The Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program hosts its 24th year of pond and park cleanups, with cleanups scheduled for Saturday, April 22, at Nutts Pond and Precourt Park; Saturday, April 29, at Stevens Pond and Stevens Park; and Saturday, May 6, at Black Brook and Blodget Park. All cleanups run from 9 to 11 a.m., and trash bags, latex gloves and trash pickers will be provided, according to a press release. Visit manchesternh.gov/urbanponds to learn more.
Get outside
Gov. Chris Sununu has proclaimed April 17 through April 23 “Outside For 5 Week” to recognize a new pledge campaign launched by the New Hampshire Environmental Educators, in partnership with the North American Association for Environmental Education Affiliate Network. According to a press release, the “Outside for 5” campaign encourages teachers and educators in New Hampshire to incorporate outdoor learning into their students’ routine for at least five minutes a day, five days a week, or any meaningful amount of time as a way to address the decline in youth mental health exacerbated by the pandemic and the resulting impact on classroom educators who have faced increased levels of burnout. “Our goal with this campaign is to inspire educators to think outside the box when it comes to enhancing the social-emotional wellness of their students, each other, and their entire school community,” Sarah Bodor, NAAEE’s Director of Policy and Affiliate Relations, said in the release. “We want kids to get outside and experience the benefits of nature’s classroom.” To sign the pledge and learn more about the “Outside for 5” campaign, visit outsidefor5.com.
Scholarship
The Merrimack County Conservation District is now accepting applications for its “Stanley Grimes Conservation Scholarship.” According to a press release, the $1,000 scholarship will be awarded in June to a Merrimack County resident who has been accepted to a two- or four-year college or university and will be attending full-time in the fall of 2023 with the intent to pursue studies in the field of agriculture, forestry, environmental science, soil science or a related natural resources program. The application deadline is May 5. Visit merrimackccd.org, email [email protected] or call 223-6020 to learn more about the scholarship and to access an application form.
Help for homelessness
Harbor Care, a nonprofit organization that provides housing, health care and human services in New Hampshire, was awarded a $2,000 donation by the Rotary Club of Hollis-Brookline on April 5. According to a press release, Harbor Care has been a leading provider of supportive and permanent housing for veterans and individuals experiencing chronic homelessness in Greater Nashua and beyond, successfully moving 246 individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness into permanent housing since 2020, and helping 343 veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness to access stable housing in the past year. The donated funds will be used to support Harbor Care’s Dignity of Home initiative, which aims to provide safe and stable housing to individuals experiencing homelessness and help them overcome the co-occurring challenges they often face, such as mental illness and addiction.
Beech leaf disease
A research team at the University of New Hampshire, led by Jeff Garnas, a UNH scientist researcher with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, has received a grant to study the potential impacts of beech leaf disease (BLD), a relatively new disease caused by invasive felted beech scale insects that has been spreading rapidly throughout New England forests. According to a press release, the researchers will collect tree core samples from BLD monitoring sites across nine states in the Northeast to analyze annual beech growth patterns and assess the combined effects of BLD and beech bark disease (BBD), another threat to beech trees in the region. The team will also investigate climate records to determine the role of climate conditions in the spread of the diseases and its impact on tree growth and mortality. “As a new disease in our forests, the long-term impacts of BLD are currently difficult to predict with any certainty … and there is definitely cause for concern.” Garnas said in the release. “Ultimately, this work will provide forest managers and forest health specialists much-needed tools for understanding, assessing and predicting the long-term impacts of BLD.”
Emergency help
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the State’s substance misuse prevention partners, has announced a new initiative to distribute more than 700 “NaloxBoxes” in various public locations across all 10 counties in the state. According to a press release, this statewide coordinated effort — the first of its kind in the U.S. — aims to provide 24/7 access to naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses and save lives. “During a medical emergency, every minute counts, and providing public access to life-saving medication that can reverse the impact of an overdose while it is occurring is a critical step in reducing the number of lives lost to substance use disorder,” DHHS Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Ballard said in the release. Any business or community entity in New Hampshire is eligible to request a NaloxBox unit for installation in an accessible and highly visible area by contacting State Opioid Response Director Jennifer Sabin at [email protected]. First responders, families, caregivers and other individuals who would like access to naloxone for individual purposes can reach out to their local Doorway, a resource for substance use disorder services in New Hampshire.
Registration is open for the Laconia Golf Classic, a fundraiser for Concord Hospital’s Laconia Dental Center and its programs set for Monday, May 22, at Laconia Country Club (607 Elm St., Laconia). According to a press release, the day will begin with a welcome barbecue at 11 a.m. and will feature raffles, giveaways and hole-in-one prizes, including a chance to win a car or Kubota tractor. Visit ch-trust.org or call 737-6752 to learn more and to register your team.
The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry (27 Navigator Road) will host an informational open house on Tuesday, April 18, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for community members interested in volunteering for the museum’s education outreach program. According to a press release, attendees can meet current volunteers and learn about volunteering opportunities to help the museum in its mission to introduce young people to the world of aviation and aerospace. To RSVP, call 669-4877 and leave a message with your name, or send an email to [email protected]. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org to learn about other kinds of volunteering opportunities at the museum.
From April 17 through Oct. 28, United Way of Greater Nashua will move its Pop-Up Pantries to a dozen outdoor locations in the downtown Nashua area — two or three locations every weekday — to provide free fresh food to area residents facing food insecurity. Visit tinyurl.com/pop-uppantries for times and locations. Donations of nonperishable food are accepted at United Way of Greater Nashua’s office (20 Broad St., Nashua) weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to a press release.
Jazz fusion collective Snarky Puppy is hot on the heels of winning its fifth Grammy, for the double album Empire Central. Bass player and primary composer Michael League spoke with the Hippo by phone from Minnesota, as a tour that stops in Concord on April 12 kicked off. League discussed moving to Catalonia, Spain, in 2020, the nature of his ever-changing band and its influences, and what all that Grammy love really means.
What led the decision to relocate to Spain?
I was looking to focus more on production rather than playing live, and I had gone through a lot of drama with recording studios in New York; there was always an issue in the spaces I was in… I was just like, I want to have my own studio in my own house, where I can bring artists to me, a place that I enjoy living that’s calm and tranquil … half of my family is Greek, so I always felt really at home in the Mediterranean … it’s one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.
Has the evolution of technology helped your creative process?
Everyone’s using technology, my bass plugs into an amp, that’s technology, but I wouldn’t say that we focus on being revolutionary or cutting edge with it. At the risk of sounding like an old kerfuffle, I think that we’re very analog. We’re very about getting in the room together and playing, and seeing what happens from the beginning … playing live is the essence of Snarky Puppy. Our thing is not making slick videos; we play music together, we’re like a family, and the chemistry between the members is what makes the music so special, I think.
What are your influences?
Oh my god, I listen to a lot of music, like everybody in the band does. I mean, I listen to a lot of music from different parts of the world, but I mean Snarky Puppy above all has been greatly influenced by Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Steely Dan, yeah sure, Tower of Power, you know and Parliament; Jaco Pastorius. I feel like a lot of the groups that sit in the cracks of genres, they are our biggest influences.
How does Grammy validation matter to you?
What the awards have done is vastly improve our quality of life on the road. We get paid better, treated better, and there’s more respect, which means our touring life is more sustainable. It used to be really rough, very intense and very hard on our bodies and bank accounts… people may not say [it] because we’ve been nominated five times and we’ve won five times, but the nature of Snarky Puppy is being underdogs. We started when we were too jazz for rock and too rock for jazz, and no one would book us. Festivals hated us because we were too electric, and rock clubs didn’t like us because we weren’t rock enough, and we somehow figured out a way to make it work.
What are your thoughts on working with David Crosby, on his passing, and his legacy?
He was one of my closest friends … he was like family. He changed so much about how I think about music, and I’m very grateful to have been able to spend time with him in the last part of his life. He had a reputation for being a difficult person, and I wouldn’t say that’s untrue, but … I will say that I experienced that very little in the years that I knew him. He was nothing but beautiful to me and all of my friends and everyone in my community. Just one the most generous people with his time and his resources…. When people talk about him, they talk about relationships that were destroyed [and] the more outlandish stuff that happened in his life, but if you’re going to talk about that, you have to talk about how he was so full of joy and generosity, and above all, so full of wonder about music. He was like a little kid with music, he always used to say it was the most fun you could have with your clothes on. It was just beautiful. The main thing that I learned from him is that it doesn’t matter how old you are, or famous or rich, just music brings joy. You get rid of all the superficial stuff, and you can reduce it down as much as you like and the core of it is just joy, and he had that at 81 years old. He was still so juiced and excited about playing, recording and creating.
You have many side projects — when you go on stage for this show, are you basically sticking to Snarky Puppy?
What I love about having so many projects is when you enter into one of them, you’re going into an entire world of music, with its own rules and natural laws and all this kind of stuff. It’s beautiful, because it exposes all kinds of parts of your personality. Actually, I don’t even like the thought of playing one of the songs from one band with another band, it doesn’t inspire me at all. I love going out with Snarky Puppy and just being in Snarky Puppy land, and then going out with Bokanté and being in that world. It’s fun, it’s like putting on a new pair of pants.
Snarky Puppy When: Wednesday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. Where: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord Tickets: $35.25 and up at ccanh.com
Featured photo: Snarky Puppy. Michael League is in the foreground, left. Courtesy photo.
Chris Evans and Michelle Rodriguez make a good questing-buddies pair in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
And I should explain up front that I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, so surely there are Easter eggs about characters and gameplay that I missed. But not knowing that world doesn’t get in the way of understanding or basically enjoying what is a pretty straightforward adventure tale set in a magic-y world.
Edgin (Chris Pine) and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) are partners in a smash-and-grab operation in the land of Neverwinter (it reads as a more chill Middle-earth) — a team that over time expands to include the so-so sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith) and the con artist Forge (Hugh Grant). We meet Edgin and Holga as they are rounding two years in prison after a heist they planned at the behest of the wizard Sofina (Daisy Head) goes wrong and they get caught. Edgin only took the job because the location contained a magical scroll that he hoped could bring his wife back from the dead, reuniting her with Edgin and their daughter, Kira (Chloe Coleman), who was only a baby when her mother died. She was mainly raised by Edgin and Holga, and for the last two years has been living with Forge — or so Edgin hopes. He asked Forge to take care of Kira when it became clear Edgin wasn’t going to escape and now he devises a somewhat stupid plan to bust himself and Holga out of prison so he can go and find his daughter.
Once they’re free, they find that Kira has been taken care of by Forge, who has really grown to relish his fatherly role. He’s enjoyed it so much, in fact, that he has convinced Kira that her dad was a jerk who abandoned her and, now that Forge (with the help of the wizard Sofina) has made himself lord of Neverwinter, he’s provided Kira with a very comfortable life and is reluctant to give it or her up.
When it becomes clear that Edgin and Holga will have to go a sneaky route to win back Kira, Edgin searches for sorcerer Simon, who now has a mediocre magic show (but a very capable pickpocket racket), and for a druid named Doric (Sophia Lillis) whose shapeshifting abilities can help the team make their plan to get into Forge’s castle, rescue Kira and find the life-giving scroll so Edgin can reunite his family.
Meanwhile, Forge and Sofina, who is secretly one of the bad guys known as Red Wizards, have some sort of nefarious plan of their own connected to a forthcoming tournament.
Showing up for too short a time is Xenk (Regé-Jean Page) as an extremely noble lone wolf warrior. The chemistry between him and the more cynical Edgin is a nice note.
“Nice” is probably an overall fair descriptor for this movie — which can sound like faint praise but isn’t really. It’s unrealistic that every movie be the best thing ever or a total mess. Honor Among Thieves is neither, it’s just light fun and uncomplicated good times. It cribs a bit from the Avengers movies, it has the fairy-tale-ish vibes of many other things but without the grimness (Game of Thrones) or the self-seriousness (many a Tolkien property) that can weigh that sort of thing down. The core characters are basically enjoyable to spend time with, even if Edgin is the only one we really get to know. And Pine is just enough of a scruffily charming hero to make that work, without ever tipping over into aggressive glibness.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is the sort of movie you don’t need to rush out to see but that is entertaining enough if you find yourself in a theater watching it. B-
Rated PG-13 for fantasy action/violence and some language, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein with a screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is two hours and 14 minutes long and distributed in theaters by Paramount Pictures.
Featured photo:Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Fresh pies and good times at South Manchester pizzeria
A South Manchester pizzeria is proving that good vibes don’t have to stop with freshly baked pies. It’s also a place where you can pick up and play the electric guitar, sing tunes from a jukebox connected to your phone, flex your mental muscles during trivia night and sip cocktails reminiscent of Capri Sun, Bomb Pops and other nostalgic childhood favorites.
It’s all part of a unique experience Gregg Joseph aims to bring to his customers at Clemento’s Pizzeria & Brew. He took over ownership of the eatery last year after previously working in the corporate world. He operates it with his wife, Estella, along with help from the couple’s children.
Joseph was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and came to the United States as a teenager. He first lived in Miami for a time before coming up to Massachusetts and later New Hampshire.
Pizza pies are baked fresh to order every day, with thin crusts and hand-rolled doughs Joseph said are characteristic of a traditional New York-style.
Clemento’s of Manchester’s owner-operator Gregg Joseph and his wife, Estella. Courtesy photo.
“We have the open kitchen concept, so you see your pizza being made right in front of you,” he said. “You’re seeing your dough getting stretched, [and] you’re seeing the onions getting chopped to be put on your pizza right then and there.”
Since assuming ownership, Joseph has incorporated some of the flavors he enjoyed back home on some of his specialty pizza toppings. Gregg’s Caribbean Jerk Special, for instance, is a pie topped with jerk sauce, chicken, green and banana peppers, onions, jalapenos and mushrooms. Almost any pie can also be baked using a gluten-free crust.
Rounding out the food menu are calzones, hot and cold subs — Joseph recommends the meatball sub, featuring handmade meatballs from his wife — appetizers, like deep-fried chicken wings, cheesy garlic bread and fried pickle chips; and scratch-made desserts, from fried dough to fried brownie and cheesecake bites.
Clemento’s boasts a lineup of nearly two dozen domestic and local craft brews, in addition to an extensive offering of craft cocktails Joseph said his wife will often experiment with.
“People know what a cosmo is, and what a Manhattan is, so we like to have a little twist on some things,” he said.
The Twisted Capri Sun, for example, features a dark rum, shaken with banana liqueur, peach schnapps, pineapple juice and a splash of strawberry puree. Blueberry vodka, lemonade, blue Curaçao and Razzmatazz liqueur make up the Bomb Pop cocktail, named after the popular treat you commonly see off of an ice cream truck’s menu.
The eatery’s interior dining space is small, but Joseph still manages to offer entertainment every night throughout the week. Monday nights feature open mic comedy with a rotating group of regional comedians. On Tuesdays it’s all about the karaoke — the pizzeria has a TouchTunes jukebox you can use directly from your phone. Wednesdays are trivia nights with Clemento’s regular Benji Day; Thursdays are game nights and Fridays are open mic music nights.
“If you open a restaurant in Haiti, people … are coming for the different activities that you’re offering, and that’s sort of the same model that I’m trying to bring here,” he said. “Sometimes people don’t even come in for the food. They’re coming because there’s a smile. … If you like open mic comedy, I got you. You want to play guitar, I have one I can plug in for you right now. Sooner or later, I’ll find something that you’ll like and you’ll just keep coming back.”
Clemento’s Pizzeria & Brew Where: 1875 S. Willow St., Manchester Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed on Sundays. More info: Visit clementospizzeriabrew.com, find them on Facebook @clementosmanchester or call 782-8450 Takeout and delivery services are also available through GrubHub, DoorDash and UberEats.
Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Clemento’s Pizzeria & Brew in Manchester.
The sun is out, the snow is melting and flowers will soon be sprouting with spring now upon us. New Hampshire Antique Co-op in Milford is ringing in the season with the “In Full Bloom” art exhibition, which will be on display through Aug. 31.
Co-owner Jason Hackler described the March 24 opening celebration as a “garden style party,” with cucumber sandwiches, Champagne and lemonade. The family-owned antique shop has been hosting art exhibitions since 2007, with “In Full Bloom” being its latest.
“As New Hampshire Antique Co-op is now in its 40th year in business, we decided [it would] be perfect to do a show to celebrate the spring and summer seasons, symbolizing continued growth,” Hackler said. “The show is … an exhibition on paintings of floral still lifes and garden landscapes … done from the 17th century all the way up to the present.”
Some of the artists whose works are on display at the exhibition include German still life painter Adelheid Dietrich, Emil Carlsen, New Hampshire native Lilla Cabot Perry, a neighbor and friend of Claude Monet, as well as Laura van Pappelendam.
“These are works directly from [van Pappelendam’s] estate, which is really cool,” Hackler said. “There’s some really great, bright floral landscapes and still lifes as part of her works and these are the first time some of [them] have been offered.”
A total of 12 of van Pappelendam’s paintings are on display, one of which is hung on her own personal easel.
In addition to the impressionist-era paintings, contemporary artists will also have their work on display. One such artist is Carol Robey. After retiring from working in pediatrics, Robey began studying under Paul Ingbretson, an artist who learned from The Boston School, a group of painters in Boston during the 20th century.
“What they did, which I love, [was add] impressionist color more to the standard representational art and [made] it more interesting that way,” Robey said.
Robey’s attraction to painting still lifes and floral pieces stems from her interest in gardening.
“As a doctor, I did a lot of science and I actually studied a lot of botany in college,” she said. “I love being able to get the … correct details of a flower, for example, so that … a person who’s looking at it will recognize what it is, [while] at the same time … making it beautiful, so I have to … make it expressive as well as accurate.”
Robey, a friend of Hackler’s, was ecstatic when he asked her to be a part of the show.
“Emil Carlsen and Marguerite Pearson are two of my absolute favorites, so to be among them is absolutely a huge honor,” she said.
The “In Full Bloom” exhibition invokes a fresh, spring-like atmosphere.
“It’s supposed to feel light and airy, and bright and cheery,” Hackler said. “Paintings within this genre express color [and] beauty, as well as a sense of respect, awe and wonderment for nature.”
“In Full Bloom” art exhibition Where: New Hampshire Antique Co-op, 323 Elm St., Milford When: On display now through Aug. 31; open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More info: Visit nhantiquecoop.com
Performers hit the stage at the newly opened Nashua Center for the Arts
After two years of building, 10 years of planning and more than 20 years of dreaming, the Nashua Center for the Arts has finally opened its doors.
“This is going to make a huge difference for our community, for Nashua, for many, many years to come,” said Mayor Jim Donchess at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, April 1. “Over the decades, people will become very appreciative of everything that was done by all the people here that made this project possible.”
Donors, board members, patrons of the arts, politicians and their families and friends attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. The front rows of the theater held people who had helped organize and plan the theater over the decades, all of whom got recognition from either Richard Lannan, the president of Nashua Community Arts, Mayor Donchess, Sarah Stewart, the commissioner for the department of natural and cultural resources, or Pete Lally, the president of Spectacle Live, the venue management company for the center.
Donchess read letters written by Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Annie Kuster. Stewart applauded the ability to have a place like the center built, and described how it would change the scene of arts in the Gate City and the state as a whole.
“I love that you’re so excited about the impact this place will make in Nashua, but I’m here to tell you you’re impacting the entire state,” Stewart said. She said that the center will be held in the same regard as the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud competition, and the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth, which was recently named an Academy Award qualifying event. “What you’re doing here is going to be amazing for the state of art in New Hampshire and beyond. You’re going to be the shining star of what the future looks like for arts in Nashua.”
Mayor Jim Donchess cuts the ceremonial ribbon, officially opening Nashua Center for the Arts for performances. Photo by Katelyn Sahagian.
The private ribbon cutting ceremony was followed by a sold-out show featuring a variety of local talent. New Hampshire performers from the ActorSingers, Safe Haven Ballet, Akwabba Ensemble, Peacock Players, Symphony NH and more graced the stage for the first time, but not the last.
“One of the things we’re trying to establish early on is that this isn’t a venue where you just expect one type of genre or show,” Lally said. “Lots of places get pigeonholed with the type of shows they do. We worked very hard to make sure we’re doing a little bit of everything.”
In addition to national touring acts, like Boz Scaggs, Steve Hofstetter and Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, Spectacle has put an emphasis on making sure that the theater is going to be home to local performers. Safe Haven Ballet’s “Beauty and the Beast” is performing one of its three shows at the theater, and Symphony NH will have its 100-year anniversary show there.
“[Nashua Center for the Arts] isn’t replacing anything in Nashua; it’s adding to it,” Lally said. “It’s also adding to an arts infrastructure and scene downtown.”
Decades in the making
While the steering committee first started holding meetings, public hearings and workshops for this project in 2016, the idea for a citywide theater had already been around for years. The initial proposal for a performing arts center was in the 2000 city’s master plan.
More proposals followed in 2003, 2010 and 2014 before the committee brought in Webb Management Services to see how viable a theater would be for the downtown area and if it would be well-received by other local business owners.
Typically, Webb will determine that cities contacting them don’t have the demand needed to support a theater. Lannan and the rest of the steering committee had hoped the organization would find them in the small percentage of cities in which a theater would thrive.
“The original study from Webb design, I asked the same question, ‘What … percentage of the studies you do actually end up happening?’” Lannan said. “They said that the vast majority of theaters don’t happen. When ours came back, they told us, ‘You’re not going to do a Verizon center or SNHU Arena, but Nashua is clamoring for this.’”
The study suggested a 750-seat theater would be optimal for the area. Instead of settling for just a traditional theater, the steering committee decided to make the orchestra seats fully removable. After folding down the chairs, an operator can push a button and create an empty area in a matter of minutes.
The theater also has two sets of stairs and an elevator, multiple bathrooms on all four stories, and two lobbies that double as concession stands. There is a set-up and prep area for caterers, an outdoor balcony overlooking Main Street, and an art gallery.
Lannan said the board wanted to do something special, something that would be completely unique to the center. Having the ability to turn a theater into a standing-room-only venue or into a 50-table banquet hall would bring variety for theater-goers and performers.
Judith Carlson, a key member of the Nashua Arts Commission and Nashua Community Arts and a member of the center’s steering committee, said that for every meeting, Spectacle Live sent either a representative or its president, Pete Lally, to attend.
“One of the most beautiful things about this, Pete Lally or one of his staff were at every one of the planning committee meetings, not only selecting architect and construction,” Carlson said. “We had goals from Day 1 to make this a place … where both audiences and performers would want to come back to again and again.”
The Bank of America Theater at the Nashua Center for the Arts filled up with patrons for the first sold-out show on April 1. Photo by Katelyn Sahagian.
Lannan and Carlson both said that having Lally or one of his people present was a game-changer when it came to planning out the design of the theater. Lannan said that having a person who knows the performance industry helped them come up with having all the amenities performers were looking for. Carlson said that it showed, to her, the devotion Spectacle Live put into the project.
Lally said he had been involved with planning the theater for approximately five or six years, and that it was exciting to work from the ground up. His company runs the Colonial Theatre in Laconia and The Flying Monkey Movie House & Performance Center in Plymouth, both of which opened early in the 20th century.
“The Colonial Theatre … opened in 1914, other buildings [we operate] have long history and chapters, but to be at the design phase has been unique,” Lally said. “From meeting the architects and engineers and designers, it’s been nice to be able to talk to those who were designing [the center]. It resulted in a unique building, one that the area will be happy with.”
More than theater
While the theater’s main draw will be live performances, there will be much more for people to enjoy when it comes to the arts.
“Nashua wanted to serve all kinds of art needs, including performance, and the gallery is part of that,” said Carol Robey, the chairwoman of the gallery. “To have community gallery space … people can see what kind of work artists are doing and give [the artists] an opportunity to sell.”
One major part of the new center will be the Sandy Cleary Gallery, a space for up to a dozen two-dimensional art pieces. The art shows will be staged in three-month rotations after an annual call for art.
April through June will usually be a slot for the students of Nashua’s public schools. This year the schools will begin their shows in May. The April show will be honoring the life of Meri Goyette, a longtime patron of Nashua’s, and New Hampshire’s, art scene.
“She was the queen of arts,” said Carlson. She said that, in addition to organizing art events and supporting local artists, Goyette was a founder of the International Sculpture Symposium, and on the board of directors for the Hunt Memorial Building. “For more than 50 years, she was the inspiration and facilitator for arts in Nashua.”
Carlson said it only felt right to have someone like Goyette, who advocated for years for an artistic home base in Nashua, be the subject of the first arts show in the gallery.
Because of Goyette’s friendship with artists, many painted or photographed her portrait. Robey said those paintings were in storage until now. She added that the portraits were less traditional pieces, some having bright colors and unique compositions that made them more exciting. Goyette’s vibrant personality is skillfully captured in the portraits and photographs hanging on the burnt orange walls. Glimpses of the joyful woman can be seen in the photograph of her dressed as Mrs. Claus. The side of her that was an avid art lover is shown in abstract artworks, including an impressionist-style portrait and a mirrored portrait in a graphic pointillism style.
All of the artwork is facing a window overlooking West Pearl Street, a strategic design to show the artwork more than just during operational hours, Robey said. In addition to having artist plaques with information inside the center, on the window outside the gallery there will be a QR code for passersby so they can read the information during off hours.
The gallery isn’t the only space where visual art will be appreciated, Robey said. She and other members of the art selection committee hope to have artists teach classes in part of the older building.
Carlson said that, with the gallery added in, the Nashua Center for the Arts isn’t just a destination for live music and performances; it’s a place where all art can find a home within the city.
While the center took years to be completed, Lally said it will be a part of Nashua for years to come. He said that having a space like the Center for the Arts will bring new opportunities for artists and arts lovers in Nashua.
“So many cities and towns we’re in touch with have the dream of a space like this; 99 percent never get there,” Lally said. “For Nashua to have pulled this off, it’s a real testament to all the work that’s made it happen, and it’s just about time to open the doors.”
Nashua Center for the Arts Where: 201 Main St. in Nashua Contact: 800-657-8874, nashuacenterforthearts.com Parking: See the website for a map and listing of area parking lots. There are also two-hour-limit and no-time-limit street parking spaces within walking distance of the center.
First on stage
Q&A with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken
The two American Idol alums are touring the country together in honor of the 20th anniversary of their appearances on the show. Studdard was declared the winner during Season 2 of the singing competition in 2003, with Aiken coming in second place by just 134,000 votes out of more than 24 million cast, the closest winning vote margin in American Idol history. Their second stop on their tour, Ruben and Clay: Twenty Years, One Night, is the Nashua Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 13. When they talked to The Hippo, neither had realized that their show was the first non-ceremonial performance scheduled to take place at the new venue.
You guys are the first touring act performing at the Nashua Center of the Arts.
CA (Clay Aiken): That’s cool. Wow. We are going to inaugurate that hell out of that thing.
So now that you guys know that, how does that feel knowing that you’re going to be the first people to really christen that stage?
RS (Ruben Studdard): After such a long, illustrious career, [he laughs] I have inaugurated several theaters.
CA: Have you?
RS: No. [still laughing]
CA: Well, I was about to say, I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a theater for the first time. Well, you know what, if you’re going to do it, you do it right, Nashua, and you’ve done it right.
What’s it like going on tour together again 20 years after American Idol?
RS: It’s great. I mean, I’m excited to just spend time with my friend. I had such a great time when we were together planning and putting together the show. It’s so funny to see people’s reaction when they see us together, like at a restaurant. ’Cause of course, I mean like, what’s the odds of you walking into your local Italian restaurant and Clay and Ruben are just sitting there chumming it up?
CA: It’s kinda like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon hanging out together, right?
RS: Absolutely. That’s what it’s like.
Going off that, how did you become friends on [Idol] in the middle of a competition like that?
CA: It was a competition, but I think there were plenty of times throughout the show when I forgot it was a competition. Idol is not like Survivor, where you have to get someone else kicked off in order to be successful. I wanted to make sure I made it till Week 6 when my mom told me she was coming. I certainly never saw myself as being competitive. We both were on the same number of episodes; we both made it all the way to the end and I just never felt competitive against Ruben.
What can attendees expect for the performance at the Nashua Center for the Arts?
RS: To have a good time. You know, at the end of the day, everybody knows we can sing. The question is, can we entertain people for an hour and a half, two hours? And I think the thing that we’re putting together, the stories that we have, the music that we’re going to share, is going to be fun.
CA: It’s going to be an incredible opportunity to reminisce. You know, just the way we’re talking about the show ourselves, Idol was to our great fortune…. Nostalgia is big right now or has been big for a minute or two. People love the Roseanne reboot and the Will & Grace reboot and the Night Court reboot. I think we as a country are looking for things that are safe and fun that we know make us happy, and Idol made a lot of people happy in 2003.
For the performers
The creators of the center wanted to make the venue as luxurious for performers as it’s set to be for patrons.
“We’re really good about taking feedback,” said Jake Crumb, the facilities manager set up by Spectacle Live to run Nashua Center for the Arts. “When [performers and crew] arrive…they’re looking for a place that is somewhat comfortable and gives them amenities. We’ve taken [that] to heart and given them all the amenities they’d expect to have.”
The center worked with ICON Architecture and OTJ Architects for theater design, Fisher Dachs Associates for theater planning and equipment, Acentech for audiovisual and acoustic design, and Rist Frost Shumway for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, civil engineering and lighting design.
The state-of-the-art light system has LED theatrical lighting and 28 linesight rigging systems. The sound system is by Meyer Sound Laboratories and will have headset and handheld microphones. The center also houses audiovisual equipment for movies, film festivals and presentations, and a Yamaha C6X grand piano for performances.
The stage is approximately 30 feet deep from downstage to upstage and is 60 feet across from wing to wing.
There are many perks for performers and their crews off the stage, as well. The loading dock leads directly to the main stage area for easy access for setting up and taking down shows. There are two dressing rooms designed for stars, community dressing rooms, a lounge room, and a separate room for the crew. There are showers, a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave, and a washer and dryer.
See a show
Here are some of the shows on the schedule for the Nashua Center for the Arts. Buy tickets and get updates at nashuacenterforthearts.com.
• Ruben and Clay: Twenty Years, One Night (Thursday, April 13, 8 p.m.; Ticket price range: $49 to $89)
• Suzanne Vega – An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories (Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m.; $49 to $195)
• Dopapod (Thursday, April 20, 8 p.m.; $24)
• Girl Named Tom (Friday, April 21, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)
• Safe Haven Ballet Presents: Beauty and the Beast (Saturday, April 22, 4:30 p.m.; $40 to $45)
• Symphony NH: Momentum! 100 Year Anniversary Concert (Saturday, April 29, 4 p.m.; $12 to $52)
• Champions of Magic (Thursday, May 4, 7:30 p.m.; $39 to $69)
• Gimme Gimme Disco (Friday, May 5, 8:30 p.m.; $19 to $24)
• Broadway Rave (Saturday, May 6, 8:30 p.m.; $19 to $24)
• Boz Scaggs (Thursday, May 11, 8 p.m.; $79 to $279)
• BoDeans (Friday, May 12, 8 p.m.; $29 to $49)
• Recycled Percussion (Saturday, May 13, 3 and 7 p.m.; $39.50 to $49.50)
• Emo Night Brooklyn (Saturday, May 20, 8:30 p.m.; $19 to $24)
• Celebrating Billy Joel: America’s Piano Man (Thursday, June 8, 8 p.m.; $29 to $59)
• Pat Metheny Side-Eye (Friday, June 9, 8 p.m.; $59 to $99)
• Menopause the Musical (Saturday, June 10; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; $31.30 to $69)
• Grace Kelly (Saturday, June 17, 8 p.m.; $25 to $60)
• Toad the Wet Sprocket (Sunday, June 18, 7 p.m.; $49 to $179)
• Kashmir (Led Zeppelin tribute) (Friday, June 23, 8 p.m.; $29 to $59)
• Tab Benoit (Thursday, July 13, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)
• An Evening with Tom Rush accompanied by Matt Nakoa (Friday, July 14, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)
• Jake Shimabukuro (Saturday, July 15, 8 p.m.; $29 to $69)
• The High Kings (Sunday, July 30, 7 p.m.; $39 to $69)
• Jesse Cook (Saturday, Aug. 5, 8 p.m.; $39 to $69)
• Mary Chapin Carpenter (Sunday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m.; $49 to $89)
• Ace Frehley (Saturday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m.; $49 to $79)
• Tusk (Fleetwood Mac tribute) (Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.; $29 to $49)
• Steve Hofstetter (Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m.; $29 to $104)
• The Sixties Show (Sunday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.; $29 to $59)
