Category: Art & Theater

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

• Opening weekend: The Palace Theatre’s new show The All New Piano Men opens Friday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. The show features the music of Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Freddy Mercury and 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. The show will run through Sunday, Feb. 5, with showtimes on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

• Last chance to see the show: It’s the final weekend for Scene Changes, a play about a traveling theatrical production,at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315). The show runs through Sunday, Jan. 22, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors.

• A trip to the Pond: The Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s production of On Golden Pond wraps up this weekend with shows Thursday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $37 (plus fees). The Seacoast Repertory Theatre is at 125 Bow St. in Portsmouth. See seacoastrep.org.

• Printmaking on display: The Art Center (1 Washington St. Suite 1177 in Dover; theartcenterdover.com, 978-6702) has its “Worldwide Printmaking Exhibition” on display now through February. The exhibit features works of more than 40 artists from 11 countries, according to a press release. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. An artist reception will be held for the exhibit on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m.

CATS: Young Actors Edition
See the brief adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical made just for younger actors — CATS: Young Actors Edition — at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) Friday, Jan. 27, through Sunday, Jan. 29. Presented by the Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts, the shows will run Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $13 for 65+ and $10 for 17 and under. Call 669-7469 or go to majestictheatre.net for tickets, which are also available at the door before the performance, according to a press release.

• Craft for gardening: ManchesterMakerspace(36 Old Granite St. in Manchester;manchestermakerspace.org) has a class called “Woodshop 101 — Cedar Plant Box” scheduled for Friday, Jan. 20, from 1 to 5 p.m. or Saturday, Jan. 28, from 1 to 5 p.m. Registration starts at $150. Go online to register in advance.

• Work out your theater skills: Theatre Kapow will hold its monthly “Training” session, open to participants age 16 and up with any level of experience and working on “acting, movement, improvisation, voice, speech, object work, viewpoints, and more,” according to tkapow.com. The session will take place at Studio 550 in Manchester on Saturday, Jan. 21, from noon to 2 p.m. and the cost is $5. Register via the website, where you can also download and fill out the waiver from the website in advance.

• Hunchback of Notre Dame auditions: Community theater organization Actorsingers is holding auditions Sunday, Jan. 22, and Monday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. each night for their May production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Auditions will be held at Actorsingers Hall (219 Lake Ave. in Nashua); see actorsingers.org for audition requirements, character details and the audition form.

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

• MLK Day: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org) will hold a free community celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Hampshire artist Richard Haynes will lead a public discussion and mural project (starting at 11 a.m.; the community mural painting will start at noon and go through 4 p.m.), according to a Currier newsletter. Tours will meet in the lobby at 1 and 2 p.m., a reveal of the mural will be at 4 p.m. and there will be a screening of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in the auditorium at 4:15 p.m., the newsletter said. The Currier will also be collecting new socks, comfortable clothing and personal hygiene items for Waypoint, according to the website.

• Also at the Currier: The Currier is slated to start a series of conversations over Zoom examining a piece of artwork from the museum’s collection and exhibitions on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. (with “Cityscape with Mill” by Tim Portlock). The free 30-minute program, geared to adults, runs Wednesdays at 1 p.m. The Wednesday, Jan. 18, focus is “Boy Holding Grapes and Hat” by Judith Leyster; on Wednesday, Jan. 25, the focus will be “Yellowave” by Jiha Moon from the exhibit “State of the Art 2020: Locate,” according to a museum newsletter. Registration is required and accepted until noon on the day of the event; see currier.org.

The Sky Within
The Concord Chorale will present “The Sky Within,” a concert celebrating the themes of sky, flight and letting go and showcasing musical styles including works by Brahms, Renaissance madrigals and contemporary works, on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. The concerts will take place at South Congregational Church (27 Pleasant St. in Concord) and the Sunday show will also be livestreamed. See concordchorale.org for tickets, which cost $20.

• Two actors, 19 roles: Kari Buckley and Maria Jung play 19 roles — including two best friends — in Is Edward Snowden Single?, a “volcanic comedy about pretty lies and ugly truths” at the Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St. in Portsmouth; playersring.org, 436-8123) Friday, Jan. 13, through Sunday, Jan. 29. The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $27 general admission, $24 for students and 65+.

• Mandy Patinkin: Tickets are still available for “Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Being Alive” at the Capitol Center for the Arts (Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40 through $95 (plus fees).

• Hitchcock comedy: The New Hampshire Theatre Project will present The 39 Steps, a comic riff on the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Friday, Jan. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 5, at the company’s 50-seat black box theater at 959 Islington St. in Portsmouth. The show, which is directed by Blair Hundertmark and stars Shawn Crapo and Courtney St. Gelais, will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $30 general admission, $26 for students, seniors and veterans. See nhtheatreproject.org.

Guys and Dolls
The Educational Theater Collaborative (based at Plymouth State University) will present Guys and Dolls at the Flying Monkey Performance Center (39 S. Main St. in Plymouth; flyingmonkeynh.com, 536-2551) Wednesday, Jan. 18, through Sunday, Jan. 22. Showtimes are at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $25.

• Be a jellicle cat: The Palace Youth Theatre will hold auditions for performers in grades 2 through 12 for Cats: Young Actors Edition on Friday, Jan. 20, with sessions at 5, 6 and 7 p.m., according to a press release. “Expect to stay for your entire one-hour audition slot. You will learn a dance and be asked to sing after,” said the release, which instructed auditioners to come prepared to sing a short section of a song a cappella (musical theater or Disney preferred). The show will run at the Palace Theatre in Manchester Tuesday, March 7, through Wednesday, March 15. To schedule an audition time, email [email protected] with performer’s name, age and preferred time. The auditions will be held at Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St. in Manchester).

• Looking for Wolves: 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.

• Camp Encore: The Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth has announced the dates and productions for its three multi-week summer camp sessions. Session 1, Theatre Creatures, will run three weeks, Monday, June 19, through Sunday, July 9, and feature Disney’s 101 Dalmatians Kids and The Aristicats Kids with public productions Saturday, July 8, and Sunday, July 9 at 11 a.m. Session 2, Stage Folks, runs two weeks, Monday, July 10, through Sunday, July 23, with productions on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, at 11 a.m. Sessions 1 and 2 are open to ages 7 to 17. Session 3, Prescott Teens (Teen Musical Theatre Intensive), runs two weeks, Monday, July 24, through Sunday, Aug. 6, with shows Saturday, Aug. 5, and Sunday, Aug. 6, at 11 a.m. See prescottpark.org for pricing, including sibling and multi-camp discounts, and to register.

Toy planes and model aircraft
The “Holiday Festival of Toy Planes and Model Aircraft” exhibit has been extended at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820) through Sunday, Jan. 22, according to the museum’s newsletter. The exhibit features more than 2,000 aviation toys and models. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 per person ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6 to 12 and ages 65 and up; ages 5 and under and veterans and active military get in free, the release said.

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

• New exhibit at Art 3: “Multi-Mediums,” an exhibit featuring works on canvas and panel, wall reliefs in ceramic and metal and sculptures in stone and wood, is open now at the Art 3 Gallery (44 W. Brook St. in Manchester; 668-6650), according to a press release. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and a virtual exhibit should be available soon, the release said.

• Photo exhibit: The 23rd annual New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists Member Exhibit and Sale will open Saturday, Jan. 7, with a reception from noon to 4 p.m. at the Exeter Town Hall Gallery (10 Front St. in Exeter), according to a press release. Some of the photographers with works in the exhibit will be on hand to answer questions, the release said. The exhibit will run through Sunday, Jan. 29, and the gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.

The Society recently established a permanent studio space at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord that gives members access to studio lighting, printers and more. See nhspa.org for membership information.

• Sing! The Rockingham Choral Society will hold an open rehearsal on Tuesday, Jan. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Exeter High School for its spring concert, which will feature works by Beethoven and Brahms, according to a press release. The group is open to singers age 16 and up and a brief placement audition for new members will take place at the end of the rehearsal; dues are waived for high school and college students, the release said. See rockinghamchoral.org.

• January at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) has several recently announced events on the January schedule. James T. McKim Jr. will be at the bookstore on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss his book The Diversity Factor: Igniting Superior Organizational Performance; the event is free and no registration is required.

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 6:30 p.m, Honorable John T. Broderick Jr. (former chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and current senior director of external affairs at Dartmouth Health) will be at Gibson’s to discuss his book Backroads and Highways: My Journey to Discovery on Mental Health.

On Friday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. the bookstore will be part of a virtual event featuring author and director Joyce Chopra discussing her book Lady Director: Adventures in Hollywood, Television and Beyond with journalist Annie Berke. See the store’s website for a link to the event page, where you can purchase a ticket/book bundle.

Save the date for Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. when Farzon A. Nahvi, MD, an ER physician at Concord Hospital, will be at Gibson’s to discuss his book Code Gray, a memoir about his life in medicine.

New Art Show
“Beginnings,” the first group show at the art studio Girl from Mars (135 Route 101A in Amherst), is opening on Friday, Jan. 6, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Melissa Richard, the owner and chief artist at the studio, said she was excited to have 14 local artists showing 24 pieces of new work.

“Some are artists I knew; some I met through other galleries and shows along the way,” Richard said, adding that she’s “hoping to rotate between group and solo shows in the space.”

All of the artwork on display will be available for purchase either online at the gallery’s website or at the show. The show will run from Jan. 6 through the end of February. The Gallery’s hours are Thursday through Saturday by appointment. Visit marsartstudio.weebly.com.

• Book and film: Eva’s Promise, a documentary about Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss (whose mother married Anne Frank’s father after the war), will have its New England premiere at the Park Theatre (19 Main St. in Jaffrey; theparktheatre.org, 532-8888) on Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. The film’s director (Steve McCarthy) and the producer (Susan Kerner) will attend the Sunday, Jan. 15, 4 p.m. screening of the film and hold a discussion after the film that will include a special video message from Eva Schloss, according to a press release. When Eva and her brother Heinz Geiringer were put on a train to Auschwitz in 1944, Heinz, who was 17, told her that he’d hidden paintings and poetry he’d created in the family attic and asked her to retrieve them if he didn’t survive the war, the release said. Eva (who is 93 and lives in London) wrote a book, The Promise, in 2006, and signed copies will be available at the theater (as well as at Toadstool Bookshops), the release said. Tickets for the Sunday event cost $10 to $15; tickets for regular screenings cost $8 to $9. In addition to the Friday and Sunday screenings, the film will also screen Saturday, Jan. 14, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Jan. 17, through Thursday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m.

• Jazz and classical: The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra will head to Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club in Portsmouth with their “Up Close & Personal” chamber music and dinner series on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. The PSO Brass quintet will explore the boundaries between jazz and classical music, according to a press release. The show will feature a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, music from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, selections from Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller and the score to George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, the release said. Tickets cost $90 per person and include the concert, appetizers, dinner and dessert, the release said. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. See portsmouthsymphony.org to purchase tickets.