Category: Art & Theater

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

• 93rd season: The Concord Community Concert Association commences its 93rd season with a performance at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord; theaudi.org) by Next Generation Leahy, a groups of siblings who play not only Celtic music but music influenced by French-Canadian step-dancing and more, according to thenextgenerationleahy.com, where you can see concert videos and hear their music. Next Generation Leahy will perform Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, at the door or at ccca-audi.org.
• Icons: And speaking of the Audi, the Walker Lecture Series continues with “Secret Stories Behind Iconic Paintings” with Jane Oneail on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. which will look at works such as “American Gothic,” “Whistler’s Mother,” “Starry Night” and “The Nighthawks,” according to a press release. Doors open at 7 p.m. See walkerlecture.org.
• Henniker Homegrown: The fall festival known as the Henniker Handmade & Homegrown event will run Saturday, Sept. 30, and Sunday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Henniker and feature more than 70 artists, crafters, farmers and food makers, according to a press release. The vendors will set up at the community center and park at 57 Main St., the release said. The event will also feature music including Joey Clark & The Big Hearts, the Danny Savage Band, Peabody’s Coal Train and Beechwood — all at the Angela Robinson Bandstand. The food truck offerings will include Taco Beyondo, TOLA Rose Italian Eatery, and Drink Positive NH, the release said. Parking will be available at the Henniker Community School. See henniker.org.

Music, eats and art
Head to the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13 in Brookline; andresinstitute.org, 673-7441) on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m., where you’ll find the New England rock band kNowhere Kids (pictured) — bring an instrument and join the jam session, according to the website — and the food truck Cedi’s Tasty Treats. The Institute is currently hosting three artists as part of its International Sculpture Symposium. See the website for more on the artists.

• Autumn and crafts: Shop more than 75 juried craftsmen and artisans at the Autumn Festival on the Lake at Mills Falls Marketplace (Route 3 in Meredith) on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. See castleberryfairs.com.
• Family story: Amherst-based author Thomas Fisher will discuss his book Gifts from Prometheus at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. The book is “a true journey into his family’s past. A moving and compelling personal story of discovery concerning his family’s roots and his recounting of his grandfather’s life as a Black man ‘passing’ in mid-century Boston,” according to a press release.
• Arts and foliage: Find both at the Deerfield Arts Tour on Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. each day. Meet the artists at more than a dozen studios featuring painting, pottery, glasswork, fiber art, mosaics, jewelry, woodwork and more, according to deerfieldarts.com, where you can find the map of all the locations and a look at the works by participating artists.
• News from the Count: See Matt Kirkland of Dracula Daily, a book that compiles the installments of an email newsletter that sent pieces of the novel Dracula, arranged chronologically, at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. No registration is required. The book includes artwork and memes from the newsletter’s subscribers, according to a press release.

Hand to God
“After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry” — so begins the description of the play Hand to God by Robert Askins, which will be presented by the Actors Cooperative Theatre at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) starting Friday, Sept. 29, and running through Sunday, Oct. 15. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. “Hand to God explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality and the ties that bind us,” according to the website, which notes that the production contains adult themes and language. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students.

• October at Balin: Balin Books (Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua; balinbooks.com, 417-7981) has events on its October hosting schedule. On Monday, Oct. 16, at 5:30 p.m. author Kathleen Watt will discuss her book Rearranged: An Opera Singer’s Facial Cancer and Life Transposed with fellow memoirist Melanie Brooks. See kathleenwatt.com. On Saturday, Oct. 21, at 11 a.m., illustrator Beth Krommes (she did the images for Susan Marie Swanson’s The House in the Night) of Peterborough will discuss and sign the children’s book We Are Branches, by Joyce Sidman, which Krommes illustrated. See bethkrommes.com.
• A tribute to Hollywood: Temple B’Nai Israel of Laconia (210 Court St. in Laconia; tbinh.org, 524-7044) will present The Jersey Tenors with “A Tribute to Hollywood” on Saturday, Oct. 28. The concert will benefit the Interlakes Community Caregivers, according to a press release. Doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets cost $40 at tbinh.org.
• Visiting dancers: The Boston Dance Theater will present two performances of the Carol Kaye Project at the 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 766-3330, 3arts.org) on Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. This contemporary dance program celebrates one of the most prolific bassist-guitarists of all time, according to a press release. Tickets cost $25.

Art After Work
Get music and arts discussion at the “Art After Work” this Thursday, Sept. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. (when museum admission is free) at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144). Folk singer-songwriter Halley Neal and bluegrass band Pretty Saro will perform, and a program at 6 p.m. will look at the exhibit “Distant Conversations: Ella Walker & Betty Woodman” (on display through Oct. 22). “Italian Connections” will feature Katarina Jerinic, collections curator at the Woodman Family Foundation, “offering insight into how Betty Woodman’s time in Italy influenced her singular approach to ceramic sculpture” as well as a presentation of Lorenzo Fusi, chief curator at the Currier, “highlighting the influence of Italian fresco on Ella Walker’s work” according to the website. Register for this program, which will be held in the Winter Garden Cafe, online.

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

Art After Work: At the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) this Thursday (Sept. 21) the Art After Work (from 5 to 8 p.m., when museum admission is free) will feature music from Rebecca Turmel and “Art of Awareness” with Rosie Latona of White Swan Yoga and Suzanne Canali, director of education, according to the website. The program is a 30-minute awareness exercise and discussion with this month’s focus on “Série Elementar: Poder de Taja” part of the “The Living Forest: UÝRA” exhibit (which closes Sunday, Sept. 24).

At next week’s Art After work, catch a program at 6 p.m. that will look at the exhibit “Distant Conversations: Ella Walker & Betty Woodman” (on display through Oct. 22). “Italian Connections” will feature Katarina Jerinic, collections curator at the Woodman Family Foundation, “offering insight into how Betty Woodman’s time in Italy influenced her singular approach to ceramic sculpture” as well as a presentation of Lorenzo Fusi, chief curator at the Currier, “highlighting the influence of Italian fresco on Ella Walker’s work” according to the website. Register for this program, which will be held in the Winter Garden Cafe, online.

Sip N Sing: The Nashua Choral Society (nashuachoralsociety.org) is holding an event at Spyglass Brewing (306 Innovative Way in Nashua) called “Sip N Sing: It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere!” at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23. Find out more about the chorus and enjoy some singing. The Nashua Choral Society invites new singers to its rehearsal on Monday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. at Judd Gregg Auditorium at the Nashua Community College.

From The Players: The Sandwich-based Shakespeare company Advice To The Players will present Much Ado About Nothing on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 4 p.m. in Quimby Park (8 Maple St. in Center Sandwich). Tickets cost $20 for adults (ages 18 to 61), $15 for seniors (62+), students (10 to 18, over 18 with student ID); admission is free for 11 and under. See advicetotheplayers.org.

Night of swing and jazz: Jukebox Saturday will present swing and jazz, celebrating the music of Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Harry James, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Cab Calloway and more, at the Stockbridge Theatre (44 N. Main St. in Derry; pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre) on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $30 or $35.

Walker Lecture Series: The Walker Lecture Series at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord) was slated to begin Sept. 20 with a travelog by Marlin Darrah about travels in Egypt. Future lectures include “The Blizaard of ‘78” with author Mike Tougias on Wednesday, Sept. 27; “Secret Stories Behind Iconic Paintings” with Jane Oneail, who has worked at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and the Currier Museum of Art, on Wednesday, Oct. 4; a performance by the Southern Rail Bluegrass Band on Wednesday, Oct. 25; an evening of Yankee humor with authors Rebecca Rule and Fred Marple on Wednesday, Nov. 1; a night of New Hampshire nature with “The Brilliant Beaver” with Willa Coroka and “An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon” by Ian Clark on Wednesday, Nov. 29, and a performance by the band The Cartells on Wednesday, Dec. 6. All of these shows take place at the City Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m. and no tickets or advance registration is required. On Saturday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. see the open rehearsal of Handel’s Messiah, and see the performance on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. — both at St. Paul’s Church in Concord at 22 Centre St. The performance will be conducted by Benjamin Greene and will include professional soloists and a community chorus, according to a press release. See walkerlecture.org.

Save the date for wool: Celebrate fiber arts (and the animals behind it) at the 40th Annual Woo Arts Tour on Saturday, Oct. 7, and Sunday, Oct. 8. Five farms host the event, which will feature demonstrations, food, vendors, live animals and more, according to woolartsournh.com. Maple Lane Farm in Lyndeborough, for example, will have at least 15 vendors with wool and alpaca yarn, homemade items, homemade food products and eats for sale including pulled pork, ribs, hot dogs, sausage with peppers and onion and chili, according to an email. The farms will be open at 10 a.m. each day — until 5 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

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

• September arts market: The Concord Arts Market, an outdoor artisan and fine art market, has its September outing this Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). Last market of the fall season is Oct. 21. Visit concordartsmarket.net.
• Crafts weekend: The Hampton Falls Craft Festival will run Saturday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Town Common (Route 1 in Hampton Falls). Admission to this outdoor event is free; the event will feature live music, arts and crafts. See castleberryfairs.com.
• Kingtson crafts: The East Kingston Craft Fair will be held Sunday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the East Kingston Public Library (47 Maplevale Road in East Kingston) and feature crafts, baked goods, artisan vendors and seasonal produce, according to the event’s EventBrite page.

Fabricating Modernism
Newly opened at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is the exhibit “Fabricating Modernism: Prints from the School of Paris” featuring the prints of a New Hampshire collector, according to a press release. The prints are dated from after World War II and created by artists working in the U.S. and Paris with the exhibit showcasing works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Sonia Delaunay and Georges Rouault, according to the website. The Currier is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays (when admission is free as part of the Art After Work program; this week the rock ‘n’ roll band Regals will perform).

• NH in art: Two Villages Art Society presents Colin Callahan’s “New Hampshire Up Close” at the Bates Building (846 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) through Oct. 7. The exhibit showcases the hidden magic in everyday New Hampshire nature scenes, according to a press release.
• Tapestry Tuesday: The Lake Sunapee Region Center for the Arts’ Tapestry Tuesday program on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. will feature John Moody with “Abenaki/Penacook History of the Lake Sunapee/Upper Sugar River Watershed” at St. Andrew’s Church in New London, according to centerfortheartsnh.org. Space is limited; register at [email protected].
• Draw: Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) will hold its next free monthly Drawing Night on Thursday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. (Future drawing nights are Oct. 19, Nov. 17 and Dec. 21). Bring art supplies to work alongside others and receive “as much or as little feedback as you’d like,” according to a press release. The evenings are hosted by artists Ty Meier and Jo Grubman; no registration is required. Two Villages Art Society also offers a monthly Artist Circle (next up is Thursday, Oct. 5, then Nov. 2 and Dec. 7; all from 6 to 8 p.m.). Bring your work to have it critiqued or just enjoy conversation with fellow artists, the release said.
• A New England tale: Daniel Mason will bring his new novel North Woods, a story about a house in the woods of New England told through the lives of those who inhabit it across centuries, to Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m.
• Season opening: Symphony New Hampshire will present “East Meets West Vol. II: Beethoven and Wijeratne” on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St. in Nashua). At this concert, which will kick off the 2023-2024 season, Grammy-winning tabla player Sandeep Das will join the symphony and Maestro Roger Kaile for the New Hampshire premiere of Dinuk Wijeratne’s “Concerto for Tabla and Orchestra,” according to the press release, which said the concert will close with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major. Tickets cost $10 through $63; see symphonynh.org.
  In October, Symphony NH will present two Halloween shows on Saturday, Oct. 7. At 11 a.m., catch “Halloween Magic — Family Concert” featuring Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,” John Williams pieces from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and The Witches of Eastwick, Danny Elfman’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas Suite” and more, according to the website. Tickets cost $8 to $20. At 7:30 p.m. it’s “Halloween Pops!” with an expanded show. Tickets to the evening show cost $10 to $63. Both shows take place at the Keefe Center for the Arts in Nashua.

Fabricating Modernism
Newly opened at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is the exhibit “Fabricating Modernism: Prints from the School of Paris” featuring the prints of a New Hampshire collector, according to a press release. The prints are dated from after World War II and created by artists working in the U.S. and Paris with the exhibit showcasing works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Sonia Delaunay and Georges Rouault, according to the website. The Currier is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays (when admission is free as part of the Art After Work program; this week the rock ‘n’ roll band Regals will perform).

• Tour the (one-time) capital: The American Independence Museum in Exeter will partner with Exeter Parks & Recreation to present a guided walking tour of downtown Exeter, the Revolutionary War-era capital of New Hampshire, according to a press release. The tour will take place Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. The event is free but pre-registration is required; register at indpendencemuseum.org/guidedwalk.
• Family Matinees: The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s “Family Matinees” Chamber series returns Saturday, Sept. 30, at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Episocopal Church (101 Chapel St. in Portsmouth) with the orchestra’s principal winds performing “Carnival of the Animals.” Admission is a suggested $15 per family donation at the door. Future shows include “Masterpiece Transcriptions for Brass Quintet” on Saturday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m.; “Bach’s Toccata and More!” on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m., and “Fables in Harmony: A Musical Journey with the Tortoise and the Hare” on Saturday, April 27, at 3 p.m. See portsmouthsymphony.org.
• October at Gibson’s: Nathan Hill will be at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com) on Friday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his new novel, Wellness, “a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together,” according to a press release.
• Broadway at the Palace: Tony winner Kelli O’Hara will perform on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) in a concert featuring the Palace Youth Theatre, according to a press release. Tickets cost $99 to $129.
• Christmas in Vienna in Laconia: The Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna will perform at the Colonial Theatre (609 Main St. in Laconia; coloniallaconia.com) on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $49 to $89; go online or call 800-657-8774.
• Holiday sax: Kenny G will bring “Miracles Holiday and Hits” to the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St. in Nashua; 800-657-8774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $59 to $129.
• Art of the drum: Catch Drum Tao, a show with costumes and staging centered on Japanese Taiko drums, at the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $44 through $76.

Nashua author discusses her father’s illness

We all are likely familiar with a variation of the saying “the truth will set you free.” What they don’t tell you is how hard it can be to set the truth free. For Nashua author Melanie Brooks, it was a process a decade in the making, described in her memoir, A Hard Silence, released on Sept. 12. Brooks will be at the Bookery in Manchester on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 5 p.m. for a book reading and signing and at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord for a reading and conversation on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 6:30 p.m.

When Brooks’s father was infected with HIV in 1985 after undergoing open heart surgery and receiving contaminated blood, her family decided to keep it a secret.

“It was right at the height of the AIDS epidemic and there was so much ignorance and stigma surrounding the disease,” Brooks said. “There was a lot of prejudice and homophobia that was surrounding it and so my dad decided to keep it a secret, not expecting that it would be a 10-year secret. He was a doctor and he expected he would be dead in months.”

Originally from Canada, Brooks moved to New Hampshire 26 years ago after completing undergraduate studies. While pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree, she started the process of writing about her experience, which would result in her memoir.

“It was really difficult. It felt like I was breaking rules even though the rules weren’t there anymore,” Brooks said. “The secret of his illness was known before he died, but I kind of carried that silence really closely and I didn’t talk about it to a lot of people. … When I finally decided I was going to open that box and look at what was there, it was pretty difficult because it was really the first time I was acknowledging a lot of trauma and pain that resided in that experience.”

While working on her thesis, she had an additional project she needed to complete for her MFA for which she decided to interview other memoirists, like Andre Dubus III, Abigail Thomas and Kyoko Mori, who had written about their own difficult experiences. This resulted in Brooks’s first book, Writing Hard Stories, published in 2017.

“That book [was] actually kind of the book I needed to write to finish writing the current book,” Brooks said.

While the context of her memoir is her father’s illness, the book tells the story of her own experiences.

“The memoir’s really about what happens when we’re forced to stay silent, the things that are impacting our lives and the consequences of secrecy,” she said. “It chronicles my journey to come to that place of being able to tell this story and my experience.”

Brooks says it took a while to find a publisher willing to take a chance on her story, as many people feel that HIV/AIDS is less relevant today.

Just as the memoirists she interviewed for Writing Hard Stories helped her tell her own story, she hopes her memoir can do the same for her readers.

“I started to recognize that this is a story that’s about more than the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Brooks said. “Whatever the secret and silence is [that] people are carrying, I think they need to recognize that it doesn’t have to be an experience that they hold in isolation. …. I hope [readers] will see that even in the most difficult circumstances, speaking those circumstances brings a level of relief.”

Melanie Brooks

Book launch and conversation
When: Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Nashua Country Club (25 Fairway St. in Nashua)
RSVP: Via balinbooks.com/events

Book signing and reading
When: Thursday, Sept. 14, 5 p.m.
Where: Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com

Reading and conversation about writing stories of health/illness
When: Wednesday, Sept. 20, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Gibson’s Bookstore, 45 S. Main St., Concord, gibsonsbookstore.com