Category: Art & Theater

Art where you find it

Studio 550 Monster Hunt is on

Strange creatures are lurking in Manchester and the hunt is on. Studio 550 Arts Center founder and programs manager Monica Leap — “that’s Leap, like to jump” — spoke about the scavenger hunt for wild clay treasures.

“It’s a free community event that we do every year that we’ve been open…. It’s all about getting people out to enjoy the city and find some art in the process,” she said. “The real treat is discovering your downtown and seeing what there is out there, getting art into the streets so people can find it.”

The Monster Hunt started 12 years ago. This year it will be on Saturday, Aug. 24.

“We usually do it one of the last Saturdays in August,” Leap said. “The youth-only hunt is going to be at 10:30 [a.m.] in the green space in front of the Center of New Hampshire, which is a building on the corner right next to the DoubleTree Hotel.”

The public hunt is at 11 a.m., “starting at City Hall and people will break from there,” Leap said. The Studio 550 website advises participants to meet at 10:50 a.m. for a “Monster Hunters Meeting.”

How many monsters are hiding in Manchester?

“We sculpt 100 unique clay monsters,” Leap said, “and the past couple years we’ve actually been making 125 because we started a youth hunt for kids 5 and under.” Leap made 50 of the monsters.

Originally the monsters themselves were hidden, but some monsters would wander off, “so we started hiding medallions that you can trade in for the actual monster,” Leap said. “The past year or two we’ve done medallions, and people have really enjoyed that because you kind of get two surprises during the day. One is finding the medallion out there in the streets, and that’s also very exciting because they’re all unique and different as well, and then you bring it back and then you get the second surprise of actually unveiling the monster that you get, which is associated with the number to the medallion that you found,” Leap said.

How did it start? “We just did it for fun, honestly … it’s evolved, for sure, over the years,” Leap said. “We always put them out in public places so you don’t have to buy anything, you don’t have to do anything to get one, you just have to find one, so it’s just about the art of surprise and art in daily life versus having to go to a museum or a gallery to experience it, just something that is there.”

Medallions or monsters can get you some tasty treats in the city. One monster partner is Dancing Lion Chocolate on Elm Street. “You can show it to them and they will give you a free chocolate coin which is a very artful chocolate coin,” Leap said. “Everything they make is beautiful.”

Queen City Cupcakes has a monster cupcake for any medallion finders as well, and the Bookmobile from the Manchester City Library will be at City Hall for the duration of the hunt.

The Monster Hunt is not the only way to have fun with Studio 550 Arts on Saturday, Aug. 24. “We have a whole art activities open house at our studio during the time that we’re doing the exchange of the medallions for the monsters,” Leap said, “and people can try the pottery wheel, they can sculpt their own monster out of clay, they can do some tie dye, which is also a fun activity that most people won’t do at their house because it’s so incredibly messy,” she said.

Speaking of messy, bringing a monster into the home is no small task. Where is it going to live?

“They can also create a little monster habitat where they get to pick a small piece of pottery, get some soil in there, and then put a succulent in there so that your monster has a little habitat to live in when you take it home,” Leap said.

There will be other free crafts at the Studio, like “painting a rock or creating a paper bag puppet monster and then a few other things that we put out that day,” Leap said. “It’s a whole community event.” Clean-up begins at 1 p.m. at the Studio.

Leap has an idea on why people arrive to track down the hidden clay critters: “It’s a game, it’s a hunt, you feel special when you find one.”

Participants can head over to Studio 550 Arts to make their own creation if the monsters are successful in eluding their capture. “Even if you don’t find one you can come to the studio and make your own or just experience some hands-on art activities,” Leap said.

Monster Hunt and Studio 550 Open House
Saturday, Aug. 24, youth hunt (age 5 and younger) at 10:30 a.m. in the green space in front of the Center of New Hampshire by the DoubleTree Hotel (700 Elm St.), Manchester; public hunt at 11 a.m. (meet at 10:50 a.m.) starts at City Hall (908 Elm St.)
Monster Medallions will be hidden in public places on Elm Street from Studio 550 north to Bridge Street.
Studio 550 Arts open house is 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
550arts.com

Featured image: Monsters. Photos by Zachary Lewis.

The Art Roundup 24/08/15

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

• Creative communities: Twiggs Gallery, in partnership with Concord Makerspace, will be hosting a discussion with members of the New Hampshire Potters’ Guild (NHPG) for their “Third Thursday Discussion Series: Building Creative Communities” on Thursday, Aug. 15, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). In a statement, Twiggs Gallery director Laura Morrison said Twiggs is “looking forward to talking with NHPG about how they are successfully building a rich and vibrant community of artists and craftsmen. The series is an open-style panel discussion engaging the local creative community in conversations about how we can all work together to help each other grow, not only as creative beings but as a thriving creative community that benefits everybody.” Local artists, crafters, musicians, performers, makers, creatives, writers, collectors, and anyone interested in living and working in a thriving arts community are encouraged to join the discussion, according to the release. Visit twiggsgallery.org, concordmakerspace.org, and nhpottersguild.org.

• Music and glass: On Friday, Aug. 16, Laura Belanger, along with Dennis Akerman, will present “The Colors of Sanbornton Congregational Church – A Mosaic of Organ Music and Stained Glass”at Sanbornton Congregational Church (21 Meeting House Hill Road, Sanbornton) at 5 p.m. Ears will be treated to some unexpected sounds produced through an artfully chosen blend of organ stops, chimes and bells, coming together to present a sound representing each unique and colorful window. In one part of the program, as a special treat, audience members will witness the playing of the pump organ that was brought to the church in 1890, according to the release. Admission is free. A stair-less entry is accessible through the parking lot at the rear of the church and assistive hearing devices are also available. Call 286-3018 or visit uccsanbornton.org.

NEW EXHIBIT
Glimpse Gallery (Patriot Building, 4 Park St., Concord), owned by Miriam Exum and curated by Christina Landry-Boullion, will hold multiple receptions for its newest exhibit, which features the work of Kristin Selesnick, Corey Garland, Leslie Ossoff, Ashley Audet, Sandy Sereno, Marisol-von-Hardenberg and Christina Landry-Boullion, on Saturday, Aug. 17, and Saturday, Aug. 24, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. They ask that you RSVP if possible. Visit theglimpsegallery.com or call 892-8307.

• Romance Day: On Saturday, Aug. 17, at 2p.m. Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) celebrates the sixth annual Bookstore Romance Day by having a mocktail party with New England romance novel authors where attendees can meet some authors, mingle and chat, talk tropes, debate who is the best book boyfriend/girlfriend, and enjoy some delicious drinks from Gibson’s Cafe, according to the press release. Authors in attendance will be Jilly Gagnon, author of Love You, Mean It; Sarina Bowen, author of the True North series and the Brooklyn Hockey series and co-author of the W.A.G.S series with Elle Kennedy; and Margaret Porter, author of A Change of Location and more than a dozen historical romance novels, according to the same release. Bookstore Romance Day is a day designed to give independent bookstores an opportunity to celebrate Romance fiction (its books, readers, and writers) and to strengthen the relationships between bookstores and the Romance community, according to the same release. Visit gibsonsbookstore.com

• Summer improv: Join Stranger Than Fiction at the Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth) for one last summer night of unscripted comedy where anything can happen on the cozy, intimate stage on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 8 p.m. Participants will be asked for summer-themed suggestions and will watch them transformed into hilarious scenes, characters and stories. Participants are encouraged to have a picnic in the back lawn before the show and they do have air conditioning. Tickets are $15. Visit playersring.org/shows/stfsplash.

CULTURE FEST
Positive Street Art, Manchester Central Little League and MYTURN welcome everyone to The Manchester Multicultural Festival and Mural Unveiling on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sheehan-Basquil Park in Manchester’s Center City, celebrating a new colorful Central Little League mural, according to their website. There will be live performances from New Hampshire’s own premiere rock band Cozy Throne as well as music and hoop performers from Akwesasne, as well as other activities like an art vendor market and mobile gallery sale, giveaways and photography by the talented Esmeldy, according to the website. See positivestreetart.org.

—Zachary Lewis

A little weird

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld on stage

Beginning with The Colour of Magic in 1983, Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series spanned 41 novels. The fantasy writer drew from mythology, folklore and the classics for stories that happened on a flat planet that balanced on the backs of four elephants, who in turn stood upon a giant turtle.

1988’s The Wyrd Sisters is a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and director Jeannie LeGrow thought it would be great if there were a stage version; she’s a big fan of the Discworld books. Turns out that British writer Stephen Briggs has adapted more than 20 Pratchett novels into plays, including the one starring three witches, a Duke, his striving wife and a ghost.

“I just decided to re-read them,” she said by phone recently. “I find that I get something new depending on where I am in life each time I do, and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t this make a great play?” Then I was like, ‘Do you think it is one?’ ‘I Googled it, and there it was.”

In another bit of kismet, the publishing house with the rights to The Wyrd Sisters lets theatrical companies have the play in exchange for a donation to the Orangutan Foundation, a favorite charity of Pratchett’s. In The Colour of Magic there’s a character who is magically turned into a great ape and decides he likes it.

“He finds it easier to climb the shelves and somehow everyone understands him,” LeGrow said. “I imagine the donation was probably the brainchild of Sir Pratchett or his family and estate. He really seems to want his legacy to be positive … to have left behind something good and fun.”

In his writing, LeGrow likes the way Pratchett blended the medieval and magical with modernism. “In Guards! Guards!, another fabulous one that I’d like to do, this cult does a big thing and then they’re waiting, and one of them goes, ‘Should we get a pizza?’ He just loves to add that little touch of reality, which is not only humorous, but more relatable.”

Another thing she enjoys is that Pratchett’s worldview was very female forward. The Duke of Felmet, played by Village regular Bob Tuttle, is both wicked and hapless as Lady Felmet (Magner Peruto) guides him. The Wyrd Sisters’ men come off as mostly beholden to the women in the play — that is, when they’re not simply trying to keep up.

“My favorite Terry Pratchett book is Equal Rites, in which a woman becomes a wizard,” she said. “He says in the book, ‘Women are not allowed to become wizards because the wizards have realized they’d be rather better at it,’ He very much writes his women that way and I’ve always loved that about him … and yes, the women definitely let the men think they’re running things in the Discworld.”

The three witches in the play are Nanny Ogg (Jayson Andrews) — “very pragmatic, but a bit … well, she’s not very tactful, and that’s something I really like about her … you always know where you stand,” LeGrow said — and the outsized Granny Weatherwax, “in her opinion, and probably everyone else’s, the greatest witch in all of Discworld.”

Magrat Garlick, a character who’s often portrayed as dumb, is updated by Emily Marsh. “She’s more aware of the modern world, but also is very naive in other ways; not dumb, she just doesn’t know yet,” LeGrow said. “She makes it sweet and very funny.” LeGrow, who joined Village a few years ago, feels Marsh exemplifies something important about the theater.

“She grew up in this theater, it’s a second family to her, and that speaks to me so much,” she said. “These kids go off to college and they come back. It matters to them to come to this theater, and that speaks volumes of how welcoming they are. I’ve had such a good time with the group.”

The Wyrd Sisters
When: Fridays and Saturdays, Aug. 16 through Aug. 24, at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, Aug. 18 and Aug. 25, at 2 p.m.
Where: The Village Players Theater, 51 Glendon St., Wolfeboro
Tickets: $20 at village-players.com

Featured image: Wyrd Sisters. Courtesy photo.

Art for everyone

Greeley Park Art Show features artists working in a variety of media

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

The time is now for the 71st Greeley Park Art Show in Nashua on Saturday, Aug. 17, and Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day put on by the Nashua Area Artists’ Association. Lauren Boss, co-director of the Greeley Park Art Show, is excited for the two days filled with art along with co-director Jacqueline Barry.

“We’ve been co-directors for, oh goodness, several, several years,” Boss said.

If there is a style of art, it will be represented at Greeley Park.

“All the artists, it’s all different mediums and all different styles. We have artists that work in pastels and colored pencils, oils, and we have potters and woodworkers, people that work with glass. All different mediums, all different styles. It’s great because everybody’s different…. There’s something for everyone because it’s so diverse…. There’s going to be 50 artists displayed.”

There is a silent auction but the artists will be happy to talk with attendees about their craft. “Everybody loves to talk about how they do it. You can ask them everything and they are very willing to talk to you about it.”

The attendees are just as impressive as the art itself.

“One artist several years ago had said, ‘This is a great show and people know a lot and you can tell the people come back year after year because of the questions they’re asking and how knowledgeable they are.’”

Everyone is invited, even the furriest Granite Staters.

“Whatever pet you happen to have, whatever pets are well-behaved are welcome. Come on out and have a great time…. The park’s huge. You get people walking and biking. People with their kids. A lot of people plan vacations around the art show.”

An art competition takes place both days.

“Saturday there’s an adult art competition for the people in the show. It’s broken down by medium; pastels, oils, mixed-media, whatever their medium is, so there’s a first, second, and third in the medium and then the best in show. We give away a lot of cash prizes that way.”

Sunday’s competition is for kids.

“It’s 6 to 18 and they bring their artwork so their artwork’s hung and that’s judged and they get prizes also, art related prizes to encourage the kids to keep on going.”

Some speciality booths will be popped up around the park as well.

“We give away two scholarships every year and those artists are also displaying at the park, they have a tent set up and they’re there with some of their artwork…. The raffle tent has local people. Local businesses donate gift certificates or gift bags, some of the artists donate paintings, or whatever they do, and that’s raffled off.”

As mentioned before, the silent auction is an aspect of the Art Show that has a great selection of art.

“There’s a silent auction that we do for higher-priced items, so that’s really cool to do also and that goes to the educational fund, so that could be scholarships, community outreach, demonstrations that we do throughout the year, and stuff like that.”

Certain years there is music in the park, and this year is one of those years.

“There will be a musician both Saturday and Sunday. George Parker plays acoustic guitar and stops and plays at various spots at the park. He is really a nice addition to the show. …There’s a lot that goes on with the Art Show, just a lot that goes on.”

Hot dog and ice cream vendors may be on the street.

“Sometimes there’s an ice cream truck. There are the hot dog people that are there, but they’re not ours.”

Boss was not able to pick a favorite medium or artist and when asked said, “Honestly, all of them. They are amazing, it’s like a museum. We have artists that have won awards from all over the world…. It’s amazing, they really are. I love our artists. They’re really nice, they’re funny, they’re great, they really are.”

“They’re very personable when you go into their booth. Some of the people are actually there painting and drawing…. There’s one woman who does colored pencils and she’s amazing and I think when you ask her, it’s an inch an hour is what it takes her to do her drawings and when you look at them they’re just incredible.”

Whether it’s community, art, or a pleasant day at the park, the Greeley Park Art Show has been the place to be for over 70 years.

“Through the years I’ve seen families grow up and it’s cool…. You see them grow through the years…. It’s just a great event for everybody,” Boss said.

Nashua Area Artists’ Association
71st Greeley Park Art Show
100 Concord St., Nashua
Saturday, Aug. 17, and Sunday, Aug. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free admission
nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow

Featured image: Artwork by David Bower. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 24/08/08

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

• Return of the nuns: Nunsense Jamboreepresented by The Majestic Studio Theatre will run on Friday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 11, at 2 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, majestictheatre.net, 669-7469). In the first Nunsense, a wacky nun known as Sister Mary Amnesia regained her memory and recalled that she always wanted to be a country singer, and in Nunsense II her dream became one step closer to reality. In Nunsense Jamboree, Sister Amnesia’s dream is realized as she headlines a brand-new show promoting her debut album, according to their website. Tickets are $15 and $20.

• Fair finale: The 91st Annual Craftsmen’s Fair. hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and wraps up at Mount Sunapee Resort (1398 Route 103, Newbury) on Sunday, Aug. 11. Tickets are $18 online, $20 at the gate. See a Q&A with League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Executive Director Miriam Carter in our Aug. 1 issue. Call 224-3375 or visit nhcrafts.org.

CRUEL SUMMER
Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical is presented by Hatbox Theatre (715-2315, hatboxnh.com) and Manchester Community Theatre Players through Aug. 11 with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the North End Montessori School’s MCTP Theatre (698 Beech St., Manchester). The musical places audiences into the world of Manhattan’s elite and follows the story of two wealthy stepsiblings who conspire in a game of seduction and betrayal against the backdrop of high society, fueled by the music that defined a generation, blending nostalgia and drama in a musical journey through love, lust and power, according to the website. Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for students/seniors/members, $22 for senior members. See hatboxnh.com for content details.

• New exhibit: Concord artists and close friends Laura Morrison and Gail Smuda have worked together for more than 16 years, creating mixed media works with a feminist perspective and a focus on artist-made books and fiber works. Their body of work will be showcased in the upcoming exhibit “The Loosely Knit Alliance: The Collaborative Works of Laura Morrison and Gail Smuda,” which opens at the Library Arts Center (58 N. Main St., Newport) on Friday, Aug. 9, with an artists’ reception from 5 to7 p.m. and will run through Oct. 4, according to the release. Visit lauramorrisonart.com and gailsmuda.com. The Library Arts Center hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. It is closed Sundays and Mondays. Visit libraryartscenter.org.

• Sneak peek: On Thursday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m., New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) will host Excerpts and Investigations: Milonga!at Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord, an event that is free to the public and will preview excerpts from Lila Productions’ upcoming show, Milonga!, at The Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth on Sunday, Aug. 18. Milonga! will feature Alejandro Figliolo, a renowned tango dancer, teacher and choreographer from Buenos Aires, according to the press release. The event will feature wine and a short moderated discussion followed by a brief performance by Figliolo and Nathan and Elyssa Moyer, co-founders of Lila Productions, according to the release. To register, visit nhdancecollaborative.org.

DANCE DANCE DANCE
The Live Free and Dance Festival is hosted by Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance at Saint Anselm in the Dana Center (100 St. Anselm Drive, Manchester) on Saturday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participants can take intermediate or advanced classes in many dance styles including contemporary, ballet, hip-hop and tap, according to their website. The Institute is excited to have Impavido, Whitney Wilson, Danielle Gautier, Lauren Lassila and Aaron Tolson on faculty this year. Check the website for class schedules and multi-class discounts. Single classes are $35 each, with various ticket packages available, according to the website. Visit tickets.anselm.edu/eventperformances.asp?evt=192.

—Zachary Lewis

Films from near and far

The Manchester International Film Festival celebrates local filmmakers and the wider world

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

The 2024 Manchester International Film Festival takes place on Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Rex Theatre. Warren O’Reilly, the Festival Director since the beginning in 2022, is pumped for the third year of the event.

“We’re very excited to bring it back to continue a legacy of film in Manchester,” O’Reilly said.

“We started three years ago with a goal of paying homage to the Rex Theatre’s roots as a movie theater. Back in 1949 it opened as a movie theater, and the lobby of the Rex has classic movie posters from the time period.”

The festival will bring films from near and far.

“What we wanted to do was be a small, independent film festival that allowed people that live in downtown Manchester the ability to see independent film from New Hampshire, emerging New Hampshire filmmakers, actors and artists, and a sampling of the international films that are happening throughout the rest of the festival circuit every year,” he said.

“There’ll be a red carpet and a step and repeat so people can take photos in front of our marquee. Everyone walks the red carpet to get in.” An afterparty at City Hall Pub will be held each night as well.

Friday, Aug. 9, festivalgoers will be treated to three different blocks of film. The first block is Animation, the next is New England Short Film, and the third block is the premiere of That Alien, Sound, from director, writer and producer Brando Topp. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. with a program start time at 7 p.m.

“Our main goal is to amplify local talent. Amplify local filmmakers and give everybody [the opportunity to] watch the stuff they’re working on displayed in a professional theater with 4K video, great sound, and be able to sit in a movie theater and watch their film on a big screen, eat popcorn and meet fellow filmmakers,” O’Reilly said.

In a statement about the film, Topp said, “Mia Danelle and I produced this from the jump. Her acting inspired the character, and our mutual commitment empowered us to step into roles we’ve both dreamt about for some time. Our family of friends and creatives who joined us made this movie shine.”

There will be a Q&A when the lights turn up at the end of the feature presentation with Topp, who is originally from New Hampshire, and Mia Danelle, who stars in the film and is a producer as well. Danelle had a recurring role as Cielo in the FX series Mayans.

Before the feature, the first block of the night is for Animation and will show Nemesis Battlefield Volume 16, Within the Crystal Hills, Bad Dog, A Dog’s Purpose, The Sweet Order and Ovo.

Griffin Hansen, the director of Within the Crystal Hills, spoke to the Hippo a couple months ago about his craft (find that story in our June 13 issue online).

The next block centers on New England Short Film and will be screening The Sins of Salem, Odessa, Kill That Man and Mars Hill Bait and Ammo.

“You’ll be able to see a bunch of short film and a feature film, a lot of them with New Hampshire roots.”

Saturday, Aug. 10, follows a similar structure with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. with the films starting at 7 p.m. The night’s focus is on LGBTQ+ film, International Short Films, and Ireland Film Focus with selections presented by the Irish Film Board.

The LGBTQ+ films include The Paradise Road, A La Carte, and The Space Between. Next up are the International Short Films, which are Segreto di Natale from Italy, ! (Exclamation Mark) from Ukraine, In Absentia from the United Kingdom, and Archipelago from Australia.

“It’ll be a great opportunity to see some short films from all those countries,” O’Reilly said.

Last but not least are the Irish Film Board selections, which include the films Movers and Shapers and Two For The Road, which is shot on Kodak Film.

“Two nights of film is a really good thing in the middle of summer. I think the city of Manchester deserves a great film festival. There’s a great film community, there’s a great community of people who really love film, there’s an unbelievable amount of talent in New Hampshire,” O’Reilly said.

Film is art for everyone.

“No, you don’t have to be a film buff,” O’Reilly said. “A lot of these pieces could later be sold to streaming services. Some of them are already available on various platforms, so it will be a really great opportunity for people to see a whole bunch of different things in one night…. We have a group of volunteers and judges that help us whittle down so that we find something that will appeal to everybody.”

Manchester International Film Festival
Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10
The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester
$20 each night
Doors at 6:30 p.m., showtime at 7 p.m.
palacetheatre.org/film

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

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