Category: Art & Theater

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

• Schedule change: The Community Players of Concord’s production of The 39 Steps originally slated to run at the Concord City Auditorium this weekend has been postponed to Friday, Feb. 24, through Sunday, Feb. 26, due to an illness within the company, according to a Players press release. The show will go on Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m., with tickets purchased for the original show dates valid for the same day of the week. Tickets are on sale for the new dates at communityplayersofconcord.org. Ticket holders who want a refund or to change the day of the week can contact box office chair David Murdo at 344-4747 or [email protected], the release said.

• New at the Currier: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) will kick off a new series of discussions with the museum’s educators and curators this Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. with a tour led by museum director Alan Chong, according to the website. The tour is part of the museum’s weekly Art After Work program, when admission is free from 5 to 8 p.m and the evening includes tours and live music (this week: Hickory Horned Devils), the website said.

While at the museum, check out the newly acquired painting “Black Men and Women in a Tavern,” which was painted in Antwerp around 1650 and “produced in the circle of the Flemish artist David Teniers the Younger,” according to the website. It is one of the “earliest depictions of free Black people in Europe,” the website said. The painting is on view in the European gallery, the website said.

• Exploring memory: Theatre Kapow will present Breadcrumbs, a play by Jennifer Haley, for the next two weekends with shows at Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m.

Performances on Friday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. will be livestreamed from Theatre Kapow’s studio, the website said. “A reclusive fiction writer diagnosed with dementia must depend upon a troubled young caretaker to complete her autobiography,” according to a press release. The Sunday show will be followed by a discussion with representatives from community organizations who will answer questions about Alzheimer’s and resources for patients and caregivers, the release said. In-person tickets cost $28 for adults, $23 for students (plus fees). Live stream tickets cost $15 per device and are available at tkapow.com.

Acrobats
The Peking Acrobats featuring the Shanghai Circus will come to the Stockbridge Theatre (5 Pinkerton St. in Derry; pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre) on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $15 for youth and $5 for Pinkerton students, according to the website, which describes the performers as pushing “the limits of human ability, defying gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control.”

• Music from the Black church to popular culture: Author Vaughn A. Booker, a professor of religion at Dartmouth, will lead the virtual program “Lift Every Voice and Swing” hosted by NH Humanities on Friday, Feb. 17, at 5 p.m., according to a NH Humanities newsletter. Booker, whose 2020 book is called Lift Every Voice and Swing: Black Musicians and Religious Culture in the Jazz Century, will discuss “how the religious beliefs of popular jazz musicians like Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Mary Lou Williams shaped their music” the newsletter said. Go to nhhumanities.org to register for the program.

• Winter concert: The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra will present “Winter Serenities” featuring “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” by Ralph Vaughn Williams, the Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra by Eugene Goosen and “Symphony #1” by Gustav Mahler this Saturday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. Both shows will be presented at the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive in Salem; 893-7069). Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $8 for students and $5 for K-through-12 Salem students, according to nhpo.booktix.com.

• A second chance at beautiful music: The Manchester Community Music School’s faculty performance of “Chanson d’Amour” featuring Harel Gietheim on cello and Piper Runnion on harp has been rescheduled (it had been slated for Jan. 19) for Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at the school, 2291 Elm St. in Manchester, according to a press release. Admission is free but pre-register at mcmusicschool.org to attend in person or online.

• The kid circus: The High Mowing School middle schoolers (Pine Hill Campus, 77 Pine Hill Drive in Wilton; highmowing.org/hilltop, 654-6003) will show off their circus skills with their show Circus with a Chance of Meatballs Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 for adults, $5 for children.

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

• The big 2-0: Manchester Community Theatre Players will be “Celebrating 20” this Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. at the North End Montessori School (698 Beech St. in Manchester). Tickets for this musical retrospective of the last 20 years cost $20 and are available at the door or at manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

• Romeo + Juliet: Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (belknapmill.org/powerhouse-upcoming-productions) presents Romeo and Juliet at the Colonial Theatre (609 Main St. in Laconia) on Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $16 to $20. The same cast will also perform a staged reading of Montague + Capulet, an original sequel to the Shakespeare classic, at the Belknap Mill (25 Beacon St. in Laconia) on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets to that show cost $10.

• March film fest: Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival, which will run Thursday, March 16, through Sunday, March 26, at locations in Manchester, Bedford, Keene, Concord, Portsmouth and Hooksett. The festival will include 11 feature-length films and a five-film shorts program, according to nhjewishfilmfestival.com, where you can purchase tickets for individual shows ($12) or for an all-access package ($200). Of the features, six will be screened in theaters and five can be streamed at home, the website said. From Monday, March 17, through Sunday, April 16, four of the films shown in theaters will be available to be viewed at home. See trailers for the feature films and the shorts on the festival website.

• More in movies: Speaking of film, catch a silent film from the end of the silent film era about wealth near the end of the Roaring ’20s — The Smart Set(1928) starring William Haines and Alice Day will screen Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center (39 Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com). The screening will be accompanied by live music performed by Jeff Rapsis. Tickets cost $10.

The 39 Steps
The Community Players of Concord will present The 39 Steps, a comedy based on the Alfred Hitchock thriller from 1935, on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $20, $18 for students and seniors, and are available at communityplayersofconcord.org.

• Audition call for grades 2 to 12: The Palace Youth Theatre is presenting a small cast production of Into the Woods (it will run at the Rex Theatre in Manchester April 3 and April 4) and will hold auditions on Monday, Feb. 13, with times at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. at Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St. in Manchester), according to a press release. Auditioners will be expected to stay for their entire one-hour slot; come prepared to sing a musical theater song and then learn a dance to perform, the release said. The audition is open to kids in grades 2 through 12. To schedule an audition, email [email protected] with the performer’s name, age and preferred audition time, the release said.

• Auditions for adults: The Community Players of Concord are holding open auditions for their May show Not A Word, a new comedy written and directed by longtime Players member Wallace J. Pineault, according to a press release. The show will feature a cast of nine and a story about movies in the 1920s before sound entered the picture, the release said. The auditions are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 20, and Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Players Studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road in Concord), the release said. Rehearsals will begin in March; see the script, character list, audition information and more at communityplayersorconcord.org/auditions.

• Remember CDs? The Friends of the Dover Public Library (which is at 73 Locust St. in Dover) are holding a CD sale through Saturday, Feb. 11, to sell off the library’s music collection, which it is discontinuing, according to a press release. The sale (which started Feb. 5) features CDs for $2 (with boxed sets specially marked) in genres including rock, country, classical, world, pop, jazz, folk and bluegrass, soundtracks and children’s music. The library is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

• Exhibit in color: The Franklin Gallery at RiverStones Custom Framing (33 N. Main St. in Rochester; 812-1488) will host an exhibit in February featuring the work of Madison resident John Girourard, according to a press release. “Girouard’s current body of work consists of vividly depicted abstract paintings that use strong, bold colors in a mixed medium that delight in swirling movement. Thickness and transparency of the media, allow the works to retain qualities of depth and liquidity even after drying. Each canvas possesses layers of pure, rich color and thick undulating texture that capture light by visually traveling through the painting. Swirling strokes and flow of color give the pieces a living moving appearance that assumes a decorative splendor,” the release said. See the exhibit Wednesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Author to author: Rebecca Makkai will discuss her new murder mystery I Have Some Questions for You with Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Keep, at the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St. in Portsmouth; themusichall.org) on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. The discussion will include a Q&A, according to a press release. Tickets cost $45 and include a copy of Makkai’s book.

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

• Last call for Piano Men:The Palace Theatre’s ode to the music of Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury, The All New Piano Men, wraps up its run this weekend with shows Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. The show is an original production of Carl Rajotte, artistic director at the Palace (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588), according to the website. Tickets start at $25.

• Wilkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome: Also at the Palace in Manchester this weekend, the Palace Teen Apprentice Company production performed by student actors ages 12 through 18, will present Cabaret on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults. See palacetheatre.org.

• Disney’s next generation: The Riverbend Youth Company will present a tale of the kids of Disney villains in The Descendants: The Musical, based on the Disney Channel movies, at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford; amatocenter.org) on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults, $8 for children and seniors.

• Get all shook up: Local artists will perform the songs of one Elvis Aaron Presley at “A Night of Elvis,” a variety show featuring songs, skits and more, at the Majestic Theatre (88 Page St. in Manchester; 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $20.

• New show — and a slate of concerts: The Two Villages Art Society (Bates Building, 846 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) will present a new show — the work of The Secretive and Mysterious Order of the Crimson Sparrow — opening Thursday, Feb. 2, and running through Sunday, Feb. 19. Ty Meier, an artist and member of the Society’s board of directors, organized and curated the show and describes the 14 artists (which include painters, printmakers, illustrators and sculptors) as “a scrappy group of underground art ninjas,” according to a press release. The gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

On Saturdays Feb. 11, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. the gallery will also host concerts featuring light refreshments (donations will be accepted at the door), the release said. The schedule includes Ariel Strasser (a Boston-based Minnesotan singer, songwriter and piano player) on Feb. 11, The Honeybees (Mary Fagan and Chris O’Neill with original songs, 1930s era jazz, Western swing, folk-rock and Americana) on Feb. 18 and Hydro-Geo-Trio (featuring George Holt, Dave McLean, Dan Morrissey and Mitch Simon with blue grass and new-grass) on Feb. 25, the release said.

• Small works and a silent auction: The New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St. in Portsmouth; nhartassociation.org) will hold its annual fundraiser silent auction scheduled to have started Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the gallery and online, according to a press release. The auction will run through Feb. 19. The gallery is also hosting a “Small Works” exhibit featuring works 8 inches by 8 inches or 8 inches by 10 inches, the release said.

• Underground Russian art: Moscow-born Nickolay Manulov, 88, now a resident of New Hampshire, will have his works and pieces by his wife, Ludiya Kirillova, displayed at the Mariposa Museum (26 Main St. in Peterborough; mariposamuseum.org), which is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is also having an artist reception for Manulov, known as “Kuk,” with a Q&A discussion on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. Admission to that event is $10. Manulov’s art, and that of his late wife, was illegal during the time of Stalin and wasn’t allowed to be exhibited in official venues even after Stalin’s death, according to a press release. Kuk emigrated during the Russian invasion of Crimea, bringing his and his wife’s work with him, the release said.

• Dream the impossible dream: The Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St. in Portsmouth; seacoastrep.org, 433-4472) will present the musical Man of La Mancha, Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. through Sunday, March 5. The show follows Don Quixote, a man who lives in a fantasy world of his own creation that baffles everyone he meets but changes the world for the better and inspires those around him, according to a press release. This show contains adult themes including violence. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at seacoastrep.org

• One-woman show: The Pontine Theatre will present guest artist Tannis Kowalchuk and her original one-woman show Decompositions at the Pontine’s 1845 Plains Schoolhouse Theatre (1 Plains Ave. in Portsmouth; pontine.org) on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. A Feb. 5 show is sold out but an online show is available (it is accessible about a week after the performance, according to the website. Tickets cost $29. In the song-filled multimedia production Kowalchuk performs monologues and stories exploring the composting process as a metaphor for life, according to a press release.

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

• Stories of ballooning: Hear the stories of balloonists who explored New Hampshire skies in the 19th century at the presentation “Lighter Than Air” on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org, 6699-4877). Leah Dearborn, the museum’s assistant director, will discuss balloonists such as Eugene Goodard, Thaddeus Lowe (an aeronaut for the Union Army during the Civil War) and others, according to a press release. “Early pioneers of local skies took to balloons and other lighter-than-air vessels for a host of reasons. Some were intended to pursue military reconnaissance and scientific inquiry, while others were simply daredevil stunts designed to attract a crowd,” the release said. Admission costs $10.

• Paint night: Katrina Reid will lead the “Bearly Winter Paint Nite” at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Reid brings the materials and the know-how to teach the art of painting, according to the website. Admission costs $35; reserve a spot online.

• Call for art: The Lakes Region Art Association is looking for pieces for its upcoming exhibit “Love, Passion & Chocolate,” which will run Thursday, Feb. 2, through Friday, Feb. 25, at the Lakes Region Art Gallery (120 Laconia Road, Suite 300, in the Tanger Outlets, Tilton), according to a press release. An artists reception will be held Saturday, Feb. 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. featuring chocolate from Rocky Mountain Chocolate, the release said. The rules for submission: Each artist can submit up to five unframed pieces no larger than 8 inches by 8 inches, artwork music be dry and ready to be bagged, all artwork must be for sale, there is an entry fee of $25 and artwork must be received by Jan. 28 by mail or dropped off on Wednesday, Feb. 1, from noon to 6 p.m., the release said. See LRAANH.org.

• Upcoming auditions for Cue Zero:Cue Zero Theatre Company will hold auditions for its April production of The Wolves, a gritty drama by Sarah DeLappe directed by Erin Downey, on Monday, Jan. 30, and Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire in Salem. All characters in the production are female/female presenting, according to the press release. Sign up for an audition slot at CZTheatre.com and those auditioning should prepare a one-minute dramatic monologue and be prepared to read sides on request; callbacks are Sunday, Feb. 5, the release said. Get information about the character breakdowns on the website.

Other Cue Zero auditions on the horizon include for Be More Chill, which is based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, and the CZT Lab Series productions Empathy and Join, original pieces. Auditions for Be More Chill, which will be presented at the Derry Opera House on Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25, will be Wednesday, March 8, and Thursday, March 9, at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire in Salem. Auditions for the Lab pieces, which will be presented in August, will be Sunday, March 12, also in Salem. See cztheatre.com for all the details and to sign up for auditions.

• “Winter Frost” winners: The Seacoast Artist Association announced the winners of its “Winter Frost” show, which can be viewed through Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Association’s gallery at 130 Water St. in Exeter (the gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.), according to a press release. Martin Lamon of Stratham won Best in Show for his painting “Winter Sunset” and Mark Leavitt won the People’s Choice Award for his watercolor “New Snow in Vermont,” the release said.

The Seacoast Artist Association’s next show is “Let Me Show You What I Love,” with a dropoff for local artists to submit their works on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (see the rules and find the application at seacoastartist.org), the release said. A reception for that show will be held Friday, Feb. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m.

• Painting and photography: The new exhibit by Center for the Arts in New London will open Friday, Feb. 3, at Bar Harbor Bank and Trust (321 Main St. in New London) as part of the Center’s First Friday Gallery Stroll. The show, “Where Painterly Art and Photography Converge,” will feature 15 paintings and one sculpture displayed with photographs used as reference images, according to a press release. The exhibit will hang at Bar Harbor Bank for three months, the release said. The exhibit will feature the works of 12 painters and four photographers, the release said.

The February First Fridays from the Center for the Arts (centerfortheartsnh.org/first-fridays) will run from 5 to 7 p.m. and include four other galleries: the New London Inn with the work of Kim Schusler, the New London Barn Playhouse Fleming Center Gallery for Contemporary Art, the Tatewell Gallery and the Candita Clayton Gallery; the Blue Loon Bakery (open from from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) also features the work of Susan D’Appolino, the release said.

• Sculpture: 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 3arts.org) will feature the architectural sculptures of Frank Poor in the exhibit “Relics,” which opens Friday, Feb. 3, and runs through Sunday, April 2. There will be an opening reception on Feb. 3 from 5 to 8 p.m, according to a press release.

Music at the Andres
Support the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13 in Brookline; andresinstitute.org, 673-7441) with a night of music from the Soggy Po’ Boys on Sunday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Institute’s welcome center. General-admission tickets cost $25; a five-seat table in the first row costs $200 per table, according to a press release. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served before the show and a cash bar will be available, the release said.

• Circus with a Chance of Meatballs:The High Mowing School middle schoolers (Pine Hill Campus, 77 Pine Hill Drive in Wilton; highmowing.org/hilltop, 654-6003) will show off their circus skills with their show Circus with a Chance of Meatballs Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 for adults, $5 for children; bring a donation for the Wilton’s Open Cupboard Food pantry for free popcorn, according to a press release.

• “Comic thrill ride”: That’s how the Community Players of Concord describe their production of The 39 Steps, a comic riff on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock movie, which will run Friday, Feb. 17, through Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). Tickets cost $20 for adults and students, $18 for seniors. The performances are slated for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, according to a press release. See communityplayersofconcord.org for tickets.

• Music at the Andres: Support the Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13 in Brookline; andresinstitute.org, 673-7441) with a night of music from the Soggy Po’ Boys on Sunday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Institute’s welcome center. General-admission tickets cost $25; a five-seat table in the first row costs $200 per table, according to a press release. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served before the show and a cash bar will be available, the release said.

• The faculty presents: The Manchester Community Music School’s Faculty Performance of “Chanson d’Amour” featuring Harel Gietheim on cello and Piper Runnion on harp has been rescheduled (it had been slated for Jan. 19) for Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at the school, 2291 Elm St. in Manchester. Admission is free but pre-register at mcmusicschool.org to attend in person or online.