Category: Art & Theater

Erasing stigma

Currier Museum of Art opens the conversation on substance use disorder with Art of Hope

By Mya Blanchard
[email protected]

In January 2018, Currier Museum of Art in Manchester started Art of Hope, a support group for people with loved ones who have, or had, substance use disorder.

“This was really our response to what we can do in light of the opioid epidemic here in Manchester and our whole local area,” said Corie Lyford, who organizes the program. “[It] is intended as a wellness and respite program for people who … have family and loved ones [with] substance use disorder.”

Art of Hope is held on select Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. when the museum is closed, to offer a level of privacy, and is free and open to the public. Doors open 45 minutes before the program begins for people to spend time in the galleries and for a late dinner.

After an introduction to the night’s theme, which include topics like love, hope, grief and self-care, the evening begins with time in the galleries to enjoy art and engage in conversation centering around the theme. The group, which tends to average between 12 and 20 people in size, then gathers in one of the studio spaces for the peer support group led by parent mentors.

“[The parent mentors] might immediately talk about personal experiences they’ve had, they might talk about helpful resources that they’ve found for the group, or they might start by opening it up and just asking the group, ‘What do you think about that?’ [or] ‘What do you all have to say about this topic?’” Lyford said. “It’s really led by the participants. Everyone is encouraged to share, although no one has to.”

One parent mentor who has found it helpful and rewarding to share her experience is Patricia Perkins, whose son is now seven years opiate-free and recently married after a five-year battle with substance use disorder. His struggle began after losing both his father and grandfather within seven months of each other when he was 17.

“I have a son who’s a productive part of society and no longer looks to substances to temporarily solve his problems, but it was years of waiting by the phone [for someone] to say he didn’t make it, or trying to put all your things away so he doesn’t take anything,” Perkins said. “Living in a prison in your own house is really what it’s like. I look at him [now] and think, ‘He’s my miracle kid.’ I’m just such a lucky mom to have made it so far.”

According to Perkins, it is these conversations that work toward breaking down the stigma that surrounds substance use disorder.

“If people don’t talk about it, that stigma just continues to grow,” she said.

The night ends with an art project designed, demonstrated and led by Lyford, which can involve painting, drawing, sculpting or printmaking. While everyone is working on the same thing, creative expression is always emphasized.

“I think that the shared life experience and the knowledge that people are so willing and so brave to share within the [topic] of substance use disorder always amazes me,” Lyford said. “There are other support groups out there, but I think this support group is special in that they’re enjoying the calm and the beauty and the peace of the museum, and they’re learning how to incorporate the power of the arts into their lives at the same time.”

Art of Hope
When: Select Mondays, 6 to 8 p.m.; upcoming dates are July 31 and Aug. 21
Where: Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester)
Visit: currier.org

The Art Roundup 23/07/20

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

• Celebrating water: The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road in Warner; indianmuseum.org, 456-2600) will display the exhibit “Nebizum: Water Is Life” starting Saturday, July 22, when Vera Longtoe Sheehan will discuss the exhibit at 1 p.m.The exhibit is on display through Tuesday, Oct. 31, during which time the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission costs $11 — $10 for seniors, students and veterans; $8 for ages 6 to 12, and free for kids under 6 and Native Americans, with a household price of $35 (for two adults and up to three kids), according to the website.

Big Fish
RGC Theatre will present the musical Big Fish at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) starting Friday, July 21, and running through Sunday, July 30. Shows are Friday and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $25, $22 for seniors and students.

• The Second Coming: The Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7469) will present Nunsense II: The Second Coming on Friday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for 65+ and 17 and under. The musical returns to the Little Sisters of Hoboken for a sequel to Nunsense, according to a press release. The production is directed by Carole Neveux with musical direction by A. Robert Dionne and is choreographed by Bruce Williams, the release said.

• Uncommon Art: Get ready for Goffstown Main Street’s 15th Annual Uncommon Art on the Common on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This art festival will feature the works of more than 45 area artists and artisans displayed in booths along Main Street, according to a press release. The event will include the return of Uncommon Bling (gather beads and handcrafted items at participating booths to be strung on a necklace), an art raffle, a kids’ craft tent and more, the release said. See goffstownuncommonarts.org.

History in stone
The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakers.org) will hold a two-day Stone Wall Workshop on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Learn the history of stone walls in New England and help restore some of the village’s stone walls with master stone artisan and mason Kevin Fife, according to a press release. The workshop costs $250 per person and includes materials and a gourmet lunch. The workshop will also be held Aug. 26 and Aug. 27 and Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. Visit shakers.org to enroll.

• Original theater: Cue Zero Theatre Company (cztheatre.com) presents Join/Empathy, a project from the Cue Zero Laboratory Series, on Friday, Aug. 4, and Saturday, Aug. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, in Salem). Tickets cost $15 per person. Join explores how and why people fall into cults, according to a press release. Empathy was created by a small group of performers looking at what “empathy” means in daily life and is set in a restaurant, the release said.

• Book event at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) will participate in a virtual launch day author event on Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m. with Michael Korta for the new book An Honest Man, a thriller about the murder of several politicians at sea, talking to fellow thriller author Lisa Unger. Register online.

• Book event at the Aviation Museum: Author Paul Houle will discuss his book The Crash of Delta Flight 723: The Worst Air Disaster in New England History on Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; 669-4877, aviationmuseumofnh.org). Tickets cost $10 and are available at the door (or in advance by calling); books will be for sale for $35, according to a press release.

MacDowell medal awardee
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org) will present a screening of Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises, an autobiographical documentary by filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, who will receive the Edward MacDowell medal this weekend at MacDowell in Peterborough (see macdowell.org), according to a Currier newsletter. The screening will take place Thursday, July 20, at 6 p.m.; register online. The screening takes place during the weekly Art After Work programming, when admission to the museum is free and the museum features live music (this week from Goodwin Street Jazz).

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

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