Category: Q&A

Bryan Leary

Bryan Leary has been the executive chef of the Oak & Grain Restaurant (Inn at Pleasant Lake, 853 Pleasant St., New London, 873-4833, innatpleasantlake.com) since early 2016. In addition to indoor dining open to the public, the Oak & Grain is now offering seasonally inspired a la carte takeout meals. Its menu options change every two to three weeks but often include locally sourced steaks, seafood, soups and appetizers. Three-course brunches are served on Sundays. A New Hampshire native, Leary has amassed experience in all kinds of cooking styles over the course of his career. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and later accepted a culinary position at the Scottsdale Fairmont Resort in Arizona. Before coming to the Inn at Pleasant Lake, he worked as a chef at The Grill Room in Portland, Maine.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Either [a pair of] tongs, or my two-pound meat cleaver.

What would you have for your last meal?

My wife’s enchiladas with charred grilled chicken, and a Coke slurpee.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I like The Coach House in New London. I also love The Black Trumpet [Bistro in Portsmouth]. Evan [Mallett] is an incredible chef there.

What celebrity would you like to see eating at your restaurant?

Probably [New York chef] Dan Barber. He’s one of my favorites. He’s incredibly smart in terms of food and expanding our horizons into what we should be eating.

What is your favorite thing that you’ve ever featured on your menu?

I really like being able to use product to create something that’s multi-faceted and just unique and different. … So, for example, we’ve done our own Tahitian buttermilk panna cotta from butter we make from local cream.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Switching to more of a family-friendly aspect in fine dining. We were strictly French service my first year here … [but] now the atmosphere is more easygoing and approachable.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Barbecue food, because there’s a lot of complexity that goes into it. I love ribs especially.

Seared Canadian sea scallops and citrus-braised pork belly, with yellow curry yogurt, burnt leek puree, herbs and chicken kombu grains

From the kitchen of Bryan Leary of the Oak & Grain Restaurant, at the Inn at Pleasant Lake in New London

For the burnt leek puree:

Split a full leek down the middle. Rub with oil and burn on the grill or saute pan until black. Chop each side into quarters and place on a sheet tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove leek from the oven. Place it in a blender and puree with olive oil just until it is a smooth paste. Season with salt and a little bit of lemon juice. Set aside for plating.

For the yellow curry yogurt:
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon yellow curry
juice of half a lemon

Mix all ingredients together until incorporated. Set aside for plating.

For the chicken kombu:
1 quart chicken stock (pre-bought or homemade)
2 tablespoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 sheet kombu seaweed
1 cup mixed grains (quinoa, sorghum, millet or other grain of choice)

Pour chicken stock, soy sauce and kombu seaweed into a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes.

For the pork cure:
Juice and zest of 1 lime, 1 orange, 2 lemons and 1 grapefruit
½ cup salt
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup bourbon
Pork belly

Mix ingredients together and rub on both sides of the pork belly. Place in a hotel pan, wrap and refrigerate for two days. After removing the cure, line the same hotel pan with foil and parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for an hour and 45 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes, then cut up into 1-by-1-inch cubes. Set aside for plating. (Optional: For quicker time, you can use a few strips of bacon and bake at the same temperature for 17 minutes.)

Clean scallops under cold water, then pat dry. In a small mixing bowl, add a little oil and seasoning. Let the scallops sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Add ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan. Carefully place scallops into the pan until golden brown, then flip and remove pan from heat. Let them sit in the pan for two minutes.

Add a small pile of the kombu chicken stock grains in the center of the plate, followed by a few dollops of burnt leeks puree. Place a few pieces of pork belly on top of the puree. Scatter the scallops around the plate, adding a dollop of curry yogurt on top of each. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Featured photo: Bryan Leary of Oak & Grain Restaurant in New London

Drawn in

New community art classes come to Manchester

Manchester has welcomed a new creative space to its growing art scene on Hanover Street.

Art House Studios, owned and operated by Manchester artist and art instructor Jason Bagatta, provides small, in-person drawing and painting classes and workshops for all levels.

“I’ve been in Manchester for a while and … I’m always looking to create something new, to make this town a better place to be,” Bagatta said.

Bagatta, who holds a master’s degree in fine art and interdisciplinary art with a focus on drawing, painting and conceptual art, has been teaching art at the college level for more than 20 years. He also teaches youth and community arts and decided to open Art House Studios, he said, after noticing an increasing demand for community arts education opportunities.

“The community and continuing ed classes I was teaching would almost always fill up,” he said. “There are many people who are not pursuing a degree [in art] but are interested in the arts and want to develop their skills further, or they’re just looking for a way to express themselves and focus their creative energy.”

The 1,200-square-foot studio has high ceilings and multiple windows and is “totally suitable for adhering to social distancing and safety protocols,” Bagatta said.

Art House Studios currently offers four courses. They run for six or seven weeks, starting whenever there is enough interest, with classes held once a week.

The “Drawing Fundamentals” course explores techniques of observational drawing, beginning with simple shapes and lines. Students will work with a variety of media, including graphite, chalk pastel, charcoal, pen, brush, ink and colored pencil. The “Painting in Acrylic” course covers the basics of color, line, shape, texture, light and shadow as well as the color-mixing and texture-building possibilities and limitations of acrylic paint. Students will sketch, then paint subjects or scenes from observation, memory or a photograph. “Drawing Fundamentals” and “Painting in Acrylic” are geared toward novice and intermediate level students.

In “Drawing: Observation to Abstraction,” intermediate and advanced level students will use their knowledge of fundamental drawing techniques to deviate from visual reality while maintaining clarity in their artistic vision. They will work with pencils, charcoal, stick and pencil pastel, colored markers, colored pencil, watercolor, paint pens, ballpoint pen and black ink pens.

“Exploring Mixed Media,” open to all levels, will include a study of the concept of mixed media and experimentation with a variety of 2D and 3D media to create symbolic meaning within the context of a theme.

More courses may be added in the future, depending on what people’s interests are.

“I’m pretty versatile,” Bagatta said. “The more people talk to me about what they want, the more inclined I am to open things up and gear a class toward them.”

Bagatta said students will receive individualized attention to help them set and achieve their own goals for what they want to get out of the class.

“My intention is not to teach people to do things my way,” he said. “It’s to guide people in the direction that they need to go in. I want them to take the tools and techniques and processes that I’m showing them and interpret those in their own way.”

As of now, classes are limited to six students but can have up to 12 students once it’s safe to do so, he said. Masks will be required at all times, and the studio will be disinfected after each class.

Art House Studios School for Drawing & Painting
Where: 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester
When: Courses run six or seven weeks. Classes run two-and-a-half hours and are held one day a week. Start dates and schedules vary, depending on interest.
Cost: $165 for six-week courses, $190 for seven-week courses
More info: arthousestudios.org, [email protected]

Featured photo: Inside Art House Studios. Courtesy photo.

Art

Call for Art

• NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.

• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

• “NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Exhibits

• “THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.

Theater

Shows

• A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

Best seller

Toadstool Bookshops named Retailer of the Year

The New Hampshire Retail Association’s New Hampshire Retailer of the Year award recognizes retailers in the state that have achieved excellence in creativity, customer service, commitment to the community and work environment. The 2021 recipient is The Toadstool Bookshops, owned by Holly and Willard Williams, Jeff Osgood and Lowell Morris, with store locations in Nashua, Peterborough and Keene. Willard Williams talked about how the Toadstool managed to stay afloat and continue to serve book lovers throughout the pandemic.

How did the Toadstool handle the first few months of the pandemic?

In late March, we had to close our doors and couldn’t be open for people to come in the store. … A lot of our sales are really based on people coming in and browsing … so we had to try to find other ways to let people know what new books were out there. We started creating different lists, like a Black Lives Matter[-inspired] list and lists of new arrivals. … Our website became really active, and we started getting a lot of orders online, and a lot of phone calls from people who wanted to pick things up curbside. We learned how to pack and ship books quickly. We’ve always had a number of in-store author events but had to stop those, of course, so we started doing them virtually, on Facebook at first, and then we started using Zoom. … It was a lot of hard work in the beginning to figure out how to do online business and virtual events and curbside, but our staff was really good about picking up on everything quickly and working together.

How were things different after you reopened?

In mid-June, we were able to let people come into the store again. We put up plexiglass barriers at the counters and, of course, put out hand sanitizer and started requiring masks for everyone. The store is large enough that we didn’t have an issue with people being able to spread out sufficiently and keep their distance. We set things up a little differently so that there’s better traffic flow. We had to take all of the chairs out of the store because we didn’t really want people sitting or lingering. The whole idea was to get people to come in, get what they want quickly, and then leave. … That was the hardest thing for us, having to tell people, ‘We want to see you; we want you to come in; but unfortunately, you can’t stay; you have to come and go quickly.’ In the good old days, people would come in, meet each other, talk, chat, gossip, but I really can’t encourage that in the store.

How are you doing, business-wise?

We were down probably about 60 percent [in sales] during March, April, May and early June. Once we were able to open again in mid-June, [sales numbers] started to come back, and in the fall they were actually better than [they were in the fall of] the previous year.

How have you taken care of your staff?

We had to cut back on staff in the beginning, unfortunately. We were able to take advantage of the PPP program from the federal government, so in early June we started bringing some [staff] back to help us out in the store. … The biggest challenge for our staff was trying to find a schedule that allowed them to stay home with their kids when they weren’t in school. … We’re pretty much back to the staff that we had before. Now we’re just trying to make sure everybody stays healthy and that our stores are a safe place to work.

How have your customers stepped up?

I know a number of people who used their stimulus checks to buy books and kind of fill up their personal libraries. We sold a lot of gift certificates — 50 percent more than we would have during that time of year — to people who just wanted to make sure that we still had the cash to survive and get through this. We’re really grateful for that. It’s been encouraging to know that people really wanted us to be here when it was all over. There were those who told us they considered us an essential business because being able to access books is so vital to their lives, and that’s been nice to hear.

How did it feel, being named New Hampshire Retailer of the Year?

We’ve been a member of the New Hampshire Retail Association for quite a number of years, but I had never been aware of the award until I heard that a local person had nominated us for it. I thought, ‘Well, that’s nice,’ but I didn’t think we would actually win. There are so many retailers in the state, and I think that anybody who’s still in business after [the pandemic] is deserving of an award. But we’ve been here for 50 years now, so it was nice to get that recognition.

How are things looking now?

It’s pretty close to normal. We still have no chairs and still don’t encourage lingering, but people can come in and browse again. We’re doing our best to make sure people enjoy being able to come into the store and get out and about while also making sure people stay safe and healthy when they come in.

Featured photo: Willard Williams with wife and Toadstool co-owner Holly Williams. Courtesy photo.

Emily Knowlton

Hopkinton native Emily Knowlton is the owner of BB Take Home Kitchen (bbtakehomekitchen.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @bbtakehomekitchen), also known as the Balanced Brussel, a weekly take-home meal business that operates out of a stationary food truck. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in nutrition and dietetics, Knowlton launched BB Take Home Kitchen last July and, with the help of her mother, Deb, now serves more than 500 meals per month. Near the beginning of each month she’ll post the new menu with items available for pickup on designated weeks. All orders can be picked up on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the truck’s regular spot (185 Main St., Hopkinton), with pre-orders closing the Sunday before. Popular meals as of late have included butternut squash lasagna, ponzu pork meatballs, roasted cauliflower soup, teriyaki salmon with sushi rice, and lemon chicken with rice and vegetables. BB Take Home Kitchen also offers a different family-style meal for pickup on the first Friday of each month, like chicken pot pie or braised beef ragu with pasta.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A really sharp chef’s knife, because you can utilize it for everything.

What would you have for your last meal?

For me, it would have to be either sushi … or the beef ragu that my mom makes for me on special occasions.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

I like The Coach House in New London, which has the best salmon. I also like The Barley House [Restaurant & Tavern in Concord]. I get their squash salad with the green lentils on it and add shrimp.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from you?

[Food Network’s] Michael Symon is my favorite Iron Chef. Or, if I were to get on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, that would be one of the coolest things ever.

What is your favorite menu item that you have ever offered?

I think it’s probably the teriyaki salmon, which I did a couple of weeks ago. It’s just a super-vibrant dish and I was really happy with the way it came out.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

I feel like it’s either farm-to-table or craft beer.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

My mom made chicken and gravy with rice all the time when I was a kid. I’ve served it on the menu and I also cook it at home.

Chicken korma marinade
Courtesy of Emily Knowlton of BB Take Home Kitchen in Hopkinton

2 pounds of any kind of chicken (thighs, breasts, etc.)
½ cup cashews, unsalted
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup plain yogurt

Combine all ingredients in a big blender or food processor (it will be a thick-ish paste) and marinate chicken overnight before cooking.

Food & Drink

Farmers markets

• Cole Gardens Winter Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord), now through April 17. Visit colegardens.com.

• Danbury Winter Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Blazing Star Grange Hall (15 North Road, Danbury), now through April. Visit blazingstargrange.org.

• Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market is Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, inside the Families in Transition building (20 S. Main St.), next to the Concord Food Co-op. Find them on Facebook @downtownconcordwinterfarmersmarket.

• Salem Farmers Market is Sundays, from 10 a.m. to noon, inside the former Rockler Woodworking building (369 S. Broadway, Salem). Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org.

Featured photo: Emily Knowlton of BB Take Home Kitchen in Hopkinton, with mother Deb. Courtesy photo.

Fresh paint

Restored furniture store to open in Plaistow

Kerri Durkee of Atkinson is taking her upcycled furniture business to the next level with a new storefront, opening Saturday, March 6, in the Plaistow Commons strip mall. Better Than Before Home Furnishings & Design will feature used furnishings and home decor, restored and repainted by Durkee.

“It’s just amazing what a coat of paint will do for an ugly or scratched up or water-stained piece of furniture,” Durkee said. “It just brings it right up to date.”

It all started at a yard sale, she said, where she fell in love with a bench that was “old and dirty and kind of a mess,” but too unique to pass up. She took it home and cleaned it up, repainted it and replaced the fabric on the seat cushion.

“I posted a picture of it on social media, and somebody said they wanted to buy it,” she said. “I think that’s when I caught the bug.”

She started picking up more pieces at yard sales, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, estate sales and from anyone she knew who was looking to get rid of a piece of furniture.

“I ended up filling my whole garage with them,” she said “I haven’t been able to get my car in my garage for years now.”

Now a certified decorator and home stager, Durkee did home design and furniture painting as a side gig for 10 years before quitting her job in marketing four years ago to pursue it full time.

“A switch went off in my head, and I was like, ‘What am I waiting for, to do something that I love? Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed,’” she said.

Durkee ran her business online but kept an eye open for a retail space where she could showcase her furniture to customers in person. When she came across the space in the Plaistow Commons strip mall, she had some concerns about opening a store during the pandemic but was reassured by the success her business had seen over the last year.

“With people being at home more, a lot of them are adding new home offices and workspaces or are just generally sick of their furnishings and want to make some changes,” she said.

Customers will find a mix of traditional, coastal, farmhouse, floral and shabby chic styles as well as unpainted furniture for which they can choose a color and style. The storefront will also serve as a hub for Durkee’s home design consultation and custom furniture restoration and painting services as well as furniture painting workshops for people who want to learn the craft themselves.

“I think a lot of people have pieces at home that they want to use that need a little update, and they’d like to be able to do it themselves but don’t necessarily know the process,” Durkee said.

Durkee said she hopes Better than Before and the furniture painting workshops will raise awareness about the benefits of upcycling and encourage more people to think twice before tossing their old furniture or home decor.

“If something is still functional, I think it’s great to be green and give it a new coat of paint rather than filling up the dump sites with it,” she said.

Better Than Before Home Furnishings & Design
Address: Plaistow Commons strip mall, 160 Plaistow Road, Unit 3, Plaistow
Hours: Grand opening Saturday, March 6. Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday by appointment
More info: Call 479-3041 or visit betterthanbefore.co

Featured photo: Better Than Before Home Furnishings & Design in Plaistow. Courtesy photo.

Art

Call for Art

• NHAA SPRING JURYING The New Hampshire Art Association accepts new members. Jurying takes place on Mon., March 22. For a prospectus and application form, visit nhartassociation.org and click on “Become a Member.” Applications and application fee payment are due by Thurs., March 18, and can be submitted online or in person at the NHAA headquarters (136 State St., Portsmouth). Instructions for dropping off and picking up artwork will be emailed after an application and payment is received. Call 431-4230.

• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CONTEST Kids in grades 5 through 12 may submit creative may submit a short film (2 minutes or less); an original essay or poem (1000 words or less); or a design in another artistic medium such as a painting, song or sculpture that expresses their experience or observations of mental health in New Hampshire. Art pieces will be showcased to help raise awareness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and affect change to ensure socially and emotionally healthy growth for all children in New Hampshire. Submission deadline is March 31. Prize money will be awarded for grades 5 through 8 and grades 9 through 12. A celebration will take place in May, date TBD. Email [email protected].

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce are seeking professional sculptors for year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Must be age 18 or older. Submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. Submission deadline is March 31. Sculptors will be notified of their acceptance by April 30. Installation will begin on May 21. Exhibit opens in June. Selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Classes & lectures

• “NORMAN ROCKWELL AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT” Jane Oneail presents a lecture. Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Zoom. Wed., March 17, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

• GENERAL ART CLASSES In-person art classes for all levels and two-dimensional media. held with small groups of two to five students. Private classes are also available. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Students are asked to wear masks in the gallery. Tuition costs $20 per group class and $28 per private class, with payment due at the beginning of the class. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

• DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org.

Exhibits

• “THE VIEW THROUGH MY EYES” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by pastel artist Chris Reid. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through March 18. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “ON THE BRIGHT SIDE” New Hampshire Art Association features works by multiple artists in a variety of media. On view now through March 28, in person at NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) and online. Gallery hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Online opening reception to be held on Friday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Tours

• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Theater Shows

• GIDION’S KNOT Theatre Kapow presents. Virtual, live streamed. March 5 through March 7, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit tkapow.com.

• A TEMPEST PRAYER New Hampshire Theatre Project’s SoloStage program presents. Fri., March 19, and Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., and Sun., March 21, 2 p.m. Performances held virtually and in-person at 959 Islington St., Portsmouth. In-person show tickets cost $30, and virtual show tickets cost $20. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

• FIFTH ANNUAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL New Hampshire Theatre Project presents. Five storytellers tell traditional and personal tales inspired by NHTP’s 2020 – 2021 MainStage theme “What Are You Waiting For?” Featuring Diane Edgecomb, Pat Spalding, Simon Brooks, Sharon Jones and Maya Williams; with special guest host Genevieve Aichele and musical accompaniment by Randy Armstrong. Sat., April 10, 7 p.m. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Tickets cost $36. Call 431-6644 or visit nhtheatreproject.org.

• ZOOM PLAY FESTIVAL Presented by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and Community Players of Concord. Features short original plays by New Hampshire playwrights. Fri., April 16. Virtual. See Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative on Facebook or email [email protected].

• THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW: A PUPPET PARODY at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Sat., April 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• ROTARY PARK PLAY FESTIVAL Presented by Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and Community Players of Concord. Features short original plays by New Hampshire playwrights. Sat., May 29, and Sun., May 30. Outdoors at Rotary Park, 30 Beacon St., E. Laconia. See Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative on Facebook or email [email protected].

• TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., January through June, and September through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.

Classical

• CONCORD COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL FACULTY CONCERT Part of Concord’s Walker Lecture Series. Virtual, via Concord TV (Channel 22, or stream at yourconcordtv.org). Wed., April 21. 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Call 333-0035 or visit walkerlecture.org.

Voices raised

Youth artwork highlights mental health issues

New Hampshire middle school and high school students are invited to submit original artwork centered around mental health for the Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest, which includes a showcase of the finalists’ pieces to be held during Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Michele Watson, New Hampshire Family Network Coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and one of the organizers of the contest, discussed children’s mental health in the state and how youth are using art to raise awareness of and destigmatize mental illness.

What are the biggest mental health issues affecting youth in New Hampshire right now?

Anxiety and depression are some of the biggest that we’re seeing right now. Anxiety is through the roof, especially during the pandemic this year. There are many children [having mental health issues] now who have never had them before. For some, it’s so bad that they won’t go to school. They don’t even want to come out of their room.

How is art useful for addressing those and other children’s mental health issues?

Art lets children express themselves in a way that they may not be able to do in a conversation. Instead of just talking about it, they can show it and demonstrate it. It’s good not only for them to be able to share their voice, but also because it gives [adults] a better understanding of what they are feeling.

What kinds of art pieces does the contest feature?

We’ve had a range of videos. … In one video, a group of students each wrote a diagnosis on their forehead, and at the end of the video, they erased the words from their forehead, and the message was, ‘I’m not my diagnosis.’ We had another video where a boy who has ADHD is sitting in a classroom, and the teacher is talking, and the video is showing everything else that he is aware of rather than paying attention to what the teacher is saying. … We also had a lot of poems both years. One poem that really stood out to me was a middle schooler talking about her anxiety being like a tornado that would wrap around her tighter and tighter. … One of the art pieces was a drawing, where the student drew her inner self and her outer self to show how they don’t match and how what people see from the outside is not what she is actually feeling on the inside.

Where does public awareness of and response to children’s mental health issues in New Hampshire stand as of now?

It’s so much better than it was in years past. We never used to talk about this stuff. No one wanted to say that something was wrong with their child. … If you want to look at the silver lining of the pandemic, [children’s mental health] has gotten so much more attention. … Schools are really learning a lot and educating their staff, and more people are starting to understand that kids can’t learn if they’re struggling emotionally and mentally. … The kids are also doing a much better job of sharing all of this.

How can it be improved within the school and home?

A big part of this is identifying if this [behavior] is ‘just a teenager thing’ or ‘just a kid thing’ or if it’s something that’s leading to a bigger crisis … because a lot of times, the parents or caregivers don’t know. They think [the child] is choosing [that behavior] versus [having a mental health issue], and they don’t take it as seriously as they should. There’s a lack of understanding, like, ‘Oh, it’s just a phase. They’ll get over it. Everybody has anxiety.’ We hear [statements] like that a lot. Well, yes, everybody does have anxiety, but not everybody has debilitating anxiety where they can’t even walk into a classroom without getting butterflies and feeling like they’re going to be sick. … We have an information and resource line, both through email and an 800 number, where families and schools or anybody can get help identifying those needs earlier on. We do a lot of training [programs] to help families … [where] we teach about brain science and about different diagnoses and how … they can better support their children and how to deal with these situations.

How can it be improved on a state level?

We need more mental health care providers. Families have a hard time getting in [to see one]. They might have a six-month wait to get their child an appointment. … If a child [has] to be taken to the emergency room, there can be a very long wait to actually get a bed in a mental health facility. We’ve had up to 48 kids around the state in emergency rooms waiting, and some of them had to wait up to two weeks. We need to do a better job of identifying [mental health crises] before they get to that point, and if they do, we need to be able to get [children] the help they need sooner than they’re getting it now.

Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest
The contest is open to youth in grades 5 through 12. Submissions must be related to mental health and may include a short film (under 2 minutes), an essay or poem (under 1,000 words), a song or a two- or three-dimensional art piece. The deadline is March 31. Visit tinyurl.com/magnifyvoices2021

Featured photo: Michele Watson

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