Staging homegrown productions in a challenging time
The history of community theater in New Hampshire is long and venerable. Community Players of Concord, for example, is preparing to mark its centennial in 2027, and the Majestic Theatre in Manchester is currently celebrating its 35th year. Co-founder Robert Dionne has been there since the beginning.
“We have a very faithful following … both the people that want to come and see shows as well as the people that want to be in them,” Dionne said when asked to explain Majestic’s longevity in an interview last spring. “That kind of makes it all worth it. We build off of that every single season.”
This year offers innovative productions like Cue Zero Theatre’s People Like To Be Scared: an Exploration of Fear, a “devised” work created by the company running in early October in Salem, and The Tin Woman from Nashua Theatre Guild, a play about a heart transplant recipient who decides to search for her donor.
Artistic Director Dan Pelletier described Cue Zero’s production as blending improv and therapy to write an original play. “We started rehearsals with just a concept to create a show built around fear; that was about it,” he said. “We wanted to explore what that meant … with a lot of building things, and theater exercises, to get everybody working together.”
Also unique is Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, a two-person play from Theatre Kapow about free speech and the effects when it’s stifled. “This is a show that invites you to laugh while demanding that you think,” TK Executive Director Matt Cahoon explained. “It can just be a fun night out or a chance to grapple with difficult societal questions.”
Straight-up fun can be found in many productions, beginning with two musicals: Seussical, which has been reworked with a message of inclusion by RGC Theatre for an run at the Derry Opera House Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, and Shrek from Manchester Community Theatre, opening Oct. 17 at North End Montessori School.
More onstage mirth can be had with Milford Area Players’ production of Clue — the play, not the musical — at the Amato Center for the Arts beginning Oct. 26. Director Tom Partridge stepped away from rehearsals for the show this summer to undergo open heart surgery, but he’s back and excited for the play. Partridge’s production of Clue uses large canvas screens to quickly move between scenes.
“One of the most difficult things was staging,” Partridge said. “It’s hard to put eight rooms on stage and make it effective, but I think we’ve done a good job at it.”
New to New Hampshire is Icehouse, a comedy that opens Nov. 7 at Bedford Off Broadway. The play centers on a group of fishing buddies in a small Minnesota town who conspire to build an ice chateau, as well as their clumsy and hilarious attempts to hide the project from their wives.
“One thing that’s nice about it is that everybody pretty much has an equal part — it’s quite an ensemble show,” Icehouse director Judy Hayward said recently. Hayward, well-known as a musical director, wanted to helm a show. “Although I’m a musical theater person, I do like doing straight plays, especially comedies.”
Well-timed in light of the recent movie premiere of a sequel is Ovation Theatre Company’s staging of the musical version of Freaky Friday, opening Nov. 14 at Derry Opera House. Directed by Ovation founder Meg Gore, the musical ends the company’s calendar-based season.
“It’s one of those sleepers that people don’t know as much about, but when you do, you love it,” Gore said of the show. “The music is really good, done by the people who did Next To Normal, which is an excellent score. It’s a pop rock sort of musical that’s very funny.”
Comedy continues with The Producers. The Mel Brooks musical is one of two offerings from Actorsingers in Nashua; the other is Stephen Sondheim’s Company, opening Jan. 9. The latter show is exciting for more than its content, which helped it to win a Best Revival Tony.
“It’s the first local performance at the Nashua Center for the Arts, and I think that’s going to be amazing for us,” Christie Conticchio of Actorsingers said recently. “I think that will blossom into other partnerships … maybe we’ll do something with them every year.”
Winnipesaukee Playhouse is a professional theater company with a community theater component, along with ancillary activities like Improv Olympics and a children’s group. Local actors in its Winni Players troupe will stage a dinner theater show aboard the MV Mount Washington over a few nights beginning Oct. 1.
Mutiny on the Mount was written by Bob Montana, the original artist for the characters in the Archie comic books. The nearly sold-out show is a collaboration with the Meredith Historical Society, a member of which helped Playhouse Director of Education and Community Engagement Cory Lawson unearth the play.
“He told me, ‘We found this play he wrote for the Meredith Village Players in 1952, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’” Lawson said by phone recently. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, he wrote it for a contest. He won, and they did it one time. It hasn’t been done since.’”
On the heels of the popular Netflix series Wednesday is The Addams Family Musical, running Nov. 21-23 at Concord City Auditorium. Community Players of Concord President Ellen Burger wanted the show, about a daughter introducing mom and dad to her boyfriend, for its appeal to both audiences and actors.
“The plot is almost like The Birdcage, with two very different families coming together in the Addams Family mansion,” she said. “Wednesday, the daughter, has persuaded her family, ‘Please, can we just be normal for one night?’ Because unbeknownst to almost all, the two have already decided to get married.”
The season comes with both promise and challenges. While recent cuts to arts funding in the state aren’t in and of themselves hurting community theater, the ripple effects can be felt. Organizations that relied on the now-defunded New Hampshire Council on the Arts are now competing for grants and other scarce funding.
Stephanie Moll of Nashua Theatre Guild is one of eight people running an organization that stages three plays a year; NTG also did Shakespeare in the Park during the summer. Small groups like hers have thin margins to work with; breaking even on a production can be considered a success.
“It costs so much for us to rent the theater and the lights and the rights to the play, and we don’t want to sell tickets for too much,” Moll said. She worries about the crowding field for funding, as rumors swirl about cash long expected disappearing for a variety of reasons.
Every little bit helps, Moll said, adding that she’s hopeful for a celebration of one-act plays coming next February. “This year we wanted to do all local playwrights…. We found some really nice little plays to do.” As the New Hampshire Community Theatre Association recently canceled its one-act festival, it’s a welcome addition.
Their motivation to do the event is twofold.
“One, we don’t have to pay rights, so there’s a chance that we might be able to break even, or make money,” Moll said. “Secondly, there are a lot of people out there who want to write a play but can maybe just start with one act.”
Irene Cohen is President of New Hampshire Theatre Alliance, with a mission of “Celebration, Collaboration and Promotion” on behalf of the state’s community theaters. Every January, NHTA hosts a Tony-like event to celebrate outstanding works and the people that make them happen. She views the challenges ahead with both trepidation and hope.
“Each community theater is likely to come up with a variety of different solutions…. I’m a naturally optimistic person, but it is pretty discouraging lately,” Cohen said by phone recently, adding NHTA is equally impacted. “We’re going to have to be as creative as everyone else, but I believe in the strength of our community and I believe in how special we have it here in New Hampshire.”
The Lakes Region is home to Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, a recent addition led by Bryan Halperin, who co-founded Winnipesaukee Playhouse in the early 2000s. Powerhouse is the resident theatrical company for both Belknap Mill and the Colonial Theatre in Laconia.
Collaborations like the walking production Journey Through Neverland at Prescott Farm help them thrive, and funding is, fortunately, less fraught.
“We haven’t been reliant on arts grants, so for now, we’re OK,” Halperin said recently. “If the economy affected corporate giving in the area, though, that would hurt us a lot.”
They carry on for the joy of coming together as citizens who love to perform. Like Partridge, who started when he was recruited to sing in a local show, and hasn’t stopped since. “I got the bug about 37 years ago when a friend of mine was doing the Amherst PTA plays,” he said. “One thing led to another and another.”
What has Partridge gathered from his years in community theater? “You learn to have a lot of patience, you learn to do jobs,” he replied. “You learn to adapt. You learn to use the skills that people demonstrate and try to put them in a part to succeed.”
So many shows!
Here’s a listing of community theater shows, which include plays, musicals, a “devised piece” and a dinner performance that happens on a steamboat as it glides over Lake Winnipesaukee. All are the product of local companies and performers with homegrown support.
The Tin Woman
Nashua Theatre Guild (Nashua)
When: Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: Court Street Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua
Tickets: $18 and up at onthestage.tickets
Description: This “intimate and poignant play” began when playwright Sean Grennan’s sister shared a newspaper clipping about a heart transplant recipient’s search for her donor, and was further inspired by an interview with beloved children’s author Maurice Sendak.
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
Theatre Kapow (Concord)
When: Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $26 and up at ccanh.com
Description: Written by Sam Steiner, the play follows two people grappling with the impact on their relationship when communication is limited. At turns funny and serious, it explores what happens when free speech is stifled and humans must reach each other through actions, body language, and the spaces between words.
Journey Through Neverland
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Laconia)
When: Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21
Where: Prescott Farm, 928 White Oaks Road, Laconia
Tickets: $10 at zeffy.com
Description: A unique interactive theater adventure through Neverland. From 1-4 p.m., small groups depart every 20 minutes. Guided by a rotating cast of Peter Pans and Shadows, each experience is a one-of-a-kind event. Dressing up in favorite Neverland character regalia is encouraged.
Clue
Milford Area Players (MAP) (Milford)
When: Friday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 5
Where: Amato Center for the Arts, 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford
Tickets: $15 and up at booktix.com
Description: Based on the hit movie about an unusual dinner party that begins with a dead host, this whodunit is played for laughs and an expectation that audiences will be at least a little familiar with the popular board game.
Mutiny on the Mount
Winni Players (Meredith)
When: Wednesday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 10
Where: MV Mount Washington, 211 Lakeside Ave., Laconia
Tickets: $70 and up at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org
Description: A cruise and dinner show package aboard a steamboat, they play was written by Bob Montana of Archie comics fame, a native of Meredith, and is a collaboration between the Winni Players and the Meredith Historical Society.
People Like To Be Scared: An Exploration of Fear
Cue Zero Theatre Company (Itinerant)
When: Friday, Oct. 3, through Sunday, Oct. 5
Where: Arts Academy of New Hampshire, 19 Keewaydin Dr., Salem
Tickets: On sale soon at cztheatre.com
Description: An original “devised piece” built by the company around the concept of fear. The group of actors was chosen for their willingness to “be unafraid to explore this emotional state that is inside all of us, sometimes rules us, and must be defeated.”
Blithe Spirit
Stone Arch Players (Hillsborough)
When: Thursday, Oct. 9, through Saturday, Oct. 11
Where: Hillsboro-Deering Middle School, 538 W. Main St., Hillsborough
Tickets: $10 and up at zeffy.com
Description: Noël Coward’s timeless comedy about an eccentric medium who accidentally conjures the spirit of a man’s first wife, who then refuses to leave, is “an evening of wit, mystery, and supernatural hilarity.”
The Diary of Anne Frank
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Laconia)
When: Friday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 12
Where: Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia
Tickets: $21 and up at etix.com
Description: In the Pulitzer Prize winning play newly adapted to include historical details left out from the original diary, Anne Frank “emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination.”
Dracula
Break A Leg Legally Productions (Dover)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 26
Where: The Strand, 20 Third St., Dover
Tickets: $20 at breakaleglegally.com
Description: Ninth anniversary production of the classic vampire tale performed by this local troupe, an audience favorite. Eight performances, two each day in the afternoon and evening.
Dracula Radio Show
Epping Community Theatre (Epping)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 19
Where: Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping
Tickets: $15 and up at tix.com
Description: Just in time for Halloween, the world’s most famous vampire comes to the stage in this radio play adaptation of the iconic horror movie as well as the classic original novel by Bram Stoker.
It Runs In the Family
Garrison Players (Rollinsford)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Saturday, Nov. 1
Where: Garrison Players Arts Center, 449 Roberts Road, Rollinsford
Tickets: $15 and up at ovationtix.com
Description: A farcical comedy set in a hospital where a doctor tries to deliver a lecture while fending off a paternity suit, an ex-wife, a daughter and other characters, all while navigating the chaos of mistaken identities, and running through doors.
Shrek the Musical
Manchester Community Theatre Players (Manchester)
When: Friday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 26
Where: MCTP Theatre at North End Montessori School, 698 Beech St., Manchester
Tickets: On sale soon at manchestercommunitytheatre.com
Description: Tony-winning Broadway musical about an ogre setting out to retrieve the deed to his swamp and the misadventures that ensue as he’s joined by a princess and a talking donkey.
Southern Fried Murder
Majestic Theatre (Manchester)
When: Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 2
Where: Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester
Tickets: On sale soon at majestictheatre.net
Description: Before she can summon her kith and kin to dinner in a fancy restaurant to discuss her will, a wealthy family matriarch is killed with her walking stick, leaving her heirs on a treasure hunt to interpret her encrypted will. It’s the first show of the Majestic’s 35th season.
Seussical The Musical
RGC Theatre (Portsmouth)
When: Friday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 2, (postponed from Sept. 19-21).
Where: Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry
Tickets: $28 and up at eventbrite.com
Description: Weaving together favorite Dr. Seuss characters such as The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant and the Whos, director Geehae Moon “takes a fresh and powerful perspective: highlighting how imagination can be both a refuge and a revolutionary act for those whose voices are often silenced.”
Sweeney Todd
Village Players (Wolfeboro)
When: Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 9
Where: Village Players Theater, 52 Glendon St., Wolfeboro
Tickets: $25 at village-players.com
Description: Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning adaptation of the Christopher Bond play about an unjustly exiled barber whose return to London in search of vengeance against the judge who framed him leads to an unlikely partnership with a meat pie maker.
The Producers
Actorsingers (Nashua)
When: Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 9
Where: Keefe Center for the Arts, 117 Elm St., Nashua
Tickets: $20 and up at actorsingers.org
Description: The show that took Broadway to new heights, along with its ticket prices, Mel Brooks’ musical adaptation of his cult movie concerns a scheming producer and his mousy accountant, as they set out to produce the biggest flop in history. Directed by Paul Metzger, with Music Director Keith Belanger and choreographer Becca Belanger.
Icehouse
Bedford Off Broadway (Bedford)
When: Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: Bedford Town Hall, 70 Bedford Center Road, Bedford
Tickets: $15 ($12 seniors and students) at brownpapertickets.com
Description: End-of-the-20th-century comedy about a Minnesota expat now living in Florida and lonesome for the cold air and his buddies, as they try to build an epic ice chateau and keep it a secret from their wives.
The Little Mermaid
Epping Community Theatre (Epping)
When: Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping
Tickets: $15 and up at tix.com
Description: The Disney Broadway musical about a mermaid who strikes a hard bargain with an evil sea witch to pursue a handsome prince in the world above the sea, with a little help from her friends.
Reefer Madness (The Musical)
Dive In Productions (Seacoast)
When: Friday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Nov. 23
Where: Rochester Performance & Arts Center, 30 N. Main St., Rochester
Tickets: On sale soon at diveinproductions.com
Description: Who knew the so-bad-it’s-good cult movie would rise again as a musical comedy? The plot involves an impressionable all-American high school boy falling prey to the demon weed.
Freaky Friday
Ovation Theatre Company (Londonderry)
When: Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15
Where: Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry
Tickets: On sale soon at ovationtc.com
Description: With the recent release of Freakier Friday, the timing of this musical is perfect. Body swapping, with updated cultural references, as mother and daughter learn to appreciate each other’s lives while trying to undo a magic spell.
Urinetown the Musical
Pittsfield Players (Pittsfield)
When: Friday, Nov. 14, through Saturday, Nov. 22
Where: Scenic Theater, 6 Depot St., Pittsfield
Tickets: On sale soon at pittsfieldplayers.org
Description: Tony-winning musical that satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theater itself.
My Fair Lady
Winni Players (Meredith)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 23
Where: Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith
Tickets: $14 and up at winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org
Description: In this update of Pygmalion with Tony- and Oscar-winning music, Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle is transformed when Professor Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can turn her into a “proper lady” in time to trick the guests at a big ball.
The Addams Family Musical
Community Players of Concord (Concord)
When: Friday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23
Where: Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord
Tickets: $15 and up at communityplayersofconcord.org
Description: With the popularity of the Wednesday TV series, it’s a great time to see this show, which builds on every father’s nightmare: a grown-up daughter bringing home the man she’s fallen in love with and plans to marry.
Nuncrackers
Majestic Theatre (Manchester)
When: Friday, Nov. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 30
Where: Majestic Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester
Tickets: On sale soon at majestictheatre.net
Description: Presented as the Nunsense Christmas musical, the fictional show is presented as the first TV special taped in the Cable Access Studio built by Reverend Mother in the convent basement, with support from other Nunsense favorites.
A Christmas Carol: The Musical Ghost Story
Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Laconia)
When: Thursday, Dec. 11, through Sunday, Dec. 14
Where: Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia
Tickets: $18 and up at etix.com
Description: The holiday tradition is the Powerhouse’s most popular event, a musical adaption from Granite Stater Joel Mercier featuring a huge local cast.
It’s A Wonderful Life Radio Show
Epping Community Theatre (Epping)
When: Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14
Where: Epping Playhouse, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping
Tickets: $15 and up at tix.com
Description: An old-time radio show of the holiday classic about a man who learns what his life is worth from a friendly angel and helps his hometown in the process.
Another Very Pittsfield Players Christmas
Pittsfield Players (Pittsfield)
When: Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14
Where: Scenic Theater, 6 Depot St., Pittsfield
Tickets: On sale soon at pittsfieldplayers.org
Description: Celebrate the joy and enchantment of the holiday season with the local theater company’s unique and spectacular production.
Company
Actorsingers (Nashua)
When: Friday, Jan. 9, through Sunday, Jan. 11
Where: Nashua Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua
Tickets: $20 and up at actorsingers.org
Description: A Tony winner for its recent Broadway revival, the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical comedy explores marriage and relationships through the eyes of a 35-year-old confirmed bachelor. The 1970 concept musical is considered a groundbreaking work.
What The Constitution Means To Me
Theatre Kapow (Concord)
When: Friday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 15
Where: Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith
Tickets: On sale soon at tkapow.com
Description: A timely work from playwright Heidi Schreck, who earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate contests. She resurrects her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.
Featured photo: Journey through Neverland by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative. Courtesy photo.
