Category: Art & Theater

The Art Roundup 23/08/24

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

• Learn from the best: Master Potter David MacDonald will visit Studio 550 Community Art Center (550 Elm St. Manchester; 232-5597, 550arts.com) on Saturday, Sept. 16, and Sunday, Sept. 17, to demonstrate his works, according to a press release. All skill level of pottery artists are welcome, the release said. The cost is $135 for the two-day workshop (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday). Saturday will feature demonstrations and conversation and Sunday will feature demos, the release said. Register online. See davidmacdonaldpottery.com for more on the artist.

Monster Hunt
Studio 550 Community Art Center (550 Elm St. in Manchester; 550arts.com, 232-5597) will hold its 11th annual Monster Hunt in downtown Manchester on Saturday, Aug. 26, starting at 11 a.m. Studio 550 makes and hides 100 monster medallions in the downtown with each monster finder asked to keep only one to spread the monster-finding fun to as many people as possible, the release said. Bring the medallion to Studio 550 to trade in for a red clay monster. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Studio 550 will also host several low-cost hands-on activities, the release said. There will also be a kids-only hunt at DoubleTree Hotel at 10:30 a.m. for kids 5 and under with 25 monsters available and monster stickers for all kids who search, the release said. See 550arts.com/about/monsterhunt. As part of the festivities the Manchester City Library Bookmobile will be at City Hall Plaza and Dancing Lion Chocolate and Queen City Cupcakes, both on Elm Street, will have Monster Hunt-inspired treats on offer, according to the website.

• Art show: See the pastels of Peggy Van Valkenburgh in the exhibit “Go, See, Paint the World” at the Peterborough Town Library Community Art Gallery (2 Concord St. in Peterborough; peterboroughtownlibrary.org, 924-8040) through Friday, Sept. 29. She will also offer an artist talk on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. The library is open Mondays through Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Season of performances: Stockbridge Theatre (Pinkerton Academy, 5 Pinkerton St. in Derry; stockbridgetheatre.com) has tickets on sale now for its 2023-2024 season, as well as season tickets and multi-show tickets. The first few performances on the schedule include Jukebox Saturday Night, with music celebrating the swing era, on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m.; Yesterday and Today: Interactive Beatles Experience on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.; The Hitmen of Country on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m., and Versa Style Dance, a fusion of hip-hop, Afro-Latin, krump, salsa, merengue and cumiba performed to remixes of hip-hop, classical and electronic music, according to the website, on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. See the website for the complete schedule.

Poetry & Pie
Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; 975-0015, twiggsgallery.org) will host its annual poetry reading and open mic, Poetry & Pie, on Sunday, Aug. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. This year’s theme is “NEST,” which is also the gallery’s current exhibit. The Percheron Poets will participate and an open mic portion offers poets an opportunity to read a poem on the theme, according to a press release. After the poetry, stay for pie.

• Author talk: The New Hampshire Humanities 2023 Annual Celebration of the Humanities on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. will feature author Jodi Picoult in conversation with Alexandria Peary, the New Hampshire Poet Laureate, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester). The public reception begins at 5 p.m. with appetizers and a cash bar and the program starts at 6:15 p.m. Tickets cost $35 through $50. See nhhumanities.org/celebrate or call 224-4071.

Masked
Creative Ambitions Performance Studio will present Masked, an original dramady by New Hampshire resident Glynn Cosker, Friday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315). The show takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors. See capsnh.com for more on the play and the performing arts company.

A campy, gory good time

Actorsingers present Evil Dead The Musical HD

While rehearsing the second act of Evil Dead The Musical HD, director Matty Gregg told the Actorsingers cast to “suspend all disbelief,” a phrase that is at the essence of this show.

The Nashua-based theater company’s production will run from Thursday, Aug. 24, to Sunday, Sept. 3, at Janice B. Streeter Theater in Nashua.

Sam Raimi’s 1980s horror cult classic film The Evil Dead was adapted into a musical in 2000 that combined the plot of the three Evil Dead movies, following five college kids at a cabin in the woods. Gregg reimagined the musical in 2016, creating an HD version.

“I started working on a different production of it,” Gregg said. “There’s some limitations of things you can do as a stage musical, so I tried basically to bring a lot of the movie side of things back to the musical.”

This resulted in the creation of a virtual set modeled after the cabin from the movie with a screen on the floor and wall that allows the set to digitally rotate. Gregg debuted this version while living in San Jose, where the production gained a following and he realized the show appealed to a variety of audiences. It also garnered the attention of George Reinblatt, the writer of the musical, and Bruce Campbell, who played the lead, Ash Williams, in the film version, both of whom Gregg would collaborate with and create the splatter zone.

“We have a splatter zone where we invest a lot of money in the ability to deliver blood to the audience,” Gregg said. “If somebody gets killed on stage the blood can splatter all over the audience at the same time … in the first two or three rows.”

Playing these iconic characters comes with challenges and pressure to live up to the role while still making the part one’s own.

“With such a cult following, there are lines that must be to the T because everybody’s going to come in and they’re going to remember from the movie,” said Phil Laks, who plays the role of Scotty.

Ryan Gibeau who plays Ash, adds, “There’s a lot of things that are already part of the character that Bruce Campbell developed and so there’s this duty to almost bring the original energy of the show that a lot of people are expecting,” he said. “I found places where there’s a lot of creative freedom for me, and so I’ve just tried to figure out what I think is going to be a fun audience experience.”

Performing the HD version also comes with challenges of its own, like having to work with the screens and follow the cabin while it is rotating, according to Christine Armenion, who plays Ash’s younger sister, Cheryl. Despite having just a six-week rehearsal period, Gregg said the process has been great.

“The actors are wonderful,” he said. “They’re very talented.”

Gregg describes the show as “a really fun, irreverent, campy, gory good time.”

“One of the main messages of this show in general is just to forget about all the stuff that’s happening in your life outside and just come have a really fun time,” he said.

Actorsingers present Evil Dead The Musical HD
When: Thursday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 25, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m.; Thursday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 2, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m.
Where: Janice B. Streeter Theater, 14 Court St., Nashua
Cost: Tickets range from $25 to $30
More info: Visit actorsingers.org

The Art Roundup 23/08/17

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

• After work and outdoors: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is taking its live music during its Thursday Art After Work (5 to 8 p.m.) outside for the next few weeks, weather permitting. Bring chairs or a blanket to enjoy the performance, which this week is slated to feature Luna Trio, according to the website. Art After Work programming is free.

If you’re interested in spending more time at the museum, the Currier is currently holding a sale on its household-level membership (which gives members unlimited free admission for two adult cardholders and all family members under 18, two additional free general admissions for accompanying guests with each visit and other perks). Usually listed as $80, household level currently costs $60 through Thursday, Aug. 31, according to the Currier newsletter.

• Final weekend of Educating Rita: A production of the new professional theater company Creative Ambitions Performance Studio of NH, Educating Rita, a comedy-drama set in early 1980s Liverpool, will run through Sunday, Aug. 20, at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) with show times on Friday, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 19, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 20, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students.

‘Salon de Cinq, So Long’
“Salon de Cinq, So Long,” a show paying tribute to a 20-year gathering of a group of artists, is at Two Villages Art Society (846 Main St. in Hopkinton; twovillagesart.org) through Saturday, Sept. 2. “Salon de Cinq was started by Pat Palson, a nationally famous weaver and fashion designer. Joining in the exhibit are her husband, realist painter Eric Palson; polymer clay artist Kathleen Dustin; textile artist Annie Frye; wood turner Steven Frye; and potter Nancy Brown. The original members all lived in Hopkinton and met in Palson’s studio,” according to a press release. The gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.

• Show opening: Concord-based painter Pamela R. Tarbell will have her works exhibited in the show “Reflections,” which also features the works of sculptors Andy Moerlein and John Weidman and opens at the Jaffrey Civic Center (40 Main St. in Jaffrey; jaffreyciviccenter.com) Friday, Aug. 18, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 23, with an opening reception on Thursday, Aug 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. See pamtarbell.com for more on the artist.

• A weekend about poetry: The Frost Farm Poetry Conference will take place Friday, Aug. 18, through Sunday, Aug. 20, at the Robert Frost Farm (122 Rockingham Road in Derry; 432-3091, frostfarmpoetry.org. The weekend features keynote speaker Alfred Nicol, a choice of workshops on poetry, a one-on-one meeting with an instructor, poetry readings, breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday plus dinner on Saturday and networking with other poetry lovers, according to the website. The cost for the weekend is $435; register online in advance.

• Screen printing: Learn about screen printing from Dover artist William Mitchell at the League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; nhcrafts.org, 279-7920) on Sunday, Aug. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuition costs $110 with a materials fee of $10. Call or go online to register.

Old Home Week at Twiggs Gallery
Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen, TwiggsGallery.org, 975-0015) will celebrate Boscawen’s Old Home Week with free events. On Saturday, Aug. 19, check out the community art project “Flashy Flock” celebrating Boscawen’s agricultural roots with residents decorating and presenting on Saturday 55 blank chicken shapes; find a link to the map of the chickens on Twiggs’ website, according to a press release. Also on Aug. 19, from 1 to 3 p.m., the gallery will host a free make and take activity with wooden eggs, the release said. On Sunday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Granite State Draft Horse & Pony Association will do plowing demos and competitions outside next to Twiggs, the release said, with wagon rides offered. The day will also feature hot dogs sold as a fundraiser and another make-and-take at the gallery from 1 to 3 p.m., the release said.

On Wednesday, Aug. 23, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. catch a performance of “The New Consort” by a vocal chamber ensemble from the Avaloch Music Farm Institute.

On Sunday, Aug. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. catch the poetry reading Poetry & Pie featuring the Percheon Poets on the theme of “NEST,” the gallery’s current exhibit. After the reading, there will be pie, the release said.

Artistic creations in Greeley

This art show is a walk in the park

By Deborah Viapiana-Ricci
arts@hippopress.com

The Nashua Area Artists’ Association presents the Greeley Park Art Show in Nashua on Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with this year’s event marking the show’s 70th anniversary.

Each year thousands of visitors attend the show. Here is a sampling of some of the talented artists who will be exhibiting this year under tents in the park.

• Tina Gagnon uses colored pencils to make vivid drawings. It started about 16 years ago when she unearthed a long-forgotten box of colored pencils in a desk drawer and decided to try her hand at using them. She has a penchant for detail, she said, and the pencils can deliver the outcome she desires.

Although Gagnon’s art is extremely time-consuming, taking approximately one hour to cover an inch of space, she loves the results. She has dubbed herself a “hyper-realistic artist” and one could surely attest to that after viewing some of her pieces, especially two of her patrons’ favorites, her owls and onions. They have been quoted as saying her work evokes emotions of wonder. Gagnon will be doing “Art in Action” at the show, so visitors can watch her work.

• Tracy Levesque is passionate about her lifelong journey of creating luminous works of art that echo a kind of stained glass look. She enjoys integrating texture with color to produce what she calls “fairy tale realism.” She gains a lot of her inspiration from “nature, itself … the changing light, the sparkling water” and calls nature “purely a gift.” She said that “when we open our eyes, and use our senses, there is an endless fountain of inspiration to draw from.” She enjoys using acrylics with a pallet knife or brush to create texture that enhances her work.

Levesque has participated in the Greeley Show for approximately 10 years and has shown her work up and down the East Coast for more than 20 years.

• Lisa Ciaccia has the ability to take what we think of as fall décor and transform it into a variety of incredible creations. Yes, we are talking about gourds! Growing them on a friend’s land, she harvests her Apple, Martin and Bottleneck gourds, and takes them back to her studio. They sit in her space until they speak to her with their wish for what they would like to be turned into, she said. Ciaccia renders them into vases, birdhouses or bowls. She hollows them out, saving the seeds for another year of planting, and gets to work on the final product.

She has participated at the Greeley four times and has been an artist since she was 8 years old. Her claim to fame was In September 2021, when a good friend who was part of the SpaceX Inspiration4 orbital space flight took along one of Ciaccia’s pieces with her. Stop by Ciaccia’s booth to see her piece floating in space.

• Sandra Peters, a mixed media artist, will tell you that the more materials she uses the more inspiration she gains. Her work can have a kind of “collage” effect that comes from an emotional exchange and could perhaps be the result of being given a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her special friends. Peters spoke of her first time participating at the Greely Show in the mid 1970s, when she sold her first work of art. She has been active in the fundraising aspect of the show and enjoys connecting with local patrons to gain support that ultimately benefits high school students who are pursuing art education.

The show also features a art competition — one for adults and one for ages 6 to 18 — as well as a raffle and silent auctions that raise funds for scholarships for local high schools, according to the event’s website. The day will also feature a coloring tent, instrument petting zoo and more kid-friendly activities, the website said.

Greeley Park Art Show
Where: Greeley Park, 100 Concord St. in Nashua
When: Saturday, Aug. 19, and Sunday, Aug. 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: Free
More info: nashuaarts.org

The Art Roundup 23/08/10

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

• Celebration of fine craft: The League of NH Craftsmen Fair continues through Sunday, Aug. 13, at Mount Sunapee in Newbury. The fair is open daily, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 200 craftsmen take part in the event, many offering demonstrations of their work, according to nhcrafts.org, the League’s website, where you can purchase tickets (general admission tickets cost $18, or $28 for a two-day pass). The fair also features music daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This weekend, catch Decatur Creek (playing Americana, folk and bluegrass) on Saturday and Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki with Matt Jensen playing Celtic fiddle and guitar on Sunday, the website said. The fair features a food vendor area, special daily events and workshops and a Fair Craft Clues’ Scavenger Hunt for kids as well as a Kids Create tent, according to a press release (children under 12 get in free).

• The fiber arts: Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway in Derry; 432-6140, derrypl.org) will hold a knitting/crochet meet-up every other Tuesday — Tuesday, Aug. 15, and Tuesday, Aug. 29, this month — from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Bring a project to work on and talk with other crafters. Register online.

• Beat night: Haitian American poet and educator (and frequent semi-finalist of the National Poetry Slam) will appear at Beat Night at the Portsmouth Book and Bar (40 Pleasant St. in Portsmouth) on Thursday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m., according to a social media post about the event. See bookandbar.com.

Rock Mandala
Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. at the junction of Routes 3 and 4 in Boscawen; twiggsgallery.org, 975-0015) will hold a free Rock Mandala Make and Take activity this Saturday, Aug. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. The gallery will offer all the supplies for the craft. Twiggs Gallery is open Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

• Four hands: Pianists (and longtime friends) Abigail Charbeneau and Susan Cobb will present a four hands piano concert at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org, 228-1196) on Friday, Aug. 18, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the school’s Community Room. Admission is free but donations are appreciated, according to the website, which describes the concert as “consisting of a wide range of styles by Mozart, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Beach and Ziffrin.”

• At the Amato: Lots of upcoming events on the schedule for the Amato Center for the Performing Arts’ (56 Mont Vernon St. in Milford, amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company). Catch the Friends of the Amato Center production of Guys & Dolls on Friday, Aug. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 19, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 20, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students.

The Riverbend Youth Company is holding auditions for its November production of Disney’s High School Musical on Monday, Aug. 21, and Tuesday, Aug. 22, for performers in 8th through 12th grades. Find details on auditioning, including the musical’s characters, requirements for auditions, how to submit a video audition and rehearsal information, via the website.

Tickets for an October production of The Big White House on Main Street are also on sale now. The original stage play by Ellen Cunis and Toby Tarnow (who also directs) is set in Woburn, Mass., about an Italian family in the early 20th century, according to thebigwhitehouseonmainstreet.com, where you can find more about the production and the authors. The show will be on stage Thursday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $15, $12 for seniors, students and Woburn residents.

Mural Unveiling
Fifteen interns from MyTurn and Kimball Jenkins Summer Placemaking internship will present “Colors of Change: West High Mural Unveiling” on Thursday, Aug. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Manchester West High School (9 Notre Dame in Manchester). The project’s goal is to have more than 2,000 square feet of mural segments at West, according to a press release. The event will feature live music from local string trio starring Nicholas So and food for sale by Don Quijotes, the release said. Find Kimball Jenkins on Facebook for more.

Celebrating local artistry

Manchester Arts & Crafts Fair returns for a second year

Back for its second year is the Manchester Arts & Crafts fair at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with vendors, food trucks, children’s programming and more.

“This year’s arts and craft fair has three times more vendors as we did last year … featuring all kinds of fine art, painting, drawing, pottery, fabric art, woodworking, crocheting, all sorts of wonderful stuff,” said Kathy Daneman, organizer of the fair.

Among the 60 vendors is Melissa Goodman, an oil painter and illustrator. Growing up, Goodman enjoyed art in school. She went to university with the intention of studying science but quickly realized that something was missing.

“I couldn’t not be doing art,” She said. “Life just felt so much less colorful because art wasn’t involved in it. I would get jealous when I’d see kids walking on campus with their art portfolios and so I ended up taking a few art classes and realized this was what I really needed to do.”

While studying and exploring art, she developed preferences for some media over others. Now one of her media of choice is oil painting, which she originally hated.

This changed after she took a workshop taught by still life painter Jeff Legg years later.

“I took it and I ended up being like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so much better. This is everything,’” Goodman said. “I had taken oil painting classes before and just disliked it so much, but when I took it from him it was like something clicked.”

During her time in college, she also discovered that she loved working with ink and became fascinated with still lifes.

“I really loved the idea of making objects that to most people feel really ordinary feel so extraordinary. I feel that’s what life is; a lot of ordinary moments, but to us those moments feel so extraordinary,” Goodman said. “The world is such a beautiful place and I’ll see something beautiful and I’ll just know … what I need to paint, even if it’s completely unrelated. Everything around me is inspirational.”

Fiber artist Emily Reilly will have a booth at the arts and crafts fair. A graduate student at the University of New Hampshire, she found that crocheting is a great way to cope with stress.

“About a year [or] year and a half ago I kept seeing all these videos pop up [of] these girls making the cutest crochet tops and I was like, ‘I would love to do that,” Reilly said. “I fell in love with it and I found that it was just a good outlet for me. I really like doing it when I’m stressed and it’s just really satisfying to see the finished project.”

The Manchester Arts & Crafts fair will be the first Reilly has participated in. People encouraged her to sell her work and despite being hesitant she applied for a spot, where she hopes to inspire others to pick up a craft one day. She says she couldn’t have done this without the help of her sister.

“My twin sister, Hannah, has been a huge help,” Reilly said. “I’ve been doing the crocheting but she has handled everything else.”

According to Daneman, other new additions to this year’s event include face painting, the Manchester City Library Bookmobile and a children’s art wall with Unchartered Tutoring.

“We really wanted to make sure that it was something that everybody could enjoy,” Daneman said. “It’s fun to get together in the summer and see our neighbors and celebrate the art they make and the thoughts they’re expressing through their work.”

Manchester Arts & Crafts Fair
When: Saturday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 773 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: Free

The Art Roundup 23/08/03

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

• Saturday of art: Goffstown Main Street’s 15th Annual Uncommon Art on the Common runs this Saturday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with works of more than 45 area artists and artisans displayed in booths along Main Street, according to a press release. Meet the artists — painters, illustrators, photographers, woodworkers, jewelry artisans, metal workers, authors, crafters, potters and more — and purchase their works. The day will also feature the Uncommon Bling project, when visitors can collect beads and handcrafted items from participating booths to create a necklace (the necklace is available at the Goffstown Main Street booth), the release said. A raffle will feature items donated by local artists and businesses, and a craft tent for kids will offer an activity to make, the release said. Goffstown High School will have a tent featuring work by high school students. See goffstownuncommonarts.org.

• Opening weekend: Cue Zero Theatre Company’s (cztheatre.com) Join/Empathy, a project from the Cue Zero Laboratory Series, hits the stage on Friday, Aug. 4, and Saturday, Aug. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, in Salem). Tickets cost $15 per person. Join explores how and why people fall into cults, according to a press release. Empathy was created by a small group of performers looking at what “empathy” means in daily life and is set in a restaurant, the release said.

And catch the first presentation of the Nashua Theatre Guild’s I Hate Shakespeare at Temple Beth Abraham (4 Raymond St. in Nashua) on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m. (a second show is Sunday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m.). The play, by Steph DeFerie, will include the classic stories of Hamlet, Macbeth and more with “talking cows, zombies and other characters [who] will give you a fast-paced intro to the riotous charm of the man himself,” according to an email from the Guild. Tickets to these performances (which will be held outdoors under a tent) cost $5 for adults and children 6 and older (children 5 and under get in free). Cash-only concessions will be available (no outside food or drink), the release said. See nashuatheatreguild.org.

Windham Community Bands
Enjoy some music and get some ice cream at the Windham Community Bands’ ice cream social on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. at Searles School Chapel in Windham. Bring your own chairs and picnic blankets and enjoy ice cream at intermission, according to a press release, which listed the Windham Concert Band’s musical plans as including parts of Phantom of the Opera, the theme from Spider-Man, highlights from The Little Mermaid, music from Neil Diamond and more.

On Sunday, Aug. 27, at 1:30 p.m. the Windham Concert Band will perform at LaBelle Winery in Derry (14 Route 111, Derry). The afternoon will include free appetizers and a cash bar; tickets cost $20 per person, according to the press release. Call 425-3284 or email info@windhamcommunitybands.org.

• Show for those in the know: Catch Namaslay: A New Puppet Musical by Playdoh (Zah Kolo) and performances by The Lowliest One and Birdorgan on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), according to an email from the show’s organizer. The shows take place in a private Manchester residence and are “suitable for adults and teens who are into social justice and DIY,” the email said. There is a requested donation of $15. Contact deixhrist@gmail for the address. See playdohpuppetproductions.com, thelowliestone.com and birdorgan.bandcamp.com to learn more about the acts.

• Theater kids: The Palace Youth Theatre will hold auditions for the fall 2023 semester of Palace Teen Company and the Palace Teen Apprentice Company on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 5 p.m. (arrive 15 to 30 minutes early to fill out paperwork), according to a press release. The companies are for performers ages 12 to 18 who want a more intensive theater experience and not all who audition will be accepted, the release said. Bring a headshot and resume; prepare 16 to 32 bars of a song of your choice, and wear or bring clothes you can move in when taught a dance combination, the release said. Auditions will be held at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester). Sign up by emailing the name and age of the student to MeganQuinn@PalaceTheatre.org.

Lots of singing and dancing on stage

Peacock Players present Legally Blonde The Musical Jr.

The 2001 Reese Witherspoon classic comedy film Legally Blonde was reimagined into a musical stage play in 2007. Nashua-based theater company Peacock Players will be among the latest to present the youth production of this show, Legally Blonde The Musical Jr., at The Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua) from Friday, Aug. 4, through Sunday, Aug. 6.

“It’s a show about a young woman who thinks her whole life revolves around [a] man,” said Elle Millar, the show’s director. “She finds out that her whole life is actually worth so much more than that.”

Millar has been the executive director at Peacock Players for about a year. Originally from Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, Millar was involved in theater growing up and went on to study opera performance in college. She soon realized being an opera performer wasn’t the lifestyle she saw for herself, and decided instead to be an English teacher.

“Over Covid, like a lot of people, I was doing a lot of soul-searching,” she said. “I really enjoyed what I did but I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling every part of myself. I was the drama director at the middle school but I just felt like, ‘This isn’t the best way to do the things that I love to do.’”

Over the pandemic, Millar was planning to open an arts education nonprofit when the executive director position at Peacock Players opened up.

“I had heard from some of our teens that this was the show that got canceled right before Covid,” she said. “I also love the show personally … [and] it’s always been a dream of mine to direct [it] so it’s really exciting to get to do it here and in this way.”

Making her Peacock Players debut is Gianna Stewart-Markert. The starring role of Elle Woods is quite different from characters she is used to playing, like Carrie in Carrie: The Musical and the role of Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago that she will play this fall.

“Elle Woods is definitely very bubbly and determined,” Stewart-Markert said of her character.

So when her Harvard-attending boyfriend breaks up with her, she uses that determination to get into the law school herself. She is then assigned to defend famous fitness guru Brooke Wydham, who is accused of murdering her husband.

“She’s this fitness queen [who] makes millions of dollars with her fitness DVDs,” said Lily Azevedo, who plays Wyndam. “She’s kind of a girl boss. … She is definitely strong, independent and an entrepreneur because she’s making those millions.”

As this was a show involving a lot of dancing, Azevedo went into auditions with an open mind, knowing that even if she ended up only being in the ensemble that she would still get the chance to dance.

“There’s one dance called ‘Whipped Into Shape’ and it’s gotten me whipped into shape,” she said. “[There’s] a lot of jumping and a lot of singing and high notes and belting but it’s like a love-hate relationship. I really enjoy it but it’s also really difficult, but the more we work on it, the turnout will be fabulous.”

According to Millar, strong vocalists are a must for this show. About twice as many kids as the show requires auditioned, and while this called for tough, heartbreaking decisions, it meant the cast would consist of solid, committed members, she said.

“This is a show you don’t attempt unless you think you have the voices to pull it off,” Millar said. “You need a lot of strong singers in a very specific pop, belty style, so this would not be a show I would [have] picked before I got to know the kids, but we had the people we needed.”

Peacock Players present Legally Blonde The Musical Jr.
When: Friday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 5, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 6, at 2 p.m.
Where: The Janice B Streeter Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua)
Cost: Tickets range from $12 to $18; call the box office at 886-7000 or visit peacockplayers.org

The Art Roundup 23/07/27

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

• So you will listen to every word they have to say: The Kids Coop Theatre (kids-coop-theatre.org) will present The Wedding Singer at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) on Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 30, at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $15. Based on the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy, The Wedding Singer is set in 1985 and features music from the period, according to the website, which advises that the play contains adult language and themes and suggests parental discretion for audience members 14 and under.

• Marking history: There will be a Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire marker unveiling event on Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) to celebrate William Hobdy, a ragtime musician and the first known Black business owner in Derry, according to the organization’s newsletter. This all-ages event will begin at 1 p.m. with a pop-up museum and activities exploring Hobdy’s era with music, games and history, the newsletter said. The afternoon will culminate with a walk to the Derry Rail Trail to unveil the new marker at 1:45 p.m. and participants can have some ice cream, according to blackheritagetrailnh.org/derry-historic-marker-unveiling. After the event, Rockingham Brewing Co. will offer pre-Prohibition-style lager for purchase as well as pretzels from Hop Knot in Manchester, the website said.

I Hate Shakespeare!
The Nashua Theatre Guild will present I Hate Shakespeare! at Temple Beth Abraham (4 Raymond St. in Nashua) on Sundays, Aug. 6 and Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. The play, by Steph DeFerie, will include the classic stories of Hamlet, Macbeth and more with “talking cows, zombies and other characters [who] will give you a fast-paced intro to the riotous charm of the man himself,” according to an email from the Guild. Tickets to these performances (which will be held outdoors under a tent) cost $5 for adults and children 6 and older (children 5 and under get in free). Cash-only concessions will be available (no outside food or drink), the release said. See nashuatheatreguild.org.

• A day of dance: Saint Anselm College (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu) will offer a Summer Dance Intensive on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with Aaron Tolson as the camp director. The day will cost $150 and is open to all ages, according to a Dana Center email. Eight classes will focus on tap, ballet, contemporary dance, hip hop and yoga. See the website to register.

• Book events at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) has several upcoming events.

Author Melissa Moore will be at the bookstore to discuss her book Land of Low Hills, a history of Loudon, on Thursday, Aug. 17, at 6:30 p.m.

RSVP on the bookstore’s Facebook page for the Sunday, Aug. 20, 4:30 p.m. event with Katee Robert for Cruel Seduction, the fifth book in her Dark Olympus series, according to a press release.

Astronomer and physicist Marcelo Gleiser will discuss his book The Dawn of a Mindful Universe: A Manifesto for Humanity’s Future on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 6:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 6:30 p.m., New Hampshire author Melanie Brooks will discuss her book A Hard Silence: One Daughter Remaps Family, Grief and Faith when HIV/AIDS Changes It All.

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
See the Majestic Theatre’s teen touring musical Goldilocks and the 3 Bears at the Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7469) on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. Ticket cost $5 and will be available for purchase in advance and at the door. Bring two new or gently used children’s books and admission is free, according to a press release.

• Book event at the Epsom Library: Author Michael Tougias will discuss his book The Finest Hours (the basis for a 2016 movie starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck) and his new book Extreme Survival: Lessons From Those Who Have Triumphed Against All Odds at the Epsom Public Library (1606 Dover Road in Epsom; epsomlibrary.com) on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m.

• Be one of the favorite things: The Community Players of Concord are holding auditions in August for their upcoming production of The Sound of Music. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic will hit the Concord City Auditorium Stage Friday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 19. Auditions for adults will take place on Sunday, Aug. 13, and Monday, Aug. 14; for youth (age 15 and under) auditions will be Sunday, Aug. 20, and Monday, Aug. 21. See communityplayersofconcord.org/auditions for audition times and other information.

• Music and color: Artist Brandy M. Patterson will discuss her art and synesthesia — a condition where she sees color when she hears music — at a 4th Phriday at the Phone Museum event “Painting What She Hears” on Friday, July 28, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the New Hampshire Phone Museum (One Depot St. in Warner; nhtelephonemuseum.org, 456-2234). Register online or by phone. The cost is $5, according to the website.

Ella Walker meets Betty Woodman
“Distant Conversations: Ella Walker and Betty Woodman” is open now at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) and is slated to be the first in a series of “Distant Conversations” exhibits. The exhibits will explore “intergenerational dialogues and artistic conversations between practitioners who have not necessarily met in real life but whose work similarly resonates despite their differences,” according to the Currier’s website. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, Oct. 22. The Currier is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (as well as from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays as part of Art After Work, when admission is free) and admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for 65+, $15 for students, $5 for ages 13 to 17 and children 12 and under get in free.

• Baskets: The League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; 279-7920, meredith.nhcrafts.org) will hold a basket-making class with Ray Lagasse on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tools and materials will be supplied; no prior experience is needed. Register in advance; the cost is $125 to $155, depending on the style of basket. Additional classes will be held Saturday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 14, according to a press release.

• Save the date for the symphony: Ticket subscriptions for the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-2024 mainstage season are now on sale, with subscription prices at $160 for adults, $145 for 60+ and $92 for students, according to a press release. The season will start on Sunday, Nov. 5, with a premiere of the commissioned piece “At This Point” at the Music Hall in Portsmouth at 3 p.m. Additional shows include Holiday Family Pops! and New Year’s Eve Champagne Pops and concerts in March and June, the release said. See portsmouthsymphony.org.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“Shakespeare on the Green” presented by Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) on Founder’s Green outside the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu) wraps up its two-week presentation with A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Thursday, July 27, through Saturday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. Find the Dana Center on Facebook to check on any weather-related schedule or location changes. Tickets cost $25 for general seating; ages 12 and under get in free. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, coolers and snacks, according to the website.

Erasing stigma

Currier Museum of Art opens the conversation on substance use disorder with Art of Hope

By Mya Blanchard
mblanchard@hippopress.com

In January 2018, Currier Museum of Art in Manchester started Art of Hope, a support group for people with loved ones who have, or had, substance use disorder.

“This was really our response to what we can do in light of the opioid epidemic here in Manchester and our whole local area,” said Corie Lyford, who organizes the program. “[It] is intended as a wellness and respite program for people who … have family and loved ones [with] substance use disorder.”

Art of Hope is held on select Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. when the museum is closed, to offer a level of privacy, and is free and open to the public. Doors open 45 minutes before the program begins for people to spend time in the galleries and for a late dinner.

After an introduction to the night’s theme, which include topics like love, hope, grief and self-care, the evening begins with time in the galleries to enjoy art and engage in conversation centering around the theme. The group, which tends to average between 12 and 20 people in size, then gathers in one of the studio spaces for the peer support group led by parent mentors.

“[The parent mentors] might immediately talk about personal experiences they’ve had, they might talk about helpful resources that they’ve found for the group, or they might start by opening it up and just asking the group, ‘What do you think about that?’ [or] ‘What do you all have to say about this topic?’” Lyford said. “It’s really led by the participants. Everyone is encouraged to share, although no one has to.”

One parent mentor who has found it helpful and rewarding to share her experience is Patricia Perkins, whose son is now seven years opiate-free and recently married after a five-year battle with substance use disorder. His struggle began after losing both his father and grandfather within seven months of each other when he was 17.

“I have a son who’s a productive part of society and no longer looks to substances to temporarily solve his problems, but it was years of waiting by the phone [for someone] to say he didn’t make it, or trying to put all your things away so he doesn’t take anything,” Perkins said. “Living in a prison in your own house is really what it’s like. I look at him [now] and think, ‘He’s my miracle kid.’ I’m just such a lucky mom to have made it so far.”

According to Perkins, it is these conversations that work toward breaking down the stigma that surrounds substance use disorder.

“If people don’t talk about it, that stigma just continues to grow,” she said.

The night ends with an art project designed, demonstrated and led by Lyford, which can involve painting, drawing, sculpting or printmaking. While everyone is working on the same thing, creative expression is always emphasized.

“I think that the shared life experience and the knowledge that people are so willing and so brave to share within the [topic] of substance use disorder always amazes me,” Lyford said. “There are other support groups out there, but I think this support group is special in that they’re enjoying the calm and the beauty and the peace of the museum, and they’re learning how to incorporate the power of the arts into their lives at the same time.”

Art of Hope
When: Select Mondays, 6 to 8 p.m.; upcoming dates are July 31 and Aug. 21
Where: Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester)
Visit: currier.org

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