber are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All works are for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• High standards: The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s triennial exhibit “Setting the Standard” is on view now through March 31 at its headquarters gallery (49 S. Main St., No. 100, Concord). The exhibit features new works by 45 League jurors, master craftsmen who volunteer to work with League hopefuls and review their work to uphold the League’s standard of artistic excellence. A variety of media is represented, including wood, textile, clay and metal. “These works … will reflect the spirit of the maker,” League executive director Miriam Carter said in a press release. “Given the difficulties faced during the past several months, the work of our members takes on an almost indomitable nature, mixing the strength and resilience of the artists with the vulnerability that we have all experienced,” Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Pieces are for sale and can be picked up when the exhibit closes. Visit nhcrafts.org or call 224-3375.

Ancient World photographs
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) presents an exhibition, “Appeal of the Real: 19th Century Photographs of the Ancient World,” now through June 12. It features photographs of the ruins of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, taken prior to when tourists could take their own photographs, often at the request of wealthy European and American tourists. 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 under age 13 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.

• Little Women on stage: The Franklin Footlight Theatre presents a production of Little Women at the Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin) with showtimes Thursday, March 10, through Saturday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 13, at 2 p.m. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic 1869 novel, the play follows the adventures of four sisters living with their mother in Massachusetts while their father is fighting in the Civil War. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Visit franklinoperahouse.org or call 934-1901.

• Political comedy: Theater company Bedford off Broadway presents The Senator Wore Pantyhose at the Bedford Old Town Hall (70 Bedford Center Road, Bedford) from March 4 through March 13, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The comedy by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore centers on a failing presidential campaign where the candidate’s unwavering integrity and honesty are set against a sleazy campaign manager who will do whatever it takes to win votes. Tickets cost $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students. See “Bedford off Broadway” on Facebook.

Poetic movement
ANIKAYA Dance Theater will perform Conference of the Birds at the Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry) on Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. The multimedia movement theater work, created by a team of artists from 10 different countries, tells modern-day stories of migration through the lens of the Persian epic poem of the same name by Farid Ud din Attar. Tickets range from $5 to $30. Call 437-5210 or visit stockbridgetheatre.com.

ART

Exhibits

• “FOR THE LOVE OF IMPRESSION” Art exhibition features prints that were created using traditional techniques and materials, combined with contemporary aesthetics, new materials, and technology by eight local artists, all of whom are members of the artist group New Hampshire Printmakers. Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook). On view now through March 5. All of the pieces in the exhibition are for sale. Current gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

•“CONNECTING THREADS” New Hampshire Art Association fiber art invitational exhibition features hand-dyed fabrics, Japanese weaving, fine art quilting, embroidery and felting by New England fiber artists. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through March 27. Opening reception at the gallery on Fri., March 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “AWAKENING” New Hampshire Art Association exhibition features members’ works inspired by the natural or inner world. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through March 27. Opening reception at the gallery on Fri., March 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “SETTING THE STANDARD” exhibition features new work from League jurors in all media areas. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters, 49 S. Main St., #100, Concord. On view now through March 31. Regular exhibition hours are Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Visit nhcrafts.org.

• “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 view April 14 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 under age 13 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.

• “ECHOES: ABSTRACT PAINTING TO MODERN QUILTING” exhibition features abstract paintings inspired by the bold colors, asymmetry, improvisational layout, alternate grid work and negative space in composition of modern quilting. Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). April 22 through May 14. Visit twovillagesart.org.

“NATURE AT NIGHT: PAINTINGS BY OWEN KRZYZANIAK GEARY” Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). May 27 through June 18. Visit twovillagesart.org.

• “NEW HAMPSHIRE NOW” A collaborative photography project presented by the New Hampshire Historical Society and the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists, on display in eight exhibitions at museums and historical societies across the state. Nearly 50 photographers participated in the project, taking more than 5,000 photos of New Hampshire people, places, culture and events from 2018 to 2020 to create a 21st-century portrait of life in the Granite State. Exhibition locations include Belknap Mill Society in Laconia; Colby-Sawyer College in New London; Portsmouth Historical Society; Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene; the Manchester Historic Association; Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University; and the Tillotson Center in Colebrook; with the flagship exhibition at the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord. Visit newhampshirenow.org and nhhistory.org.

• 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.

Tours

Workshops and classes

THEATER

Auditions

Shows

• LIFESPAN OF A FACT Produced by Lend Me a Theater. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Now through March 6. Showtimes are 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. Visit hatboxnh.com.

• DEADLY Cue Zero Theatre Co. presents an original movement-based theater piece by Crystal Rose Welch. Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem). Fri., March 4, through Sun., March 6. Visit cztheatre.com.

• THE SENATOR WORE PANTYHOSEBedford off Broadway presents. March 4 through March 13, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students.

• CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS Multimedia movement theater work inspired by the epic poem of Farid Ud din Attar embodying modern-day stories of migration. Tues., March 8, 7 p.m. Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry. Tickets range from $5 to $30. Call 437-5210 or visit stockbridgetheatre.com.

• LITTLE WOMEN The Franklin Footlight Theatre presents. Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin). Thurs., March 10, through Sat., March 12, 7:30 p.m.; and Sun., March 13, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Visit franklinoperahouse.org or call 934-1901.

• BYE BYE BIRDIE Mainstage production by The Palace Theatre. 80 Hanover St., Manchester. March 11 through April 3. Tickets range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

• CHICKEN LITTLE presented by Upside Arts. The Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). March 12 through March 20, with showtimes on Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for kids under age 12. Visit playersring.org or call 436-8123.

• MUSICAL MOM Produced by the Community Players of Concord. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). May 5 through May 15. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $22 for students, seniors and members and $19 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.

• LAST GAS Produced by the Community Players of Concord. Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord. Fri., May 6, through Sun., May 8. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $16 for youth ages 17 and under, $16 for seniors age 65 and up. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org.

• THE BALD SOPRANO Produced by the Community Players of Concord. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). June 17 through June 26. Showtimes are 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. Visit hatboxnh.com.

Classical

Embodying emotions

Deadly brings the seven sins to life on stage

Seven actors, seven sins — that’s the idea behind Deadly, the newest all-original production from Cue Zero Theatre Company.

“It’s an original movement piece that takes the classical deadly sins and kind of examines them through a more modern lens, with an interesting twist [that makes them more] accessible and relatable,” Cue Zero founder Dan Pelletier said.

The production was written and is directed by Merrimack native Crystal Rose Welch, and it’s set entirely to music, with no spoken words.

“I think we assume that verbal language is the most important thing [but] people can communicate in other ways,” she said. “I wanted to create theater that felt accessible when words aren’t accessible, for when the feelings are too big.”

Welch said movement theater is a relatively new and misunderstood form; most people think it’s like dance, but it’s not.

“You are crawling and dragging and basically embodying the emotions,” Welch said.

Welch came up with the idea for the play back in 2016, when she was still in college.

“It’s changed and evolved a lot. There’s a whole different soundtrack because copyright is awful,” she laughed.

The way that the seven deadly sins are expressed is pretty different from her original idea too; it began as a production about one person experiencing all of the sins, Welch said.

“I think having just more experience in life and the world [helped it evolve]; since I came up with it I have graduated college, I’ve fallen in love and gotten married … we’ve been through a pandemic,” she said. “[I’ve realized] no one person is experiencing all of the ‘sins,’ and there is no ‘sin’ — that’s just a dirty word to make you feel guilty.”

The way the “sins” are portrayed, then, is designed not to show the “bad” sides of people, but to show the struggles that all humans go through.

Pelletier, for example, is sloth.

”We look at it kind of through the lens of depression, so my character … ends up coming off looking lazy and slothful but you see it’s because of how beat down and exhausted [he] becomes from the challenges of life,” Pelletier said. “The depression to the outside observer looks like sloth but it’s due to this serious mental illness.”

Gluttony is portrayed through alcoholism, and technology plays a big role in lust. But the emotions behind people’s behaviors is the real message.

“Fear [for example] is something we all feel in different ways,” Welch said. “We have a song about what it is like to live with social anxiety, so someone comes to ask for directions [and the character] is freaking out. I wanted to use movement to show a modern version of something that is actually deadly, something that divides us and keeps us away from community and keeps us from feeling our best.”

Pelletier said the soundtrack of modern music adds to the show’s emotional vibe and helps make it “a very exciting, very high-energy piece.” And relying on movement rather than spoken word allows plenty of room for the audience to have their own feelings.

“It tells a story, but we leave some things where people can interpret them in their own way,” he said.

And that’s exactly what Welch is going for.

“I want to help people process emotions and open doors for conversation — this, this is what I feel. That’s how I feel when I’m scrolling through the news and I’m just getting more and more depressed,” she said.

Despite the intense emotions, though, Welch said the production is not doom and gloom.

“I want people to be open to feeling things and not be afraid that this show is going to wreck them for the night,” she said. “You shouldn’t leave this feeling worse. If people are looking for some hope, this show can provide it.”

Deadly
Where: Granite State Arts Academy, 19 Keewaydin Drive No. 4, Salem
When: Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 6, at 2 p.m.
Cost: $15, for in-person or livestream
More info: cztheatre.com

Featured Photo: Deadly. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 22/02/24

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

• Wild Salamander owners retiring: Wild Salamander Creative Arts Center (30 Ash St., Hollis) will close its doors in June, according to an announcement on its website. Owners KC Morgan and Charlie Morgan said in the announcement that, after 10 years of running the art center, they have decided to retire. “It has been an honor, a privilege, and a great deal of fun to be a part of the journey for artists both young and old, seasoned and beginner, student and teacher,” they said. “We have made friends who will forever be a part of our lives. We look forward to finding new ways to bring awareness to the arts in our local community.” Over the last decade, Wild Salamander has hosted 2,300 classes and camps, where more than 6,000 students have been taught by 100 artists, and the center’s Whitty Gallery and Wild Little Art Shop have generated more than $120,000 for local artists, the announcement stated. Registration is open for in-person and online classes and workshops that will continue being offered through June. Programs are offered for kids and adults and include working with clay, felting, drawing, jewelry making and more. February hours for the gallery and shop are Tuesday from noon to 6 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit wildsalamander.com or call 465-9453.

Art for bid
The New Hampshire Art Association’s permanent collection auction is open for online bidding now through Saturday, Feb. 26, closing at 5 p.m. The auction features 75 pieces acquired by NHAA over the last 40 years, including pieces by former and current NHAA members. “Over the years, NHAA has been home to some very talented artists, and we are pleased to be able to offer some of their pieces to the public at very reasonable prices,” NHAA board president Renee Giffroy said in a press release. Bidders can see the pieces in person at NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. To 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• Last call for these fabric art exhibits: Catch the “Translating Nature Into Fabric” exhibit at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua) before it’s gone on Saturday, Feb. 26. It features 15 art quilts by Hollis artist Ellen Fisher, with nature-based designs, such as trees and streams, inspired by Fisher’s career as a landscape designer and conservationist. “I am not as interested in making other people’s designs but very interested in figuring out my own, and I do this with great respect for the traditional quilting world,” Fisher told the Hippo last month. “I have a real root system in traditional quilting that I have just interpreted in my own way.” Most quilts are for sale. The exhibit can be viewed during library hours, which are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit nashualibrary.org or call 589-4600.

See the special exhibit “As Precious as Gold, Carpets from the Islamic World” at the Currier Museum of Art(150 Ash St., Manchester) before it closes on Sunday, Feb. 27. On loan from the Saint Louis Art Museum, the exhibit features 32 carpets with various geographical origins, dating from the 15th century to the 19th century, including a Spanish rug, three Egyptian rugs, Lotto and Holbein patterned carpets, a 16th-century Ushak medallion and a late 17th-century small medallion carpet. 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 members and children under age 13. Museum hours are Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Masks are required for visitors age 2 and up, and proof of vaccination is required for visitors age 5 and up (at least one dose for visitors under age 12, and at least two doses for visitors age 12 and up). Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.

• A dance through life: Manchester-based theater company Theatre Kapow presents Dance Nation at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry), with showtimes on Friday, Feb. 25, and Saturday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. The Pulitzer Prize-finalist play by Clare Barron follows a group of pre-teen competition dancers, played by adult actors, as they navigate the challenges of growing up. “Just reading Dance Nation was like being struck by lightning,” director Wanda Strukus said in a press release. “It’s bold, intense, and fierce. It’s filled with an adolescent urgency, joy, and terror that truly feels like a force of nature.” Attendees must present proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test and must wear a mask to enter the theater. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors age 62 and up and students. Visit tkapow.com/dancenation.

Auto oil
See “Vehicular Narratives,” an exhibition of paintings by local artist William Turner, at The Art Center (located inside the Washington Mill, 1 Washington St., Suite 1177, Dover) before it’s gone on Monday, Feb. 28. Turner worked in the auto body restoration business for 30 years before becoming a full-time painter, earning BFA and MFA degrees in visual arts and painting from the former New Hampshire Institute of Art (now the Institute of Art and Design at New England College). His oil paintings, which he describes as “narrative realism,” have depicted distressed vehicles and machinery, vintage toys and stories from Greek and Roman mythology and folklore told through imagery of automobiles. All works are for sale. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with private appointments available by request. Visit theartcenterdover.com.

ART

Auctions and sales

• NEW HAMPSHIRE ART ASSOCIATION PERMANENT COLLECTION AUCTION Fundraiser auction features 75 pieces acquired by NHAA over the last 40 years, including pieces by former and current NHAA members. Pieces will be on view starting Wed., Feb. 16, at NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). Online bidding will run Fri., Feb. 18, through Sat., Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Masks are required indoors. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230 to learn more.

Exhibits

• “FOR THE LOVE OF IMPRESSION” Exhibit features prints created using traditional techniques and materials, combined with contemporary aesthetics, new materials, and technology by eight local artists who are members of the group New Hampshire Printmakers. Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook). Now through March 5. All pieces are for sale. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• “SETTING THE STANDARD” Exhibit features new work from League jurors in all media areas. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters, 49 S. Main St., #100, Concord. Now through March 31. Regular exhibition hours are Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Visit nhcrafts.org.

• “ECHOES: ABSTRACT PAINTING TO MODERN QUILTING” Exhibit features abstract paintings inspired by the bold colors, asymmetry, improvisational layout, alternate grid work and negative space in composition of modern quilting. Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). April 22 through May 14. Visit twovillagesart.org.

“NATURE AT NIGHT: PAINTINGS BY OWEN KRZYZANIAK GEARY” Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). May 27 through June 18. Visit twovillagesart.org.

Workshops and Classes

• PASTEL PAINTING WORKSHOP Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Sat., Feb. 26, 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $40. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com.

THEATER

Shows

• BYE BYE BIRDIE Mainstage production by The Palace Theatre. 80 Hanover St., Manchester. March 11 through April 3. Tickets range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Classical

Culture for Concord

Lecture series brings free music and more to the Capital City

With a lineup that’s heavy on music, the Walker Lecture Series is starting its spring season of free community events, which will include tribute bands, a string quartet, travelogs and an exploration of the art of silent film.

“We do try to make sure to include some conventional lectures to be true to our name,” Walker Lecture Series Trustee Jon Kelly said. “There is more music this season than usual — some of that is the way Covid worked out.”

No programs were canceled due to Covid in the past two years, with some presenters opting to speak or perform via Zoom, or to use rented space at the Hatbox Theatre to allow for social distancing, but most of the musical acts opted to postpone their shows until it was safe to play live at Concord City Auditorium.

“We found that lecturers could still do a wonderful presentation, but musicians found that Zoom did not work for [them] the way it would for a speaker,” Kelly said.

The Walker Lecture Series has presented programs since 1896, using funds from a trust gifted to the City of Concord by lifelong resident Abigail B. Walker with the provision that the series offers free lectures on “subjects of history, literature, art or science, and free dramatic, musical, literary, historical and other cultural events” in Concord, according to the terms of the trust.

Music tends to bring in the biggest crowds, Kelly said, so musical acts have increased in recent years, even aside from the Covid factor. Kelly himself is looking forward to hearing Artful Noise this season.

“I don’t know very much about classical music and string quartets, [and] this is a great opportunity to expose myself to something new,” he said.

The musical genres vary greatly for this series, and that’s no accident. Kelly said that a Beatles tribute band was a huge success, with a large audience and people up dancing, while an opera was not as well-attended — and that’s OK, he said.

“We love having a full house, but we also love bringing an opportunity that might not have existed otherwise to the community,” he said. “It still brings value.”

This season’s musical offerings are no different in their variety, with the string quartet, some a cappella, a night of doo-wop, a tribute to Chicago and a tribute to Johnny Cash. The latter could appeal to many, Kelly said.

“Older people remember him from when he was touring with Elvis in the ’50s, but younger people who saw [Walk the Line] know him from that,” Kelly said. “He really spoke across the generations.”

Two of this season’s programs are travelogs, presented by travel photographers and filmmakers; one is an exploration of Central and South America, and the other is a journey through Japan.

“We’ve been going since 1896, and historically there’s been an interest in travelogs — and that feels like it’s from another century because now people can watch the Travel Channel,” Kelly said. “But … what makes it different from sitting in the living room is the photographer and the videographer are in the room with you.”

The other non-music presentation of the season is a lecture called “Sennett, Chaplin, Keaton & the Art of Silent Film Comedy,” which Kelly thinks can also appeal to a broader audience.

“It’s easy for people to say [silent film is] a hundred years old, and yet people like Chaplin and Keaten were so skilled at reaching everybody [in the audience] that when you see them today, you still get that connection,” he said.

And, as with all of the programs, there’s really nothing to lose from checking it out, Kelly said.

“Here’s a chance to come and try it for free — if you find out you love it, then that’s a great gift,” he said.

Walker Lecture Series spring season

Where: Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St.
When: All shows are on Wednesdays and start at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
More info: walkerlecture.org

Schedule
Feb. 23: Buskers’ Night In, produced by Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki
March 2: The Rockin’ Daddios, An Evening of Doo Wop
March 16: Artful Noise, a string quartet from the New Hampshire Seacoast
March 23: Filmmaker Marlin Darrah explores Central and South America, an introduction to the grand natural wonders, architectural treasures, and cultural and artistic highlights of several cities and countries.
March 30: Travel photographer and documentary filmmaker Brent Winebrenner presents “Japan, Land of the Rising Sun,” a multimedia presentation about its history, traditions, culture and people.
April 6: Counterfeit Cash: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
April 13: Patrick Anderson, film buff and Colby-Sawyer professor, presents “Sennett, Chaplin, Keaton & the Art of Silent Film Comedy.” Learn how film creates and delivers ideas, and how it shapes and reflects popular attitudes, then discuss movies and enjoy the art of silent film comedy as it was developed by three masters.
April 20: An Evening of A Cappella with Mixtape and Ball in the House
May 11: Introduction: Tribute to Chicago

Featured Photo: The Rockin’ Daddios will be playing at the Walker Lecture Series on Wednesday, March 2nd. Photo by Jim Brady.

Category: Art & Theater

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