Tag: 200924

The Art Roundup 20/09/24

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

• Closing exhibits: A number of local art exhibits are closing this week. Catch “Searching for Solace: Sacred Spaces/Sacred Places,” on view now through Sept. 27 at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen; 975-0015, twiggsgallery.wordpress.com). It features paintings, sculpture, textiles and ceramics by 13 artists exploring the concept of personal sanctuary, with a focus on nature. Hours are Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

Stop by the Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord; 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) to see “Life’s Work: Occupations & Identity,” up now through Sept. 28 in the Carriage House Gallery. It features portrait photography by Maundy Mitchell that explores the evolution of trades and societal views on identity and jobs. Gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The New Hampshire Antique Co-op (323 Elm St., Milford; 673-8499, nhantiquecoop.com) has an exhibit and sale, “Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks,” on display in the Tower Gallery now through Sept. 30. It features modernist 20th- and 21st-century paintings juxtaposed alongside a collection of Oceanic and African hand-carved masks and figural carvings. Co-op hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday by appointment. The co-op also has a virtual art exhibit and sale, “Summer Palettes: Impressionist & Modernist Works from the 19th century to Present,” viewable online now through Sept. 30.

• Theater in person…: The Hatbox Theatre’s (270 Loudon Road, Concord) mainstage production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters continues through Sept. 27, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The play centers on two childhood friends, Melissa and Andrew, who write letters to each other for their entire lives and develop a deep bond. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.

• … or theater from home: The Manchester Community Theatre Players present Blood on His Hands?, an original play by local playwrights Alan D. Kaplan and Tom Anastasi, with livestreamed performances on Fridays, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, and Saturdays, Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. In the play, a fictional president, President Stump, is on trial for how he has handled the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving the audience to decide whether or not he is guilty of negligence. “We fully appreciate that politics can be divisory and people have strong opinions both for and against the way the coronavirus was handled, but we wanted this to be a conversation starter and chance for people to see both sides of the issue,” company manager Steve Short said in a press release. The play is free to watch. Visit manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

• Art at The Fells: The John Hay Estate at The Fells (456 Route 103, Newbury) hosts an Afternoon of Dance, Sculpture and Art on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. Visitors can follow a self-guided tour through the galleries, outdoor exhibit and around the estate grounds, where there will be dancers, sculptures, artwork and artists reflecting the theme “Stillness and Motion.” The cost of admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $4 for kids ages 6 through 17, and free for kids age 5 and under. Visit thefells.org.

• Shaker Village weekend: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury), in partnership with Red River Theatres, presents a free outdoor movie night featuring Casablanca (1942) on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. The film will be shown on the lawn by the Meeting House. The following day, Saturday, Sept. 26, the Village is having a garage, tag and yard sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale will feature a wide variety of items, including books, decorations, furniture, household goods, DVDs, toys, games and more. Additionally, there will be a 50-percent-off sale on select items in the Village Store. Masks are required. Visit shakers.org.

Screen plays

Theatre Kapow opens new season with virtual performances

Like most theater companies pre-Covid, Theatre Kapow had a very different idea of what its 2020 season would look like. The Manchester-based company was just days away from beginning rehearsals for one of the two remaining shows in its 12th season when theaters were shut down in March.

After months of planning, Theatre Kapow is moving forward with its 13th season, titled “We Can Get Through This,” starting with a series of three one-person plays, each with four exclusively livestreamed performances.

“It was pretty clear early on that if we wanted to continue making theater at this time, we would have to do very, very small shows,” artistic director Matt Cahoon said. “We figured solo performances would be pretty much the safest thing to do right now.”

The series focuses largely on the idea of isolation and other themes that are very relevant to people today, Cahoon said, such as resilience, courage and conviction.

The first play, Feast, which runs Sept. 25 through Sept. 27, is being directed by Cahoon and performed by his wife, Carey Cahoon.

Written in 2019 by Megan Gogerty, Feast reimagines a villain from a well-known work of medieval English literature (you’ll have to watch the play to find out who it is) who is throwing a dinner party to confront society about its acts of injustice.

“Even though it’s telling this ancient story, it’s probably the most contemporary show I’ve ever directed,” Cahoon said. “It speaks very much to the current moment and even about living in the time of a virus.”

The second play, Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks, runs Oct. 23 through Oct. 25 and is being directed by Wanda Strukus and performed by Rachael Longo. Based on the famous “To be or not to be” monologue from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the piece follows a woman, alone in her basement riding out a tornado, as she reflects on other threats in her life.

The third and final play, A Tempest Prayer by Peter Josephson (director and actor are TBD), runs Nov. 20 through Nov. 22 and is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

The plays, which are being shot in a small studio space in Manchester, are full theater productions with sets, costumes, props, lighting design and sound effects.

“It’s still theater, not film,” Cahoon said. “If people were here watching [in the studio], it would look like a regular live theater performance.”

Theatre Kapow “believes fervently” that there is something special about “the immediacy of a live performance,” Cahoon said, so there was no question that the company would livestream the plays rather than pre-record them.

“We’re doing a lot with [film elements], but doing the performances live and in the moment is what makes it theater,” Carey Cahoon added.

“If you go to the movies, you know that no matter what you do as an audience member, no matter what happens in the theater and no matter how you react, the movie isn’t going to change. It’s going to be the same every time you hit ‘play,’” Matt Cahoon said. “There is a tangible difference between that and watching something happening live and in real time. The actor puts out a different kind of energy, and people can feel that.”

The virtual format has posed a whole new set of considerations for the directors and the actors.

For example, Matt Cahoon said, when directing a play for the live stage, he watches the actor and directs the actor’s movements, but for Feast, he has been focusing his direction on the cameras, watching rehearsals on his computer screen so that he can “see what the audience is seeing.”

In many ways, the virtual format allows him to do more with the play than he could if it were being performed on a live stage, he added. For one thing, he has more control over what the audience fixes its attention on at every moment during the play.

“The staging of a play is a big part of the storytelling,” Carey Cahoon said. “It’s different [in the theater] obviously, since the human eye can see [a] wider [area] than a camera can, but in this format we can decide what we want the audience’s perspective [to be], so we’re thinking a lot about the different camera angles we’re using and what those angles mean dramatically.”

Additionally, cameras allow Matt Cahoon to give the audience perspectives that aren’t possible in a live theater, such as close-ups and overhead views.

“It’s really freeing,” Matt Cahoon said. “We [at Theater Kapow] have always prided ourselves on presenting our pieces with unique audience perspectives, and with the cameras, we can stay faithful to that approach, and we’re able to do even more and have a lot of fun with it.”

The virtual format is a unique opportunity for actors as well, Carey Cahoon said. When performing for a live audience in a theater, she said, she has to project her voice loudly to be heard and exaggerate her physical movements to be seen, but in Feast, she can give a more dynamic performance.

“I can be much quieter and do more subtle things and things with more nuance,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed the ability to explore a wider range as an actor.”

Carey Cahoon said she “spent a lot of time being bothered” about not being able to perform for an audience in person, but she has a different outlook now.

“I’ve realized that you can still create that shared environment,” she said, “because even though we can’t be in a shared space anymore, we can still be in shared time.”

Theatre Kapow’s 13th season: “We Can Get Through This”
Schedule
Feast – Sept. 25 through Sept. 27
Natural Shocks – Oct. 23 through Oct. 25
A Tempest Prayer – Nov. 20 through Nov. 22
When: Performances are on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m.
Where: Livestreamed online; ticket holders will be sent the link to watch the show
Cost: $10 per streaming device
More info: tkapow.com

Featured Photo: Carey Cahoon as Agathae in Feast. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

Quality of Life 20/09/24

Rising Stars of New Hampshire

The winners of the 2020 Rising Stars Awards, presented by Stay Work Play New Hampshire, were announced last week, honoring exceptional young people and the businesses that support them. The winners are:

Civic Leader of the Year: Hooksett resident Martin Toe, grassroots organizer intern for the American Friends Service Committee, and co-founder of Change for Concord

College Student of the Year: Barrington resident Juliana Good, senior at UNH

High School Student of the Year: Londonderry resident Erin Strike, senior at Londonderry High School

Intern of the Year: Auburn resident Madison Olsen, intern with Hinsdale School District

Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Manchester resident Shaquwan’Da Allen, owner of Rootz Natural Hair Shop

Young Professional of the Year: Lebanon resident Patrick Ho, Chief Resident, Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and president of the New Hampshire Psychiatric Society

Score: +1

Comment: Three finalists were selected for Coolest Company for Young Professionals: GYK Antler of Manchester, Nobis Group of Concord and Sunrise Labs of Bedford. One of these companies will be chosen as the “People’s Choice” recipient; check out each company’s virtual “Happy Hour” event, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m., to learn more about why they should be selected as the winner. Then vote online at bit.ly/RSA2020vote.

Race and remember

The Manchester Police Athletic League has turned its annual Footrace for the Fallen into a virtual event this year, while still honoring the race’s mission of remembering heroes who were lost in the line of duty and supporting the Queen City’s at-risk youth. According to a press release, the Manchester Police Department and PAL will host a drive-through bib pickup on Saturday, Oct. 3, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the police department’s parking lot, where you’ll be able to pick up your bib (and T-shirt, if you’re one of the first 500 people to register) and will be greeted by “many friendly faces who will provide you with everything you need from remembrances and giveaways to photo opportunities,” according to the release. You can then run your 5K anywhere, any time between 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

Score: +1

Comment: Visit runreg.com/footrace-for-the-fallen to register; the price is $25 for adults (18+) and $20 for youth.

Animals welcome?

New Hampshire has been ranked one of the least pet-friendly states in the country in a recently released report from home security company SafeWise. The 48 contiguous states were ranked on percentage of pet-friendly apartments; pet population; pets-left-in-car laws; veterinary reporting requirement laws; tether laws; anti-cruelty laws, and animal fighting paraphernalia laws. Our neighboring states of Vermont and Maine both made the top 10 for most pet-friendly states (ranked seventh and 10th, respectively), while elsewhere in New England, Connecticut joined New Hampshire in the top 10 least friendly states, ranking 10th and ninth, respectively.

Score: -1

Comment: Only 8 percent of New Hampshire’s rentals are pet-friendly, according to the report.

QOL score: 58

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 59

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected]

Week 2 in the books for NFL

It’s an interesting start to NFL 2020, offering a few surprises, some predictability and a battle for player of the year off to a rousing start. Injuries have also started to rear their head as they always do, which makes team and individual predictions difficult because you never know who eventually will get hurt and when — just that someone will. What we do know is that usually the teams that get into the playoff mix are the ones who are best able to avoid a huge string of them. Especially to key guys, which KC managed to do on their way to their SB win with the dislocated knee that cost Pat Mahomes just a few weeks instead of the season-ending number it appeared to be when it happened.

So with that in mind, here’s a slightly tardy collection of observations, questions and predictions for 2020.

Can KC Do It Again? Yes. I don’t know if you’ve heard that Mahomes guy is pretty good and it appears he’s not of those guys who takes a breather after doing something really good like many others do. If you have any questions about that, see the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles.

Toughest Division – NFC West: With clear favorites in most divisions or a couple of dregs at the bottom of others there aren’t a lot of choices. So with San Francisco motivated by their SB loss, Russell Wilson in Seattle, the Rams looking to be rebounding and the up-coming Cards led by the Murray-to-newly-acquired-DeAndre Hopkins passing combo it’s best.

Weakest Division – NFC East: If the Cowboys can’t win a division that includes a bad team that’s already lost its best player, one who predictably did what the Patriots never did, melt away after one crummy year of success and another that doesn’t even have a nickname, then my super Cowboys fan friend George Copadis should rip up his autographed picture of Lee Roy Jordan and Don Meredith. And just wondering if stay-in-your-Lane Johnson is still having fun playing in Philly during its slide to the bottom.

Year of the Quarterback – Everyone: In college football it was 1970 when QB’s went 1-2-3 in the draft, later topped by 1983 when famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino were among five QB’s taken. But with young’ns Mahomes, Wilson and Lamar Jackson at the top of their game, Deshaun Watson not far behind, Murray emerging, Aaron Rodgers throwing for over 600 yards with six TD passes as the Packers scored 43 and 42 points in two wins, and Cam Newton looking like he’s healthy (for now), along with Tom Brady and Drew Brees not giving in yet, 2020 might get named that for the NFL.

Player of the Year: A lot to choose from — Mahomes, Wilson, Jackson, Derrick Henry and maybe Aaron Donald on D. But I’m going with Murray, who gets the benefit of the doubt for being the newcomer in the mix as Jackson did last year.

Good Teammate of the Week Award – Cam Newton: I liked how he stood up for N’Keal Harry amid incessant media yacking after that Week 1 fumble through the end zone. Don’t remember anything in recent memory like that from the last QB. Just the sour look when young receivers didn’t do what he wanted. But he justified Newton’s confidence with eight catches, including holding after getting drilled twice vs. Seattle.

Random Teammate Question of the Week: If Harry’s progress continues, does it point a finger at Brady’s diva-like behavior over necessary growing pains, a simple Year 2 step up?

Coaches on the Hot Seat – Adam Gase: With the Jets off to an 0-2 start he’s the most obvious, but with Matt Patricia 0-2 in Detroit it’s a neck-and-neck race.

GM’s on the Hot Seat – Dave Gettleman: After starting 0-2 with San Francisco, a trip out west to face the Rams in the next two games and Saquon Barkley expected gone for the year as I write this, it seems the G-Men’s GM has the pole position. And if he does, will that mean the G-Men will broom a new coach for the third time in four years to let the new guy pick his own guy?

2018 NFL Draft Award – Giants and Jets: If Barkley is gone for the year after his injury-plagued 2019 it could revive heavy criticism from the NY media for selecting a running back who gets pounded over a QB with the end nearing for Eli Manning. Except the second-guessing is going to be harder this time since they were all in on Sam Darnold, who, after two less than stellar efforts to start his third season and more are-you-kidding moments than those of real promise in first two years, has the arrow starting to point toward him joining the line of highly touted USC quarterbacks to have busted this century, which includes Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley.

I Told You So Award – Josh Allen: OK, it’s only Week 2 and it came against the Jets and Dolphins, so I’ll pump my brakes on this till mid-season, but after leading once offensively challenged Buffalo to 27 and 31 points and throwing for a career best 417 yards with four TD’s and no picks Sunday, my “he’s better than most think” belief is off to a good start.

All-Name Team MVP – Senorise Perry: If you’ve never heard of him, neither have I. But he’s the Titans’ 29 back-up runner to Henry who’s on his fourth team in five years, not including being out of football totally in 2015 and ’16.

Saddest and Worst News of the Week – James White: Condolences and prayers for the awful news of his father’s death and mom’s catastrophic injuries in their Miami car crash on Sunday.

News & Notes 20/09/24

Covid-19 updateAs of September 14As of September 21
Total cases statewide7,7147,952
Total current infections statewide291288
Total deaths statewide436438
New cases238 (Sept. 8 to Sept. 14)238 (Sept. 15 to Sept. 21)
Current infections: Hillsborough County9397
Current infections: Merrimack County2224
Current infections: Rockingham County9478
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

On Sept. 16, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 69, authorizing the commissioner of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services to appoint new members of the state’s health ethics committee.

On Sept. 18, Sununu issued Executive Order 2020-18, extending the state of emergency in New Hampshire due to the Covid-19 pandemic for another three weeks through at least Oct. 9. It’s the ninth extension he has issued since originally declaring a state of emergency on March 13.

On Sept. 21, Sununu issued Exhibit R to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit R, the expiration of any child day care agencies and licenses in New Hampshire are stayed during the state of emergency. Renewal application deadlines for child care agencies have also been deferred until 90 days after the end of the state of emergency.

Details of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.

House upholds vetoes

On Sept. 17, the New Hampshire House of Representatives sustained every veto from Gov. Chris Sununu, including paid family and medical leave and a minimum hourly wage, prompting divisive responses from House and Senate leaders. “Over the past two years, Governor Sununu has vetoed a record-breaking 79 pieces of legislation, 65 of which had bipartisan support,” Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord) said in a statement. “This year, in the middle of a global pandemic, Sununu vetoed over one-third of the bills sent to his desk, many helping working families, frontline workers, and small businesses.” “This year’s session has been filled with Washington style political stunts from Democrats,” House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) said in a statement following the votes. “They want to raise taxes so badly that they have clearly abandoned professional protocol throughout the pandemic and pushed through their radical partisan agenda. Today Republicans stood united together to push back against these stunts on behalf of the citizens of New Hampshire.”

LEACT

New Hampshire can begin to implement all recommendations from the New Hampshire Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency, after Gov. Chris Sununu issued a roadmap on Sept. 17 for how to move forward, according to a press release. LEACT was established through an executive order in June after the murder of George Floyd, and it recently released a report that focused on reforms to training, reporting and investigation of police misconduct, and community relations. “Today I am endorsing every single recommendation from all three parts of the LEACT report,” Sununu said. “Their charge was difficult — to come up with recommendations on how to improve law enforcement here in New Hampshire.” The release said that Sununu will issue an Executive Order to take immediate action on many of the reforms within the next two weeks, while the Attorney General will lead the effort to craft legislation for any of the reforms that require passage through the legislature.

Mental Health Plan

A report highlighting the progress that the state has made on the New Hampshire 10-Year Mental Health Plan of 2019 was released last week, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. The department published the plan in January 2019, and it prioritized 14 recommendations to advance the mental health system within the first two years of implementation. The new report highlights several improvements since then, including an increase in permanent housing for individuals with mental illness, new transitional housing program beds, increased the state’s Housing Bridge Subsidy Program, established more integrated primary and behavioral health care programs at community mental centers, increased the number of children served by the Care Management Entity, and expanded Assertive Community Treatment to increase accessibility throughout the state. “The 10-Year Mental Health Plan provides the pathway to a mental health system that makes services and programs available to patients when they need them,” DHHS Commissioner Lori Shibinette said in the release. “We are committed to realizing this goal, and while our work continues, this report highlights the important progress that is being made.”

First Lady Melania Trump visited Concord Hospital on Sept. 17 as part of her efforts to combat opioid use, according to a report from WMUR. She was there to learn about the hospital’s “Eat, Sleep, Console” protocol, the goal of which is to wean babies from addictive drugs with minimal or no medication.

Middle-school student Kaylin Emerson of New Boston recently won the Walter A. Felker Memorial Award from the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association for a paper she wrote about maple chemistry, according to a press release. Emerson took part in the annual statewide contest, which is open to kids 16 and younger.

Livingston and Bronstein parks in Manchester have been chosen as two of 14 sites nationwide to transition to organic grounds management as part of Stonyfield Organic’s #playfree initiative, according to a press release. Stonyfield is donating $5,000 and access to experts from Osborne Organics, and Hannaford is matching the monetary donation.

The construction of Exit 4A on Interstate 93 in Derry and Londonderry has been put on hold after price proposals for the design-build project exceeded the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s cost estimate by more than $30 million, according to a press release. The department will work with both towns and affected property owners to figure out its next steps and will work toward a more cost-effective design.

A first step

It started in a parking lot. I noticed and greatly admired his old, possibly vintage, car, and told him so as he stood behind it, awaiting his partner outside the grocery store. What I thought would be a very brief chat actually turned out to be a much longer conversation. Of course we spoke of the pandemic and its impact on our lives and those of our family and friends, the weather, and rather quickly turned to politics. We then proceeded a little more cautiously, feeling one another out till we found we were a bit off center from one another: he for one candidate, but not sure this time, and I for the other, but hopeful.

We might have just stopped there, but each of us seemed to want to explore the other’s position a little more. We did, and it didn’t take long to recognize we held quite similar values and expectations, just different ways of imagining who could better bring that about. We reflected on previous presidents and our respective voting record and the reasons why. We both lamented the polarization in our country but didn’t deny the deep divide between others we each knew to be on one hard-held side and another equally so.

We didn’t engage in any conversational poker, each trying to outmatch the other by slamming down a factoid, latest rumor or conspiracy theory. Instead we just explored one another’s likely voting preferences. We ended up exchanging names and wishing one another well.

Of course I was late getting back home. But on the way back I made a resolution. Namely, I would find a way to have one of these conversations each day between now and the November general election. Just one a day. Of course it would be necessary to find a conversational opening that would be neither aggressive nor confrontational, and be ready to be rebuffed. But the fellow’s agreement that we Americans desperately needed to have conversations across differences kept spurring me on.

Yes, it is risky, perhaps even more so than inquiring why a fellow shopper isn’t wearing a face mask. But if we do not take the chance and reach out to see if we have any common ground with all those who bear the same citizenship as do we, what chance do we have collectively or individually?

We in New Hampshire are jokingly said to have made politics our state sport. If so, should we not get into the game? In his new book, Montana Sen. Jon Tester recounts his almost life-long effort to cross divides of class and geography, and in his political life, to understand the issues that keep us truly grounded, as he still very much is in his farm in rural Montana.

Whether it’s a parking lot or another venue, we need to take that first step.

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