Category: Art & Theater

Spread the news

Ovation Theatre Company presents Newsies

By Mya Blanchard
[email protected]

A week and a half away from opening night, the cast of Newsies at Ovation Theatre Company gave an electric preview of the second act of the show at their rehearsal on July 10. The production will be held at the Derry Opera House on Friday, July 21, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 22, at 1 and 7 p.m.

Disney’s Newsies, the Broadway musical written by Harvey Fierstein, was inspired by the true events of the New York City newsboys’ strike in 1899 against paper prices and unfair conditions.

“I love the show because it’s got a lot of energy, it’s really upbeat, it involved a lot of people, really dynamic dancing and I love the message it says to young people about having their voices [be] heard,” said Meg Gore, the director of Ovation’s production and the founder of the Londonderry-based theater company.

Although over a week away from opening, the numbers were commanding and clean, no doubt the result of Gore’s establishment of a fun yet serious rehearsal environment and the talent and hard work of the cast and crew. I was immediately impressed with the high-energy opening number of the second act, “King of New York,” featuring strong tap dancers and powerful vocalists.

“If there’s anything that’s going to blow [the audience’s] socks and shoes off, it’s going to be the dancing,” said Carson Curtis, who is making his Ovation debut with the role of Les. “The harmonizing is awesome [too].”

For Curtis, the youngest member of the show, playing the comedic 9-year-old has been fun, but a challenge.

“I am almost 13, so having to play a younger role [with] bad grammar and that stuff, it’s been challenging,” Curtis said. “I have a little brother that’s 9 and it’s fun because I can rehearse my lines and see how he says it.”

Jack Kelly, the ringleader of the newsies, is played by James Bridges, who embodies the character with such authenticity, right down to the spot-on New York accent, it seems as if he were made for the role. Surprisingly, portraying Jack did not come naturally to Bridges.

“He’s grown up on the streets all his life, and when Joseph Pulitzer raises the price of the papers, he’s the one who organizes the union to strike against the unfair practices,” he said. “I think Jack is a very assertive, confident and aggressive person, which is not how I would describe myself at all. … It’s been interesting and fun to be more of an exaggerated, confident swagger-filled guy.”

The newsies are helped by Katharine Plummer, a journalist who uses her skills as a writer to support the strike. For Chloe Ferraro, a dynamic vocalist with a flawless vibrato, playing Katharine is a dream come true.

“It’s actually been one of my dream roles forever, so I’ve been having a lot of fun,” Ferraro said. “It took me a lot to prepare for this character. Katharine’s very posh and elegant and I am not really those things, so it was really fun to kind of put myself into the character and just kind of send it.”

Although it was only a rehearsal, the cast gave a high-caliber performance.

“The experience with this cast has been amazing,” Gore said. “They’re great people and they’re very very very talented, but in addition to that they’re just very kind human beings. They’ve been great to work with.”

Ovation Theatre Company presents Newsies
When: Friday, July 21, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 22, at 1 and 7 p.m.
Where: Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry
Cost: Tickets are $25
More info: Visit ovationtc.com

The Art Roundup 23/07/13

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

• Willkomen: Actors Cooperate Theatre wraps up its two-week production of Cabaret at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) with shows this Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets for this presentation of the Tony-winning musical about a Berlin nightclub at the end of the Weimar Republic cost $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students.

• Barns tell the story: The New Boston Historical Society will feature John Porter to discuss “The History of Agriculture as Told By Barns” on Thursday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at New Boston Community Church (2 Meetinghouse Hill Road), according to a press release. Porter was a dairy specialist for the UNH Cooperative Extension and authored several books about old barns, the release said. The event is free; see newbostonhistoricalsociety.com.

• New at the Currier: The new exhibit “Distant Conversations: Ella Walker and Betty Woodman” will open to the public at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) on Saturday, July 15. The exhibit is the first in a series of “Distant Conversations” exhibits “exploring intergenerational dialogues and artistic conversations between practitioners who have not necessarily met in real life but whose work similarly resonates despite their differences,” according to the Currier’s website. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, Oct. 22. You can see the exhibit for free during Saturday’s Block Party, which runs from 4 to 9 p.m.

“The Complexities of Presentation”
Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com, 225-3932) has partnered with the Greater Manchester Chamber (54 Hanover St. in Manchester; manchester-chamber.org) to present the show “The Complexities of Presentation” at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Boardroom at the Chamber offices, running Thursday, July 13, through the end of August, according to a press release. The show will feature the works of artists Sylvan Dustin and Leaf Comstock, the release said. A reception for the exhibit will be held on Thursday, July 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. and will feature live music, treats by Dancing Lion Chocolate, and an opportunity to meet the artists, the release said. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• NH Music Festival: The New Hampshire Music Festival (nhmf.org) will perform two concerts at the Gilford Community Church (19 Potter Hill Road in Gilford): an orchestra concert on Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. and a chamber music concert on Monday, July 24, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the orchestra concert cost $40 for adults, $15 for students; tickets for the chamber concert cost $35 for adults, $15 for students. See the Festival’s website to purchase tickets.

• The history of Freedom Summer: The Derry Public Library (derrypl.org) will host a virtual program called “Civil Rights Investigation: Mississippi Burning,” about the disappearance of three civil rights workers during the Freedom Summer of 1964, on Wednesday, July 26, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., according to the website. The program is presented by the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library.

• Sy Montgomery: Author Sy Montgomery and illustrator Matt Patterson will be at Balin Books (Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua; balinbooks.com, 417-7981) on Saturday, July 29, at 11 a.m. to discuss and sign their new children’s picture book The Book of Turtles, according to a press release.

• Creme de la Creme and Oshibana: The Art Center and NH Art Association present their “Creme de la Creme” members exhibition at The Art Center (Suite 1177, 1 Washington St. in Dover; theartcenterdover.com) through the end of August, according to a press release. An artist reception will be held for the exhibit on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 6 to 9 p.m, the release said.

The Art Center is also running the exhibit “Oshibana — The Botanical Collection” featuring the artwork of Roberta Garrison in the Jim Reagan Gallery through Aug. 31, according to a press release. Oshibana is an art form originating in 16th-century Japan involving “arranging pressed flowers and botanical elements into stunning works of art,” the release said. Garrison’s work focuses on the beauty of local birds, the release said. An artist reception for this show will also be held on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Chef’s Kiss
Back at their home base, Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins.com, 225-3932) will present a “Chef’s Kiss” reception on Friday, July 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. “Amanda Whitworth, former Artist Laureate of New Hampshire, has given her heart to assist in a live performance painting with artists Nicholas So and Jeryl Palana Pilapil. We encourage attendees to wear white and tip artists to paint a live painting on their person! Materials will be available for those who want to paint on each other instead of leaning on an artist! Light fare will be provided,” according to a press release. The reception kicks off a multi-artist summer show that will run from Friday, July 14, through Tuesday, Sept. 12, with gallery hours Monday through Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Printmaking on display: The New Hampshire Art Association and the Monotype Guild of New England are presenting the exhibit “Hot Off the Press,” a showcase of New England printers, at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St. in Portsmouth; nhartassociation.org, 431-4230) through Sunday, July 30, according to a press release. The exhibit showcases printmaking from New England with a mix of etching, collagraph, letterpress, relief, lithograph and more, the release said. The gallery is open 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.

• Save the date for even more printmaking: Big Ink weekend at the gallery at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 3sarts.org, 766-3330) will feature “the Big Tuna” — a giant mobile printmaking press — that local artists will use to create large-scale relief prints, according to a press release. The printing, which the public can watch, will run Saturday, Aug. 26, and Sunday, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Artists printing at 3S Artspace include Michelle Stevens, Leslie Evans, Poppy Lord, Denise Manseau, Lisa Schwarz, Le Huong Huynh, Heather Hughes, Sarah Robbitts-Terry, Jennifer Benn, Lauren Audet, Christie Norton, Emily Noelle Lambert, Ronald Pacacha, Mary Mead, Jessica McKeon, Eric MacDonald, Alison Freidlin, Ashley Doke and William Wright, the release said.

• Save the date for ukuleles: The Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group will hold its 8th annual ukulele picnic, SNHUFest, on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rotary Arts Pavilion Stage at Henry Law Park in Dover. The festival, which is free, features a full day of ukulele performances as well as food, vendors, raffles and more, according to a press release. See facebook.com/SNHUG.

Shakespeare on the Green
Get two weekends of Shakespeare under the stars at “Shakespeare on the Green” featuring Macbeth Thursday, July 20, through Saturday, July 22, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream Thursday, July 27, through Saturday, July 29, with all shows at 7:30 p.m., according to a press release. The plays, presented by Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com), will take place on Founder’s Green outside the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $25 for general seating; ages 12 and under get in free. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, coolers and snacks, according to the website.

It’s finally showtime

The Teen Actorsingers troupe puts on its first show in three years

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

The excitement was palpable while the 13-person cast of Firebringer rehearsed on Tuesday, June 27, just a little more than two weeks from opening night. The group of teens sang, acted and joked in the rehearsal space, giving their all for the rehearsal run-through of the show’s first act.

Firebringer, a musical comedy about how cavemen, and cavewomen, discovered fire, is the first show the Teen Actorsingers have put on since closing down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Director Christine Conticchio said she was excited to help highlight the young talent of southern New Hampshire.

“I am excited that we’re a small group but a mighty group,” Conticchio said. “What I didn’t get in quantity, I made up for in quality.”

The show follows a tribe of humans during the Stone Age, with the leader, Jemilla, focusing on keeping the peace in the tribe, having everyone do their designated jobs and duties, and keeping the tribe safe. Zazzalil, an outsider who doesn’t enjoy hard work, decides to try to figure out a shortcut.

Conticchio said she wanted to bring something that would make audiences excited for the reinvigorated youth program. Firebringer gained online popularity due to the meme of Zazzalil singing about how she doesn’t want to do the daily work, and that viral video was enough for Conticchio to get the show up and running. Another benefit was the ensemble nature of the cast, leading to multiple named parts, and the overall lighthearted and feel-good message the show leaves the audience with.

Sophia Scribner, who plays the leader of the tribe, Jemilla, said the whole show revolves around changing perspectives and learning to be open to that change.

“Because of Zazzalil, [Jemilla] realizes that new inventions, like fire, don’t have to be scary,” Scribner said.

Zazzalil, played by Maeve McNeal, starts the show out as an outcast and a troublemaker, but finally becomes accepted by the end of the show, after becoming the titular firebringer and realizing that Jemilla might have had some good points.

“She’s all over the place, but eventually people start to understand her,” McNeal said. “She ends up feeling like she belongs in the end. It’s cute, very coming-of-age.”

In the past, Teen Actorsingers have won awards for their productions, but that isn’t something that Conticchio is focusing on. With the organization finally coming back from the pandemic, Conticchio said she is just excited to be surrounded by passionate young actors.

“They’re wanting a challenge,” Conticchio said about the cast. “These harmonies are not easy, these rhythms are not easy, but they have thrived in that challenge.”

As Conticchio sees it, people often write off teen actors and performances — she said a lot of organizations will shy away from more difficult shows, or choose to do the teen or junior adaptations of popular musicals. Conticchio said that is a disservice to the young actors.

“There’s a fine line between treating [teens] like babies and treating them like they’re almost adults,” Conticchio said. “I think that’s the understatement of teen theater; a lot of people underestimate what these young people can do, and I want to show them that this is what they’re capable of.”

Firebringer
From the Teen Actorsingers (actorsingers.org)
Where: Janice B. Streeter Theater, 14 Court St. in Nashua
When: Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 16, at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and students plus fees (discounts for group tickets).

The Art Roundup 23/07/06

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

• Seeking art: The Manchester Arts Commission is bringing back the City Employee and Family Art Show in the first-floor “Art on the Wall at City Hall” gallery to run Monday, Oct. 2, through Thursday, Nov. 30, according to a press release. An opening reception will be held at City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 10, when prizes will be awarded in several categories, the release said. Participants must be an employee, retiree, volunteer, elected official or immediate family member of that group of the City of Manchester or the Manchester School District, the release said. Register by Thursday, Aug. 31 at nationalartsprogram.org/venues/manchester/manchester-nh-registration.

• Pastel garden: Manchester-based artists Susanne Larkham will present her pastel works featuring flowers in “Fleur-delys” at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St. in Portsmouth) Thursday, July 6, through Sunday, July 30, with a reception on Friday, July 7, from 5 to8 p.m. as part of the Art Around Town first Friday, according to a press release. The gallery is open Tuesday through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. See nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• Gardens for theater: The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will hold a Garden Tour on Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Tickets cost $25; participants will start at Demers Garden Center in Manchester and then head off on a self-guided, self-paced tour of eight private homes in Manchester with other special stops along the way, according to the website.

• Also at the Palace: The theater’s Children’s Summer Series was slated to kick off Wednesday, July 5. Each week a different family-friendly play will run Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Friday at 10 a.m. The first show is magician BJ Hickman. The series runs through Aug. 25 (that final week’s show is Finding Nemo Jr.). The shows all feature professional actors. Tickets cost $10 per person (call the box office for tickets for infants under 1 year old).

“Heroes, Renegades and Rogues”
Artist Darren Taylor will exhibit his works in a solo show called “Heroes, Renegades and Rogues” at the Taylored Art Studios (31 A S. Main St. in Concord; tayloredartstudios.net) Friday, July 7, through Friday, July 21. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. The pieces will delve “into the realm of courage, rebellion and the enigmatic figures that embody them” and the show will feature more than 35 original works in acrylic, pastel and mixed media, according to a press release. An artist reception will be held on Friday, July 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. See tayloredartstudios.net.

• Save the date: The Currier Museum of Art’s (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) annual Summer Block Party will be Saturday, July 15, from 4 to 9 p.m. The event features free gallery admission, art activities, food trucks, face painting, a beer and wine tent, community art projects and more, according to the website. This year’s theme is nature and environmentalism, the website said.

• More theater for kids: Kid-friendly productions will be starting at Capitol Center for the Arts stages in the next week. RB Productions kicks off a series of shows with Addams Family on Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets cost $15.75 for seniors and students, $18.75 for adults. RB Productions presents five more shows at Cap Center stages throughout the next month, ending with a 20th-anniversary celebration at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord) on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 6 p.m. Impact Touring Children’s Theatre starts its upcoming run of shows at the Cap Center on Tuesday, July 11, with Pinnocchio at 10 a.m.

• Musical comedy: The Majestic Theatre will present the Tony-nominated musical Catch Me If You Can at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students. Go to majestictheatre.net to purchase tickets or call 669-7469.

Howard Fishman on Connie Converse
In December 2010, writer and musician Howard Fishman heard a song at a holiday party that sent him down a rabbit hole, resulting in his publication of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse 13 years later. Fishman will discuss his new book, a biography of the New Hampshire-born singer-songwriter who disappeared back in 1974, during an event at Gibson’s Bookstore (45. S Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) on Wednesday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m.

“Listening to this song, I found it hard not to be captivated by this person, to want to be her friend, to know her,” Fishman writes in his book about first hearing the song he would later find out was titled “Talkin’ Like You.”

After leaving the party, Fishman headed to the store and bought the 2009 compilation album How Sad, How Lovely, featuring a series of Converse’s recordings from the 1950s.

“The more I listened to her music, the more my curiosity grew,” Fishman writes. “I felt the need to know the rest of Converse’s story, the details that had driven her to make this particular music, at that particular time. … What had led to her tragic fate, to her simply vanishing…. Who she was or, even, potentially, could still be.”

According to Fishman, Connie Converse was born Elizabeth Eaton Converse in 1924 in Laconia and grew up in Concord. After she completed high school and dropped out of college, her whereabouts were not particularly clear for the next five years until she wound up in New York City to try her hand at making it in the music industry. In 1961, after her time in New York, Converse moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her brother Phil lived. The fateful day of her disappearance dates back to the summer of 1974 when Converse packed her car and drove away, having written letters to her brother and friends saying she wanted to try one more time at a new life but didn’t feel that it would work out. She was never seen or heard from again.

Everything else she left behind sat undisturbed in a filing cabinet in her brother’s garage, until Fishman knocked on Phil’s door decades later. In his book, Fishman takes readers on this journey with him. —Mya Blanchard

The Art Roundup 23/06/29

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

• Sew with friends: The Sewing Circle with the Currier Museum of Art’s (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) artist-in-residence Calder Kamin continues the next two Saturdays, July 1 and July 8, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will help create a “Dream Feather” that will be sewn into the large community quilt to be unveiled at the Currier’s annual Summer Block Party on Saturday, July 15, from 4 to 9 p.m., according to a Currier newsletter. The project is also taking donations of clean fabric, preferably purple or violent, the newsletter said. No experience necessary.

• Singing in summer: The Nashua Choral Society will hold two Summer Sing events where participants can learn and sing a piece of classical music, according to a press release. Singers will practice the piece during the first hour and then do a complete run-through during the second hour, the press release said. Admission to the events costs $10; bring a water bottle and a music score if you have it, the release said. The first Sing will be Sunday, July 16, at 2 p.m. and will focus on “Rutter Requiem”; the second sing will be Sunday, July 30, at 2 p.m. and will feature the Brahms “requiem,” the release said. Both events take place at the Pavilion at Bethany Covenant Church (1 Covenant Way in Bedford), the release said. Email [email protected] with questions.

(Ir)Reverent
Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) will feature the work of Andrew Heath, a Concord-based artist focused on printmaking, photography, sculpture and found media, in an exhibit called “(Ir)Reverent,” which will open Saturday, July 1, and run through Saturday, July 29, according to a press release. The gallery will host an opening reception for Heath on Saturday, July 1, from noon to 2 p.m. The show will feature “several large cyanotype photo prints, as well as smaller works including sculptural pieces,” the release said. The Two Villages Art Society gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

• Art at the New Hampshire Boat Museum: The New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St. in Wolfeboro Falls; nhbm.org) will host an artist reception for Lauren Hammond on Friday, July 7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Hammond’s work includes painting featuring forests, mountains, gardens and flowers, according to a press release that said she draws inspiration from the nature around her. The work will be on display through the end of July. Through Labor Day, the museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

• New from Seacoast Artist Association: The Seacoast Artist Association (130 Water St. in Exeter; seacoastartist.org) has two exhibits opening in July, both of them “Body of Work” shows that focus on a single artists. Sculptor Natasha Dikareva’s works will appear in the exhibit “Wishing You Blue Sky” and are “an homage to the incredible resilience of my fellow Ukrainians,” Dikareva said in a press release. Dikareva was originally from Ukraine and now lives in Newmarket. Windham artist Janice Leahy will have her works displayed in “In Somnis Veritas — In Dreams is Truth.” Meet both artists at a reception on Friday, July 14, from 5 to 7 p.m., when music will be provided by Cheryl Sager and Peg Chaffee, the release said. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Life is a Cabaret
The Actors Cooperative Theatre will present Cabaret at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) Friday, July 7, through Sunday, July 16, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., according to a press release. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students. The musical Cabaret, which takes place in Berlin near the end of the Weimar Republic, features adult language and situations, the press release said.

The light in dark places

NH native Marielle Thompson presents her debut gothic novel

By Mya Blanchard

[email protected]

When Marielle Thompson was diagnosed with a dissociative disorder in 2021, she instantly wanted to find literature that she could see herself in. When she wasn’t able to find any that felt true to her own experience, she decided to write some of her own. Two years later, that story is complete. On Friday, June 30, Thompson, who currently lives in Switzerland, will be at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord to present her debut gothic novel, Where Ivy Dares to Grow.

Ever since her childhood in Exeter, Thompson knew she wanted to be a writer.

“I was just constantly bombarding my family with outrageous stories,” she said.

An avid reader, she spent lots of her time at the Exeter Public Library. She went on to study in Scotland, earning two master’s degrees, first in Romantic and Victorian literature and then in creative writing.

“My first master’s degree in Romantic and Victoran literature [was in] 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century literature, but I really focused in on the 19th century,” Thompson said. “I love those classic gothic tales and I really wanted to focus my degree on the private letters and the journaling a lot of those authors did. … I think that gothic literature generally is sort of like a peek into [the] psyche of the characters and I’ve always found that really fascinating.”

Thompson said that her studies in creative writing and 19th-century literature, citing the Bronte sisters and Mary Shelley as particular influences, gave her a foundation from which to draw inspiration for her novel. Historical events also inspire her writing, like the Moberly-Jourdain incident that happened in France in 1901, when two women who were walking on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles claimed to have slipped back centuries in time before returning back to the present hours later. The story is also infused with her own personal experiences, which Thompson says coincide with the gothic genre.

“The story is very much about mental health and specifically about [the] dissociative disorder that I and [the] main character have,” she said. “I’ve sort of explained it to people by saying it feels like being in a gothic novel, [as if] the ghosts are in your own mind and your body feels like this haunted house you’re trapped in. When I knew I wanted to write a story that was about mental health, and with my degrees, [it] felt like the perfect fit to go for gothic.”

Where Ivy Dares to Grow follows protagonist Saoirse Read who is spending the winter with her fiance and his less-than-accepting parents at their isolated, haunted familial home. One day while walking in the garden, Saoirse slips back in time to 1818 and meets one her fiance’s ancestors, with whom she forms a relationship. Readers embark on this journey with Saoirse, as she slips back and forth from 1818 to the present, navigating the complicated relationships in her life while trying to cope with her mental health.

While categorized as gothic, the novel is a mashup of genres, with elements of historical fiction, romance and psychological mystery with some magical flair. Above all, it was important to Thompson the mental health aspect of the story not be overshadowed.

“There’s tons of heavy topics but it really is a story of hope and … self-love and self-acceptance so I hope that that is something that readers can see in this story and take away from it,” Thompson said. “Especially those that have struggled with mental health … [I hope they] feel like the book is a little bit of a friend and can help give a positive outlook that it’s not always so dark.”

At Gibson’s Bookstore, Thompson will talk about her book as well as engage in a Q&A session and book signing.

“I’m so excited!” Thompson said about returning to the Granite State for this event. “It feels very full circle, as so much of my original love of reading in childhood is connected to memories of New Hampshire, so it feels right to celebrate my debut there.”

Where Ivy Dares to Grow: A Gothic Time Travel Love Story – With Marielle Thompson
When: Friday, June 30, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord
Visit: gibsonsbookstore.com

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!