Youth artwork celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month
New Hampshire youth speak out about mental health through art at the Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest Celebration, happening Thursday, May 20, at the Tupelo Drive-In in Derry and virtually via livestream.
Now in its third year, the contest invites middle school and high school students in the state to submit an original work of art — be it a two- or three-dimensional visual art piece, short film, essay, poem or song — that expresses their experience with or observations of mental health. The art work is then featured at a celebratory event in May to honor Mental Health Awareness Month and to highlight the need for improved children’s mental health care in New Hampshire.
“I think being able to see what our kids are experiencing in this very visual way can really help us get a better understanding of what they’re going through,” said Michele Watson, family network coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire Chapter, which co-sponsors the event with the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate and other mental health- and youth-focused organizations throughout the state.
Upon arrival attendees will be guided to distanced parking spaces. For the first hour of the event, from 4 to 5 p.m., they will be able to stroll the parking lot, masked, and visit information booths for around a dozen local organizations involved with youth mental health.
“Part of bringing [mental health] awareness is letting people know where they can go for resources,” Watson said. “We want to make sure that, if they ever need help, or if they have a family member or good friend who might need help, they know where to go.”
Also during that time, all 43 art pieces that were submitted will be displayed on a large screen near the stage. They consist mostly of visual art pieces, Watson said, including drawings, paintings and computer-generated images, with a few short films and poems in the mix.
“The art work just completely impresses us,” she said, “and not just because of the messages that they share but also because of the quality of the art work. A lot of [the artists] are extremely talented.”
Watson said that she and the contest judges noticed “a different tone” in this year’s pieces, with more artists opening up about their personal struggles with mental health.
“In the past a lot of the submissions were focused on awareness,” she said, “but now we’re seeing the [artists] who are experiencing [mental health issues] themselves really expose themselves by sharing their own stories and expressing how they’re feeling.”
The awards ceremony and a series of presentations by guest speakers, which attendees can watch from inside their cars or from their own lawn chairs situated just outside their cars, will begin at 5 p.m. Ten finalists chosen by the judges will be named and will each receive a framed certificate and a $250 cash prize. The audience, including those watching the livestream from home, will then have a chance to vote for their favorite of the 10 finalists to win a People’s Choice Award.
Guest speakers will include mental health awareness advocate and former New Hampshire Chief Justice John Broderick; 10-year-old New Hampshire Kid Governor Charlie Olsen, whose platform is childhood depression; and Dr. Cassie Yackley, a specialist in trauma-informed mental health care, discussing the importance of art in mental health.
The event is often “eye-opening” for the audience, Watson said, as it gives youth an outlet to publicly express thoughts and feelings that they may not have wanted or been able to articulate before.
“Our youth really have a lot to say, and [art] helps them deliver it in a different way,” she said. “Now we just need to listen to them.”
Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest Celebration Where: Tupelo Drive-In, 10 A St., Derry, and virtually via livestream When: Thursday, May 20, 4 to 6:30 p.m. More info/register: Visit sites.google.com/view/magnify-voices and facebook.com/magnifyvoicesexpressivearts
Featured photo: Youth art from a previous Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest. Courtesy photo.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
The Nashua International Sculpture Symposium returns May 20. Courtesy photo.
• The sculptors are coming: The 14th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium will commence on Thursday, May 20, with a private opening reception, which will be recorded for the public to watch online. During the symposium, three renowned sculptors will spend three weeks in Nashua creating three outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. This year’s sculptors, all coming from the U.S., are Gavin Kenyon from New York, Sam Finkelstein from Maine, and Nora Valdez, from Boston, Mass., originally from Argentina. The sculptors will work outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua) Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday, May 24, through Friday, June 4. They will relocate to the sculpture installation site on Saturday, June 5, where they will continue their work until the closing ceremony on Saturday, June 12.During those times, the public will be able to watch the sculptors work and interact with them during their breaks (masks and social distancing required). The closing ceremony, at which the finished sculptures will be revealed, will take place at the installation site and will also be available to watch online. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.
• NH Jewish Film Festival returns: The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival returns virtually Wednesday, May 19, through Thursday, June 10, with 11 independent foreign films as well as a series of food-themed shorts. The feature films — all New Hampshire premieres — come from eight countries: the United States, Israel, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. They will be released one at a time on different days, each with a 72-hour watch window, starting with When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, a period drama from Germany and Switzerland, on May 19. “Our goal is to bring thought-provoking and enlightening documentaries, fiction films and shorts that you can’t find anywhere else,” festival co-chair Ross Fishbein said in a press release. “We’re delighted to bring some of the world’s best indie films straight to your living room.” Additionally, there will be Q&A events with the filmmakers for five of the films, to be held over Zoom. Tickets are per household and cost $12 per film, $43 for a four-pack film pass and $110 for an all-access pass to all 11 films. The shorts series, which includes five short films, will be free and available to watch at any point during the festival. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com.
• A call for Covid poetry: New Hampshire residents are invited to submit original poems for review and possible publication in COVID Spring Vol. II,an anthology of poetry about the pandemic experience in New Hampshire, to be edited by New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary and published by Hobblebush Books this summer. The anthology is a follow-up to COVID Spring: Granite State Pandemic Poems, published in September 2020, which features original poems submitted by more than 50 New Hampshire writers, providing “a thirty-day snapshot of what life was like in the Granite State in April of 2020” through topics such as Covid-related “job loss, loneliness and love, masks, social distancing, surreal visitors, uncertainty, graduations deferred, grief, neighborly and less-than-neighborly acts, observing the beginning of the pandemic and making projections about the future, recalibrating or confirming what it means to be human, to be a resident of this region,” Peary said in the anthology’s introduction. Youth age 18 and under may also submit original poems to be considered for the anthology’s new youth section. Submit a poem or poems (up to three) by Sunday, May 23, through the online submission form at hobblebush.com/anthology-submissions. Poets will be notified of the editor’s decision by June 15.
• Joining together for Portsmouth arts: The All Together Now benefit concert series kicks off Friday, May 14, with singer-songwriter Zachary Williams performing live at The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) at 5:30 and 8 p.m. The series is a collaboration between The Music Hall and its fellow Portsmouth arts venues Prescott Park Arts Festival and 3S Artspace to raise funds for the latter two to help them recuperate from the pandemic. The series continues with Rachael & Vilray on Saturday, May 22 (sold out), and Son Little on Friday, June 11, at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25, $40, and $60. Visit themusichall.org.
Art
Exhibits
• DUO ARTIST EXHIBIT Features oils by Jim Ryan and watercolors by Lorraine Makhoul. On view during May. Seacoast Artist Association, 130 Water St., Exeter. Call 778-8856 or visit seacoastartist.org.
• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents a group art show featuring works in a variety of media by NHAA members and non-members. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). On view now through May 30. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.
• “TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.
• “GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION THROUGH CUT AND PASTE” City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition featuring the works of Meri Goyette, including statement collages and collectible greetings cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. On display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua). Now through June 11. Visit cityartsnashua.org.
• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• 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.
Events
• 14TH ANNUAL NASHUA INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM Three renowned sculptors will spend three weeks in Nashua creating three outdoor sculptures for permanent installation in the city. The public will be able to watch the sculptors work and interact with them during their breaks (masks and social distancing required). Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fri., May 24 through Fri., June 4, outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua), and Sat., June 5 through Sat., June 12, at installation site. A private opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 20, and closing ceremony and sculpture reveal on Saturday, June 12, both of which will be recorded for the public to watch online. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.
Theater
Shows
• 42ND STREET Recorded live in London. Virtual screening presented by Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Now through May 19. $15 per ticket. Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com.
• FUN HOME The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 28. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• GODSPELL The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 30. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• DISCOVERING MAGIC WITH ANDREW PINARD The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Wed., May 19 and June 16, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• A WIDER CIRCLE The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of the play, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick. Virtual, via Zoom. Thurs., May 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.
• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., May 21 and June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
Local radio host, columnist, author and filmmaker Rob Azevedo adds poetry to his list of activities with his debut collection, Turning on the Wasp, recently released by Spartan Press.
The new venture, which he started in April 2020, came as a surprise even to himself, Azevedo said.
“For some reason, I just started getting these poetic lines in my head … and when I get something in my head, it doesn’t leave my head until I do something about it,” he said, “so I just started writing them down.”
While Azevedo has done some creative writing in the past, including the screenplays for six short films featured at the SNOB Film Festival in Concord, and a memoir, Notes From The Last Breath Farm: A Music Junkie’s Quest to be Heard, released by Plaidswede Publishing in 2019, poetry is a literary art form he hadn’t explored since his college days, he said.
“I went from having written maybe 10 or so poems in my whole life to writing 50 poems over the course of four or five months,” he said, adding that his poems now total more than 250.
With modest expectations, Azevedo submitted a few of his poems to the Spartan Press, hoping to get one featured on its website, he said, but the publisher had bigger plans for Azevedo’s poems.
“He loved them and said, ‘What do you think about putting out a book of your poetry?’” Azevedo said. “That [scenario] is unheard of when it comes to publishing — normally, getting something published is a grind … and could take years, so I really hit the jackpot.”
Turning on the Wasp features 80 free verse poems, “perfect for flash poetry,” Azevedo said, at around 100 to 150 words each. They explore a wide range of subject matter, such as love, lust, rock ’n’ roll and social issues, with a tone that Azevedo described as “darkly comic.”
“They could be prompted by a line in a song, something I’m watching on TV, a work of art or something that happened in my own life,” he said. “Whatever [causes] that rush of poetry in my head, I just go with it and dive right into it.”
In the title poem, for example, Azevedo reflects on a near-death experience that he had two years ago, when he was stung by a wasp. He went into shock and stopped breathing.
“It’s all about me getting back at that wasp that almost took me out,” he said.
Azevedo continues to write poetry every morning, he said, and has no plans of stopping.
“I can’t seem to get away from it; I’m hooked,” he said. “It has consumed me to the point where I’m barely writing anything else.”
He has already assembled a collection of poems for another book, which he intends to pitch to his publisher at the end of the summer and, if approved, release in the winter.
“I’m just going to keep writing more and more poetry until this phase of my creative life is over and I move on to a new one.”
Turning on the Wasp by Rob Azevedo The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. Find Azevedo on Twitter (@robazza33) or email him at onemanmanch@gmail.com.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
The work of Roberto Lugo is currently on display at the Currier Museum of Art. Photo by Neal Santos, courtesy of Wexler Gallery.
• Pottery joy: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) presents a new exhibition, “Roberto Lugo: Te traigo mi le lo lai – I bring you my joy,” from May 6 through Sept. 26. Lugo is a Philadelphia-based potter, painter, social activist, spoken word poet and educator. His pottery reimagines traditional forms and techniques with inspiration from urban graffiti and hip-hop culture. In this exhibition, Lugo pays homage to his Puerto Rican heritage and explores his cultural identity and its connection to family, place and legacy. “The Currier Museum has a long history of collecting and displaying studio ceramics, and Roberto Lugo is undoubtedly one of the most significant voices working today,” Samantha Cataldo, the museum’s curator of contemporary art, said in a press release. “We are excited for the public to experience this unique installation and find their own connections to these important themes of community, value, and legacy.” Museum admission costs $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online in advance. Museum hours are Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (free after 5 p.m.); and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the hour of 10 to 11 a.m. currently reserved for seniors and museum members. Lugo will give a virtual talk on Tuesday, May 11, at 5 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. In July, Lugo and fellow ceramicist Margaret Kinkeade will be in residence at the museum and will lead community workshops on ceramics. Details on the workshops are TBA. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• Exploring opioid addiction through theater: The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of A Wider Circle virtually over Zoom on Thursday, May 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. Now in its fourth year, the Elephant-in-the-Room Series presents play readings followed by open discussions about subjects that are difficult to talk about, such as human trafficking and sexual abuse, death and dying, mental illness and more. A Wider Circle, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick, centers on the family of a woman in the aftermath of her opioid overdose death. Following the reading, there will be a panel discussion on the opioid crisis’ effect on families with Hedrick, Rebecca Throop of Seacoast Mental Health Center and other opioid addiction and recovery experts. The event is free, and registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.
• Meri Goyette makes her artist debut: City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition, “Geometric Abstraction through Cut and Paste,” featuring the works of Meri Goyette, on display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua) now through June 11. Goyette, who is 95 years old, has been a longtime supporter and patron of the arts in Nashua and beyond, but has never publicly shown her own work until now. The exhibition will include statement collages and collectible greeting cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. “Meri is such an inspiration to all of us in the arts here in Nashua and we are so fortunate that she serves on our Advisory Board and partners with us to support City Arts Nashua’s mission,” City Arts Nashua president Lisa Bissonnette said in a press release. Visit cityartsnashua.org.
• New artisan market: Henniker Community Market will host its first annual Henniker Handmade & Homegrown event at Henniker Community Center Park (57 Main St., Henniker) on Saturday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nearly 40 local vendors and artisans will sell handmade items including jewelry, pottery, textiles, soaps and body care products, baskets, candles, birdhouses, fine art paintings and prints, home decor and more. See “Henniker Community Market” on Facebook or email hennikercommunitymarket@gmail.com.
Art
Classes & lectures
• 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
• DUO ARTIST EXHIBIT Features oils by Jim Ryan and watercolors by Lorraine Makhoul. On view during May. Seacoast Artist Association, 130 Water St., Exeter. Call 778-8856 or visit seacoastartist.org.
• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents a group art show featuring works in a variety of media by NHAA members and non-members. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). On view now through May 30. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.
• “TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.
• “GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION THROUGH CUT AND PASTE” City Arts Nashua and The Nashua Telegraph present an exhibition featuring the works of Meri Goyette, including statement collages and collectible greetings cards that she crafted from paper, fabric and glue during the pandemic. On display in the windows and lobby of the Telegraph offices (110 Main St., Suite 1, Nashua). Now through June 11. Visit cityartsnashua.org.
• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• 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.
Special events
• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CELEBRATION Youth artwork showcased to help raise awareness and decrease stigma of mental illness and affect change to ensure social and emotional health for all children in New Hampshire. May, date TBA. Visit tinyurl.com/magnifyvoices2021 or email magnifyvoices@gmail.com.
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.
Theater
Shows
• FAME JR. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre PAPA Jr. presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 12. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• FUN HOME The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 28. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• GODSPELL The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 30. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., May 7, May 21 and June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• COMEDY OUT OF THE ’BOX The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Sat., May 8, May 22 and June 5, and Thurs., June 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• 42ND STREET Recorded live in London. Virtual screening presented by Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. May 12 through May 19. $15 per ticket. Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com.
• DISCOVERING MAGIC WITH ANDREW PINARD The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Wed., May 19 and June 16, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• A WIDER CIRCLE The New Hampshire Theatre Project’s Elephant-in-the-Room Series, in partnership with the Seacoast Mental Health Center, presents a reading of the play, written by local playwright and social studies teacher Mary Ellen Hedrick. Virtual, via Zoom. Thurs., May 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Registration is required. Visit nhtheatreproject.org.
• 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 powerhouse@belknapmill.org.
• PIPPIN The Seacoast Repertory Theatre PAPA Jr. presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. June 10 through July 18. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• HOLMES & WATSON Phylloxera Productions presents. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). June 11 through June 27. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• STEEL MAGNOLIAS The Majestic Theatre presents. Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester. June 18 through June 27, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit majestictheatre.net or call 669-7469.
• HAMLET Post-apocalyptic reimagining of Shakespeare’s classic, produced by Cue Zero Theatre Co. June 18 through June 27. Derry Opera House, 29 W. Broadway, Derry. Visit cztheatre.com or email cztheatre@gmail.com.
• ‘TIL BETH DO US PART The Majestic Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at Majestic Studio Theatre, 880 Page St., Manchester. July 16 through July 25, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit majestictheatre.net or call 669-7469.
• CABARET The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. July 22 through Sept. 5. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW: A PUPPET PARODY at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Sat., Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.
• TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., now through June, and September through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
Studio 550 bowls. Courtesy photo.
• Group art show: The New Hampshire Art Association presents its “Body of Work: Series I” exhibition, featuring artwork in a variety of media by eight local artists, online and in person at the NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) now through May 2. NHAA holds several “Body of Work” exhibitions each year. “By exhibiting multiple works, the featured artists are able to present their overall artistic vision, sometimes difficult to do with one or two pieces,” the Association said in a press release. All works are for sale. Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• Art for sale: Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester) will have a Spring Cleaning and Community Fundraiser from May 3 through May 8. There will be a variety of handmade items by local artists for sale, including bowls for $15, with proceeds supporting Families in Transition – New Horizons’ efforts to end hunger and homelessness in the local community. A $1 pottery sale of abandoned workshop pottery will benefit Studio 550’s Clay for Kids Scholarship. Fundraiser hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday, from noon to 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, from 2 to 6 p.m. Call 232-5597 or visit info@550arts.com.
“The Boundaries of Our Love,” oil painting by Brittany Soucy, featured in NHAA’s “Body of Work” exhibition. Courtesy photo.
• African fashion: The Seacoast African American Cultural Center (located inside the Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth) presents an exhibit, “Fashion Forward: Africana Style,” on view May 1 through Sept. 1. The exhibit showcases Black fashion and explores connections between African American and African design aesthetics from past to present. See photos from Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo by London-based photographer Tariq Zaidi; vintage African fashion pieces from 1930s Liberia reflecting influences of Islam and African American immigration; and more than a dozen contemporary fashion and fabric art pieces created or owned by African and African American women living and working on the Seacoast and throughout the East Coast. Gallery hours are Monday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; visitors must reserve a 45-minute time slot in advance. Walk-in guests will be accommodated as space permits. Tickets cost $10 for the general public and $5 for Historical Society members and are available through eventbrite.com. Call 430-6027 or visit saacc-nh.org.
“Pastoral,” watercolor painting by Ellen Hopkins Fountain, featured in NHAA’s “Body of Work” exhibition. Courtesy photo.
• Irish playwright showcase: Manchester-based theater company Theatre Kapow continues its 13th season with a livestreamed production of Room April 30 through May 2, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The show features three stories by two Irish playwrights: A Girl’s Bedroom and Room 303 by Enda Walsh and the American premiere of I Used to Feel by Ailís Ní Ríain. “What I love about Room is that, at the heart of it, the piece is really just about one character in a single room at one point in his or her life,” artistic director Matt Cahoon said in a press release. Tickets cost $10 per streaming device. Ticket holders will be sent the link to watch the show. Visit tkapow.com.
Art
Call for Art
• FIBER ART EXHIBIT The Surface Design Association’s (SDA) New Hampshire Group invites New Hampshire fiber artists to submit work for its upcoming exhibit of fiber art and textiles, “Tension: Process in the Making.” Exhibit will run July 24 through Sept. 4 at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Submission deadline is Fri., May 1. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.
• SUMMER ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury) is accepting applications for its two-week summer residency. Open to visual artists of all media who are interested in creating art inspired by the architecture, landscape, traditional crafts, furniture, artistic endeavors and culture of the Shakers. Resident artists will live and work onsite at the village and talk with visitors about their creative process. To apply, email csvjuror@gmail.com with a bio or resume, an artist’s statement, a paragraph about why you’re interested in the residency and what you hope to accomplish, and five images of your most recent artwork. Deadline is Fri., May 1. Call 783-9511 or visit shakers.org.
Exhibits
• “BODY OF WORK: SERIES I” New Hampshire Art Association presents an exhibition featuring artwork in a variety of media by eight local artists. On view now through May 2. Online and in person at the NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. All works are for sale. 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. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• 35TH ANNUAL OMER T. LASSONDE JURIED EXHIBITION The New Hampshire Art Association presents a group art show featuring works in a variety of media by NHAA members and non-members. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). On view now through May 30. Call 431-4230 and visit nhartassociation.org.
• “TRANSFORMATIONS: NATURE AND BEYOND” The New Hampshire Art Association presents works by digital artist William Townsend. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery, 49 S. Main St., Concord. On display now through June 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• 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.
• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “RETABLOS RECONSIDERED” Exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through June 6. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.
Special events
• MAGNIFY VOICES EXPRESSIVE ARTS CELEBRATION Youth artwork showcased to help raise awareness and decrease stigma of mental illness and affect change to ensure social and emotional health for all children in New Hampshire. May, date TBA. Visit tinyurl.com/magnifyvoices2021 or email magnifyvoices@gmail.com.
Theater
Shows
• GODSPELL The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 30. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• FUN HOME The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through May 28. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• COMEDY OUT OF THE ’BOX The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Sat., May 8, May 22 and June 5, and Thurs., June 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• FAME JR. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre PAPA Jr. presents. Virtual and in person at 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. May 5 through May 12. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• QUEEN CITY IMPROV The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Fri., May 7, May 21 and June 4, and Thurs., June 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• 42ND STREET Recorded live in London. Virtual screening presented by Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. May 12 through May 19. $15 per ticket. Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
“If Hands Had a God” by Donna Catanzaro, featured in “Retablos Reconsidered” exhibit. Courtesy photo.
• The Hatbox reopens: Several performance series return to The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) this month, including Queen City Improv on Fridays, April 23, May 7, May 21 and June 4, and Thursday, June 17; Comedy Out of the ’Box on Saturdays, April 24, May 8, May 22 and June 5, and Thursday, June 24; and Discovering Magic with Andrew Pinard on Wednesdays, May 19 and June 16. Mainstage theater productions will return in June with Holmes & Watson, presented by Phylloxera Productions, running June 11 through June 27. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for members, seniors and students, and $16 for senior members. Call 715-2315 or visit hatboxnh.com.
• A modern take on retablos: Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) presents a new art exhibit, “Retablos Reconsidered,” on view April 24 through June 6. The exhibit features works by 12 artists inspired by retablos, the honorific art form of devotional paintings that relate to miraculous events. “[The works] reveal themes that personally, socially and politically affect [the artists’] lives,” the gallery stated in a press release. “Some reflect traditional religious themes within a contemporary context. Others are non-religious but are created to draw awareness to broad issues in our times and some reveal deeply personal stories.” Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.
• Virtual poetry events: National Poetry Month in New Hampshire continues with virtual poetry writing workshops on Sunday, April 25, at 3 p.m., and Tuesday, April 27, at 7 p.m., led by graduate students interning with New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary; and a virtual poetry reading and conversation with Peary and Margot Douaihy on Monday, April 26, at 7 p.m. “[Participating in] one of these events might give you ideas for your own writing,” Peary told the Hippo earlier this month. “I think it could also give you a sense that, with so many opportunities for engagement with the creative writing [community] in the state, it could become a really rich part of your life and social life.” All events are free, and registration is required. Visit newhampshirepoetlaureate.blogspot.com and hobblebush.com/national-poetry-month for a complete schedule and list of National Poetry Month activities.
• Shaker Village seeks artists: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury) is accepting applications for its Summer Artist-in-Residence Program now through May 1. The two-week residency is open to visual artists of all media who are interested in creating art inspired by the architecture, landscape, traditional crafts, furniture, artistic endeavors and culture of the Shakers. Resident artists will live and work onsite at the village and talk with visitors about their creative process. To apply, email csvjuror@gmail.com with a bio or resume, an artist’s statement, a paragraph about why you’re interested in the residency and what you hope to accomplish, and five images of your most recent artwork. Call 783-9511 or visit shakers.org.
