Category: Art & Theater

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

The Art Roundup 23/06/22

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

• Thursday night live: Joey Clark and the Big Hearts is the band slated to play this Thursday, June 22, for Art After Work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144), which runs from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission is free and the Winter Garden will have its menu and a lineup of cocktails available for purchase. This week, catch a 15-minute “Looking Together Conversation” focused on Mark di Suvero’s “Origins.” Current exhibits include “A New Scheier Medium” featuring the works of Mary and Edwin Scheier; “Seeing is Not Believing,” a photography exhibit on display through Sunday, June 25; “Celebrating the Art and Life of Tomie dePaola,” which commemorates the USPS’s release of a stamp honoring dePaola’s work, and “The Living Forest: UÝRA.”

• From the water: “Ocean Gems,” a show featuring works by Sandra Kavanaugh, is on display at Sullivan Framing and Fine Art Gallery (15 N. Amherst Road in Bedford; sullivanframing.com). See the pieces at an artist reception on Saturday, June 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The exhibit will run through Saturday, Aug. 26.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat wraps up with this weekend’s shows: Friday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 24, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 25, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30.

• Rare finds: Balin Books (Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St. in Nashua; 417-7981) has joined with rare and collectible book dealer Richard Mori to present a bookcase featuring out-of-print titles of local and regional interest, according to a press release. See balinbooks.com.

• Seeking sculpture: The Peterborough Night Market, MAXT Makerspace and Friends of Public Art are looking for five sculptures to be displayed in a sculpture exhibition in downtown Peterborough between Tuesday, Aug. 1, and Tuesday, Oct. 10, according to a press release. The works will be a highlight of the Peterborough Night Market scheduled for Friday, Aug. 11, the release said. This year’s theme is “Retro Funk and Soul.” The deadline for application is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 30; selected pieces will receive a stipend of at least $250 to assist with installation, the release said. See maxtmakerspace.org/peterborough-public-art for details and to submit an application.

Three One-Acts
The Granite Playwrights, a Concord-based writing group and production company, will present “Three One Act Plays” — The College Game, It Happened One Afternoon and Soup’s On — at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) for two weekends, according to a press release. Opening night is Friday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. The show runs through Sunday, July 2, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 ($19 for students and seniors).

• Author talk: Monadnock Writers’ Group is hosting Carol Mabbs-Zeno on Thursday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at the Peterborough Town Library (2 Concord St. in Peterborough; peterboroughtownlibrary.org, 924-840) to discuss his book A Literary Guide to Bridge Construction, which is set in Peterborough, according to a press release. Register at the library’s events page, the release said.

• New exhibits: 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 3sarts.org) has two new exhibits: “If You Knew, Let It Be Us” featuring the drawings, paintings and collage of McKinley Wallace and “Why Am I Here?” featuring the works of Natalie Fisk, which replicates “papel picado,” a form of Mexican folk art created with paper perforations, according to a press release. The exhibits will both hang until Sunday, Aug. 20. A multimedia exhibit called “Peripheral Vision” from Tom Canney is also on display through Sunday, July 9. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays at 11 a.m. through 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. You can also see the shows via a virtual gallery at galleryat3t.org.

Feed me, Seymour!
This year’s Prescott Park Arts Festival’s annual outdoor production at Prescott Park in Portsmouth is Little Shop of Horrors and it starts Friday, June 23, at 7 p.m. Shows will run most Thursdays through Sundays at 7 p.m. through Sunday, Aug. 13. See prescottpark.org for information on reserving a blanket or table for a performance.

Turning a page

Poetry Society of NH begins search for new poet laureate

The last four years for state Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary have been filled with readings, assorted projects, and making poetry as accessible for people as she could.

“It’s been a total joy to serve the state,” Peary said about her tenure. “I’m really happy with the initiatives I’ve started and that they are continuing. I feel like it’s been a whirlwind of all these activities and engagement, and I hope people have benefited from it.”

Her appointment will be over in March 2024. As of now, the submission gates are open for the Poetry Society of New Hampshire, as it begins the search for the next state poet laureate.

Melanie Chicoine, the president of PSNH, said that, while this will be her first time leading the search for a poet laureate, she was excited to be finding the new statewide voice for the artform.

Chicoine said the process for finding the next laureate will be a long one. Submissions are currently open online and will be until Tuesday, Aug. 1. She said that applicants could be nominated by a third party or self-nominated, so long as they meet the criteria the committee is looking at.

The guidelines are simple, Chicoine said. The writer must be a Granite State resident, must have published a full-length book of poetry (with a hardcover copy sent into PSNH) and must indicate what they plan to do with the position once they are appointed.

“That’s the really important part,” Chicoine said about the last requirement.

To her, a winning application will have something like what Peary has done through her international literary magazine Under the Madness, which relies on a teenage staff to sift through submissions and to edit and design. She also spent her time as laureate doing readings and workshops with poetry lovers of all ages and setting up a time to read poetry submissions on air with New Hampshire Public Radio.

Chicoine wants nominees to set goals in their submissions about making poetry available to study, read and create for as many members of the state as possible.

“Bringing poetry to people all over the state in different contexts that makes it something relatable is something important,” Chicoine said. “‘Make poetry more accessible,’ that’s my mantra. [The poet laureate] is representing poetry in the state; what is their plan for how to do that?”

Peary said that while the last four years have been exhilarating she’s also excited to have time to spend with her family and at her profession as well. Being a laureate is an unpaid appointment, and Peary said she would easily work 30 hours a week in addition to her teaching schedule.

While it has been demanding, Peary said it was equally rewarding, remembering a time she met an amateur poet whose work she had read during her poetry hour on NHPR. She said she remembered his poem clearly, and to see his excitement meeting her and expressing what he experienced was amazing.

“To basically do good like that for other writers, from anyone from a kid just starting, to someone older, or someone struggling with writer’s block, just helping out, that’s one of the purposes of life, to cause some good in the world,” Peary said. “I’ll miss that. I’ll miss giving people those bursts of pure joy and pleasure about writing.”

Submissions for New Hampshire Poet Laureate
Detailed guidelines can be found at psnh.org/2024-laureate-nomination-guidelines.
Submission deadline: Tuesday, Aug. 1

Featured photo: Alexandria Peary. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 23/06/15

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

• One production, two plays: “A Night of One Act Plays” continues this weekend from Bedford Off Broadway. Check Please, Takes 1 & 2 and Bob’s Date run Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 18, at 2 p.m. at the Bedford Old Town Hall (3 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford). The door opens an hour before curtain; tickets cost $15 ($12 for seniors, students and children) at the door or on brownpapertickets.com. See bedfordoffbroadway.com.

Calling all woodworkers
The Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers is holding a New England Woodworking Competition, open to professional and amateur woodworkers with judges evaluating entries in 11 categories relative to ability and experience, according to a press release. Register to participate at gnhw.org/register. On Saturday, Oct. 21, from 5 to 10 p.m., the competition will culminate in a display of entries and award ceremony at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center & Planetarium in Concord. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $35 at the door. Some of the pieces on display may be for sale; the New Hampshire Furniture Masters will also present an exhibit on that night, the release said.

• Festival of chamber music: The Halcyon Music Festival features six chamber music programs at St. John’s Episocpal Church (101 Chapel St.) in Portsmouth begins Thursday, June 15, and runs through Saturday, June 14, according to a press release. All shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are available to individual shows and multiple concerts as well as for livestreamed viewing: Single concert tickets cost $25, get tickets to all six concerts for $130 and buy a ticket for livestreamed viewing for $25 (additional ticket packages are available for fewer concerts and tickets for students to one concert cost $10). See halcyonmusicfestival.org/concert for tickets. The festival schedule is: “Lyric” (featuring Bach, George Walker, Brahms, Mozart and more) which also features a Q&A with musicians on Thursday, June 15; “Summer Sounds” (with Dvořák, Britten, Mendelssohn) on Friday, June 16; “Youthful Genius” (with Rachmaninoff, Schubert and Schönberg) on Saturday, June 17; “For the People (with Beethoven, Webern, Bolcom and Brahms) on Thursday, June 22; “Longing and Lullabies” (with Brahms, Schumann, Ravel) on Friday, June 23, and “Land of Dreams” (with Barber, Shostakovich, Beethoven and Brahms) on Saturday, June 24.

• Exhibits and receptions: The Rochester Museum of Fine Art (rochestrmfa.org), which displays its exhibits and collections at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center and at the Rochester Public Library, has two artist receptions on the calendar. On Saturday, June 17, the museum will hold a reception for artists Nate Twombly, Barbara Morse and Connor Gottfried from 5 to 7 p.m at 150 Wakefield St. in Rochester and on Tuesday, June 27, there will be a reception for Kristy Cavaretta from 5 to 7 p.m. at 66 S. Main St. in Rochester. Twombly’s exhibit of illustrations is called “By & By” and Gottfried’s exhibit, featuring his scraped paint, improvised layering, and other techniques, is called “Save Game”; both of these exhibits hang through Friday, June 30, according to a museum press release. Cavaretta’s exhibit is called “Milk & Cookies” and hangs through Friday, Aug. 4; her preferred media include printmaking, woodblock, collagraph, and cyanotype, the release said.

Layers of Identity
The Mosaic Art Collective’s current show, in collaboration with Queerlective, is on display through Friday, June 30, and is called “Layers of Identity: A Visual Exploration,” according to a press release. The pieces invite “the viewer to consider their own complex identities and how societal factors influence perception and treatment of self and others,” the release said. The Mosaic Art Collective (66 Hanover St., Suite 201, in Manchester; 512-6209, mosaicartcollective.com) is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m.

• What’s the buzz, tell me what’s a-happening: Actors Ted Neeley and Bob Bingham a.k.a. Jesus and Caiaphas from the 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar will be at a screening of the musical at Park Theatre (19 Main St. in Jaffrey; theparktheatre.org, 532-8888) on Sunday, June 25, at 7 p.m. to celebrate the movie’s 50th anniversary, according to a press release from the theater. The screening will include a pre-film introduction by the actors and a post-film meet and greet, the release said. Tickets cost $20.

• American crafts: The Hampton Falls Liberty Craft Festival will take place Saturday, July 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hampton Falls Town Common on Route 1 and feature more than 75 artisans, according to a press release. Admission is free; see castleberryfairs.com.

• Summer light: Exeter’s Seacoast Open Studio artists are displaying their spring show “Shades of Summer” at the Exeter Public Library (4 Chestnut St. in Exeter; the Godino Wing on the second floor features the exhibit; hours are Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) through Thursday, June 29, according to a press release. The artists meet Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Exeter Parks and Recreation building to share ideas and critiques and new members are welcome, the release said.

The Birdcage
The 1996 movie The Birdcage (R) starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest will screen Friday, June 16, at 7 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St. in Nashua; nashuacenterforthearts.com, 800-652-8874). Tickets cost $10 and will include an opportunity to enter a raffle for two tickets to the Pride Parade viewing party to be held at the Nashua Center for the Arts on Saturday, June 24.

Naturally photogenic

Conservation group accepting submissions for amateur photo contest

Photography hobbyists have until early September to get shoots ready for a photography contest by the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions.

The contest, called the Natural World Photography Competition, wants photos that make the landscapes and wildlife of New Hampshire the star of the show.

“Important government entities and NHACC provide support, technical assistance, training, and education for these volunteers. We really wanted to showcase the work they do protecting the local lands,” said Barbara Richter, the executive director at NHACC. “We thought an ideal way would be through a photo contest to encourage residents to take pictures of these beautiful places that are on their back doorstep.”

Photos are accepted in three categories: those taken by kids up to 12 years old, by teens ages 12 to 18, and by adults over 18. The top photo in each age group will win $250, with the runner up winning $50. Each photographer can submit up to three photos in the competition, and Richter said that there have already been a few submissions.

The competition will have a theme, Richter said, focusing on the wetlands and water in the Granite State.

“We’ve done a lot of wetland training this year. The theme for the whole year is wetlands,” said Richter. “Water is the big theme [for the contest]. The bay, the ocean, especially in the summer, those are the places we love to visit, the beautiful beaches and lakes.”

While the Association has its own protected lands, Richter said the photos don’t need to be taken on its lands. She said that so long as the photos are of nature in New Hampshire, they’re fair game.

The competition will be judged by three photography specialists, including a member of the Association’s board. Richter said that, because the judges know a lot about photography, it might be best for submissions to be minimally edited, just because the judges had mentioned highly edited photos wouldn’t be considered as seriously.

In addition to prizes, and bragging rights, NHACC will be using some of the submitted photos for their marketing, Richter said. This means that photographers who want to seek professional gigs could have a published photo in their portfolios.

While the competition has a lot of benefits to photographers and the Association, Richter said the real emphasis is on getting the people of the state out into nature and being inspired by it.

“The connection to art is really important in New Hampshire,” Richter said. “While this is focused on amateur photographers, I think there’s a lot of people who enjoy taking pictures and being outside and I think it’s a great connection.”

Natural World Photography Competition
When: Now through Sept. 8. Winner will be announced on Nov. 4
Visit: nhacc.org

Featured photo: Cherry Mtn by Rick Van de Poll. Courtesy photo.

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