Ballet New England finds new home in Portsmouth 

A month after the city abruptly forced Ballet New England to vacate its home of 28 years at the Connie Bean Community Center, the non-profit organization has leased a new, larger space in Portsmouth. Ballet New England is now hosting its dance classes at 1 Raynes Ave., off Maplewood Avenue, above Vision Fitness. 

The city cleared three floors of the Connie Bean Center on Daniel Street last month after safety inspectors deemed the building unsafe. Ballet New England signed a lease for the new space on Jan. 10 and began operating classes there within 48 hours.

At 4,700 square feet, the new location is about double the size of the Connie Bean space, according to BNE executive director Martha Lemire. It also has free parking and other amenities that the Connie Bean lacked, like air conditioning and control over the thermostat. Also, the two studios are larger and more open.

Still, Lemire said the new space lacks the community atmosphere of downtown Portsmouth. “We miss being right in the downtown area. There was just such easy access to the downtown and going into town and having to run errands,” she said. “I feel a little bit isolated.”

Also, rent is higher at the new location and the group needs to raise about $7,500 for a sprung floor for one of the studios. The other studio is already equipped with a floating floor, and Lemire stripped all the mirrors and bars from the old Connie Bean site, where her office and storage space is still temporarily located.

Ballet New England kicked off its classes in the new space last week and is preparing for a collaborative performance in March with the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center. The performance will feature students from both schools and will culminate with PMAC’s string orchestra playing a piece for BNE’s ballet dancers on March 28.

Anyone interested in helping Ballet New England purchase a new sprung floor can send donations to Ballet New England, PO Box 4501, Portsmouth, 03802-4501. Donations are tax deductible. For more information, visit www.balletnewengland.org.

the Ring hosts writers’ meeting

The Players’ Ring in Portsmouth will host its annual writers’ meeting for new and established playwrights on Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. G. Matthew Gaskell, writer and star of the comedy “Sharp Dressed Men,” will lead this year’s session. “Sharp Dressed Men” debuted at The Ring before moving to Seacoast Repertory Theatre last fall.

“The Players’ Ring is the premiere place where anyone can write a play and have a better than average chance of seeing it produced,” Gaskell said in a press release. “The writer’s meeting is the doorway to that. It’s where you can begin the networking process needed to bring your words to life.”

Playwright David Mauriello, whose romantic comedy “Just Say Love” debuted at The Ring and went on to play in Boston and Chicago, said the annual meeting provides opportunities for writers at all levels to network with directors and producers. “Just Say Love” will soon be released as a motion picture.
Gaskell and Mauriello serve on the Board of The Players’ Ring, which formed in 1992 with a mission to produce works by playwrights from within a 90-mile radius of Portsmouth. Half of The Ring’s offerings each season are original plays.

The meeting will take place at The Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth. For more information, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.playersring.org.