NOW The Music Hall’s Monthly Magazine
r u o y t Ge it ckets!
May 2015
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
A CONCERT IN CELEBRATION OF THE AFRICAN BURYING GROUND MEMORIAL SATURDAY, MAY 23 • 7PM • HISTORIC THEATER
S W O H S W E ! N D E + C 5 1 N U O N N A T JUS
OKAW R B TOM SH A N AM H A R G S A R E T FE A C S LA RE! O M & SEASON SPONSORS
24th Annual
KITCHEN TOUR
May 9
Intimately Yours
SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX May 4
NEW SHOWS ON SALE! This month, our “First Saturday” on sale event for members is Saturday, May 2. The following NEW shows go on sale to members at 10am for walk-up, at noon for phone and internet sales. Tickets on sale to non-members Saturday, May 16 at noon. To become a member, call Lorianne Saniuk at (603) 766-2176 or email Lsaniuk@themusichall.org. ALSO E! ON SALg. 10 p The Met: g. 3 p : c lu Lu
Writers on a new england stage.
Presented by The Music Hall & NH Public Radio
TOM BROKAW
Wed., May 20 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater • $13.25 For each 1-2 tickets
sold, book voucher ($27, hardcover) purchase required. Vouchers redeemable night of event.
The former NBC Nightly News anchor and bestselling author of The Greatest Generation will discuss his career and his year spent battling cancer. Don’t miss hearing about his A Lucky Life Interrupted.
MATTHEW THOMAS
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series
DAN MANGAN Mon., June 1 • 7pm • Loft • $31 Fri., June 5 • 8pm • Loft Last year’s best-loved bestselling nov$16 ON SALE NOW! el about one American family shaken Don’t miss the two-time by illness — just out in paperback. JUNO award-winning musician and songwriter.
PATRICK DOROW
Tue., Jul. 7 • 7:30pm • Loft • $14
FILM: MOULIN ROUGE (1952)
Intimately Yours
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DAD
Fri., Aug. 14 • 8pm Historic Theater • $36; $49 The legendary singer-songwriter and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee returns to The Music Hall this summer!
JUSTON MCKINNEY:
The Music Hall and NH Public Radio present Writers on a New England Stage
Writers in the Loft
Hilarity
Fri., June 19 • 8pm Historic Theater • $26 The fan favorite returns with his special Father’s Day show a hilarious take on fatherhood!
Writers in the Loft
Live @ the Loft
Writers in the Loft
Loft • $40 The activist and bestselling author visits with her latest works, in celebration of Pride Month.
Loft • $25 ON SALE NOW! This LA-based group is remixing roots music and telling modern day stories.
Tue., Aug. 11 • 7pm Loft • $40 The #1 bestselling author with her new novel in the Rose Harbor series.
RITA MAE BROWN LAS CAFETERAS DEBBIE Thurs, June 25 • 7pm Sun., June 28 • 7:30pm MACOMBER
FILM: CAN CAN (1960)
RUBY ROSE FOX
Wed., Jul. 8 • 7pm • Loft • $10, $8 Fri., Jul. 10 • 8pm • Loft • $15
Community Partner Kent Stephens’ STAGEFORCE presents THE PLAY READING SERIES: I AM PROOF OF ME: A FINAL VISIT WITH EMILY DICKINSON BY BARBARA KINGSLEY Mon., May 11 • 7:30pm • Loft • $12 includes house beverage • ON SALE NOW! NOW
(603) 436-2400
NELLIE MCKAY
Sat., Jul. 11 • 7 & 9pm • Loft • $30
FRANCESCA BLANCHARD BEN BALDWIN & THE BIG NOTE WONDERTWINS
Tue., Jul. 14 • 7pm • Loft • $10, $8 Thu., Jul. 16 • 7:30pm • Loft • $16 Fri., Jul. 17 • 8pm • Loft • $24
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GRAHAM NASH
Community Partner Berwick Academy presents BERWICK ACADEMY: THREADS Fri., May 15 • 6:30pm • Historic Theater BERWICK ACADEMY: SPACE VS. TIME Sat., May 16 • 7pm • Historic Theater $10/adult; $5/18 & under • ON SALE NOW!
Sat., Jul. 18 • 8pm • Loft • $25
Community Partner Arts in Reach presents AIR: THE PHENOMENAL WOMEN PROJECT Sun., May 3 • 6pm • Loft Free & open to public
Community Partner Oyster River Middle School presents SILENT FILM NIGHT: SEVEN CHANCES Sat., June 13 • 7pm • Historic Theater • $16
LIVE ON STAGE MAY KITCHEN TOUR SATURDAY, MAY 9 • 10AM-3PM
NEW W JUST O H S ED DROPP IN!
SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX Mon., May 4 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater • $26 Proving that everything new can be old again, pianist Scott Bradlee has become a viral pop sensation after creating a series of clips for YouTube. Bradlee and his ad hoc group, Postmodern Jukebox, rework 21st century pop hits in a variety of vintage styles — transforming Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop” into a ‘50s-style doo wop number, giving Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” a ‘20s jazz accent, and crossing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” with Irish folk music.
Cottage homes to contemporary houses in Kittery Point, Maine A BENEFIT FOR THE MUSIC HALL TICKETS ON SALE NOW! $23 for members in advance, $25 not yet members, $27 day of tour
SERIES SPONSORS: EVENING SPONSORS:
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
A concert in recognition and celebration of the African Burying Ground Memorial Sat., May 23 • 7pm • Historic Theater • $38; $49
In a career that spans over 60 years and five Grammy awards, the Blind Boys of Alabama are gospels living legends. Blending traditional gospel music with contemporary spiritual material this iconic group has performed with artists from Aaron Neville to k.d. lang.
SERIES SPONSORS: EVENING SPONSORS:
Olde Port Properties; RMC Research Corporation; Clear Eye Photo
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Clear Eye Photo
THIS YEAR
with MORE
TROLLEYS!
A perfect get together for Mother’s Day weekend! PREMIER SPONSOR: LEAD SPONSORS: Budget Blinds of Portsmouth; C.F. Witham and Son; Chinburg Properties; Chase Construction & The Webhannet Co.; D.F. Richard Inc; DeStefano Architechts; Ethan Allen Inc.; Mari Woods Kitchen Bath Home; Private Client Underwriters; Selectwood/Great Bay Spa & Sauna; Summer House Furnishings; The Lighting Center at Rockingham Electric; Coastal Home Magazine TheMusicHall.org
NOW
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LIVE ON STAGE MAY DAVID BROOKS
Sun., May 3 • 4pm • $13.25 For each 1-2 tickets sold, the purchase of a book voucher ($28 hardcover) is required. Tickets & vouchers not sold online.
SUE MONK KIDD
Writers on a new england stage.
Fri., May 8 7:30pm • $13.25
For each 1-2 tickets sold, the purchase of a book voucher ($17 paperback) is required. Tickets & vouchers not sold online.
Presented by The renowned columnist and NY The Music Hall & NH Public Radio Times #1 bestselling author visits with his highly anticipated and provocative new work, The Road to Character, an elegant weaving of politics, spirituality, psychology, and confessional that confronts our current definitions of success. Responding to what he calls the culture of the “Big Me,” he challenges us to rebalance the scales to focus on deeper values, and build an inner life marked by humility and moral depth.
EVENING SPONSORS: RMC Research Corporation; Portsmouth Regional Hospital; Seacoast Area Libraries
RMC Research Corporation; Seacoast Area Libraries
PRESENTING SPONSOR:
Presented by The Music Hall & NH Public Radio
The celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees takes the stage to discuss her #1 NY Times bestseller, a profound and richly complex novel tracing the lives of two unforgettable American women striving for liberation and empowerment during a devastating time in American history.
EVENING SPONSORS:
A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:
Writers on a new england stage.
MEDIA SPONSOR:
N E W
E N G L A N D ’ S
SERIES SPONSORS:
M A G A Z I N E
Piscataqua Landscaping & Tree Service; Calypso Communications
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MEDIA PARTNERS: Live Free Photography – [Liv] Frame Print; WOKQ & The Shark 5
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS
Fri., May 1 • 8pm • Loft • $24 Their dynamic sixth album, A Forest of Arms features a surging rhythm section, violin, and flourishing banjo and guitars.
CHRIS TRAPPER
Sat., May 16 • 8pm • Loft • $18 This Boston artist began his career with 90’s alternative rock band The Push Stars. He returns to the Loft by popular demand! 3
NOW
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Feb. 2008
LULUC
Sat., May 9 • 8pm • Loft • $15 Indie-folk duo Zoë Randall & Steve Hassett charm us with beautiful, slow-burning melodies and delicate harmonies.
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Sat., May 30 • 8pm • Loft • $38 His authentic Austin sound has led him to national stardom and critical acclaim, from Texas to California to NYC and back.
Hilarity @ The Music Hall
DARWiN’S WAiTiNG ROOM
Fri., May 29 • 8pm • Loft • $20 Featuring a slew of fan-favorites never before seen at the Loft, this family-friendly sketch comedy group returns with another hilarious show! Sketches include five fast-talking truckers, alien body snatchers, New Jersey housewives, a musical number, and more! SERIES SPONSORS:
EVENING SPONSOR: The One Hundred Club
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ON SCREEN MAY
extraordinary cinema
Film tickets: $10 Adults; $8 Seniors 60+, Students & Military
5 TO 7 R • 95min • US 5/1, 5/2, 5/5, 5/6, 5/7 @ 7pm • 5/2 @ 1pm A chance encounter on the streets of Manhattan draws 20-something aspiring writer Brian (Anton Yelchin) into a passionate love affair with a glamorous French woman (Skyfall Bond girl Bérénice Marlohe). The catch? She’s married, and can only meet him for hotel room trysts between the hours of 5 and 7. Co-starring Frank Langella, Glenn Close, and Olivia Thirlby, this sexy romance captures the giddy thrill, the pain and the comedy of being young and falling in love. QUEEN & COUNTRY
NR • 115min • UK 5/9, 5/12, 5/13 @ 7pm • 5/10 @ 3pm The hilarious follow-up to John Boorman’s Hope and Glory (1987 nominee for 5 Academy Awards), in which 9-year-old Bill Rohan rejoices in the destruction of his school by an errant Luftwaffe bomb. Queen & Country picks up the story nearly a decade later as Bill (Callum Turner) begins basic training in the early 1950s, during the Korean War. A superb ensemble cast limns a wonderfully funny and often moving depiction of a still-recovering postwar England.
SERENA
R • 109min • US 5/19, 5/21 @ 7pm • 5/17 @ 3pm The North Carolina mountains, 1920s. George and Serena Pemberton (Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper), love-struck newlyweds, begin to build a timber empire. Serena soon proves herself to be equal to any man: overseeing loggers, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving a man’s life in the wilderness. With power and influence now in their hands, the Pembertons refuse to let anyone stand in the way of their love and ambitions.
3 HEARTS PG13 • 106min • France (subtitled) 5/22, 5/26, 5/27, 5/28 @ 7pm • 5/24 @ 3pm A touching and tense drama about destiny and passion, presenting a romantic look at a classic love triangle. One night in provincial France, Marc (Benoît Poelvoorde) meets Sylvie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) after missing his train back to Paris. Intensely drawn to one another, they wander through the streets until morning in rare harmony. A thwarted plan for a second meeting sends each in a separate direction. WHITE GOD R • 117min • Hungary (subtitled) 5/30, 6/2, 6/4 @ 7pm When young Lili is forced to give up her beloved dog Hagen, because his mixed-breed heritage is deemed ‘unfit’ by The State, she and the dog begin a dangerous journey back towards each other. At the same time, all the unwanted, unloved and so-called ‘unfit’ dogs rise up under a new leader, the one-time housepet who has learned all too well from his journey through the streets and animal control centers how to bite the hands that beat him.
extraordinary cinema
MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES
PG13 • 94min • US 5/2, 5/5, 5/6 @ 7pm This documentary looks at the remarkable genius of Orson Welles on the eve of his centenary — the enigma of his career as a Hollywood star, a Hollywood director (for some a Hollywood failure), and a crucially important independent filmmaker. Premiered at the 2014 Telluride Film Festival.
KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER NR • 105min • US 5/8, 5/10, 5/12, 5/13, 5/14 @ 7pm In this darkly comedic odyssey, Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, Pacific Rim) stars as a frustrated office worker whose imagination transcends her mundane life. Kumiko becomes obsessed with a mysterious, battered VHS tape of a popular film she’s mistaken for a documentary, fixating on a scene where a suitcase of stolen cash is buried in the desolate, frozen landscape of North Dakota.
DELI MAN
PG13 • 91min • US 5/15, 5/17, 5/19, 5/20, 5/21 @ 7pm As Jewish culture continues to shift and adapt alongside mainstream America, delicatessen food remains a beloved communal delicacy. In Houston, Texas, third-generation deli man Ziggy Gruber has built arguably the finest delicatessen in the U.S. His story - augmented by the stories of iconic delis such as Katz’s, 2nd Avenue Deli, Carnegie, and the Stage - embodies a tradition linked to its nostalgic foods.
THE WRECKING CREW
PG • 95min • US 5/22, 5/23, 5/24, 5/26, 5/27, 5/28 @ 7pm This documentary tells the story of the unsung musicians that provided the backbeat, the bottom and the swinging melody that drove many of the number one hits of the 60s and 70s. From Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds or The Beach Boys, these dedicated musicians made the American “west coast sound” a dominant cultural force around the world.
SEYMOUR: AN INTRODUCTION
PG • 84min • US 5/31, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4 @ 7pm Seymour Bernstein started playing the piano as a little boy, and by the time he turned 15 he was teaching it to others. He enjoyed a long career as a performer before devoting himself to helping others develop their own gifts. While Ethan Hawke’s gentle, meditative study is a warm and lucid portrait of Bernstein and his exceptional life and work, it’s also a love letter to the study of music itself.
FILM EVENT KEY: @ HISTORIC THEATER @ MUSIC HALL LOFT
See Calendar on page 7 for Show & Tell Discussions
TheMusicHall.org
NOW
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ON SCREEN MAY SHE’S BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE’S ANGRY
NR • 87min • US 5/29 @ 7pm • Historic Theater This documentary resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women’s movement from 1966 to 1971. It takes us from the founding of NOW, when ladies wore hats and gloves, to the emergence of more radical factions of women’s liberation; from intellectuals like Kate Millett to the street theatrics of WITCH (Women’s International Conspiracy from Hell!). Presented in affiliation with New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. Panel discussion and Q&A to follow. SERIES SPONSORS: Allergy Associates of NH; Rudi’s Portsmouth; Soldati PR; NH Gazette; PortsmouthNH.com; RAM Printing; Clear Channel
HD BROADCAST: National Theatre of London
HD BROADCAST: National Theatre of London
THE HARD PROBLEM
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Sun., May 17 • 1pm • Loft • $19; $15 for 18 & under
Sun., May 31 • 1pm • Loft • $19; $15 for 18 & under
Don’t miss a stellar cast led by Mark Strong (The Imitation Game; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) in the Young Vic’s ‘magnetic, electrifying, astonishingly bold’ production of A View from the Bridge – the Evening Standard, Guardian and Independent’s top theatre pick of 2014. The great Arthur Miller confronts the American dream in this dark and passionate tale.
Acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love, Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead) returns to the National Theatre with his highly-anticipated new play The Hard Problem, directed by Nicholas Hytner (Othello, Hamlet, One Man, Two Guvnors). Hilary, a young psychology researcher at a brainscience institute, is nursing a private sorrow and a troubling question at work.
EXPLORE + LEARN Don’t miss the Arts in Reach: Phenomenal Women Project Showcase in the Loft, May 3 at 6pm. The PWP girls will present their art on which they have worked throughout the duration of the project. There will be charcoals, watercolors and project books on display in the lobby. Then, in the theater, the presentation of Phenomenal Women Project Certificates. The Showcase is for friends and family and is also free and open to the public. A series of events celebrating The African Burying Ground Memorial Park in Portsmouth will take place beginning on May 20; culminating on May 23 with a concert by famed gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama at the Historic Theater. The Music Hall has been “a proud community partner from the inception of this important project in Portsmouth,” says Executive Director Patricia Lynch. Read more about this fascinating story and the weekend’s events on page 9 of this issue, and on the Music Hall blog. Our final School Days Series show of the season is May 29: The Berenstain Bears Live! There are still seats available for the 11:30 show.
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MAY IS MEMBERSHIP MONTH! We’re building community through membership...
WHY SHOULD YOU BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MUSIC HALL? • Advanced ticket purchasing and best seats • Fuels great programming from big names like Steve Martin to up and comers, with over 50 shows to date under $30 • Check out something new — writers, comedians, varied music genres and so much more! • Give back — your support helps keep student programming accessible, $6 seats for School Days Series and outreach opportunities involving over 60 community partners in the region • Engage with others — social connecting and learning opportunities abound! • Invest in the community — The Music Hall and its audiences leverage over $7,000,000 in economic impact!
WE’VE GOT A MATCH! A communit
y of arts lov
ers
Ca Membership
rd
Upgrade or become a new member in the month of May and your gift will be matched by a generous donor. This means your gift will have twice the impact on the organization and make an even greater difference.
MAY MEMBERSHIP MONTH
RAFFLES!
Become a new member or upgrade your membership in the month of May and you’ll be entered into one of our weekly Membership Month raffles! Photos this page: David Murray/Clear Eye Photo
We’ve got four spectacular packages to raffle off — one raffle a week! Each week, any member who
upgrades or becomes a new member will be entered into that week’s raffle...
Week 1: Two complimentary seat upgrades Week 2: Two summer movie passes – don’t miss a movie in July and August Week 3: Two round trip bus tickets from Portsmouth, NH to NYC courtesy of C&J Week 4: 2 Gold Level Seats to Boz Scaggs Winners will be selected every Tuesday in May! Thank you to our top Corporate Partners Like us on Facebook & follow us Twitter!
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MAY @ THE MUSIC HALL
ORG THEMUSICHALL.deos,
t vi Check out artis d more! an , rs ile tra movie
New shows are always being announced - sign up for enews today! SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
SATURDAY
26 APR
27
28
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Extraordinary Cinema The Salvation 3pm
No Film Tonight
Extraordinary Cinema The Salvation 7pm
Intimately Yours: Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt (SOLD OUT) 7:30pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Salvation 7pm
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Great Lake Swimmers 8pm
Extraordinary Cinema An Honest Liar 7pm
Digital Portsmouth The Art of Working Remotely 5:30pm
Extraordinary Cinema 5 to 7 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema An Honest Liar 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema An Honest Liar 7pm
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4
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Writers on a New England Stage David Brooks 4pm
Intimately Yours Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox 7:30pm
Extraordinary Cinema 5 to 7 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema 5 to 7 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema Magician 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema Magician 7pm
Community Partner Arts in Reach Presents The Phenomenal Women Project Showcase 6pm
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Extraordinary Cinema Queen & Country 3pm
6pm @ Aria Lounge
Extraordinary Cinema Queen & Country 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema Queen & Country 7pm Extraordinary Cinema Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 7pm
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FRIDAY
7 Extraordinary Cinema 5 to 7 7pm
1 MAY
2
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Extraordinary Cinema Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema 5 to 7 1pm & 7pm Extraordinary Cinema Magician 7pm
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24th Annual Kitchen Tour 10am - 3pm
Writers on a New England Stage Sue Monk Kidd 7:30pm Extraordinary Cinema Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 7pm
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Box Office opens at 10am for member walk-up...
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Extraordinary Cinema Queen & Country 7pm The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Luluc 8pm
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Community Partner Berwick Academy presents Threads 6:30pm
Community Partner Berwick Academy presents Space vs. Time 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Chris Trapper 8pm
Extraordinary Cinema Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 7pm
Community Partner Kent Stephens’ STAGEFORCE Presents The Play Reading Series: 7:30pm
Extraordinary Cinema Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter 7pm
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No Film Tonight
Extraordinary Cinema Serena 7pm
Writers on a New England Stage: Tom Brokaw 7:30pm
Extraordinary Cinema Serena 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema 3 Hearts 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema Deli Man 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Wrecking Crew 7pm
Intimately Yours The Blind Boys of Alabama 7pm
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NT Live HD Broadcast A View From the Bridge 1pm
Extraordinary Cinema Serena 3pm
Extraordinary Cinema Deli Man 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema Deli Man 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema Deli Man 7pm
Deli Man
7pm
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Extraordinary Cinema 3 Hearts 3pm
No Film Tonight
Extraordinary Cinema 3 Hearts 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema 3 Hearts 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema 3 Hearts 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Wrecking Crew 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Wrecking Crew 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Wrecking Crew 7pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Wrecking Crew 7pm
EVENT KEY: @ HISTORIC THEATER @ MUSIC HALL LOFT
Box Office/Historic Theater: 28 Chestnut Street The Loft: 131 Congress Street
School Days Series The Berenstain Bears Live! 9:30am (SOLD OUT) & 11:30am
Film Matters She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry 7pm Hilarity @ The Music Hall: DARWiN’s WAiTiNG ROOM 8pm
Extraordinary Cinema The Wrecking Crew 7pm
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Extraordinary Cinema White God 7pm The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series: Alejandro Escovedo 8pm
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NT Live HD Broadcast The Hard Problem 1pm
Community Partner Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra 3pm Extraordinary Cinema Seymour: An Introduction 7pm
Historic Theater Box Office Hours: Monday - Saturday, noon - 6pm Film tickets: $10 Adults; $8 Seniors 60+, Students & Military
Show & Tell discussion follows the film
proud supporters of the Music hall
bringing the arts home...
The ArTs Are The Answer to vibrant and prosperous communities where we treasure our heritage, celebrate our diversity and nurture our ingenuity.
HERE & NOW
org/blog TheMusicHall. r more fo og bl r See ou nes info! behind-the-sce
Community Focus: African Burying Ground Celebration by Regina Baraban
More than 11 years ago, a startling discovery was made on Chestnut Street in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, NH: the buried remains of roughly 200 individuals of African descent in a segregated resting place that was in use from the early 1700s to the 19th century. Since then, a robust community initiative, headed up by the Mayoral-appointed African Burying Ground Committee, has worked to acknowledge this history on many fronts, and to return the site to sacred ground. Now their efforts are coming to fruition with a reburial service and public celebration. Starting with an on-site community event on Wednesday, May 20 with sculptor Jerome Meadows and ending with a performance by The Blind Boys of Alabama at The Music Hall Historic Theater on Saturday, May 23, “the Portsmouth community has found a meaningful and powerful way of honoring those buried beneath the street,” says Vernis Jackson, Chair of the ABG Committee. “These events are about remembering the dead and returning the remains to the earth, as well as acknowledging the site’s history and celebrating the community-wide effort that has made this project possible.”
Saturday, May 23: The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Music Hall, with its Historic Theater just a few steps away from the burial ground, has been “a proud community partner from the inception of this important project in Portsmouth,” says Executive Director Patricia Lynch, adding that “by acknowledging the mistakes of the past, and by celebrating the dignity of all people, we are sending a beacon of hope for the future.” Memorial events include an overnight vigil at the New Hope Baptist Church, an artwork unveiling, a reburial ceremony, and a public celebration at Portsmouth Middle School Auditorium. “The Burial Ground’s Sankofa symbol, meaning ‘reach back and get it’ in the Akan language of Ghana, says it all,” notes Portsmouth City Councilor and ABG Committee member Chris Dwyer. “I heard Reverend Lauren Smith translate the meaning as ‘it’s never too late to learn from and correct the mistakes of the past.’ Our nation needs this message now more than ever, when racial divides have come to the forefront.” Indeed, the significance of African Burying Ground Memorial Park reaches far beyond Portsmouth and New Hampshire. “It is our history,” says ABG Committee member and ad hoc public affairs counsel Stephanie Seacord. “This is a demonstration of a core value our nation supposedly holds dear: ‘that all men are created equal and that we are endowed by the creator with certain inalienable rights.’ The Portsmouth African Burying Ground is a recommitment to that core value.”
For more information and a detailed calendar of events, go online to www.africanburyinggroundnh.org. 9
NOW
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Don’t miss five-time Grammy award-winning gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama, capping the memorial commemorations with a 7pm concert at The Music Hall Historic Theater on Chestnut Street. Notes The Music Hall’s Executive Director Patricia Lynch: “This legendary gospel soul group has inspired millions of people around the world, and makes a great family-friendly way to celebrate the opening of the African Burying Ground Memorial Park.” Adds Portsmouth City Councilor and ABG Committee member Chris Dwyer: “Their gospel sound will set the tone of a meaningful celebration—signifying a job well done as well as the beginning of a new phase.” WHO: The Blind Boys of Alabama WHEN: Sat., May 23 at 7pm WHERE: The Music Hall Historic Theater TICKETS: $38; $49 Available at the Box Office or online at www.themusichall.org
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AT A G LANCE Date
1 3 3 4 8 9 9 11 15 16 16 17 20 23 29
May 2015
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Great Lake Swimmers
3
Writers on a New England Stage
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Friday, May 1 • 8pm
David Brooks
Sunday, May 3 • 4pm
June 2015
Tuesday, August 11 • 7pm
Live @ The Loft Martha Redbone Project
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Intimately Yours Graham Nash Friday, August 14 • 8pm
Date
September 2015
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Dan Mangan
Friday, June 5 • 8pm
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Community Partner Oyster River Silent Film Night: Seven Chances
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The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series The Secret Sisters
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox Monday, May 4 • 7:30pm
Writers on a New England Stage
Sue Monk Kidd
Friday, May 8 • 7:30pm
24th Annual Kitchen Tour
Saturday, May 9 • 10am - 3pm The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Luluc
Saturday, May 9 • 8pm
Community Partner Kent Stephens’ Stage Force presents
The Play Reading Series
Monday, May 11 • 7:30pm Community Partner Berwick Academy presents: Threads
Friday, May 15 • 6:30pm
Community Partner Berwick Academy presents: Space vs. Time
Saturday, May 16 • 7pm
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Friday, June 12 • 8pm
Saturday, June 13 • 7pm
Hilarity Juston McKinney
Friday, June 19 • 8pm
Intimately Yours Lucinda Williams
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The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Kristin Hersh
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Live @ The Loft
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Sunday, June 21 • 7pm
Las Cafeteras
Sunday, June 28 • 7:30pm
July 2015 Left Bank Cabaret Patrick Dorow’s
Piano Room
Tuesday, July 7 • 7:30pm
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National Theatre of London HD Broadcast A View From The Bridge
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Left Bank Cabaret Nellie McKay
Writers on a New England Stage
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Intimately Yours Wynton Marsalis with
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Left Bank Cabaret Francesca Blanchard
Sunday, May 17 • 1pm
Tom Brokaw
Wednesday, May 20 • 7:30pm Intimately Yours
The Blind Boys of Alabama Saturday, May 23 • 7pm
Hilarity DARWiN’S WAiTiNG ROOM
Friday, May 29 • 8pm
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Alejandro Escovedo
31
National Theatre of London HD Broadcast The Hard Problem
Saturday, May 30 • 8pm
Sunday, May 31 • 1pm Community Partner
Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Sunday, May 31 • 3pm
KEY
@ The Loft @The Historic Theater
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Date
Writers in the Loft Debbie Macomber
Live @ The Loft
Sierra Leone’s Refugee Allstars
Thursday, September 3 • 7:30pm
December 2015 The Ogunquit Playhouse at The Music
9-20 Hall presents White Christmas Wed., Dec. 9 - Sun., Dec. 20
Saturday, June 27 • 8pm
The District Restaurant Singer Songwriter Series Chris Trapper
Saturday, May 1 • 8pm
3
Thursday, June 18 • 7:30pm
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Date
August 2015
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Wednesday, June 3 • 7:30pm
Sunday, May 3 • 6pm Intimately Yours
Date
Intimately Yours Boz Scaggs Sunday, August 2 • 7pm
Diana Gabaldon
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Project Showcase
2015
2
Writers on a New England Stage
Community Partner Arts in Reach presents: Phenomenal Women
30 31
Date
On Stage & On Screen
Left Bank Cabaret Ruby Rose Fox
Friday, July 10 • 8pm
Saturday, July 11 • 7pm & 9pm
the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Wednesday, July 15 • 7:30pm Thursday, July 16 • 7:30pm
17
Left Bank Cabaret Ben Baldwin
18
Left Bank Cabaret Wondertwins
22
Intimately Yours Straight No Chaser
25
Big Apple Circus
Friday, July 17 • 8pm
Saturday, July 18 • 8pm
Wednesday, July 22 • 7:30pm
Saturday, July 25 • 4pm & 8pm
the met @ the music hall 2015-2016 Season HD Broadcasts SAT., OCTOBER 3 • 1PM IL TROVATORE (Verdi) SAT., OCTOBER 24 • 1PM OTELLO (Verdi) SUN., NOVEMBER 1 • 12PM TANNHÄUSER (Wagner) SUN., NOVEMBER 22 • 12:30PM LULU (Berg) SAT., JANUARY 16 • 1PM LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES (Bizet) SAT., JANUARY 30 • 1PM TURANDOT (Puccini) SUN., MARCH 6 • 1PM MANON LESCAUT (Puccini) SAT., APRIL 2 • 1PM MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Puccini) SUN., APRIL 17 • 1PM ROBERTO DEVEREAUX (Donizetti) SUN., MAY 1 • 1PM ELEKTRA (Strauss)
The Music Hall and The Ogunquit Playhouse Present:
White Christmas
A holiday musical • December 9-20, 2015 • Tickets on sale NOW! TheMusicHall.org
NOW
10
NOW
Friends of The Music Hall 28 Chestnut Street Portsmouth, NH 03801
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6
WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO...
WYNTON MARSALIS WITH THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA (LIVE ON STAGE): JULY 15
BIG APPLE CIRCUS ON STAGE: JULY 25 THANK YOU TO OUR SEASON SPONSORS!
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