Gourmet deli-style sandwiches and craft cocktails are the stars of the menu at City Hall Pub, a new eatery now open in downtown Manchester’s theater district. The latest addition to Southern New Hampshire Hospitality Group, which also owns Mint Bistro, The Wild Rover Pub and Elm House of Pizza — the latter opened on the southern end of Elm Street early last year — City Hall Pub lies directly across the street from its namesake, sporting a uniquely rustic interior look.
Like Elm House of Pizza before it, City Hall Pub inherits a space long used by favored local eateries of the past — most recently, it was a gourmet grilled cheese restaurant and whiskey bar called Cheddar & Rye. Before that it was Tiya’s, a popular Thai restaurant, for several years.
Photos courtesy of City Hall Pub in Manchester.
“We’ve really liked a lot of what we’ve been seeing on Hanover Street … and had an opportunity to open a business in a room that I’ve certainly loved over the years, way back to being Tiya’s,” co-owner Tim Baines of Southern New Hampshire Hospitality Group said. “So we wanted to add to what is already a lot of great things going on in the area of downtown … and create a community space where people from all walks [of life] can feel comfortable and gather.”
At a seating capacity of nearly 100, the pub features everything from a renovated back bar to various booths, low- and high-top tables, a larger community table and an outdoor patio.
Along with presenting City Hall Pub as a gathering space, Baines said the eatery’s deli sandwich concept was born out of a desire to bring more lunch options to downtown Manchester.
“We definitely saw a demand for more lunch options in the downtown [area] … and we pride ourselves on being open seven days a week, for both lunch and dinner,” he said.
Out of the gate, Baines said the build-your-own sandwich option has been especially popular. You have five types of bread to choose from — ciabatta, sourdough, a pretzel bun, a whole-wheat wrap or a gluten-free wrap — and can load them with turkey, honey ham or roast beef. The customization goes even further when you add your favorite type of cheese — cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, American or Gorgonzola — and other toppings, like lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles or cucumber; and condiments or spreads, like garlic mayonnaise, pesto or honey mustard.
Photos courtesy of City Hall Pub in Manchester.
If you aren’t that picky, try one of the pub’s specialty sandwiches. The Thai soy chicken wrap and the City Hall burger have been among the top sellers, Baines said — the latter is topped on a pretzel bun with mixed greens, roma tomatoes, red onions and your choice of cheese.
“The City Hall burger has been the most popular item by far,” he said. “Seeing the success of the burger, we’re actually going to be doing a menu revision … and expand on the burger options.”
Non-sandwich options include various soups, salads, chilis and chowders, as well as appetizers, like a spinach queso dip with pita chips, and a hummus and vegetable platter. The full food menu is available until 10 p.m. seven nights a week, while the bar stays open for a few more hours.
On the drinks side you’ll find everything from bottled and draft beers and red and white wines to an extensive classic and specialty cocktail list. Baines said live local jazz music is currently featured at the pub every Thursday night from 7 to 10 p.m., and there are plans to expand the live music schedule in the coming months.
City Hall Pub Where: 8 Hanover St., Manchester Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight, and Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. (kitchen stays open until 10 p.m., seven days a week) More info: Visit cityhallpub.com, find them on Facebook @cityhallpubnh or call 232-3751
Featured photo: Photos courtesy of City Hall Pub in Manchester.
• Live free, eat local: August is observed as NH Eats Local Month by the New Hampshire Food Alliance — according to a press release, this year’s celebration of farms and food across the Granite State is centered around the Live Free + Eat Local Challenge. Throughout this month, participants can eat at or from five New Hampshire farms or other food businesses for a chance to win a prize. “Whether you adventure to a farm for pick-your-own peaches, look for local food at the grocery store … or buy some seafood from the coast, there are endless ways to eat local food,” Nicole Cardwell, program director for the New Hampshire Food Alliance, said in a statement. Challenge submission forms are available at more than 50 participating businesses, or online at nheatslocal.com. According to the release, they will be accepted through Aug. 31.
• Bring on the poutine: Tickets to this year’s New Hampshire PoutineFest go on sale on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m., according to the event’s website. The festival itself is due to return to Anheuser-Busch Brewery (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) on Saturday, Oct. 15, with VIP admission beginning at 11:30 a.m. and general admission beginning at 12:45 p.m. Since 2016 the New Hampshire PoutineFest has brought together local and regional restaurants, food trucks and other vendors to compete for the best poutine dish as voted by attendees. It had traditionally been held in the summer, but the response to last year’s Halloween-themed festival from vendors and poutine-lovers alike has prompted organizers with the Franco-American Centre to make the permanent shift to an October date. Tickets are $39.99 per person for general admission and $49.99 for VIP admission. Kids ages 6 to 12 get in for $14.99 with poutine sampling or free with no sampling, while those ages 5 and under are free. The event is rain or shine and costumes are encouraged. Purchase tickets at nhpoutinefest2022.eventbrite.com.
• Native eats: Join the Hopkinton Historical Society and New Hampshire Humanities for a virtual cooking program on traditional Native American frybread, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Darryl Peasley of the Abenaki Trails Project will lead this demonstration — the program is one of several taking place during the Hopkinton Historical Society’s ongoing exhibit “Gather ’Round: Telling Our History Through Food,” which opened back on June 25. Upcoming programs also include an Abenaki harvest food tasting event at the Slusser Senior Center in Contoocook in October. Visit hopkintonhistory.org for a full list of events and to register.
• Flavors of Haiti: After more than a year of hosting monthly pop-up dinners featuring scratch-made Haitian meals, Greenleaf owner and chef Chris Viaud and his family are gearing up to open up a new brick-and-mortar spot. Ansanm, which gets its name from the word meaning “together” in Haitian Creole, is due to open this fall at 20 South St. in Milford, just off the Oval in the former Wicked Pissah Chowdah storefront, according to recent announcements on its website and social media pages. “We will continue to offer our authentic dishes featuring our family’s recipes along with new twists on the classics,” the post reads in part, also saying that Ansanm will operate as a quick-service restaurant and will feature music, art, food and tropical drinks all celebrating Haiti. Viaud, who was a featured contestant during Season 18 of Bravo’s cooking competition series Top Chef, launched Ansanm in early 2021 as a pop-up dinner series with the help of his wife, parents and siblings. Visit ansanmnh.com for updates.
Christine Gagnon is a mushroom forager and educator and owner of Uncanoonuc Foraging Company, based in Goffstown.
Explain your job and what it entails.
I have two main jobs. One is to forage for mushrooms or other natural foods. The other bigger job is to teach people about mushrooms and how hugely important they are for the well-being of our planet. They certainly leave noticing fungi a lot more than they did before the class. … Also, I am a moderator and identifier for the international poisons group. It’s a place where people, vets, and poison control to learn about the toxicity of a plant or mushroom that was consumed by a pet or a human. It’s an incredible group of experts from around the world.
How long have you had this job?
Just over a year.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
I became fascinated with fungi almost exactly four years ago. I found a Bear’s head tooth, a relative of lion’s mane, on a hike and that was it.
What kind of education or training did you need?
After I jumped in with both feet, I joined every mushroom group on Facebook. I hiked every day, documenting my finds and learning how to ID with the help of group members. I read books and papers. I still do all of that because learning is lifelong. It never ends. I also attend myco weekends and conferences to learn from my mentors. Two years ago, I decided to take a wild mushroom certification class through the state of Rhode Island.
What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?
Whatever I feel like on any given day: a hat to keep mosquitoes and biting flies off my head, mud boots for all-terrain access, long white pants for specific locations that involve lots of ticks, bug spray, pack basket, knife and walking stick.
How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?
I started in the spring of 2021. The combination of the pandemic and the very wet summer made for a very full schedule of educational walks. … Mushroom foraging became extremely popular so, really, I couldn’t fail. This year is a little tough. New Hampshire is in a moderate drought, and there are not a lot of mushrooms in this part of the state. There’s a lot to find if you just like to find any mushroom … but if you’re looking to fill your basket for tonight’s dinner, there are no guarantees.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
I’m not sure. It’s still early, yet. I have a lot of connections I’d like to make. I want to find more places to teach classes. I’ll get there.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
I absolutely love it … but I had to learn a lot to get here. … I spend money and time to learn. I scout trails ahead of time … and there’s a lot of responsibility when teaching people how to identify food. Safety comes first. You have to be able to identify something 100 percent on your own before you decide whether or not you want to eat it.
What was the first job you ever had?
Besides babysitting, it was scooping ice cream at Blake’s Restaurant at the Mall of New Hampshire. That was a long time ago.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
Set the expectations ahead of time so people aren’t disappointed. Without a lot of mushrooms this year, I worry about my walks. One of my mentors told me, ‘Be an entertainer.’ There’s a lot out there to talk about, even if it isn’t mushrooms.
Five favorites Favorite book: Entangled Life Favorite movie: Spirited Away Favorite music: Anything that’s not country pop Favorite food: Fantasia Pizza at Ray Street Pizza Favorite thing about NH: Being within driving distance to mountains, lakes and the ocean. We’ve got it all.
• Creepy and crawly bugs are the big focus at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Route 113, in Holderness; 968-7194) with the Insect Alive Guided Tour on Friday, Aug. 5, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Walk through the center’s new giant insect exhibit (featuring five much-larger-than-life animatronic insects) with retired NH Fish and Game Biologist Emily Preston and learn about local insects in New Hampshire, according to the website. This event is appropriate for kids ages 6 and older. The cost of the tour is $11 (purchase of admission to the trails is also required) and advance registration required. The Giant Insect exhibit will be on display throughout the center’s Live Animal Trails through Sept. 30. Admission to the trails costs $22 for adults, $20 for age 65+, $16 for ages 3 to 15 and is free for children 2 and under.
Play ball!
• The New Hampshire Fisher Cats kicked off a run of games against the Richmond Flying Squirrels earlier this week but comic book fans might especially want to save the date for the game on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:05 p.m. for Cats-Con. The evening will celebrate superheroes, villains, movies, comics and more with characters from Double Midnight Comics and post-game fireworks. Ticket price ranges from $14 to $17.
• Also on the schedule for this week’s games: post-game fireworks after the game on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7:05 p.m., Pride Night at the game on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7:05 p.m. and a pre-game Princess Brunch before the game on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 1:35 p.m. Click on “baseline” on the tickets page for Sunday’s game to fin the Princess Brunch tickets which cost $25 each and include admission to the game. The brunch starts at 10:30 a.m. and includes a sing-a-long at noon.
• Delta Dental and New Hampshire Fisher Cats are encouraging kids to brush their teeth with free tickets to home games. Kids ages 12 and under can win two free tickets for completing the seven-day challenge of brushing and flossing twice a day. Fill out the downloadable form and bring it on either Aug. 12 or Sept. 3 to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium; see milb.com/new-hampshire/community/oral-health-challenge.
On stage
• The Peacock Players (14 Court St. in Nashua; peacockplayers.org, 886-7000) are putting on their first ever student-produced play, The Little Mermaid Jr., Friday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 14. Showtimes are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $18 for adults, $12 to $15 for children ages 12 and younger.
• The Interlakes Children’s Theatre (One Laker Lane in Meredith; interlakestheatre.com) will presentThe Aristocats Kids on Saturday, Aug. 6, and Sunday, Aug. 7, at 11 a.m.. Tickets cost $10 each.
Playtime at the Children’s Museum
• Author AJ Smith will read his bookTea Time for Dinosaurs at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2022) on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The event will include dinosaur activities and a scavenger hunt, according to the website, where you can purchase admission for either the 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. session. Admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months, $10.50 for 65+.
• Splashing good fun, at the ocean or the museum! Members of the Seacoast Science Center (Odoirne Point State Park, 570 Ocean Blvd. in Rye; 436- 8043, seacoastsciencecenter.org) will get to play for free at the Children’s Museum for the entire month of August. Members of the Seacoast Science Center can also purchase a membership at the Children’s Museum with a 10 percent discount. Register for playtime on the museum’s website.
• And coming up at the Children’s Museum: The annual Teddy Bear Clinic and Picnic will be held Wednesday, Aug. 17, with the clinic from 9 to 11 a.m. and snacks from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Bring a stuffie in need of a check-up and the bear (or other stuffed animal) will receive an ID bracelet and be weighed and measured and given a band-aid if needed, all to get kids ready for their own check-ups, according to the website. The teddy bear fun is included in admission.
• And register now for the “Kick-off to Kindergarten” event on Sunday, Aug. 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event will include a visit by Elephant and Piggie (the characters from the Mo Willems books), crafts and more, according to the website. The event is free but pre-registration is required by Aug. 14, the website said.
Not sure if you recall, but you wrote about my mother’s hutch/china cabinet back in late 2020. Mom had to move to assisted living in May and her condo is now for sale. Can you suggest someone in your network whom I could contact to help me sell and transport such a piece at this time? Your help would be much appreciated.
Respectfully,
Jim
Dear Jim,
Let’s see if I can help!
As I wrote in 2020, Jim, the piece is an amazing piece of furniture. If the quality were replicated today it would be in the thousands for value.
Now that being said, though, finding a home could be a bit difficult. Today’s generation makes it a tough fit into their decor. You’ve got to find an old-school antique appreciator to welcome it into a new or old home.
So I think posting your story might help. Or posting it on a local marketplace. Both avenues would set up a pick up and remove, so you won’t have to do it.
Price range will have to be decided between you and the buyer. I hope this was helpful, Jim. Your cabinet deserves a great home to be loved once more.
Heat descended on us recently like opening the door to a roaring wood stove. The old adage about colonial India was, “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.” I think that applies here, too. I, for one, have no desire to work in the garden when temperatures get to be in the 80s or more.
My strategy is to go to bed earlier, and get up at 6 a.m., or even earlier if I can. In general I’m not a morning person. I like coffee, the newspaper in my hands, and a leisurely breakfast. But with the heat, I feel a need to see what plants need some water, and what veggies should be picked early in the day.
The most vulnerable plants are those that have just been transplanted or installed. I recently moved some small Swiss chard plants from a somewhat shady place to a raised bed in full sun. Gravity works on water, not just Newton’s apple. Raised beds tend to drain of water and dry out faster than beds in the ground. The soil is warmer, too. So those Swiss chard seem to need water every day now.
I can reduce my need to water that raised bed by mulching it well. I’ve mulched the rest of my vegetable garden with four to six pages of newspaper, covered with straw or hay. That is primarily for keeping the weeds down, but it also reduces the need for watering. But the raised bed was built later, and I haven’t mulched it yet. Gotta get on it!
I also regularly water a bed of zinnias that were only planted by seed in June. Anytime you plant seeds, you should water daily until they germinate to avoid drying out the seeds at a critical time. And when the plants are small, they need regular watering, too.
We have thinned all our root crops by now, which is important. If you haven’t, you should. Carrots, beets, parsnips, radishes and rutabagas need room to grow — an inch, at least, from their nearest neighbors. You can eat the small vegetables you pull. The leaves of beets are a tasty treat when steamed lightly and served with butter.
I’m harvesting garlic now, too. Not the entire crop as yet. I just pull one or two for cooking as needed. I’ll pull them all in August when the leaves start to brown up. When I pull the main harvest I leave the tops on and hang them in the cellar upside down to cure. I’ve read that the bulbs will absorb additional nutrients from the leaves and stem while they cure.
Fresh garlic is nearly impossible to peel. I just use a sharp paring knife to make two slices into a bulb — one on each side of a clove. When it pops out, I can peel off the outer layers and insert the clove into a press, or smash it with the wide blade of a French kitchen knife and then chop it finely.
I’m often asked if cutting off scapes, those curly tops of garlic, helps to grow bigger, better bulbs of garlic. I’ve been experimenting with that for years, and don’t see a significant difference. So I cut off scapes to use in stir-fries, salads or stews, but don’t bother to remove them all.
I picked a few ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes in mid-July this year, which is early, even for them. Although I started almost all my tomatoes by seed in April, I did buy a few bigger plants to get those early tomatoes. Next up will be my ‘Blue Beauty’ tomatoes, which I did start by seed indoors. They are a gorgeous deep purple, with green at the bottom. When the green turns red and they soften up, they will be ready to pick.
For once I have planted lettuce regularly all summer, so I have had enough to eat and to share. And I have lots of small plants to transplant and separate. I recommend that you plant some lettuce seeds directly in the ground now for early fall eating, and in a month, do it again. Mark your calendar! After all, some spaces will be opening up in the garden as you harvest radishes, peas, beets and more. Look for heat-resistant or hot-weather lettuce varieties like Adriana, Monte Carlo or Red Cross — all available from Johnny’s Seeds. Cool-weather lettuce quickly bolts in August heat.
I am picking heads of broccoli now. But the best is yet to come. I once made a little garden in the lawn for an elderly friend, and planted two broccoli plants there. Unfortunately, my friend pulled out the broccoli once they had yielded their first big heads. Little did she know that broccoli will send out side shoots, smaller spears of broccoli, for the rest of the summer and fall! Just keep on picking. And if the side shoots start to open with yellow blossoms, pick and eat them anyway. They will still be tasty.
I seem to be having a great year for potatoes (I have not seen a single potato bug), and should have plenty to eat and share. I planted 100 chunks of potato, and each plant should give me one to two pounds of spuds. I will start harvesting a few after they have blossomed. I like to slip my hand under a plant and “steal” a potato or two for dinner before I start the harvest. If you grow potatoes, be sure to let your children or grandkids help you when you harvest them. All kids are excited by the buried treasure!
So beat the heat: Get up early and go out to your garden. There is always something to do.
Featured photo: Raised beds need more water than plant in the ground. Photo by Henry Homeyer.
Homemade gifts and goods available at 89th annual Craftsmen’s Fair
By Katelyn Sahagian
ksahagian@hippopress.com
There will be everything from pottery and woodworking to rug hooking and handmade Shrinky Dink jewelry up for purchase at the Craftsmen’s Fair.
The fair, put on by the New Hampshire League of Craftsmen, is the longest continuously running outdoor event of its kind. This year it is back in action for the 89th year. For nine days, visitors can shop at different booths and the League’s co-op shop, speak to the artisans, take in live demonstrations, and learn about all the different artforms in the Granite State.
Sarah Nyhan, the communications and administrations director for the League, said that they have been working “straight out but we’ll be ready and [the fair will] be fantastic.”
The fair will feature approximately 200 different artisan booths for people to shop at, not including the League’s shop, where members who did not sign up for booth space can still sell their wares.
Members of the League include craftsmen who make jewelry with precious stones, fiber artists who make felted toys and knitted goods, and potters making outlandishly large lawn ornaments.
Nyhan said that members have to be juried in, meaning that experts in their artform look at each applicant’s work and determine if it’s well-crafted and unique enough to earn them a place in the League.
“We look for excellence and something that has the spirit of the maker,” Nyhan said about the jury process, adding that they look for what makes each artisan unique and how that translates into their craft. “It’s something that we’re really proud of; [members] are masters in artistry and personal expression and not just technical experts.”
Nyhan said that the newest part of the fair is an outreach program. She said that the League is determined to make an impact on younger generations of makers, and reach out to ones that might not know that art is a potential career.
“I had a craftsman say to me, ‘No one ever told me that this was an option when I was a kid,’” Nyhan said. “We want them to know it is an option. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it is possible to pursue your passion.”
Right now, Nyhan said, the program is primarily composed of children and grandchildren of artisans, but she said the League hopes that will change.
This year there will be a tent for children to make different crafts for free, with local artisans teaching them. There will also be a scavenger hunt for younger kids, encouraging them to go out and ask questions of the vendors and demonstrators. There will even be students who took the artist-in-residence program through the League who will be on hand selling their own creations.
“We’re saying we’ll take anyone who’s committed to their craft,” Nyhan said. “We’re very excited. The kids are great and the craftsmen want to encourage them.”
League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair When: Saturday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 14, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: Mount Sunapee Resort, 1398 Route 103, Newbury Cost: A day pass is $16; veteran, active military, and senior tickets cost $14; two-day passes are $24 and are valid for any two days of the event; kids 12 and younger are free. Visit: nhcrafts.org
Featured photo: Fairgoers interact with craftsman Julia Brandis. Courtesy photo.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• LGBT history exhibit: The Seacoast LGBT History Project holds its sixth annual show, titled “Standing Together,” at RiverStones Custom Framing and The Franklin Gallery (33 N. Main St., Rochester) now through Wednesday, Aug. 31. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be an opening reception for this exhibit on Thursday, Aug. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., with light refreshments to be served. Visit the Seacoast NH LGBT Facebook page, email seacoastnhlgbthistory@gmail.com or call RiverStones at 812-1488.
• Opening night — Peterborough: The show 2 Pianos 4 Hands, about two performers as they grow from children to adults and featuring a variety of music styles, according to the website, opens Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Peterborough Players indoor stage (55 Hadley Road in Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org, 924-7575). Tickets cost $47. Shows continues Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 7, at 4 p.m. (with an after show talkback), Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m.
NUNSENSE THE MUSICAL The Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester) presents Nunsense The Musical, from Aug. 12 to Aug. 21. The show follows the Little Sisters of Hoboken after they discover that their cook has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they need to raise money for the burials. They decide to put on a variety show, and hilarity ensues. Nunsense will run Friday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 13, Friday, Aug. 19, and Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $15 for seniors ages 65 and over and for kids and teens ages 17 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling the box office at 669-7649, or online at majestictheatre.net.
• Opening night — Concord:Bubble Boy, the musical based on the 2001 Jake Gyllenhaal-fronted movie of the same name, opens on Friday, Aug. 5, at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315). Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and tickets cost $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students. The show continues Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 7, at 2 p.m. and next Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. Hannah Turtle talked to the director of production about the show in the July 28 issue of the Hippo in a story on page 10 (find the e-edition at hippopress.com).
• Welcome to Sherwood Forest: The Winnipesaukee Playhouse Professional Company (33 Footlight Circle in Meredith; winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org) presents Robin Hood through Saturday, Aug. 13. The show, which was slated to have its opening night Aug. 3, continues with shows on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39 and $29.
• Singing nuns:Sister Act is on the stage at the Interlakes Theatre (1 Laker Lane in Meredith; interlakestheatre.com, 707-6035). Slated to open Aug. 3, the show continues through Aug. 14 with shows at 2 p.m. on Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and Wednesday, Aug. 10, and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $25 to $36.
• Shakespeare: Project Shakespeare’s PS Too! Youth Company will present The Taming of the Shrew on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Peterborough Community Center Lawn (25 Elm St. in Peterborough). Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under. See projectshakespeare.org; the show will also be presented Friday in New Ipswich and Saturday in Keene.
• More Shakespeare: Ballet Misha will perform an original ballet adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St.), and on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m. at the John Hay Estate at The Fells (456 Route 103A, Newbury). The ballet tells the classic Shakespeare tale of lovers interfered with by mystical forces. At The Fells, the performance will take place outside under the pavilion, allowing guests to enjoy a picnic dinner while watching. Tickets are $25 to $35 and are available for both performances as balletmisha.com.
KEEPING TRACK OF TIME The Gallery at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth presents “Keeping Track of Time,”which features work by Philip Brou. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Aug. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m., when Brou will give a brief talk about the work. Brou, whose work consists of ink wash drawings and watercolor paintings, created this exhibition during the pandemic. He used his passion for running to examine how we dealt with time during isolation, both running and slowing down. There are a total of 197 drawings documenting each time he went running during the pandemic. The exhibit remains open until Oct. 2 during regular business hours, and is free and open to the public. Visit 3sarts.org.
• Here we go again:Mamma Mia! concludes a run at the New London Barn Playhouse (84 Main St. in New London; nlbarn.org, 526-6710) this weekend with shows Thursday, Aug. 4, through Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $22 through $47.
• Book talk With Kennedy biographer: Acclaimed biographer Kate Clifford Larson, author of Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter and Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, visits the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 7 p.m. to discuss her New York Times bestselling book about Rosemary Kennedy. The event is free and no registration is required. Books are available for purchase and signing.
• The Demon Barber of Keefe Auditorium: Actorsingers (actorsingers.org) will hold auditions for its November production of Sweeney Toddon Sunday, Aug. 14, and Monday, Aug. 15, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Actorsingers Hall (219 Lake St. in Nashua). Callbacks will be Aug. 16. Go online to register for a Zoom info night on Friday, Aug. 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. to meet the production team, and to find the registration forms for the audition itself and the show page.
• Save the date to be part of that world: Tickets are on sale now for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the season-opening musical at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588), which will run Friday, Sept. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 2. The shows run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., with a show also on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.
NATURALLY NEW ENGLAND EXHIBIT The Livery (58 Main St., Sunapee Harbor) is hosting “Naturally New England,” an exhibit featuring works by local artists, now through Sunday, Aug. 7, to help raise money for the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and the Center for the Arts NH. The collection of work celebrates the natural beauty of New England’s landscape and features more than 60 artists showcasing a wide diversity of works. The exhibition is free and open to the public on weekdays from noon to 4 p.m., and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit centerfortheartsnh.org.
– Hannah Turtle
ART
Exhibits
• JESSICA KELLY The New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St., Wolfeboro, 569-4554, nhbm.org) will host a member reception on Friday, Aug. 5, for local artist Jessica Kelly, whose work will be featured in the museum’s gallery in August. Working in photography, the art depicts coastal scenes and other natural beauties. Kelly’s work is available for viewing with paid admission to the museum. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and free for children under 13, members, and active military personnel.
• “ARGHAVAN KHOSRAVI” Artist’s surrealist paintings explore themes of exile, freedom and empowerment; center female protagonists; and allude to human rights issues, particularly those affecting women and immigrants. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through Sept. 5. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.
• “MANAGING MISCELLANEA” The Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy (11 Tan Lane, Exeter) hosts “Managing Miscellanea,” an art exhibition that draws from the gallery’s “undefined” collection. It centers around questions of defining and maintaining collections, and showcases unseen works from the storage vault, including works by Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Motherwell. The exhibition runs through Sept. 24, available for viewing during the gallery’s normal hours: Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free but reservations are required. For more information, visit www.exeter.edu/lamontgallery.
• “THE PEOPLE’S SCULPTOR: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ROGERS” Exhibit celebrates the art of American sculptor John Rogers, who came to Manchester in 1850, and explores the influence that Manchester had on Rogers’ life and work. Presented by the Manchester Historic Association. On view now through September. Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62 and up and college students, $4 for youth ages 12 through 18, and is free for kids under age 12. Call 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum.
• “WOOL: CONTEMPORARY FIBER ART EXHIBITION Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) through Sept. 2. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.
• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibition in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email tsink@concordnhchamber.com.
• “PIXELS, WOOD, CLAY” Two Villages Art Society presents an exhibition of work by artists Tony Gilmore, Rick Manganello and Caren Helm. The Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook). Aug. 12 through Sept. 9. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. There will be an opening reception on Sat., Aug. 13, from noon to 2 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.
Fairs and markets
• CRAFTSMEN’S FAIR The annual nine-day outdoor craft fair hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen features hundreds of craftspeople with vendor booths, plus special craft exhibitions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and more. Sat., Aug. 6, through Sun., Aug. 14. Mount Sunapee Resort, 1398 Route 103, Newbury. Call 224-3375 or visit nhcrafts.org for more information.
• CONCORD ARTS MARKET The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Market dates are Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15. Rollins Park, 33 Bow St., Concord. concordartsmarket.net. The first market will be held on Saturday, June 11. Visit concordartsmarket.net/summer-arts-market.html for more information.
• GREELEY PARK ART SHOW The annual outdoor juried art show hosted by Nashua Area Artists Association features a variety of artwork for sale. Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua. Sat., Aug. 20, and Sun., Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow.
Tours
• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour for more information.
Workshops and classes
• WOOL FEATHER TREE The League of NH Craftsmen’s Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes, 279-7920) will host a Wool Feather Tree Class with instructor Jean Reed on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Use wire stems and felted wool to make 18-inch trees and decorate with decorative berries, lighting and ornaments, according to a press release. The class costs $130 per student; call for advance registration (which is required).
• ART CLASSES Art classes for teens and adults, including Pottery, Stained Glass, Intermediate Watercolor and Clay Hand Building. Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester). Five-week sessions. Classes met for two hours a week. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com for the full schedule and cost details.
• 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 or email arthousejb@gmail.comfor more information.
• GENERAL ART CLASSES Weekly art classes offered for both kids and adults of all skill levels and cover a variety of two-dimensional media, including drawing and painting with pastel, acrylic, watercolor and oils. Classes are held with small groups of three to eight to five students. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Kids classes, open to ages 10 and up, are held on Thursdays and Fridays, from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. Adult classes are held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuition is pay-as-you-go at $20 per student per class, due upon arrival. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.
THEATRE
Classes/workshops
• STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS Monthly workshop series hosted by True Tales Live storytelling showcase. First Tuesday (except November), from 7 to 8:30 p.m., virtual, via Zoom. Registration is required. Visit truetaleslivenh.org for more information.
Shows
• FOOTLOOSE Prescott Park Arts Festival (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth; prescottpark.org , 436-2848) presents this outdoor musical through Aug. 14, with showtimes on most Thursdays and Sundays at 7 p.m., and most Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with some matinee showtimes TBA. General admission costs $5, and reserved seating tickets cost $55 to $150.
• CINDERELLA presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Thursday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.
• JACK AND THE BEANSTALKpresented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.
• THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, presented by the Peterborough Players at their new outdoor space, the Elsewhere Stage, on the grounds of the Players (55 Hadley St., Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org), will run on Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. The show is performed by the Players Second Company, which features young professionals and is geared toward a younger audience. Tickets are $15 each for adults, $10 each for children, available online or at the door.
• BEAUTY & THE BEAST presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Thursday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.
• JACK AND THE BEANSTALK presented by North Country Center for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a Touring Children’s Theatre Troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.
• SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 16, through Thursday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.
• LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 20, at 11 a.m., and Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.
• THE GREAT ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC SHAKESPEARE COMPANY presented by Granite Playwrights at the Hatbox Theatre (inside the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) from Aug. 19 through Aug. 28, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members.
• DISNEY’S FROZEN KIDS presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 23, through Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.
• LES MISERABLES presented by the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth; seacoastrep.org, 433-4472) teen company from Aug. 25 through Sept. 4, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for students and $30 for adults.
• CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE ’90s MUSICAL presented by the Actorsingers at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua; actorsingers.org) Friday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 28, 2 p.m. TIckets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 62+ (plus fees).
• SHREK THE MUSICAL presented by the Riverbend Youth Company at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford; svbgc.org/amato-center) from Friday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 28.
• TITANIC THE MUSICAL Presented by the Manchester Community Theatre Players. Manchester Community Theatre Players Theatre, located at the North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester; manchestercommunitytheatre.com, 327-6777). Showtimes on Fri., Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, and Sat., Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.
• TRUE TALES LIVE Portsmouth-based storytelling showcase. Monthly, last Tuesday (no shows in July and August), from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Shows will be held in person (Portsmouth Public Media TV Studio, 280 Marcy St., Portsmouth) starting in April, and returning to the Zoom format for the winter, starting in November. Each month’s showcase is centered around a different theme. The series is free and open to all who want to watch or participate as a storyteller. Pre-registration for attendees is required for Zoom shows but not required for in-person shows. Visit truetaleslivenh.org and email info@truetaleslive.org if you’re interested in being a storyteller.
CLASSICAL
Open calls
• THE RHYTHM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOW CHORUS Women’s a cappella chorus is looking for female singers in the region to join. The group, an affiliate of the North American singing organization Harmony, Inc., performs a wide variety of music, including Broadway musical songs, patriotic songs, pop, jazz and seasonal pieces, for community and veterans’ events and private functions. Rehearsals are held weekly on Thursdays from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. at the Marion Gerrish Community Center, 39 W. Broadway, Derry. Masks are required for singing, but both vaccinated and unvaccinated singers are welcome. Visit rnhchorus.org or email info@rnhchorus.org for more information.
At only 19 years old, Iona Darling, born and raised in Milton Mills, will dance the lead roles of Odette and Odile in Northeastern Ballet Theatre’s production of Swan Lake, playing this weekend at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. Though still a teenager, Darling is not new to ballet, having danced since she was 5.
Still, Swan Lake is a big leap, for lack of a better term, for the young dancer.
“It’s the most demanding role I’ve ever had. There’s a lot to it,” Darling said.
In fact, it’s a famously hard role, including what is largely considered the most difficult sequence in all of ballet: 32 fouettes en pointe. To pull it off, the dancer must turn 32 times in a row with her raised leg never touching the ground. It’s a move so difficult that physicists have studied how it’s even possible.
For Darling, the tricky steps are not the hardest part, though. The lead also must dance two roles.
“You have to play two different people: the white swan and the black swan,” Darling said. “The white swan is the most challenging for me — she’s closed off and shy, and I have to dig deep to pull out that character. The black swan is very fierce. That comes more naturally to me.”
Portraying the different characters requires a lot of acting choices, ones that often can’t be taught.
“It’s something you have to figure out for yourself. You’re taught the steps, but you have to spend a lot of time with yourself to learn the character,” Darling said. “I spend a lot of time in front of a mirror, and watching videos of other dancers doing the role.”
Rivaled only by The Nutcracker in popularity, Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a beautiful maiden cursed by the sorcerer Rothbart to turn into a swan, only returning to her human form at night by the side of an enchanted lake. One night, she is discovered by Prince Siegfried, and the two fall in love. Later, Rothbart disguises his own daughter, Odile, to look like Odette, and the two attend a costume ball to trick the prince into marrying Odile instead of Odette.
For the role of Prince Siegfried, the Northeastern Ballet has brought in Yuval Cohen, a dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet, who has an impressive resume. Born in Israel, he won Russia’s Nutcracker competition in 2018, and danced with the Bolshoi before coming to the US.
It’s a partnership that makes the ballet all the more exciting for Darling.
“Working with Yuval has been amazing,” she said. “It’s my first time working with someone so professional. He’s just insanely good. It’s cool because we’re the same age, and he’s someone I really look up to.”
With all the excitement happening in her ballet career, it’s easy to forget that Darling is still a teenager. Even with her busy schedule, she still finds time to hang out with her friends at her family’s summer lakehouse.
“I still do all the normal teenage stuff,” she said.
NBT’s Swan Lake When: Friday, Aug. 5, and Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. Where: Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord Tickets: $20 for adults, $10 for seniors and children under 12 More info: Call 225-1111 or visit ccanh.com
Featured photo: Iona Darling and Yuval Cohen. Courtesy photo.
The Manchester International Film Fest is ready for the big screen
How to make a film festival
The Manchester International Film Festival, year one
By Katelyn Sahagian
ksahagian@hippopress.com
The Rex Theatre will again become a venue for a weekend of movies with the inaugural Manchester International Film Festival, happening over the course of three days from Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14.
Some of the movies are from New England-based filmmakers, while others are cult classics, like An American Werewolf in London (R, 1981) and Slap Shot (R, 1977).
Festival director Warren O’Reilly said that it was important to him to highlight not just the established film world but the growing filmmaking scene in the Granite State as well.
“There’s a lot of exciting filmmaking happening in New Hampshire,” O’Reilly said. “We’re happy to be a place [where] people … can actually have their movie shown on the big screen.”
Four of the featured films are directed by New Englanders — two of whom are Granite Staters, O’Reilly said, adding that that number was approximately a third of the blocks of movies.
“Like the three legs of a stool, a third of the stuff that we’re showing is international, a third of it is cult and stuff that people recognize from their childhood, and then a third of it is New England-based filmmakers,” he said.
With exposed brick walls, a large stage, thick carpeting, a bar and the balcony from its original iteration as a theater, the Rex seats about 300 people. Perhaps the biggest highlight is the digital 4K wall along the back of the stage — the main reason for the film festival in the first place, O’Reilly said, as plans had been in the works to hold the event before the pandemic hit.
“It opened and then Covid hit and it closed down,” he said. “This was the first year that everything had reopened long enough for us to put out the feelers for the festival.”
Manchester International Film Festival Where: The Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester When: Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14; films are screened at various times throughout each day Cost: $20 for a one-day pass ($10 for students), or $50 for a weekend pass Visit: palacetheatre.org/film
Making movie magic
O’Reilly, who has worked in the film industry in both Los Angeles and Massachusetts, said that it was easy getting submissions. He even has friends who work around the world — that’s how he received submissions of independent international films, like Alice? (Short 2020) from New Zealand.
A total of 970 film submissions were received — of those, a panel narrowed it down to 400, and only a handful of those will be shown over the three-day event. David Humphreys, a film professor at Southern New Hampshire University, said that it’s extremely common for filmmakers to submit whatever they have to any festival, even if it doesn’t align with the event.
“You have to start with weeding out the ones that aren’t a good fit for whatever reason,” Humphreys said. “You can be running a documentary film fest and you’ll get fiction films.”
Pat Kalik and Ross Fishbeins, the co-chairs of the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival, said that they will go through watching at least 60 movies for their festival which will end up showing about a dozen movies.
“I never decide what will be in the festival until I’ve seen at least 40 [films],” Kalik said.
Their festival primarily focuses on movies made by Jewish filmmakers for Jewish audiences.
“You need to balance everything,” Kalik said. “You can’t have too many movies about the Holocaust, but you also can’t have too many movies that are comedies.”
Haute Couture
Kalik said that the Jewish Film Festival differs from the Manchester International Film Festival in that it doesn’t have a home theater for showing movies. Instead, they partner with small theaters across New Hampshire. In the future, Kalik hopes to partner with the Rex to show movies during their own festival. One of the movies cut from their program, Haute Couture (2021), directed by Sylvia Ohayon, will be shown at the Manchester International Movie Festival on Sunday.
Despite the long hours of movie watching, note taking, debating and decision making, Fishbeins said he was excited to start.
“It’s a great community activity for me … and I love films,” he said. “Everyone loves to go to the movies and talk about it after.”
For the love of movies
While O’Reilly wasn’t the mastermind behind the idea of the festival, he said he definitely was a driving force in getting it launched this year — a new event to match the growing artistic vibe of Manchester.
“This is an exciting time for downtown Manchester,” O’Reilly said. “There’s a bunch of new people moving into town and people want to go out and see movies. It’s the perfect recipe for a film festival.”
In addition to the film screenings, the festival will have conversations and Q&A sessions with directors and crew members who worked on different films. Local comedian Jimmy Dunn will also provide commentary on the 1977 sports comedy film Slap Shot on Friday, while Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor John Lithgow will host a conversation about his career at the Palace Theatre on Saturday.
Humphreys, along with his colleague Vincent Corbo, a Southern New Hampshire University psychology professor, will also be part of the festival’s live entertainment. The two professors run the podcast “A Dark Impression,” in which they dive into the psychology behind horror movies.
After Saturday’s screening of An American Werewolf in London (1981 R), Humphreys and Corbo will host a live recording of their show.
“The stage will be a new location for me,” Corbo said, adding that he believes most people seeing the cult horror classic “will want to see it and have that theater experience.”
The experience is what makes a film festival, Humphreys said. According to him, festivals are meant to be events in which people take in a film and then discuss it either amongst themselves or with the filmmakers.
Four Pins
“You go and share this space with other people,” Humphreys said. “I think that [is] something we’re losing with Netflix and home streaming, is having a conversation about the movies afterward.”
Corbo agreed, saying that those conversations are what makes film festivals so important.
“It enhances that personal and emotional experience,” Corbo said. “It’s much richer from the moviegoer perspective.”
Featured films
Film descriptions and times are according to the schedule at palacetheatre.org/film.
Friday, Aug. 12
Sherlock Jr. (1924) Directed by Buster Keaton A film projectionist longs to be a detective, putting his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend’s father’s pocket watch. (The screening will include live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis). 5:45 p.m.
The Egg (Short 2021) Directed by Terrence Fitzgerald Hayes Days into a pandemic, Tristan sets sail to escape a world wrought with violence, racism and greed in search for a fresh start. The film is “a story of torment, isolation and introspection.” Shorts program, 6 p.m.
Four Pins (Short 2022) Directed by Matthew Beltz A young man named Tommy Graves spends his days tending to the declining lanes of the local bowling alley. In this place time feels stuck, as does Tommy. Shorts program, 6 p.m.
Slap Shot (1977) Directed by George Roy Hill Coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) lets his failing mill town minor-league ice hockey team play their own distinct brand of violent hockey, in hopes of drawing a big crowd. 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 13
Shrek (2001) Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back. Noon.
The Last American Colony (2019) Directed by Bestor Cram The Last American Colony traces the life of Juan Segarra, who graduates from Harvard and sets off on a treacherous path to fight for Puerto Rico’s independence — a struggle that he rightly assumes will lead to either jail or death. 2 p.m.
Man (Short 2018) Directed by Oksana Artemenko A little boy is scared of using the toilet. His father, a military soldier, taught him, “A real man should pee in the toilet, not the pot.” The father goes to war and doesn’t come back home. “Son should become man now.” Shorts program, 4 p.m.
Thunder (Short 2022) Directed by Orest Smylanetz This film was shot during the air raid on the 77th day of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Shorts program, 4 p.m.
Marsh Clouds: The Oysters of Harris Neck (Short 2022) Directed by Kevin Mannens The Timmons family has been picking oysters in Harris Neck, Georgia, for more than 100 years. The land they call home has a tragic history. Marsh Clouds tells “a story of trauma and racism — and the perseverance to overcome against all odds.” Shorts program, 4 p.m.
Alice? (Short 2020) Directed by Grace Hood-Edwards A starry-eyed plus-size teenager actively reimagines the world around her as she experiences first love and first heartbreak. Shorts program, 4 p.m.
Conservative Horses (Short 2022) Directed by David Manitsky In the mid-1950s, a Los Angeles television show that does weekly interviews with B-list celebrities goes to Vermont to interview Hollywood’s premiere horse trainer, Richard Turgidson (Jack Barron), and his wife, Kitty (Delaney Spink). Shorts program, 4 p.m.
About Him (Short 2015) Directed by Rick Dumont Adapted from the short story by New Jersey author Adele Schwartz, this dark comedy tells the story of a lonely woman trying to find her soulmate in the personal ads of newspapers. Shorts program, 4 p.m.
Finding Sandler (2022) Directed by David Seth Cohen Director David Seth Cohen embarks on a quest to find Adam Sandler and finally have that beer Adam asked him to have back in 1998. Will David find Adam Sandler? Will they have that drink? 6 p.m.
An Evening with John Lithgow At the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester (tickets for this event are separate from the Saturday pass). Join the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor for a heartwarming conversation to reflect on his life on stage and screen from his decades-long career. 7:30 p.m.
An American Werewolf in London (1981) Directed by John Landis Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists. (The screening will be followed by a live podcast recording with the hosts of the local podcast A Dark Impression.) 9 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 14
Spin (Short 2021) Directed by Lisa Marie Tedesco When the curtain descends on their final performance of Romeo and Juliet in drama club, high school seniors Abigail and Sky bid a fair adieu to the stage they loved while letting their deepest desires for one another surface at the cast party.
Whale Fall (Short 2021) Directed by Katie McNeice “A glimpse beneath the surface of a relationship bonded by books, whales and love.”
Parrot (Short 2021) Directed by Kyle B. Thompson A drag queen protects a child during a crisis as prejudices reach a breaking point.
Love is Strange (2014) Directed by Ira Sachs While struggling with the pain of separation, Ben and George are further challenged by the intergenerational tensions and capricious family dynamics of their new living arrangements.
Haute Couture (2021) Directed by Sylvia Ohayon Instead of calling the police on the girl who stole her handbag, Esther decides to pass on her skills, the craft of dressmaking. Presented in partnership with the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival. 2p.m.
Summer (Short 2020) Directed by Nick Czerula and Anna Belmonte Following the death of their father, a set of siblings find a figurative skeleton in his closet and must find a way to discreetly dispose of it, so as not to tarnish their family’s good name. 4 p.m.
Filmmaker Q&As
Meet the directors behind some of the festival’s films
By Hannah Turtle
hturtle@hippopress.com
David Seth Cohen, Director of FindingSandler (2022)
The biggest premiere of the festival, Finding Sandler has an interesting backstory. In 1998, director David Seth Cohen was working as a production assistant on the Adam Sandler film Big Daddy. While tasked with dropping off a suit to Sandler’s hotel one day, Cohen was invited by the actor himself to have a drink with him — an offer Cohen declined, as he was running on a busy schedule. Years later, while living in his grandmother’s basement with his filmmaking dreams cast aside, Cohen began to wonder if his life might have been different had he gotten that drink with Adam Sandler. He set out to finally get that drink, getting a small film crew together in search of Adam Sandler and making friends along the way.
In your own words, can you tell me a little bit about the film?
Well, when I went to drop off the suit, it was rushed. I had to double park in Manhattan, and I left another [production assistant] named Autumn with the car. If you’ve ever double parked in Manhattan, you’ll know that’s an emergency situation. At the time, in 1998, I was a poor 22-year-old kid with no cell phone, so I really had to hurry. I went upstairs and knocked on the door, and he [Sandler] started messing with me through the door. … You know how he yells in his movies? He yelled at me like that: ‘Who is it? What do you want?’ I tell him who I am, [and] he opens the door and has a big smile on his face. He invites me in to come have a drink and hang out. I froze. There were all these thoughts going through my head, like, ‘Autumn’s in the car, you’re double parked, you have no way of contacting her, if you leave her there, you’re totally fired and you’ll never get a job in the movie industry again.’ The other part of my brain was saying, ‘Stay, he’s your hero, this is the opportunity of a lifetime to hang out with your hero.’ The angel part of my brain won and told me to leave and do the right thing. So, I left. … Fast forward years later, [and] I was tossing and turning in my bed at night, wondering what might have happened if I had stayed with Adam Sandler. Would he have given me advice, or would something he said have triggered me to take a different path? … Finally, one night, I had this dream where I went to California and went looking for Adam. … Somehow in my dream I found him, and when I woke up, right then, I decided I had to do something about this whole thing, or I’d regret it for the rest of my life. That’s where the idea came from.
How long did it take from the inception of the idea to the creation of the film?
As soon as I had the idea, I knew I had to call my business partner. At the time, I was working at a Catholic TV station … but I also had a small production company where I did videos for sporting events, and I called [my business partner] at 6 in the morning, all amped up, and said, ‘Dan, I want to make a movie. Can you help?’ He responded with, ‘It’s 6 in the morning, can we talk about this later?’ … So I got up, got dressed, went to the TV station, and told my production assistant, Vinnie, about the idea. He said he was in, and the whole day I was telling people, and some were interested, and some said it was the stupidest idea they had ever heard. But it really just took off from there. … The film got held up for a number of years in the editing room, going through revisions, and I never quite liked it … but finally we got an edit I really liked, and at the beginning of 2022 we completed it.
What were you planning to do if you couldn’t end up finding Adam Sandler?
I was hoping that, no matter what, it would inspire people to follow their dreams. At the end of the day, there’s that line from The Rolling Stones: ‘You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.’I always wanted to make a movie, so I knew that no matter what, if I finished the movie, I’d achieve a goal.
Throughout the journey of making this film, were there any unexpected moments that made the film what it is?
Tons. When we first started making this thing, we didn’t really know what was going to happen. It’s a documentary, so nothing was set up. It was a lot of just seeing what happened. The first cool thing was that we found out Emeril Lagasse, the celebrity chef, was doing a book signing right by where we lived. So we decided to go and ask Emeril to cook appetizers for the drink with Adam. Then we found out that Billy Joel was heading to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, so we decided to find him and ask if he’d play the piano while we had this drink, and so all these crazy things were popping up, all these surprises along the way. … When we went to Manchester, we decided we wanted to get into the school to talk to his [Sandler’s] teachers. At the time, I called the principal about six times, and every time I got the same assistant, and she wouldn’t let me talk to the principal. So when we went to Manchester, we weren’t hopeful that we would be able to get into the school. … When we got there, we went to the Red Arrow Diner and had the Adam Sandler Burger, and learned a little bit about him from the people there. Then we went to the Puritan Backroom, and we were just talking to random people there, and we ran into Jane Clayton, who, at the time, was a gym teacher at Manchester Central [High School]. She heard our story and made some calls, and then all of a sudden we got to go in and talk to everyone at the school. … It was just a ton of unexpected stuff, like throwing a bunch into the wind and seeing what catches.
So, did you end up getting a drink with Adam Sandler?
You’ll have to come see the movie to find out. What I want to ask is, how can we lure Adam Sandler back to come to the film festival?
Matthew Beltz, Director of Four Pins (Short 2022)
Four Pins is a short film that follows a young man, Tommy Graves, as he works at a bowling alley in western Massachusetts. At the same time, Walter, an older man experiencing memory loss, comes in to play a game with his grandson. When his grandson doesn’t come, the two men reckon with their lives and their futures as they bowl together. Matthew Beltz, the film’s director, has worked as a production assistant on Ghostbusters (2016), and Black Mass (2015), and as a location manager for The Purge: Election Year (2016), as well as the television miniseries Dexter: New Blood and, most recently, HBO’s Julia, about acclaimed chef and cookbook author Julia Child.
What led you to this story?
My partner Jimmy Luc and I had just done another short film together, and we wanted to try our hand at another. We were working on a TV show at the time, and there was this great bowling alley close by. It was one of the oldest candlepin bowling alleys in America. It really started with this great location. Mostly it was born of that, and [because] Jimmy and I wanted to keep working together, to sort of keep the ball rolling.
What were some of the challenges you faced along the way?
Every project has its own unique challenges. The biggest challenge for this project wasn’t even in the filming of it, or in pre-production. The real challenge was in post-production, [and] in how to best tell the story we were trying to tell. We were very cognizant of wanting to ‘show’ and not ‘tell,’ so [during] the editing process we had all this footage to whittle down, to best get across the idea that our main character, Walter, is in the early stages of dementia without any of the characters coming out and saying that. It was really about finding the rhythm of the story in the editing room, and figuring out how to best tell this story.
What do you hope the audience gains from your film?
With any project, you hope that first and foremost … [they] enjoy it. I hope that anyone who sees it, when they walk away, doesn’t say to [themselves], ‘Well, that was time wasted.’ That’s definitely the first priority. I think that’s the only thing I can really hope for. Everyone sees a project in a different way, and everyone takes something unique away from every movie they go to see, and if something resonates with them, or if they connect with something, I would love that.
What’s next for you?
We’ve got another project that’s currently in post-production … called Nuclear. It’s a short film about a father and a son during the Cuban Missile Crisis, [and they are] dealing with a death in the family. They get brought together again because of a cartoon turtle. We’re hoping to release a trailer for that in September on our website, [which is] gonfalonpictures.com.
Nick Czerula and Anna Belmonte, Directors of Summer (Short 2020)
Summer, a short film shot on location in Concord, follows two siblings as they clean out their father’s apartment after his death. Their father, a pillar of the community, has a proverbial skeleton in the closet. To protect their father’s reputation, the siblings have to dispose of the item without anyone in town finding out. Czerula also owns Cz Video Productions, based in Concord.
Summer
Can you talk a little bit about the process of getting this film off the ground?
Belmonte: We had the script ready to go in early 2020, and we had planned to have a 30-person crew — hair, costumes, makeup, grips, lighting, all of it. We were planning to bring people in from New York, and then Covid hit, so we had to put it on hold. Then, later, when things were a little bit better, we decided to make this safely, and cut the crew down to five people on set maximum at a time. There was a funeral scene that was originally supposed to have as many extras as possible, but we had to cheat some camera angles and make everything with a fraction of what we originally planned.
What was it like shooting in Concord?
Czerula: Filming with locations in New Hampshire offered a very unique experience and opportunity for us. It’s not spoiled like other places. We’d call businesses and say, ‘We want to film there, [but] not during business hours,’ and they’re much more receptive to it than somewhere that has that happen all the time. It went very smoothly. … For example, we had this scene where we had the actors loading a body into a car off the street, and we had to tell the Concord police in advance what was going on, and they were very understanding. The whole thing was kind of a pleasure.
Belmonte: Everywhere we went, everyone was so eager to be a part of it. We went to a hardware store, and they offered to let us stay after hours, and invited their whole staff to come and watch, and everyone was not only accommodating but really went above and beyond. There was a lot of enthusiasm.
Aside from the Covid elephant in the room, were there other challenges you faced in the filming of this project?
Czerula: We were really blessed as far as locations were concerned, and the crew was great, so we had a pretty smooth process. A lot of it came down to making it work with what we had, so for the funeral scene, since we couldn’t have a ton of extras, we really had to step back and think, and we came to the conclusion that the funeral scene doesn’t really add a ton to the story. … So we changed it to a post-funeral scene, and it really worked.
Belmonte: Well, the biggest challenge was probably the doll [a large doll that gets carried around through the majority of the film]. It was honestly like having another actress. Tripping over her, bending her arms back into place, brushing her hair, [and] shoving shoes on her rubbery, wiggly toes.
Czerula: A funny story is that we lost this eyeball for the doll, and I was trying to buy eyeballs everywhere I could that would match, but none of them did. I ended up finding a doll dealer in Texas who had an assortment of eyeballs in stock. I had to call this guy and ask him to send me a whole bunch of eyeballs to try. But I wasn’t really being forthcoming about what we were doing, since at the time we were keeping the idea pretty close to the vest. So I had to make up a story about why I needed eyeballs.
What are you hoping audiences gain from your film?
Czerula: Acceptance. But really, just to laugh. At a time when there’s not a whole lot of fun happening in the world, I just hope people can laugh at it and forget everything else for a little while.
Belmonte: It’s really about family bonding through unexpected, silly obstacles. But especially having been made during Covid, [the film] will be a little microcosm of levity in a rough time.
Rick Dumont, Director of About Him (Short 2015)
About Him follows Corrine on her search to find her soulmate through a personal ad in the paper. After escaping an abusive relationship, she recruits a friend on a search for the right kind of partner. The film is based on a short story by Adele Schwartz. Director Rick Dumont runs Sweaty Turtle Entertainment, a production company based in Madbury.
About Him
So, a personal ad?
It’s kind of old-school. … It’s a period piece, or a period-ish piece, set in the pre-internet days. Back then, personal ads were the thing — the original dating app, if you will. Today’s ways of connecting with a partner have changed so dramatically. It’s not necessarily less personal than an ad in the paper, but it has definitely changed.
What was the process like of getting this made?
We shot it in about four days, four very long days, [during] one of which we went to Portsmouth to shoot a restaurant scene. We shot at a place called Massimo, and we wrapped there after midnight. Then we had to immediately pack up and go to Salem to shoot another scene. But we had a great crew and a great cast, and it was a lot of fun to do.
What are you hoping audiences get out of this film?
Mostly, I hope people are entertained, and maybe it gives them a little bit of thought about how we interact with each other … but I don’t like telling people what they should think. I remember the second feature I did. A reviewer reached out to review my film, and after he watched it, he asked, ‘What was I supposed to think?’ … and I said, ‘Exactly that.’ That’s what you felt, so go with it. I would say go see the film [and] see what you think. It’s a great thing, the festival. It’s a chance to see the work of great artists in the area. I think it’s important to support artists, especially the ones in our community who are really working hard to create something beautiful and intriguing. Sometime in the future, we might be able to say, ‘I saw the new Scorcese’s first film at the Manchester International Film Festival.’
Where did the name ‘Sweaty Turtle’ come from?
It’s an homage to my wife. … People are always confused when I say that. Several years ago, I had called my wife ‘My Sweet Eternal,’ and she is a very talented artist, but also a little kooky, and she says, “Did you just call me a sweaty turtle?” … So, she became my sweaty turtle, and later on, when I started my company, it became my honorarium to her.
