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T h e M u s i c H a l l ’s M o n t h l y M a g a z i n e
December 2010
Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth: A guide to Strolls, Shows & Stayovers inside! Hard Hat Tour, Oct. 28
Sunday, December 19 7pm
Campaign Co-Chair Jameson French, Technical Director Quentin Stockwell, plus Campaign Cabinet members Brook Gassner and Elisabeth Robinson.
Jost Michelsen, Jeff Clark, and David Hills (with hard hat) review Loft plans and enjoy food from Della Terra catering.
Executive Director Patricia Lynch and Music Hall Board member, Doug Nelson, Chair of the Facilities Committee. All Photos: David Murray/Clear Eye Photo
Also in this issue... A Christmas Celtic Sojourn
All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
Box Office 603.436.2400
www.themusichall.org
Messiah Sing!
Screen Classics: A Christmas Story
28 Chestnut Street • Portsmouth, NH
NOW
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A n A m e r i c a n Tr e a s u r e f o r t h e A r t s
live events december “charming… vibrant… blatantly retro showman” – NEW YORK TIMES
CHRIS ISAAK
ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914
Friday, December 3 • 8pm Tickets: $90, $75
Saturday, December 4, 2010 • 3pm & 8pm • Tickets: $38, $30
From Wicked Game to Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing this Roy Orbison protégé’s music has been featured in film classics such as Blue Velvet and Eyes Wide Shut. SPONSORS: Clear Eye Photo; The Provident Bank
The acclaimed men’s a capella group Cantus and award-winning Theater Latté Da sing European carols and war-songs – a testament to the power of music to make peace even in wartime. Written by Peter Rothstein, musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, and now broadcast internationally, All Is Calm recalls the remarkable World War I truce between Allied Forces and German soldiers in No Man’s Land on Christmas, 1914. When we premiered this national production two years ago, the message of peace resonated with a town known for its singular role in the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War. “genius…magic…superb execution” – Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine SPONSORS: Seacoast Media Group
SERIES SPONSOR:
A Christmas Celtic Sojourn Saturday, December 11, 2010 • 2pm & 7pm Tickets: $40, $29 From sold out shows at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston to The Music Hall stage – a Christmas spectacular! Top flight Irish performers join Brian O’Donovan, host of the wildly popular weekly National Public Radio program, Celtic Sojourn, in this festival of ancient Christmas melodies and contemporary music and dance from the Celtic countries and England. Don’t miss this New England holiday favorite!! “Our new Christmas tradition!” – DAMAMMA.COM
A Merry Funny New England Christmas
Juston McKinney & Friends with the Gaudy Baubles Sunday, December 19, 2010 • 7pm • Tickets: $40, $28 Comedy Central star Juston McKinney is back in New England and does he have the holiday show for you! Featuring top young comics from both coasts and the effervescent Gaudy Baubles, a band on the lam from Las Vegas. Down-home Yankee sensibility collides head on with a glittery showbiz Christmas! Recommended for ages 14+. “Juston McKinney is destined for stardom” – NEW YORK TIMES
SPONSORS: Centrix Bank; Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center - Louis F. Clarizio, DDS
SPONSORS: Optima Bank & Trust; The Port Inn; Regal Limousine Service; Willis Insurance
Messiah Sing!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 • 7:30pm Tickets: $14 Bring your own score and ring in the holidays with friends and family at the Seacoast’s largest Messiah Sing, pulling together best-loved area choruses and conductors. Guest soloists and string accompaniment further enhance this Music Hall tradition! A beloved part of the holiday musical scene. SPONSOR: Dowling Corporation; Seacoast Media Group “The audience members were the stars” – PORTSMOUTH HERALD
Box Office 603.436.2400
DECEMBER 2010 My Dog Tulip
extraordinary cinema
“Transforms the relationship between pet and owner into something singular, inimitable, sacred.” – NEW YORK TIMES
INSIDE JOB Rated PG-13 • 120min • USA • 11/26 - 12/2 daily @ 7pm • No show 11/30 The first film to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008 – the worst recession since the Great Depression. Through research and interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. “This movie has the rare gifts of lucid passion and informed rage.” – THE NEW YORKER
TAMARA DREWE RATED R • 111min • UK • 12/5 - 12/10 daily @ 7pm • No show 12/9 • Discussion follows 12/8 show
TAMARA DREWE
From the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds and one of the favorites at Telluride by the Sea this year, Stephen Frear’s (High Fidelity, The Queen) latest features Gemma Atherton in the title role. When Tamara sashays back to the bucolic village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown into chaos. As jealousies, affairs and ambitions collide, a contemporary comedy of manners is set into play using the oldest magic in the book, sex appeal. “Tamara Drewe is one in a million” –Washington POST
A CHRISTMAS STORY
12/5 @ 2pm • Rated PG • 84min • USA • 1983 • 1 SHOW ONLY!
MY DOG TULIP
My Dog Tulip
NOT RATED • 83min • US • 12/20 - 12/23 daily @ 7pm • No show 12/21 Written, directed and animated by award-winning filmmakers Paul and Sandra Fierlinger, My Dog Tulip is the first animated feature ever to be entirely hand drawn and painted using paperless computer technology. Based on the book by British author and distinguished man of letters J.R. Ackerley who, in middle age, came to adopt a beautiful yet intolerable 18-month-old German shepherd. To his surprise, she turned out to be the love of his life. “One of the most sophisticated dog movies ever created.” – NEW YORK TIMES
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST
Rated R • 147min • SWEDEN • 12/26 - 1/5 daily @ 7pm • No show 12/29, 12/31, 1/1 • 2pm matinee 12/26 & 1/2 Discussion follows 1/4 show The dramatic conclusion to the Millennium Trilogy. Lisbeth is recovering in a hospital and awaiting trial for three murders. Mikael must prove her innocence. Meanwhile, Lisbeth is plotting her own revenge against the people who put her in this situation. In Swedish with subtitles. “Breathtaking climax and final confrontation that is positively soul satisfying” – HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
the m et @ the mu s ic h a ll
This vignette-laden, nostalgic view of Christmastime in 1940s Indiana follows nine-year-old Ralphie, who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas – and is waging an all-out campaign to convince his reluctant parents that the toy will be safe in his hands. By turns warped and winsome, the comedy follows Ralphie as he prepares for the big day with his rather idiosyncratic family. “There is a real knowledge of human nature beneath the comedy.” – Roger Ebert
SPONSORS: Avery Insurance; Great Island Realty; LunaChics; J. Hilburn Men’s Custom Shirts & Apparel; Holloway Automotive Group; Roundabout Diner & Lounge; NH Gazette
National Theatre of London HD Broadcast Smash hits from the London stage straight to The Music Hall screen! HAMLET
Thursday, December 9 • 7pm Tickets: $27.50; 18 & under $15
DON CARLO (VERDI) (taped)
Sunday, December 12 • 12:30pm • Tickets: $27.50; 18 & under $15 Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys, The Madness of King George), makes his Met debut with this new production of Verdi’s most ambitious opera, greeted with popular success when it opened in London.
SERIES SPONSORS:
s Both production e th by directed e’s National Theatr r! ne yt H Nicholas
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, featuring Rory Kinnear in the title role, David Calder as Polonius, Clare Higgins as Gertrude, Patrick Malahide as Claudius and Ruth Negga as Ophelia.
SERIES SPONSOR: Seatrade International, Inc.
EVENING SPONSORS: Beswick Engineering Company, Inc.; Tate and Foss Sotheby’s International Realty; Ristorante Massimo
An Evening to Remember: Your Company Holiday Party at The Music Hall! Contact Mary Horigan at mhorigan@themusichall.org.
Box Office 603-436-2400
www.themusichall.org www.themusichall.org
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DECEMBER calendar of events
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
28 November
29
30 The Music Hall Presents
1 December
2
3 The Music Hall Presents
4 The Music Hall Presents
INTIMATELY YOURS:
CHRIS ISAAK
ALL IS CALM: CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 3PM & 8PM 11 The Music Hall Presents
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
INSIDE JOB
INSIDE JOB
7:00PM
SCHOOL DAYS SERIES THOMAS EDISON 9:30am & 11:30am HISTORIC TOUR 5:30PM WRITERS ON A NE STAGE:
7:00PM
JOSEPH ELLIS 7:30PM
5
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
INSIDE JOB
INSIDE JOB 7:00PM
7:00PM
8:00PM
6
7
8
9 NT LIVE @ The Music Hall
10
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
TAMARA DREWE
TAMARA DREWE
TAMARA DREWE
NATIONAL THEATRE OF LONDON HD BROADCAST
extraordinary cinema
TAMARA DREWE
screen classics
A CHRISTMAS STORY 2PM
7:00PM
12 The Music Hall Presents
7:00PM
7:00PM
13
7:00PM
14
HAMLET
15
16
THE MET @ THE MUSIC HALL:
DON CARLO
12:30PM
19 The Music Hall Presents
A MERRY FUNNY NEW ENGLAND CHRISTMAS 7PM
NO FILM TONIGHT
20
NO FILM TONIGHT
21 The Music Hall Presents
extraordinary cinema
MY DOG TULIP
MESSIAH SING 7:30PM
26
27
28
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST 2PM&7PM
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST 7:00PM
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST 7:00PM
7:00PM
7:00PM
NO FILM TONIGHT
7:00PM
CHRISTMAS CELTIC SOJOURN 2:00PM & 7:00PM
17
18
GREAT BAY ACADEMY OF DANCE PRESENTS: AN 1836 PORTSMOUTH NUTCRACKER GREAT BAY ACADEMY OF DANCE GREAT BAY ACADEMY OF DANCE PRESENTS: AN 1836 PORTSMOUTH 10:00AM*, 2:00PM; 7:00Pm PRESENTS: AN 1836 PORTSMOUTH *Nutcracker in a Nutshell NUTCRACKER NUTCRACKER 7:00Pm abridged performance 7:00Pm
22
23
extraordinary cinema
extraordinary cinema
MY DOG TULIP
MY DOG TULIP
29
30
7:00PM
TAMARA DREWE
24
25
NO FILM TONIGHT
7:00PM
31
NO FILM TONIGHT MERRY CHRISTMAS
1 January
extraordinary cinema
NO FILM TONIGHT
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST 7:00PM
Box Office 603.436.2400 • www.themusichall.org
NO FILM TONIGHT NEW YEAR’S EVE
NO FILM TONIGHT HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Show & Tell: Post-show film discussion with Paul Goodwin
Enjoy the benefits.
PAID
portsmouth, nh permit no. 202
NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
Photo by Gary Langley/Blind Dog Photography
Support The Music Hall.
Music Hall Holiday Gifts
Delight everyone on your list... with the gift of music, theater, dance and cinema!
• Music Hall Gift Certificates available in any amount at the Box Office • A “reel” treat for film lovers – a six-pack of movie passes.
• Purchase a seat in the Historic Theater for yourself or someone you love. Contact Laura Smith at lsmith@themusichall.org.
Become a member.
• For the person who has everything, contribute to our Holiday Appeal
Tickets on sale to members NOW! To public 12/3
Justin Townes Earle Fri., Feb.4 • 8pm
INTIMATELY YOURS:
INTIMATELY YOURS : Marc Cohn Thu., Jan. 6 • 7:30pm
• For more information, see holiday gift ideas on page 3!
JUST ANNOUNCED!
28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
• Gift memberships begin at $40
NOW
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Share in the magic.
Or renew your membership today!
This was printed on an FSC Certified paper containing 25% post-consumer waste. FSC Certification ensures responsible use of forest resources.
The Music Hall is a 501(c)3 tax exempt, fiscally responsible nonprofit, managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and a professional staff. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowable by law.
Box Office: 603.436.2400
Here&Now
The Music Hall in the Seacoast Community
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Piscataqua River
Sat., Dec. 11
1:30pm-10:30pm Vintage Christmas Trolley, 15 min. route 2pm & 7pm A Christmas Celtic Sojourn at The Music Hall 2pm & 8pm A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, Seacoast Repertory Theatre 5pm-9pm Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke 12:30pm The Met: Don Carlo (Verdi) 1:30pm-10:30pm Vintage Christmas Trolley 15 min. route 2pm A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, Seacoast Repertory Theatre 4pm-8pm Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke
Sat., Dec. 18
Great Bay Academy of Dance Presents: An 1836 Portsmouth Nutcracker (also 12/16, 17)
Sun., Dec. 19
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Vintage Christmas Presenting Sponsors
Vintage Christmas Lead Sponsors Sheraton Harborside Portsmouth Hotel; Seacoast Media Group; WERZ – Weather Partner
1:30pm-10:30pm Vintage Christmas Trolley, 15 min. route 2pm & 8pm A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, Seacoast Repertory Theatre 5pm-9pm Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke
1:30pm-10:30pm Vintage Christmas Trolley, 15 min. route 2pm & 7:30pm A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, Seacoast Repertory Theatre 4pm-8pm Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke 7pm A Merry Funny New England Christmas Juston McKinney & Friends with the Gaudy Baubles at The Music Hall
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1:30pm-10:30pm Vintage Christmas Trolley, 15 min. route 2pm Screen Classic: A Christmas Story at The Music Hall 2pm A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, Seacoast Repertory Theatre 4pm & 8pm Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke
Sun., Dec. 12
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1:30pm-10:30pm Vintage Christmas Trolley, 15 min. route 2pm & 8pm A Christmas Carol, A Musical Ghost Story, Seacoast Repertory Theatre 3pm & 8pm All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, The Music Hall 5pm-9pm Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke 5pm Holiday Tree Lighting, Market Square 6pm Illuminated Holiday Parade
PRESCO
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Grab your friends and make plans to head to downtown Portsmouth the first three weekends of December for Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth! Walk through streets dressed with wreaths of greens on each iron lamppost. Hop on the free trolley to get your overview before choosing your first destination – The Music Hall for great live shows, HD broadcasts and film? Strawbery Banke Museum for its 31st Candlelight Stroll? Distinctive boutiques sprinkled throughout 19th century brick storefronts in a streetscape designed for window-shopping? Over 200 restaurants that make this a culinary destination? It’s all here in Portsmouth, “one of America’s Prettiest Towns” (Forbes Traveler). For more information, visit www.vintagechristmasnh.org.
Sat., Dec. 4
STRAWBERY BANKE
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Presented by The Music Hall & Strawbery Banke Museum
BADGERS ISLAND
Han
Shows, Strolls & Stayovers
MAINE
Vintage Christmas Community Partners Great Bay Academy of Dance; Seacoast Repertory Theatre
The City of Portsmouth free Vintage Chrismas Trolley, a 15-minute route, runds from 1:30-10:30pm the first three Saturdays and Sundays of December, from parking lots, hotels, and in between The Music Hall and Strawbery Banke Museum. Hotel packages at the Sheraton include tickets to strolls and shows. For more info, visit VintageChristmasNH.org.
Don’t miss these events, during the rest of the month! Tues., Dec. 21 7:30pm The Music Hall Presents Messiah Sing! Thurs., Dec. 31 First Night Portsmouth
For information on additional performances of An 1836 Portsmouth Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol, please visit www.VintageChristmasNH.org.
Holiday Gift Ideas
by LAUREN LENOX, Membership Manager and MEGHAN DURKEE, Development Associate
It’s the holiday season, and The Music Hall has a number of gift giving options for that music, theater, history or literary friend, or the loved one who has everything. We invite you to be creative with your gifting, and here are some ideas we can help you with: • Looking to get into the Holiday spirit? All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 or A Christmas Celtic Sojourn is just the ticket. After the show, hop on the Vintage Christmas trolley for a ride, or stroll through Strawbery Banke to explore holiday magic of the 17th Century on the New Hampshire seacoast. • For those who enjoy a hearty laugh, the holiday extravaganza A Merry Funny New England Christmas, featuring Juston McKinney is here for one night only – treat those pals who appreciate witty music and holiday humor! • Our gift certificates come in any denomination and can be used for all Music Hall Presents performances and historic tours. There are also gift certificates available specifically for films. The box office makes it easy – call to purchase tickets or gift certificates at (603) 436-2400.
All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
• You can also give the gift of Membership! – gift memberships to The Music Hall are perfect for arts enthusiasts who want to purchase their tickets before the general public. Memberships are available at all levels and come with a variety of benefits. Call 603-433-3100 x28 to get started. Don’t Forget Your Neighbors! During the holiday season, remember to take care of the community by contributing to The Music Hall’s Holiday Appeal. Appeal dollars will help keep our education and outreach programs affordable to all patrons. With your help, we have kept School Days Series seats at $5, we’ve maintained free participation in Master Classes, and we’ve donated a number of tickets to local nonprofit fundraising events each year. Do your part and help keep the arts affordable on the Seacoast!
A Merry Funny New England Christmas
Contact the Development Office at (603) 433-3100 x 28 or email llenox@themusichall.org.
www.themusichall.org
URGENT NEED: Green Room Renovation
Treasure the Future: Campaign Update
A proper welcome for star performers
by MARGARET TALCOTT, Dir., Strategic Communications
Margaret Atwood, NHPR host Virginia Prescott and authors Joe Hill (crouching), and Stephen King in the green room, 9/21.
We recently caught up with board member Gail VanHoy Carolan (above), co-chair of the Treasure the Future campaign, to get her perspective on the campaign, including new developments… Gail, you’ve been hard at work on this major campaign for The Music Hall since 2008. Tell me, how is it going? How do you sustain your interest and passion? The ground work and planning started in 2004 when we recruited Patricia Lynch to create a highly diverse and engaging series of programs that expanded The Music Hall and positioned us to enter a campaign of this scope. What really excites me about this campaign is the connection among the arts, community and the economy. Bringing people downtown creates a more vibrant urban scene... better restaurants, shops, businesses and living opportunities. All that adds up to Community. My husband and I moved here in 1998, and have met many of our friends through this theater. You’ve seen the community transformed. Is this what keeps you and your Campaign committee in gear?
The campaign has been highly energized by the projects accomplished so far. As we’ve raised money, we’ve fixed the roof; uncovered the original 1878 murals on the dome; saw the cherubs on the proscenium arch from 1901 reappear; and created a true gathering place in the lobby. And through the buzz and excitement of those projects the theater continues to thrive. We have more projects to do both visual and setting the theater up for long-term sustainability. This dynamic campaign committee is excited, and the community and our patrons are as well – and that’s what keeps us going! What’s the current project? The Loft is underway and will allow us to fully realize our strategic vision to reach out to kids and lifelong learners, to expand upon our key signature offerings, to present “right” sized shows for us and community partners, and allow Patricia a venue to continue to realize her programming vision. There is a lot to look forward to. I’m now, however, moving towards the next area of focus…the backstage where the “magic” to create a show takes place. What do you mean by magic?
It’s a small miracle each time The Music Hall’s production staff puts together a show. What you don’t see when you sit in the theater is that all the backstage rigging is circa 1901 – it’s that antique in design. Imagine trying to write a book today with an oversize ledger and a quill pen. Everyone knows you can’t be a century behind and be effective in your work. It takes us days longer than a modernized theater to get our show “load-ins” accomplished. It’s a fact, it’s compelling, it’s part of that long term sustainability. Any other favorite projects in this campaign? One critical project is the green room where we are hosting artists like Margaret Atwood and Chris Botti in the dingiest of conditions – it’s pretty embarrassing. I am really excited about starting to recapture the historical finishes of the staircases and upper lobby, but the one project that I (and I believe everyone) most looks forward to is the chandelier. It’s the finish line, and the reward for a lot of hard work. All photos this page: David Murray/Clear Eye Photo
Hard Hat Tour: A Peek Backstage Technical Director Quentin Stockwell and Director of Institutional Advancement Laura Smith lead Music Hall supporters on a tour of urgent needs, 10/28.
URGENT NEED: Backstage Mondernization
Retire 19th century riggings
URGENT NEED: Theater Restoration
A chandelier!
Money, Money, Money by PATRICIA LYNCH, Executive Director
We recently spoke with Board Treasurer Harry Schult and CFO, staffer Kris Briggs. Both are CPAs, the former, an Ernst + Young partner for 28 years, an experienced CFO and treasurer of Trinity Repertory Theatre; the latter an MBA with 15 years with nonprofits and the arts. What is the most challenging aspect of The Music Hall’s finances? HS: You are only as good as your last show! Operations provides only 60% of operating income, the remainder must be fundraised.
Box Office 603.436.2400
KB: Juggling priorities: managing human resources, tracking two budgets (operating and capital campaign), planning cash flow, monitoring construction finance and monthly closings. Ticket sale receipts are liabilities until a show occurs which means revenue and expense recognition is tied to skillful marketing. The Music Hall recently developed a financial dashboard under your collective guidance. How does this help board members? KB: In addition to monthly financial statements, Board members now can see a concise, one-page summary that helps them assess and steward the organization’s financial health. What advice can you give other nonprofits when thinking about their financial house? HS: A nonprofit organization needs a competent CFO with business acumen – we have that in Kris Briggs – also the involvement of the E.D. and the
Board in financial affairs. The year end is rapidly approaching what vehicles can people can use to give to The Music Hall or its capital campaign? HS: Dickens’ immortal Scrooge reminds us each Christmas of the joy of giving generously. We all can enjoy this experience by donating to the campaign! Seriously, as we approach year end, many people plan their finances and think of charitable giving. A portion of my campaign gift is a donation of my 401(k). If I were to designate an individual, that money would be taxable to them, not so a donation to the Music Hall. We can assist you in being creative. KB: Give Music Hall memberships as gifts, and friends and relatives can save money on upcoming shows for a year! Or support our Master Classes by contributing a cash gift to our annual appeal. For prudent tax planning, donate appreciated stock to The Music Hall capital campaign by 12/31 and get a 2010 charitable gift deduction. If only Scrooge had known!