Granite Man

Fused Glass Workshop at Meredith Gallery

Explore the world of melted glass in a fast-paced workshop at The League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery on Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 12 pm – 4 pm that will introduce the glass student to the techniques, materials, and equipment used to create a beautiful glass landscape.

Create an original work using a full Come Sho Larger range of glass colors in sheet, various sizes of frit, stringers, and a variety of kiln techniques to create depth in your p S OurNewtore! image. Many fused glass landscape examples will be on display. Safety, kiln fi ring, glass cutting, and cold working techniques will be covered. We will be using Bullseye glass COE 90 and other equipment to cut, grind, and shape your glass. Come prepared to work hard and have fun!

Students should bring an apron to class. Tuition is $150.00 per person with no additional materials fee. Space is limited to and pre-registration is required. Those who wish to take the class MUST sign up by Saturday, September 10th. To register or inquire about the class, call us at (603) 279-7920 or stop into the gallery at 279 Daniel Webster Highway, Meredith, NH. For more details, visit our website at http://meredith.nhcrafts.org and our Facebook page at http://www. facebook.com/nhcraft/ The League of NH Craftsmen is a non-profi t organization that encourages and promotes the creation, use and preservation of fi ne contemporary and traditional hand craft. The League represents the signature of excellence in fi ne craft, through the work of its juried members, and its rigorous standards for self-expression, vision, and quality craftsmanship.

Musical Masterpiece on Playhouse Stage

Lionel Bart’s adaptation of Dickens classic Oliver Twist runs at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse until September 3rd. With favorite songs like Consider Yourself, Oom Pah-Pah, and Food, Glorious Food, Lionel Bart’s Oliver! is considered a musical masterpiece and is one of the few movie musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

The setting is Victorian England and orphan Oliver Twist (played by Bria Tremblay) sets out on adventures which see him getting involved with the more unsavory characters of London’s underground like the pickpocket The Artful Dodger (played by Nellie Hedquist) and a band of robbers lead by Fagin (played by Producing Artistic Director Neil Pankhurst). NH-award winning actress Ashley Meeken gives a stunning performance as Nancy, delivering the heart wrenching song As Long as He Needs Me.

The production is helmed by Samantha Tella whose production of The Graduate won the NH Theatre Award for Best Play in 2017. Two-time Emmy Award winner Melissa Shakun has designed the multi-level set.

Remaining performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and with matinees at 2pm on August 25th, 30th, and September 1st.

The production is generously sponsored by Dead River Company and ReMax Bayside. For more information or tickets, visit www.winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.

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By Mark Okrant

Following a two-year hiatus, I recently had the privilege of re-interviewing Jeff Rapsis, a silent movie organist, specializing in an art form that was essential during the years before sound became a standard element of moving pictures.

The vast majority of movies released during the first three decades of the twentieth century were strictly visual. Audiences were left to imagine their favorite actors’ voices, and what gunfire or a speeding train sounded like. Those early films also were lacking the beautiful musical scores that current audiences take for granted. Originally, pit orchestras and pianists provided accompaniment for films. The group size and skill level of those performers varied depending upon the regional location and population density of their communities.

Beginning in the 1920s, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company started building special pipe organs that provided both music and sound effects to accompany silent films. Unlike church organs, these had a horseshoe shape arrangement of stop tabs, or switches, above and around the keyboard. Designed to stand out, rather than hidden in corners, theater organs had gaudy decorations, often including lots of gold trim.

A theater organ was designed to replace an entire orchestra and, with proper use of the numerous switches and pedals, a skilled organist could provide a limitless range of sound effects. Many were equipped with a motorized platform that allowed the organist to be raised, lowered, and spun around in order to be fully aware of a movie’s scenes and the audience’s reaction to them. So popular were these instruments that more than seven thousand organs, produced by Wurlitzer and others, were installed in theaters throughout the US and other parts of the world prior to the mid-1930s. Also, numerous civic auditoriums and sports arenas were fitted with them. Of the thousands of theater organs that existed, fewer than forty remain in their original venues today, with some of the best examples being New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, the Chicago Theater, and Joliet Illinois’ Rialto Square Theater.

A native of Nashua, Jeff Rapsis got his start in the world of entertainment while he was an English major at Fordham University. At the same time he was acquiring the tools that would prepare him for a thirty-five year career in the newspaper business, he became a fan of old movies, especially comedies.

A talented musician, Rapsis thought it would be fun to try accompanying a movie. His first effort was in 2007, when he volunteered to provide music for the 1925 silent movie classic, Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney, Sr. Rather than attempt to use sheet music containing popular tunes, Rapsis elected to improvise on a digital synthesizer. The effort proved to be a big success; so he looked for other opportunities.

Between March and July 2020, COVID-19 brought live performances to a screeching halt. Interviewing Rapsis, it is apparent that he still loves performing in front of audiences. Fortunately for Jeff and audiences throughout New England and within the Midwest, early Fall 2020 saw him back to his schedule of between 100 and 120 silent film screenings per year. Asked if the pace tires him, he laughed, “I only do two shows during the average week.” Still, this seems like quite a pace for an artist who always improvises without the aid of sheet music. In fact, Rapsis has been so busy that he’s “worn out two big ass touch-sensitive keyboards” on his digital synthesizer.

Rapsis incorporates both a bass tuba and trombone, as well as bells, whistles, and everything but the kitchen sink, for sound effects during a film’s showing. At this juncture, I received a lesson about the attitude behind Rapsis’ craft. As he told me:

“Silent movies were designed to be shown to large audiences. It’s my job to use music and sounds to create an atmosphere or rhythm in order to get those old movies across to modern audiences.”

Clearly, Jeff Rapsis is a study in contrasts. He uses modern technology— his “big ass” keyboard—to provide needed atmosphere for a century-old medium. But, there is so much more to his performances. While Rapsis uses his improvisational skills to create a rich environment that focuses audiences’ attention on silent films, his effort does not stop here. The beauty of the experience comes in knitting together a group of strangers into a single community. Thus, during a performance, Jeff Rapsis serves as entertainer, audience member, and social director.

Asked to name his favorite films to work with, Rapsis demurred, much like a man questioned about the identity of his favorite child. After being pressed, he admitted a special affection for a Ukrainian film released in 1929, titled “Man With a Movie Camera.” Directed by Dziga Vertov, the film is part documentary and part cinematic art. It depicts scenes of ordinary daily life in that region of the Soviet Union during the late 1920s. Its depiction of city life is exceptional, even without the aid of titles or narration. Under current circumstances, it behooves all of us to see this gem.

There are thirty-four scheduled performances by Jeff Rapsis between the beginning of August and the end of October, in venues throughout New England, including: the Leavitt Theatre in Ogunquit ME, the Rex Theatre in Manchester NH, Brandon Town Hall in Brandon VT, Wilton Town Hall in Wilton NH, Alton Town Gazebo in Alton Bay NH, Ludlow Auditorium in Ludlow VT, Center of the Arts in Natick MA, and the Flying Monkey Movie House in Plymouth NH.

To view a full schedule of movies and locations where Rapsis will be performing during the next twelve weeks, visit silentfilmlivemusic.blogspot.com. Meanwhile, if you’d like to book a truly exceptional experience within your community, Jeff Rapsis can be reached at 603.236.9237, or jeffrapsis@gmail. com. Don’t be concerned if you have no Wurlitzer or sound system at your site; Rapsis travels with his synthesizer, projector, and speakers.