Category: Art & Theater

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

• Open studio: In addition to the Route 3 Art Trail this Saturday (see page 17), keeping the spirit of the 2010s event NH Open Doors alive is the Kearsarge Open Studios on Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5. On Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m. head to Main Street in Warner for an Art Walk. The evening will feature wine and hors d’oeuvres at Upton Chandler House Museum (10 W. Main St.), an artist in residence at Cafe One East (1 E. Main St.) and the gallery at MainStreet BookEnds (16 E. Main St.), according to a press release.

On Saturday, the venues will open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lineup of artists and their work. At the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road in Warner) see artist Lenny Novak with crafted dream catchers and Vicki Blanchard with pottery. At Cafe One East, see fine artist Meghan Blood. MainStreet BookEnds will host local artists in a variety of media. At Upton Chandler House Museum, artists include painters David, Laurette and Sean Carroll; Michelle Marson with jewelry and baskets; Jerilyn Nieder with pottery; Susan Parmenter with paintings; Mary Beth Quattrochi, who is a silversmith; Carolyn Rordam from Joppa Glassworks, and Gary Young with wooden bowls, according to a press release. See warnerhistorical.org for more information.

• Weekend of theater: At the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) and Lend Me a Theatre present Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, opening Friday, Nov. 4, and running through Nov. 20 with showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., and tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors. Reporter Katelyn Sahagian talked to the actors playing the titular characters, Sean Damboise and Zakariah Tber, as well as John Jenks Seymour, who plays Claudius, in the Oct. 13 issue of the Hippo; find the e-edition at hippopress.com (the interviews start on page 13).

On page 12 of that issue, find an interview with Hadley Harris, who plays Janet Van de Graaff in The Riverbend Youth Company’s The Drowsy Chaperone(Angie Sykeny also interviewed Hannah Shepherd, who plays The Chaperone).The showwill run at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford) on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2:30 p.m. See svbgc.org/amato-center.

The Actorsingers bring the musical thriller Sweeney Todd to theKeefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua) Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m.. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students (plus fees). Visit actorsingers.org.

The Village Players Theatre (51 Glendon St. in Wolfeboro; village-players.com) presents Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoatstarting this weekend Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 6, as well as Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m and tickets cost $25.

• Art at the cinema: The Red River Community Gallery at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) will feature an exhibition from local artist Katy O’Gorman Rhodebeck titled “Explorations in Printmaking,” according to a press release. The exhibit will display her “hand-pulled, painterly style reduction block and screen prints,” the release said. See the website for theater hours, which is when the gallery is open.

Craft fairs

The first weekend of November brings more fall craft fairs. If you have an upcoming craft fair, let me know at [email protected].

• The Merrimack Knights of Columbus Fall Craft Fair will run Friday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mastricola Upper Elementary School (26 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack) with more than 40 crafters, a bakes table and a food counter serving homemade meals, drinks and snacks, according to an organizer’s email.

• The Goffstown Lions Club will hold its craft fair Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at Mountain View Middle School (41 Lauren Lane in Goffstown). The fair will feature crafters and artisans from around New England and admission costs $2 (kids under 12 get in for free), according to a Lions Facebook post.

• Silver Bells Craft Fair at the Tanger Outlets (120 Laconia Road in Tilton) will run Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The offerings include home decor, fused glass, metal artwork, jewelry, quilts, hand-knitted items, wooden spoons, artwear, hand-poured soaps, maple syrups and more, according to a Facebook post.

• The Hampstead Mothers’ Club will hold its craft fair Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hampstead Middle School. The fair will feature more than 80 crafters as well as a raffle and a food court, according to the group’s Facebook post.

• The Annual Village Craft Fair at the First Congregational Church (15 Lawrence Road in Salem) will run from 9 am. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, and feature crafts and a snack bar, according to a church Facebook post.

• Future fair: The Craftworkers’ Guild in Bedford (5 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford, the building at the bottom of the library parking lot; thecraftworkersguild.org) will open for Veterans Day weekend, Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13. The fair will open this pop-up shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Route 3 Art Trail
Travel the corridor through Concord, Penacook and Boscawen this Saturday Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the Route 3 Art Trail.
The locations will offer art exhibits and demonstrations and other events. Find a map at route3arttrail.com. Pick up a passport at the first stop and then visit five stops to be entered into a raffle. According to a press release, participating locations include:
• Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen): Twiggs’ annual holiday art fair, Sleighbell Studio, will open for the season Saturday with locally made fine art and craft as well as refreshments. Spriggs Shoppe, which is located at Twiggs, will have items including calligraphy art from artist and owner Adele Sanborn, the release said.
• Gadzooks Glass (232 King St. in Boscawen): Karen Mehos will hold an open studio featuring her glass art, which may include a demonstration.
• Susan Douglass (231 King St. in Boscawen): Douglass will set up outside her home to showcase her sculptures and other upcycled creations for the home and garden, the release said.
• Chadwick Hill Rustic Furniture (187 King St. in Boscawen): Craftsman Doug Egounis will display his log furniture (made from woods including black birch, white birch, pine and maple) and work during the tour to demonstrate the furniture-making process.
• Marshall’s Florist & Gifts (151 King St. in Boscawen): The shop offers fresh, dried and silk arrangements.
• Bittersweet Fabric Shop (8 Cottage St. in Boscawen): A local sewing machine shop that sells and maintains machines as well as selling quilting fabric, thread and sewing notions, Bittersweet will offer demonstrations of the machines on Saturday.
• Front Room Art Studio (50 Tanner St. in Penacook): Artist Melanie Deshaies will open her studio to display her drawings, paintings and pottery pieces.
• Jo Shields Studio and Lee Spoons (5 Steeple View in Penacook): Spoon maker Lee Scheffey and mixed-metal jeweler Jo Shields will display their pieces. Scheffey will offer demonstrations.
• The Wild Bean (316 Village St. in Penacook): This shop sells locally made natural body care products, herbs, flowers and plants.
• Monica Cote (48 Woodbine Ave. in Concord): A plein air painter, Cote paints portraits and animals.

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

• Second weekend of Grease: The Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-8855) production of the musical Grease, which will run through Saturday, Nov. 12, continues this weekend. Catch a show this weekend at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Oct. 29, or at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets start at $25.

• Last weekend of Shrek: Catch Shrek the Musical, a production by the Epping Community Theater at the Epping Playhouse (36 Ladd’s Lane; eppingtheater.org), this weekend. The production, which ends its two-week run on Sunday, has showtimes at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets range from $15 to $20. Sean Bushor, the production’s Lord Farquaad, discussed his process for getting into the role (and the difficulty of having to do a fair amount of running around while on his knees) in the Oct. 13 issue of the Hippo; find his interview starting on page 11.

• Exhibit and a performance: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org) opened the nationally touring exhibit “State of the Art 2020: Locate,” which will be on display through Feb. 12, 2023. The exhibit “explores how different people see themselves in our society … the artists shown here explore how relationships, families, neighborhood and even hidden forces shape us as individuals,” according to the museum’s website. Pianist Jacqueline Schwab, whose newly released album is I Lift My Lamp, will perform in response to the exhibit in the Currier’s auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. Admission costs $30 and registration is currently open.

• Make your own art: The Currier also has classes, online and in person, for adults in November, including Drypoint Prints with Kate Hanlon on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $165; see currier.org.

• Author on stage: Stacy Shiff, author of the new book The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams and previous books The Witches and Cleopatra, will be at the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St. in Portsmouth; themusichall.org) on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $52 and include the book.

Randy Rainbow
Author, comedian, actor, producer, singer, writer and satirist Randy Rainbow is bringing his show, Randy Rainbow: The Pink Glasses Tour, to the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. As of Oct. 24, available tickets started at $48.25 plus fees.

Craft fair season

We have another fall weekend of crafts and arts fairs on the schedule, and some of this weekend’s have a decidedly Halloweeny vibe.

• Hocus Pocus on Hanover will take place at the Spotlight Room (96 Hanover St. in Manchester) on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $5 online, $6 at the door. Described as a “spiritual fair featuring readers, healers, artists and metaphysical goods,” the event is presented by Soul and Shadow Emporium (22 Hanover St. in Manchester). See shadowandsoulemporium.com.

• The Bizarre Bazaar at Prayers of Nature Studio (33 Howard St. in Wilton) will run Saturday, Oct. 29, from noon to 7 p.m. (during the Wilton Main Street Association’s The Haunting of Wilton event) and will feature a “bootique” filled with art, gemstones, decor, artisan jewelry and apparel, according to a press release. The day will also feature divination readers and Laurie from the Eclectic Green Witchery. See prayersofnature.com.

• The Nashua Halloween Crafts Fair, held by Bazaar Craft Fairs, will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 10 Spruce St. in Nashua. The event will feature 40+ crafters and vendors and trick or treating for kids (who are encouraged to come in costume), according to the event’s Facebook post.

• VFW Post 8641 in Merrimack (282 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack) will hold a craft fair on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Know of an upcoming craft fair? Tell us all about it at [email protected].

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

• Craft fair season: Sure, we’re in the thick of Halloween, but craft fair season, that stretch of events featuring handmade artisan and craft items, many with a holiday theme, has already started. This weekend, head to First Congregational Church (508 Union St. in Manchester; 625-5093, fccmanchesternh.org) for their Holly Berry Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fair will feature hand-crafted gift items, jewelry, a silent auction table, attic treasures and baked goods as well as children’s games, crafts and a lunch counter, according to a press release.
St. Paul’s Epsicopal Church (21 Centre St. in Concord; stpaulsconcord.org) will hold a Harvest Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair will feature knit and sew items, crafts, Christmas ornaments and holiday decorations, toys, garden items and plants, books, jewelry, Christmas wreaths, antiques and collectibles as well as baked goods, raffle baskets and more, according to the church’s website.
The Hudson Lions Club will sponsor a Psychic & Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hudson Community Center (12 Lions Ave. in Hudson), according to a post at the Hudson Chamber of Commerce website.
Liberty Hill Farm (49 Liberty Hill Road in Bedford) has a Fall Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 9 a.m. The event will feature craft and food vendors and an alpaca meet and greet, according to the farm’s Facebook page.
The Somersworth Festival Association is holding a Harvest Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Somersworth High School (11 Memorial Drive). The day will feature 150 crafters as well as food, according to the group’s Facebook page.
Caya Reiki & Healing (33 N. Main St. in Concord; caya-healing.square.site, 401-4363) is holding a Psychic and Craft Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Weirs Beach Community Center (25 Lucerne Ave. in Laconia), according to their Facebook page. The event will feature more than 30 vendors, psychic readers, indoor and outdoor exhibits, door prizes and more, the post said.
Merrimack Senior Citizen Club is holding a Fall Fair on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at John O’Leary Adult Community Center (4 Church St. in Merrimack). The fair will feature craft items as well as a bake sale, raffles and more, according to merrimacknh.gov.
Have an upcoming craft, holiday or artisan fair? Let me know all the details, including special offerings or events, admission costs and any other important information, by emailing [email protected].

• Art, naturally: LaBelle Winery’s Derry Location (14 Route 111) is exhibiting the works of three New Hampshire Art Association artists through Jan. 22 in their show “Naturally Curious,” according to a press release. The artists are Cheryl Frez Bencivenga, a painter from the Monadnock region who works with acrylic paints; Howard Muscott, a photographer focusing on nature, landscapes and wildlife, and Linn Stilwell, a painter from the Lakes Region, the release said. See the exhibit daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go to labellewinery.com or call 672-9898.

• Symphony season: The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra opens its mainstage season with a performance on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 3 p.m. featuring pieces by Gustav Mahler and George Walker at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, according to a press release. The event includes a free pre-concert talk with Music Director John Page at 1:45 p.m. Tickets to the concert itself cost $35 to $25 for adults, $30 for seniors and $20 for students, the release said. See portsmouthsymphony.org.

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

• Tell me more, tell me more: Tickets are on sale now for the Palace Theatre’s production of the musical Grease, which will be on stage at the Palace (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) from Friday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Nov. 12. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and most Saturdays throughout the run, 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets start at $25.

• What big ears you have: In the meantime, inspire your next generation of stage performers when the Palace Youth Theatre takes the stage to present Red Riding Hood Tuesday, Oct. 18, and Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). Tickets start at $12 for this show featuring students in grades 2 through 12.

• A new view: Your favorite work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) may be presented in a new context. Many of the museum’s galleries, including the entire second floor, have recently gotten some new additions, according to the website. The museum is open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $15, $13 for 65+, $10 for students, $5 for 13 to 17 and free for kids 12 and under. Admission is also free to all on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m during Art After Work. This week’s (Thursday, Oct. 13) live entertainment is “Doctor Gasp’s Halloween Special” featuring Halloween-themed folk and ragtime songs (see the story on page 38). The tours at 5:15 and 6:30 p.m. are “Myths at the Museum.”

Halloween magic
Master illusionist David Caserta will present Haunted Illusions on Friday, Oct. 14, at the Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). The show features feats of levitation, disappearance and reappearance and more, with dramatic lighting and pyro smoke, according to the website. Tickets for the general public cost $45.

• Fashion, art, music, comedy: Support NAMI NH at Live Life Loud, an event featuring Doublesolid Apparel that will showcase new designs as well as music, art and comedy on Sunday, Oct. 16, at Angel City Music Hall (179 Elm St., Unit B, in Manchester), according to a press release. Proceeds from the event will be donated to NAMI NH (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the release said. Doors open at 6 p.m.; general admission tickets cost $20; VIP tickets (which include a T-shirt, swag bag, preferred seating and more) cost $100 (plus fees for all tickets). Showtime is at 7 p.m. and the event will feature Drag Queen Diva Amanda Playwith as the emcee. For tickets, go to angelcitymusichall.com.

• Classic Phantom: Before there was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera there was Lon Chaney’s take on the classic horror character. Chaney starred in the 1925 silent big screen adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, which will screen Friday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry) featuring live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis. The event is free and open to the public.

ART

Opening

• “THE WOODS WRAP AROUND YOU” Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com) will have an exhibition, “The Woods Wrap Around You,” on display during October, featuring hand-colored monoprints by Loretta CR Hubley. A reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 14, with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation by the artist and a live piano performance inspired by the exhibition.

• “FROM THE HIPPIE TRAIL TO THE SILK ROAD” exhibit fromTwo Villages Art Society will run at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) Oct. 21 through Nov. 12. This is an exhibition by Kathleen Dustin that includes her original artwork, inspired by and juxtaposed with jewelry and textiles from around the world that Dustin has collected during her travels. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Exhibits

• “MY YEAR OF TOYS: AN ART JOURNAL” at Gallery 6, the art gallery at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, childrens-museum.org), on view now through Oct. 16. For this exhibition, author and illustrator Sandy Steen Bartholomew created a drawing of one toy from her large toy collection every day for a year. Gallery 6 is free and open to the public; paid museum admission is not required to enter. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon.

• “STORIED IN CLAY” The New Hampshire Potters Guild presents its biennial exhibition “Storied in Clay” at the exhibition gallery at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters (49 S. Main St., Concord) through Oct. 27. Visit nhpottersguild.org.

• “STILL: THE ART OF STILL LIFE,” a contemporary art exhibit at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; twiggsgallery.wordpress.com, 975-0015), will feature work by artists Caleb Brown, Shela Cunningham, Bess French, Marcia Wood Mertinooke, Barbara Morse, Shawne Randlett and Marlene Zychowski and will run through Saturday, Oct. 29.