A look back at what’s happened in art galleries, theaters and other cultural spots since the Hippo started
A lot has happened in the local arts scene since the Hippo launched 20 years ago — the Palace Theatre in Manchester went from bankrupt to thriving, comic books and gaming became mainstream in pop culture, and fine arts has become more accessible, with more galleries and a focus on local artists. In the second of our month-long series looking back at some of the subjects Hippo has covered over the years, we talked to a few people who have been part of that arts scene about how it’s changed, what it might look like 20 years from now and the challenges ahead.
Robert Dionne
Robert Dionne is the artistic director and CEO of Manchester’s Majestic Theatre and is an administrator of Ted Herbert Music School, which the Majestic bought in 2016. He’s been running the Majestic for 30 years. The theater’s next big event is the Majestic Mashup fundraiser, happening virtually on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m., featuring interactive dinners, live performances and a scratch ticket raffle. Visit majestictheatre.net.
How would you describe the local arts scene 20 years ago?
All the staples were still there. … As far as Manchester goes, you had the usual suspects, you had the Palace, the Majestic was about 10 years old. We weren’t doing as much as we were doing now. … In the year 2000 we were in the theater at Ste. Marie’s and had been in that space for about five years. We had a pretty heavy production schedule, but not as involved as it is now.
… Twenty years ago there were a lot more smaller companies in the area, smaller community theater companies that sadly have since gone away, like the Acting Loft, the New Thalian Players. … Now it seems like a lot of the Manchester theater groups are down to just a few.
What do you think the most significant changes have been over the last 20 years, pre-pandemic?
I think what’s happened … [is that] unless you have a group of people really passionate about keeping something going … it’s not [sustainable]. What ends up happening with theater companies a lot of times, unless you have a core group of people, they usually end up getting tired. … You don’t make a lot of money in the arts. People that do theater for a living … they kind of get sick of not making money. … I think that some of the companies, their shelf-life, it aged out. … With Covid, the companies that are established, we’re going to be around on the other side of this. I’m not going to say it’s not a struggle right now, but we do have a lot of people in our corner. We’ve worked way too hard in the last 30 years just to casually throw it away. It’s definitely worth fighting to the bitter end. … We need to stay alive for a few more months without programming. 2019 was our best season we’ve ever had … 2020 was our worst. But [patrons] are really hungry. We’ve sold every seat we could for every show we’ve had in these past few months.
How did your venue impact the local arts scene?
Twenty years ago we probably weren’t the biggest, but now we are the biggest community theater in the state. The amount of people we involve [in each production], if it’s not the highest [amount in the state], it’s definitely one of the highest. We offer a product that audiences in the area have grown accustomed to [and keep coming back for].
What has surprised you about the way the state’s arts scene has developed?
Community theater is all about building people up and what ends up happening sometimes is, we’ve seen a lot of new companies coming out with just a small group [of people], putting their own money in, [which spreads resources thin]. … Years ago [separate theater companies in] Amherst and Milford, they realized over time they were much stronger joining forces [to become the Milford Area Players]. … Twenty years ago was a time where people had home companies in their community. … Now, you may have a company that’s closest and dearest to your heart, but [performers] now don’t just do shows at one company. … I can go do a show [for another company] and not have to worry about filling seats and marketing and paying the bills.
What do you think the arts scene will be like 20 years from now, and what challenges will it face?
I think we’re going to definitely gain some wisdom from all the livestream we’re doing right now. … Twenty years from now you’re going to see that theater is going to be a much more multimedia experience. … [On the flip side], I think that 20 years from now, people are always looking for opportunities to do hands-on things, and I think you’re going to find … people are going to still want to come out for shows. … [As for challenges], 20 years ago when we held an audition for a show we’d get like 60 people. … Now it’s a lot different, because there are so many shows. … You might get maybe a dozen people or maybe 20 people. The quality of the people we’re getting to audition now is definitely better, because there are so many opportunities for people to learn about theater and be in shows and get experience, so we’re always getting [that] quality actor that we need, it’s just, we’re getting less people to come out for auditions. And that’s because in a normal life, pre-Covid, there might be six or seven or eight auditions happening at the same time. … There are more shows than there are actors at this point, and it’s only going to get worse. … You might get a theater person doing show after show after show, and eventually they get to the point where they’re like, yeah, I just need to take a break from doing shows. So you lose those people … but then you gain some new people. So I think the message I would send is … if you want to be in a show, you should audition for a show. You don’t have to have mess loads of acting experience to get a part in a show. You can start with a small part and learn.
Aside from the Majestic, what’s your favorite local spot to enjoy the arts?
Well, I have to say, being a native Manchester person, I love what they did with the Rex Theatre. … Having been by that building for years when it was [night] clubs, it was [depressing]. … So congrats to the Palace for doing such an amazing job.
— Meghan Siegler
Chris Proulx
Chris Proulx is the co-owner of Double Midnight Comics, which he started in 2002 with his brother Scott and best friend Brett Parker. In addition to the store the trio also organizes the Granite State Comicon each September.
How would you describe the local comics and gaming scene 20 years ago?
The scene 20 years ago was quite different than it is today. When we first started, comics and games were viewed as nerdy pursuits. It was tough connecting with people that loved the same stuff [we] did, which is why we started Double Midnight Comics. Since then Marvel conquered Hollywood and brought comics into the mainstream consciousness. Dungeons and Dragons had a resurgence and became cool. Board games became a big deal. Magic the Gathering hit the mainstream. Being a geek was suddenly cool!
What do you think the most significant changes have been over the last 20 years, pre-pandemic?
Comics and games hitting the mainstream. Never in a million years did we think Iron Man, let alone Rocket Raccoon and Groot, would be household names. Then you have major Hollywood actors coming out as D&D enthusiasts — it’s insane.
How has Double Midnight impacted the local comics and gaming scene?
When we first started we were the place anyone could come in and feel welcome. You didn’t need to know 30 years of Spider-Man to come in and shop, and I think that struck a chord with our customers. Our annual Free Comic Book Day grew into a wild event each year, calling more attention to comics. We never imagined on our first Free Comic Book Day in 2003 that people would be traveling from all over the Northeast and camping out for days to be a part of our event. Then there’s the comic con we launched. The Granite State Comicon has become an event people look forward to each year … and acts as a gathering for all fandoms.
Any surprises about how the comics and gaming scene has developed?
For sure. When we started we didn’t have the business acumen but we knew what we wanted to do. We wanted to create a fun inclusive space where everyone was welcome to come shop and hang out. That strategy struck a chord and over time we grew our audience and learned a thing or two along the way. That plan of throwing open the gates and welcoming everyone as friends in geekdom allowed us to expand our operations, first expanding our original store and [then expanding] to two locations, which is something we never even dreamed of back when we opened.
Where do you see the world of comics and gaming 20 years from now, locally, and what challenges will it face?
Comics are at an interesting crossroads. Marvel and DC tend to cater to an older audience. I’m interested to see what the next generation of comic fans will look like. Kids these days devour Dog Man and the Raina Telgemeier books, [and] graphic novels for kids and young adults are a huge market, [so] it will be interesting to see how their tastes will change comics for the better. Gaming I can only see getting bigger. People love getting together and playing games face to face and chatting with other players. There are lots of online options, but nothing beats real-life community.
Aside from Double Midnight, what’s your favorite local spot to enjoy comics or gaming?
We’re big fans of Boards and Brews downtown [in Manchester]. If you had asked us 20 years ago if we would see a board game cafe/bar downtown we wouldn’t have believed it. It’s a cool place to hang out and try games and it’s nice to be able to collaborate with a fellow geek business in town!
— Meghan Siegler
Hope Jordan
Hope Jordan was the public relations and marketing manager at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 she co-founded the first New Hampshire poetry slam series, Slam Free or Die, and in 2007 she coached the first New Hampshire slam team to compete in the National Poetry Slam in Austin, Texas. She has served on the staff and board of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, on the New Hampshire Poet Laureate selection committee and as the statewide coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation program for high school students.
How would you describe the local arts scene 20 years ago?
We still had former Arts Commissioner Van McLeod, who was the most important advocate at the state level that the arts in New Hampshire may ever have. We still had the great poets Maxine Kumin and Donald Hall with us, writing and giving readings. The New Hampshire Writers’ Project was based in Concord and was doing events and workshops that were for a wide range of writers — children’s literature, nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and their annual Writers’ Day was the event of the year. They were also doing statewide programs like Poetry and Politics. There weren’t any venues for performance poetry, although we had some slam poets come up from Boston for showcases in Manchester from time to time. The Poetry Society of New Hampshire was, I believe, a rather different organization, much smaller, and seemed more focused on the office of the Poet Laureate and publishing their literary journal — they’re quite different today.
What do you think the most significant changes have been over the last 20 years, pre-pandemic?
Twenty years ago, I would have said that New Hampshire writers were mostly white, older and interested in writing informed by the natural world. I mean, four of the U.S. Poets Laureate are from our tiny state — Kumin, Hall, Charles Simic, and I’ll count Robert Frost. Today I’d say we have a far more diverse population of writers, although we still are overwhelmingly white. But now we have younger poets who are hosting open mics. We have performance poets who are mostly younger. There is a strong cadre of writers who specialize in speculative fiction [and] amazing folks like Jennifer Militello who are producing more experimental writing like her memoir Knock Wood — I just think the writing community is much less homogenous in many ways. I also hope and believe that having Poetry Out Loud in high schools every year continues to demystify poetry for students. I remember sitting in a high school cafeteria in the North Country and listening to two male student-athletes sitting near me discussing line breaks. That felt extraordinary.
How did the organizations you’ve been involved with impact the local arts scene?
The New Hampshire Writers’ Project has evolved a great deal over the years. I unfortunately haven’t been in touch with them in a while, but they seem to have narrowed a focus to prose and fiction writing, offering many more online workshops, and within that, being very strong in speculative fiction. Meanwhile the Poetry Society has become the go-to for poetry workshops, readings, events and an excellent annual poetry festival that has attracted top national talent. To my everlasting delight, the people I co-founded Slam Free or Die with continue to host a weekly slam in Manchester, or they were until Covid. We celebrated the 10-year anniversary a few years ago. They have represented New Hampshire at every National Poetry Slam since, and have done quite well. I’m so proud.
What has surprised you about the way the state’s arts scene has developed?
I think the recent controversy over the state Poet Laureate position surprised a lot of people. Without getting too political, I suspect there was a general feeling that poetry wasn’t a big deal, not going to be a hot-button issue. But I like to joke that every third person in New Hampshire is a poet, and a great many of us spoke out when we felt that this post was not being treated as seriously as we felt it should be. This state has a fantastic literary lineage, and I think we take a great deal of pride in that. The fact that this became national news surprised me, but it also made me glad. Poetry is not inconsequential.
What do you think the arts scene will be like 20 years from now, and what challenges will it face?
In 20 years I hope the literary scene in New Hampshire is more diverse, especially in age and ethnicity. I hope we continue to celebrate the fact that our state is mostly a rural state, but that we also hear more voices from places like Manchester and Nashua. I think some of the future changes depend on what happens with higher education, which is the only place it has been remotely possible for someone to work and do any kind of creative writing, unless they have family money. We’ve had wonderful writers like Ernie Hebert, who was at Dartmouth, Simic at UNH, Liz Ahl at Plymouth State and Militello at New England College. All these writers have been able to elevate New Hampshire’s literary profile because they have had positions in higher ed. And higher ed, I suspect, will go through some huge structural changes over the next two decades. Will that mean there are fewer opportunities for writers to support themselves, or more? An expanding gig economy and some kind of affordable universal health care may make it more possible for more people to do creative work. The perennial challenge is always money, and I can’t imagine state funding for the arts will improve. But who knows? The pandemic may be creating a kind of reckoning. Another challenge that will probably get worse before it gets better is the perception of the literary arts — really, all the arts — by people who think they are unnecessary for economic growth. A few years ago I had a conversation with a venture capitalist who described the kind of creative thinking he looked for in entrepreneurs. I immediately thought of poets. I wonder if 20 years from now our society will value all forms of creativity.
What’s your favorite local spot to enjoy the arts?
I have an abiding love for the Currier Museum, and it will always be one of my happy places in the state. That we have such a collection of art, not to mention the special exhibitions, and that they are so accessible, continues to impress and amaze me. My other favorite is Gibson’s Bookstore, which always has the most amazing roster of literary events and book launches, and they just do it so well.
Joni Taube
Joni Taube co-founded Art 3 Gallery in Manchester in 1980 and is its current proprietor. The retail fine art gallery offers corporate and residential art consulting and custom framing services and, according to Taube, has one of the largest collections of art by New Hampshire, New England, national and international artists.
How would you describe the local arts scene 20 years ago?
When we opened in 1980, there were one or two other galleries in town and the Currier Museum of Art was then known as the Currier Gallery of Art. By 1990 the Currier had purchased the Zimmerman House and it was opened for tours. By 2000 the art scene in Manchester had expanded to include a few more galleries and framing shops like the Hatfield Gallery. The next decade saw the emergence of Langer Place on Commercial Street, which housed several boutiques and artists’ spaces. EW Poore Framing on Canal Street offered classes and supplies. The Manchester Artists Association and Framers Market were opened on Elm Street. Manchester City Hall had a rotating exhibit of art and the New Hampshire Institute of Art expanded their curriculum and offered BFA degrees.
What do you think the most significant changes have been over the last 20 years, pre-pandemic?
In 2005, in an effort to make art accessible to everyone, the Majestic Theatre, with the backing of community leaders and businesses, organized “Open Doors Trolley Night.” Four times a year, galleries and museums [in Manchester] were open to the public with exhibits that celebrated the amazing diversity of artistic expression and dynamic experiences that the city has to offer.
How did Art 3 Gallery impact the local arts scene?
One of the missions of Art 3 Gallery has been to advance the arts in Manchester by hosting multi-artist exhibits. Since our inception we have had group shows with art from local, regional as well as national artists. We currently have a virtual exhibit titled “Beyond Words” in video form on our website.
What has surprised you about the way the state’s arts scene has developed?
New Hampshire committed itself to enriching state-funded buildings with The Percent for Art Program, enacted by the New Hampshire State Legislature in 1979. This program authorizes one half of one percent of the Capital Budget appropriation for new state buildings or significant renovations to be set aside in a non-lapsing account for the acquisition or commissioning of artwork. For the past 88 years, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen has promoted fine craft [and] supported craftspeople … [and] is recognized today as one of the country’s foremost fine arts organizations. … [Its crafts] are valued throughout the United States and around the world for their creativity, authenticity and technical expertise. The New England College of Art and Design, formerly the New Hampshire Institute of Art, has a strong foothold in Manchester and a commitment to enriching the arts in Manchester and New Hampshire.
What do you think the New Hampshire arts scene will be like 20 years from now, and what challenges will it face?
Twenty years from now, if Manchester continues to grow as a technology center, bringing in fresh people with varying viewpoints, a younger generation must take the reins and continue the celebration of the arts in Manchester and New Hampshire. A large and diverse ethnic population must add their voices to the arts, [which would add] to the rich cultural base already in place.
Aside from Art 3 Gallery, what’s your favorite local spot to enjoy the arts?
The Currier Museum is still the premier place in New Hampshire to explore art in all its forms. The Currier exhibits have always tapped into the heart of the community, and it provides a calm and enlightening place to regroup, refresh and see something amazing.
Peter Ramsey
Peter Ramsey founded the Lakes Region Summer Theatre in Meredith in 1990, which he owned and operated for 12 years. In 1999 he agreed to work part time for the Palace Theatre in Manchester, which was bankrupt and closed at the time, to help reopen its doors. In 2001, after the Palace reopened, Ramsey became its CEO and president, and he still is today.
How would you describe the local arts scene 20 years ago?
Very different. … Statewide, there were more small, local arts organizations, very active in the summers especially, and almost every town had a theater. There were very few big organizations. That’s been the biggest change. Now, there are fewer and fewer local theaters and more big organizations, [like] the SNHU Arena, which has over 10,000 seats, and Meadowbrook [now called the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion]. They tend to dominate the art scene because they have more seats, obviously, and more money to deal with. The other thing that has changed dramatically is a lack of theater and the arts in education. … The focus in schools is on sports, and the arts are becoming forgotten.
What do you think the most significant changes have been over the last 20 years, pre-pandemic?
In Manchester … the arts scene was dominated by three big organizations: the New Hampshire Symphony, which went bankrupt and is gone, the Opera League of New Hampshire [now called Opera New Hampshire] and the New Hampshire Philharmonic, a phenomenal volunteer orchestra. All three have changed dramatically. … When I started at the Palace, the New Hampshire Symphony was the biggest organization. It had a $3 million budget a year, six employees, a marketing director and an executive director, and all that went away after five years. I think the struggle for classical music is that fewer and fewer children appreciate it, and that’s just a change that has happened in our society. I think the big venues have also changed things. Audiences want to go see big-name acts like James Taylor and Aerosmith at [the SNHU Arena]. … It’s a good thing that they’ve brought shows to New Hampshire that never would have come before … but think about it: with 10,000 seats, and tickets at $100 apiece, that’s a million dollars of artistic patron money going to a show. Is a person who just spent $200 for two tickets to see Aerosmith on Friday night going to go see a [community] theater show on Saturday night? … Community arts organizations have a bottom line and have to figure out how to pay their bills … and it’s been getting harder and harder for them to survive.
How did the Palace Theatre impact the local arts scene?
Tremendously. Twenty years ago, the Palace’s doors were closed, and they [were] $250,000 [in debt]. In 2019 we had the best year we ever had; 159,000 patrons paid to come to the Palace, and we hired over 500 artists. That’s a paycheck to artists, which is important because, at the end of the day, [the survival of the arts] all comes down to, can an artist make a living? … There have been economic studies of the city of Manchester that showed that the Palace brings about $10 million a year to downtown. On the nights we have a show, every restaurant within five blocks is doing very well. … An active arts scene can change a downtown; there’s no debate about it anymore.
What has surprised you about the way the state’s arts scene has developed?
I’ve been incredibly disappointed that education in New Hampshire has pretty much thrown the arts out the door. It hurts me to my core that kids no longer read Shakespeare, that they no longer debate shows like Our Town and 12 Angry Men. Those are great pieces of art that should be done … and loved by our kids, but there’s just less and less of it. Online education is completely going to kill it. There aren’t going to be kids playing in an orchestra or performing on stage, and I think [that has] long-term consequences in New Hampshire. It’s almost impossible to [produce] a Shakespeare show now. No one comes. No one will buy a ticket. It’s not depressing, but it’s concerning. It could change around again, but there would have to be a lot of work done about that.
What do you think the arts scene will be like 20 years from now, and what challenges will it face?
I think the nine historic landmark theaters, [including] The Music Hall, the Palace, the Capitol Center for the Arts, will still be here. They may be different, but they’ll still be here. … I think unfortunately, there are probably going to be fewer arts organizations at a local level, just because they’re so hard to run and finance. … I think theater will still be alive … especially summer theaters … if they come out of the pandemic alive. … Classical music I pray will be alive, but I wonder whether it can survive. Opera is probably going to be gone. It’s very expensive to [produce] live opera, and it’s going to be hard to keep it alive. … But I’m optimistic, because one thing we have in New Hampshire is loads and loads of people who love the arts, and I think that will continue to grow.
Aside from the Palace, what’s your favorite local spot to enjoy the arts?
Red River Theatres up in Concord is wonderful. … I love the Bookery … and the Capitol Center for the Arts … and the Currier. I go [to the Currier] once a month and spend a couple of hours there walking around, and I always end up smiling.
Joe Gleason
Throughout the 1980s, Joe Gleason did freelance technical and stage work and lighting design for local theaters like the Palace Theatre and the Dana Center in Manchester and the Capitol Theatre in Concord, which would later become the Capitol Center for the Arts. He then served as the director of production and facilities at the Capitol Center from 1995 to 1997. After he left, he remained a member of the theater and, about 10 years ago, became a board trustee. In 2016 he accepted his current position as the Capitol Center’s assistant executive director.
How would you describe the local arts scene 20 years ago?
Not as strong as it is now, but it was there. … I’d say it was still growing. … In Concord in particular, the Capitol Center, Concord Community Music School and the Concord City Auditorium, where the Community Players of Concord [performed], were sort of the big three for the presenting arts. Beyond that, there wasn’t a whole lot. … It took a little while before Main Street really came to life … [with the] Main Street Renovation Project in 2016, which basically reworked all of Main Street and changed the flow of traffic in a way that made a lot of things in downtown seem more accessible and exciting to the public. … It felt like there were more opportunities for outdoor performances after that, as well. … Then, when the Capitol Center opened its second venue, the Bank of New Hampshire Stage, in 2019, that really brought some additional energy into downtown … and that’s really become a hub of activities, particularly for a younger demographic.
What do you think the most significant changes have been over the last 20 years, pre-pandemic?
What I’ve seen in the theater world in New Hampshire is a real willingness of small companies and small groups to get together and generate productions. … I’ve seen actors banding together to form production companies of their own and find places to perform. … You have people like Andrew Pinard, who started the Hatbox Theatre about five years ago by converting an old retail outlet at the Steeplegate Mall [in Concord] into a small black box theater. That just shows the creativity that we’ve got in the state to … provide even more opportunities for local performers and musicians to thrive.
How did the Capitol Center for the Arts impact the local arts scene?
The longstanding presence of the Capitol Center for the Arts has been an anchor of the arts. … It’s been one of the largest venues in New Hampshire and tended to bring the best national entertainment and touring productions into the state because it has more seats than the Palace or the Dana Center or The Colonial [in Keene] or The Music Hall. … We’ve had some off years, as most venues do, but generally, we’ve been an organization that moves forward. … In the last five years we’ve had tremendous growth in the number of productions we mount each year and the quality of the entertainment that we bring in.
What has surprised you about the way the state’s arts scene has developed?
The amount of variety of art that we have, for being such a small state. … That’s become more visible, I think, over the years, with a lot of artists being featured on Chronicle and on the news and in print. … I think the very supportive nature of communities in New Hampshire has allowed the arts to thrive. In an age where you can get all your entertainment through the phone in your hand, people still have a great desire to see performances in person and share a live experience.
What do you think the arts scene will be like 20 years from now, and what challenges will it face?
I wish I had a crystal ball. … I will say that if you look back in history at the Roaring Twenties after the 1918 pandemic, there was a great pent-up demand [for live entertainment] after living under restrictions like we are today. … There is a hunger and a need to socialize with fellow human beings, and gathering in the theater and sharing entertainment is one of those things that’s not easily replicated in other ways. … So I do expect that [the arts] will come back, but we just don’t know exactly when. … I do think that livestreaming and other things that we have been doing during the pandemic are probably here to stay. That’s a great thing, because it gives additional opportunities for people who may not be able to afford a ticket or get to the venue. … I’m not sure there will be any major arenas or theaters built in the next 20 years — they’re all very expensive propositions — but you never know.
Aside from the Capitol Center, what’s your favorite local spot to enjoy the arts?
I absolutely love going up to the Weathervane Theatre in Whitefield for summer stock theater. The Stockbridge Theatre in Derry is also good because it gets such a variety of entertainment.
