Category: Visual Arts

The Art Roundup 24/02/15

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

• An Agatha Christie mystery: The Community Players of Concord will present Witness for the Prosecution, the 1953 play by Agatha Christie about a man accused of murdering a rich widow, this weekend at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord). The play “covers a sensational murder trial both in the courtroom of London’s ‘Old Bailey’ and behind the scenes in the barrister’s chambers as the action unfolds,” according to a press release. Witness for the Prosecution runs Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 65+ or 17 and under. See communityplayersofconcord.org for tickets and a cast list.

• Celtic dance: The Aaron Tolson Dance Institute will hold a Celtic Intensive on Tuesday, Feb. 20, and Wednesday, Feb. 21, with four separate classes each afternoon starting at 4 p.m. at the Dana Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Manchester (tickets.anselm.edu). On Feb. 20 the classes will be intro to Cape Breton (4 p.m.), intro to Irish soft shoe (5 p.m.), intro to hard shoe (6 p.m.) and intro to Ceili dancing (7 p.m.), according to tickets.anselm.edu. Classes on Feb. 21 will be the intermediate versions of all those classes. A one-class pass costs $30, a four-class pass costs $100; see the website for details.

A Continuation of Love
NSquared Dance Company will present A Continuation of Love, a dance performance and fundraiser featuring food, drinks, raffles, a silent auction and of course dance, on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). The event is presented by the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative, and many of the professional dancers from NSquared Dance Company are originally from New Hampshire, according to a press release. Tickets cost $50. To learn more about NSquared, see nsquareddance.org; see nhdancecollective.org for more on their organization.

• Open mic: An open mic for writing of all kinds is held on the third Wednesday of each month at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) from 5 to 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, poet and artist Stephan Anstey will provide the featured reading, according to a press release. The event is free.

• Art show: The Prospect Hill Gallery Winter Art Show at Prospect Hill Antiques (31 River Road in Sunapee; prospecthillantiques.net) will open Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show will feature artists from the Center for the Arts as well as other artists, such as Ron Brown, according to a Center for the Arts press release. See centerfortheartsnh.org.

• Youth auditions: The Palace Youth Theatre will hold auditions for its April production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The auditions are performers in grades 2 through 12 with rehearsals generally Thursdays through Saturdays, according to an email from the Palace Youth Theatre. The auditions will take place Thursday Feb. 29, with sessions at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. at Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St. in Manchester). After signing up for the auditions, performers will receive a list of monologues to choose from to perform at the audition, the email said. Contact [email protected] with performer’s name, age and preferred audition time, the email said.

On the Exhale
Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com) presents On the Exhale, a full-length drama that “offers a complex examination of America’s gun violence crisis,” at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m., according to a press release. Carey Cahoon, Kapow co-founder and managing director, will play the sole character in the show. Tickets to the show cost $33.75 ($26.75 for seniors & students). The Sunday, Feb. 18, show will feature ASL Interpretation as well as a post-show conversation about the impact of gun violence on New Hampshire, according to Theatre Kapow’s website. The play will also run Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith. See tkapow.com for tickets to either show.

Brotherhood, family and one big hammer

Thor & Loki tale turns theatrical

The Marvel Comic Universe meets High School Musical, sans big song and dance numbers, in Hammered: A Thor & Loki Play, to be performed by the Peacock Players youth theater group at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre in Nashua from Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 18. The original work comes via Marvel Spotlight, a brand extension that aims to put a different spin on the comic book and blockbuster film franchise.

Hammered was written by two-time Tony-winning actor Christian Borle. In a 2019 video to promote Marvel Spotlight, Borle talked about liking the idea of using characters and comic tropes to get deeper into the superhero dynamic — while also shaking up the story a bit.

“In my universe, Loki is not the bad guy,” he said. “They drive each other crazy, but there’s a real fraternal bond between them. It’s brotherhood, family, and one big hammer.”

Directing the Peacock Players production is Samantha Searles, who grew up in southern New Hampshire and returned last November at the behest of Peacock Executive Director Elle Millar. Searle attended UNH’s Manchester campus and earned her undergraduate degree at Suffolk University in Boston.

“I’ve been a big fan of the Marvel Universe since I was in middle school, so to be able to work on it, with middle and high school kids, is really cool,” first-time director Searles said in a recent phone interview. “It’s fun, and we get to play around with accents, costumes and all that to bring it from big movies and TV to the stage.”

The hour-long play is set in a modern high school and revolves around a story, told by an aged Thor to his granddaughters, of life when he was a teenager.

“You travel between Earth through the eyes of some kids in the school, back through the cosmic void … to Asgard,” Searles said. “This would take place after Avengers: Endgame, but before the Loki show.”

The earthbound protagonists are a jock and a comic book nerd, patterned after Thor and Loki, but “they’re written to kind of subvert the traditional roles a little bit,” Searles observed. “The jock is actually interested in reading about Thor, which makes a lot of sense because Thor is the jock character, but he’s got a heart of gold … hopefully, audiences will get a kick out of a different take on these classic characters.”

The teenage cast “is super talented and having a lot of fun together,” Searle continued. “So much fun that last week during rehearsal my asthma got triggered because I was laughing so hard. The show is quirky, really weird, and I’ve told them to lean into that. [For example], Asgardians live for thousands of years, so even though it seems like you’re teenagers you really have thousands of years of backstory and things; play around with that.”

The current show offered a unique opportunity for newcomers reluctant to try out for musicals, like Once Upon a Mattress Youth Edition, which opens March 17, and Xanadu, which runs May 12 to May 21. “It’s just a play, and that widens the number of kids we can have,” Searles said. “Not everyone’s a singer or a dancer.”

Auditions for a teen-centric production of the Broadway hit Six will begin in June. Peacock Players welcomes new talent; the cast of Hammered also includes a first-timer.

“We can always use more kids,” Searles said. “Our tech and stage crew are largely kids too, and they get to learn about all the technology and stuff behind the scenes. There’s definitely lots of room for people to join.”

When: Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 17, 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
Location: Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua
Tickets: $12 to $18 at peacockplayers.org

Featured photo: Rehearsal for Hammered: A Thor & Loki play. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 23/02/08

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

• Own an original Tomie dePaola: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; Currier.org, 669-6144) is selling 200 tickets at $50 each for a raffle of two original artworks by artist, author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. The sale runs through Feb. 29. See the website for a look at the pieces being raffled and to purchase tickets. The funds raised support the Tomie dePaola Art Education Fund, which was “created by the Currier in Tomie’s memory” and “awards scholarships to lower-income families and disadvantaged youth, allowing them to participate in our classes and camps throughout the year,” according to the website.

• Save the date for Chris Bohjalian: Author Chris Bohjalian will discuss his new novel The Princess of Las Vegas and more at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. The event is part of Authors on Main and is a collaboration between Gibson’s Bookstore, New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts and will feature Bohjalian in conversation with NHPR’s Rick Ganley, according to a press release. Tickets cost $39 (one admission and one hardcover copy of The Princess of Las Vegas) and $49 (for two admissions and one book).

• More coming up at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) has several author events coming up. On Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m. Margo Cooper will discuss her book of photographs and interviews Deep Inside the Blues with Holly Harris, host of WUMB’s Spinning the Blues. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. Leila Philip will discuss her book Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m., Matthew J.C. Clark, a Maine carpenter, will discuss Bjarki, Not Bjarki: On Floorboards, Love, and Irreconcilable Differences. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m., Pembroke-based author Avree Kelly Cark will discuss her book Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime That Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England. On Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. author and gardener Jane Hawley Stevens will discuss her new book The Celestial Garden: Growing Herbs, Vegetables and Flowers According to the Moon and Zodiac. On Thursday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. Casey Sherman will discuss her book A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime.

• New exhibit: Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center (26 Main St. in Peterborough; 924-455, mariposamuseum.org) features an exhibit from New Hampshire photographer Becky Field called “Crying in the Wilderness” that illustrates “the physical and emotional toll of immigrant detention,” according to a press release. The exhibit features the story of an African man who sought asylum in the U.S. in 2018 and moved in 2020 to the Seacoast, where his movements were tracked via an ankle monitor, according to a press release. Admission to the museum costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, April 14. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• On display in Rochester: The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (rochestermfa.org) exhibition “Neither Created Nor Destroyed” featuring works by Julie K. Gray is on display in the Bernier Room at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center (150 Wakefield St. in Rochester) through Friday, March 1. The building is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
Celebrate Mardi Gras (Tuesday, Feb. 13) with a performance by the Soggy Po Boys at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The show will feature New Orleans-style jazz, Caribbean music, funk, soul and brass band/street beat music, according to the website. Tickets cost $29.
CIRQUE US
Circus company Cirque Us, featuring “acrobats, aerials and quirky clowns,” will present One Man’s Trash on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at Stockbridge Theatre (44 N. Main St. in Derry; stockbridgetheatre.showare.com, 437-5210), according to a press release. Tickets cost $22.


Not all hearts and flowers

Mosaic Art Collective takes on Valentine’s Day

In its latest month-long themed exhibition, Mosaic Art Collective in Manchester turns to matters of the heart; fitting, given Valentine’s Day falls in the middle of February. However, the pieces submitted thus far — photos, sculptures, paintings and prints — cover the spectrum of emotions, and the depth of feelings.

“It’s not just lovey-dovey,” Mosaic’s founder and president Liz Pieroni said by phone recently. “I would say the ones that are depicting heartache are more definitely gripping.” One example of this is “Release,” a jarring graphite-on-paper drawing by Jaida Mei that depicts a woman facing a powerful wind that’s literally tearing her up.

“This is a new artist to us, so I haven’t met them,” Pieroni said, calling Mei’s work “really, really powerful and almost a little bit scary, almost surreal.”

More playful is “The Love Letter,” from New Hampshire Institute of Art graduate Andrew Freshour. The ink and watercolor print is reminiscent of a Tomie dePaola illustration. It shows a royal coach carried by two dogs in powder wigs. “It’s about self-love, self-indulgence … living your most authentic life,” Pieroni opined, calling its style “like a fairy tale but also very over the top … kind of like the Muppets meet real life.”

Yes, there are flowers as well, Pieroni continued.

“We also have some beautiful botanical paintings that are probably more palatable to some people, they’re just really beautiful,” she said. “Red Between the Lines,” from Manchester painter Susanne Larkham, is a zoomed-in pastel of a rose in many shades of red. Jonathan Pereira’s “Love in the Form of Time and Growth,” on the other hand, is multicolored and brimming with childlike innocence.

More submissions are expected for the open call event, Pieroni continued.

“We don’t really know what we’re going to get until the night before we select pieces,” she said, adding that invitational shows like the one in March with Manchester high school students to celebrate Youth Art Month are more predictable.

A Hooksett native and an artist herself, Pieroni moved back home from Vermont in the wake of the pandemic. “I have three small kids, [and] after homeschooling and trying to figure out all that, we were really in need of a little bit more help … and we wanted to be closer to family,” she said.

Searching for a gallery and realizing that the closest ones were either on the Seacoast or in Boston, she opened Mosaic Art Collective in September 2022.

“I was searching for a place to show my work locally, but I also needed an art studio,” she said. “I felt like I couldn’t be the only one in that same boat; ultimately, I was correct.”

Recently Mosaic began offering live music, and Pieroni is planning more.

“We’re trying to open up the gallery as much as possible,” she said. “The music event was one way, but then we’re also offering art talks. The Struggle Bus improv group did a performance here, and we also have run some workshops. We’re trying to find different ways of bringing people in, for all sorts of reasons.”

Art is available for purchase at Mosaic; some pieces can be acquired for as little as $36.

“The majority of things that we hang on the wall are under $500 typically, so they’re pretty reasonably priced,” Pieroni said. “Ultimately, you’re supporting a local artist, so you get good-person points.”

She urged anyone with uncertainty about ownership to consider Mosaic.

“Our biggest challenge is trying to bring people in who maybe haven’t purchased art before or considered themselves as collectors,” she said. “Finding those people and making it relevant to them and, also, a little less scary than walking into a gallery.”

ALL Heart Statuses
Where: Mosaic Art Collective, 66 Hanover St., Suite 201, Manchester
When: Through Wednesday, Feb. 28 (opening reception Saturday, Feb. 10, at noon

Featured photo: The Love Letter – Andrew Freshour Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 23/02/01

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

• Youth ensemble: Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St. in Manchester; mcmusicschool.org) will hold New Hampshire Youth Ensembles concerts on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. (featuring the Suzuki Violin Group, String Pep, Concert Orchestra, Boom wackers, Percussion Ensemble, Rock & Blues Orchestra and the NH Youth Jazz ensemble) and at 6 p.m. (featuring Queen City Voices, Queen City Concert Choir, Flute Choir, Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra), according to a press release. The event is free and open to the public.

• Exhibit closing: “Heart of a Museum: Saya Woolfalk” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) ends its run Sunday, Feb. 4. Described as “a new experiential installation by artist Saya Woolfalk, the exhibition is a commission for the museum that investigates the history of the institution and revisits its iconography and original design,” according to the website, which says the exhibition uses the mosaics designed by Salvatore Lascari that were the entrance of the Currier as the starting point. The Currier is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for 65+, $15 for students, $5 for ages 13 to 17, and children 12 and under get in free.

• Sounds of Dune:The music of frequent movie composer Hans Zimmer (Dune, The Dark Knight, Gladiator) will be the focus at the Candlelight Concert on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $60.

• At Balin: Next weekend at Balin Books (375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza, Nashua; balinbooks.com) author Deborah Roof will sign her book Words, Wonder and the Divine in You on Saturday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1 p.m.

• More playwrights, more stories: The next “Expanding the Canon” play reading circle from Theatre Kapow will take place Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. featuring the work Blanche and Stella by A.A. Brenner. See tkapow.com and contact [email protected] for information on joining this Zoom event.

• The kids take ABBA to Greece: The Londonderry High School Drama Club will present Mamma Mia! Thursday, Feb. 15, through Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. daily plus 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Derry Opera House (26 W. Broadway in Derry). Tickets to this show, which they rate as PG-13, cost $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and students. See lancerdramaclub.org.

• Coming up from Community Players of Concord: The next main stage production from the Community Players of Concord is coming Friday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, Feb. 18. Witness for the Prosecution, a play by Agatha Christie, is described as “suspenseful thriller” about a man accused of murdering a rich widow, according to communityplayersofconcord.org. The show is at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday; tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 17 and under and 65+.

• “Banjos, Bones and Ballads”: Folklorist and traditional music performer Jeff Warner will perform Thursday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. in studio A at the YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St. in Manchester), for a show open to both members and non-members (non-members will need an ID), according to a Y Facebook post. He will present 19th-century music including music that would have been familiar to people of Adirondack Mountain lumber camps, Outer Banks fishing villages and New England whaling ports, according to the post. See jeffwarner.com for more on Warner and his music.

• Improv night: Queen City Improv will perform at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) on Friday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 and are on sale now.

The Players will also hold auditions for their early May main stage production, Pride and Prejudice, on Sunday, Feb. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Players’ studio (435 Josiah Bartlett Road in Concord). See communityplayersofconcord.org/auditions for the requirements.

• Save the date for Dana: The March schedule has three events coming up at the Dana Center for the Humanities (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu, 641-7700). On Friday, March 1, Ernest Thompson — the playwright and screenwriter who won an Oscar for On Golden Pond — will discuss his latest book, The Book of Maps, and tell stories from his 50-year career, according to the website. The event begins at 7:30 p.m; tickets cost $45. On Thursday, March 14, Delfeayo Marsalis, a jazz and blues trombonist and composer, will perform at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $35. On Saturday, March 16, celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with Irish folk band The Jeremiahs and the trio Kalos at 7:30 p.m.; tickets cost $45.

Wartime music
The Thursday, Feb. 1, “Bach’s Lunch” program at the Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) has had a program change; the Feb. 1 program will be “Echoes of Struggle and Triumph” featuring works by composers from World War I and World War II, according to a press release. Flutist Erin Dubois, clarinetist Stephanie Ratté and bassoonist Maria Isaak will present music from “Rosy Wertheim, a Dutch Jewish composer who lived and hid in Amsterdam during World War II; Walter Piston, an American composer born in Maine who became a Navy musician during World War I; Jacques Ibert, a French composer whose musical studies were interrupted during World War I and his music later banned during World War II; and Joachim Kötschau, a German composer and organist who was 26 when World War II began,” the release said. The event is free and open to the public.

The Art Roundup 23/01/25

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

• Classical by candlelight: Candlelight Concerts, thea presentation of classical and other musical genres in “a live, multi-sensory musical experience,” will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and more on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $43 to $61. See candlelightexperience.com for more on the concerts.

• At the music school: The Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) will hold a Purple Finches Youth Chorus open sing on MOonday, Jan. 29, according to a newsletter. The event is free and open to the public. Fledglings (for kids in grades kindergarten through 2nd) meetsmeet at 4:10 p.m., Fliers (for grades 3 to 5) meetsmeet at 5 p.m. and Finches Select (for grades 6 through 8) meet at 6 p.m.

A Canterbury Singers open sing for adults meets on Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Find out more about the group and how to join at ccmusic.org/canterbury-singers.

The school’s spring semester of classes begins on Monday, Jan. 29. Go online to see the spring offerings or call 228-1196.

And Slide Guitar 101, a workshop for early intermediate to advanced guitar players interested in the blues, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 7, from 7 to 8 p.m. The cost is $25 and the class will provide slides, ; bring your own guitar. Register online.

In addition to the Bach’s Lunch lecture on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 12:10 p.m., Peggo and Paul (the wife and husband team of Peggo and Paul Hodes) will offer a concert on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 12:10 p.m. called “Bach’s Lunch: Share the Love Valentine’s Day Concert with Peggo, Paul and Friends.” The event is held in the Recital Hall and is free and open to the public, according to a newsletter.An Integrated Arts Recital will be held on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. featuring student musicians who will also display visual art they’ve created to go along with the recital, according to a newsletter. The event is free and open to the public.

Blossoming Beyond
“Blossoming Beyond: Celebrating Queerness in Nature,” an exhibition that “showcases work that embodies the resilience, strength and beauty of both the natural world and the LGBTQ+ community,” according to queerlective.com, is slated to open at the New Hampshire Audubon Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn) on Wednesday, Jan. 24, and run through Saturday, March 30. An opening reception will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, from 2 to 5 p.m.

• More Paul: You can also catch the former 2nd District U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. at a fundraiser for Gather (a nonprofit providing healthy food to individuals experiencing food insecurity in Seacoast communities), at 3S Artspace (319 Vaughan St. in Portsmouth; 3sarts.org), according to a press release. Tickets are pay what you choose starting at $22. Hodes will play with The Blue Buddha Band, the release said.

• At the audi: The Concord Community Concert Association will present the Frisson Ensemble at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord; theaudi.org) on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. The concert will feature a trio of cello, piano and clarinet, according to the website. Tickets cost $20 at the door or $23 online at ccca-audi.org. See frissonensemble.com for a look and listen to Frisson performances.

Saya Woolfalk
There are two more weekends to catch “Heart of a Museum: Saya Woolfalk” at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144). Described as “a new experiential installation by artist Saya Woolfalk, the exhibition is a commission for the museum that investigates the history of the institution and revisits its iconography and original design,” according to the website, which says the exhibition uses the mosaics designed by Salvatore Lascari that were the entrance of the Currier as the starting point. The exhibition is on display through Sunday, Feb. 4. The Currier is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission costs $20 for adults, $15 for 65+, $15 for students, $5 for ages 13 to 17, and children 12 and under get in free.

• Afternoon of dance: NSquared Dance Company will present A Continuation of Love, a dance fundraiser with a Valentine’s Day theme, on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). “This performance is full of vignettes and will treat the audience to the full breadth of the company’s high-caliber dance styles,” said Zackery Betty, Cco-Ffounder of NSquared Dance, in a press release. “It’s also a chance for people to learn more about what we do and the importance of dance within the community as an expressive art form for entertainment and community engagement.” The event will also feature catered food and a silent auction, the release said. Tickets cost $40. See nhdancecollaborative.org.

Footloose The Musical: Youth Edition
Can Ren bring dancing to Bomont? The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (669-7469, majestictheatre.net) presents Footloose The Musical: Youth Edition Friday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry). Shows are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $13 for 65+ and $10 for youth ages 17 and under.

• February at SAA plus a call for art: “Photos as Canvas,” a show featuring the digital artwork of photographer Dean Scott of Exeter, will open at the Seacoast Artist Association (130 Water St. in Exeter; seacoastartist.org) on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and run through Sunday, Feb. 25, according to a press release. An artist reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. as part of the Second Friday Artwalk and will feature SAA exhibiting artist Cheryl Sager and her husband, Neal Zweig, in a Valentine concert, the release said.

Artists are also welcome to submit artwork for the February Valentine e-themed show “Let Me Show You What I Love,” the release said. Drop-off is Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or at the aAssociation’s website, according to the press release. Attendees at the Second Friday event will vote for a people’s choice award, with the winner receiving a future free month’s entry, the release said. The March theme will be “Shadows and Light” with a drop -off on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Email [email protected] with questions.

Also at SAA, Cleo Huggins’ show of oil paintings “Sea Creatures” will open on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and run through Sunday, Feb. 25. according to a release. Huggins will also be at the artist reception, which will feature a raw bar provided by Huggins and her husband, according to the release.

• Author event: Matthew Delmont, author of the new book Half American: The Heroic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad, will discuss his book on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St. in Portsmouth; themusichall.org), according to a press release. The event will include author conversation, audience Q&A and a post-show meet and greet, the release said. Tickets cost $34 and include a signed book.

Bach’s Lunch
The Bach’s Lunch at Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St. in Concord; ccmusicschool.org) will feature a “Songwriting Lecture with Peggo and Paul” on Thursday, Feb 1, at 12:10 p.m. This husband-and-wife duo (together for 45 years) have collaborated on numerous compositions and recordings, according to a newsletter. Peggo is a classically trained vocalist and Paul plays by ear, the newsletter said. The lecture will include discussion of their composition process along with performances of examples, the newsletter said. Call 228-1196 or visit ccmusicschool.org/event/bachs-lunch-songwriting-2024.

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