ham and beans, music and humor at Garrison Players

Many New Englanders take pride in their roots, and the Garrison Players Arts Center will attempt to manifest that pride with an evening of traditional pleasures. The Rollinsford venue hosts a “Down Home Yankee Ham and Bean Supper” on Saturday, April 12, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Not only will the evening feature home-cooked food, but it will also include the comedic stylings of author and humorist Rebecca Rule and bluegrass music from Mark Wiley and his band of friends.

“The dinner is a country feel. It is home cooking. It is simple, plain, good food,” said Mary Ruth Lynn, director of programming for the Garrison Players. She said Rule’s humor and Wiley’s music have a similar feel.

Plans for the evening were partially modeled after the old fashioned design of the Garrison Players’ building at 650 Portland Ave., which was originally constructed as a Grange hall. “It seems like a good fit,” said Lynn.

The event was also intended to fill a gap in the Garrison Players’ schedule with something the entire community could enjoy, she added.

The festivities will kick off with the ham and bean supper, which includes an array of beverages, salads, rolls and dessert. The evening’s performers will begin their acts in the upstairs auditorium directly following the dinner.

Rebecca Rule’s specialty is crafting small town stories into big laughs. Many of the New Hampshire native’s stories stem from her first-hand experience in rural environments. Rule likes to coordinate her act in accordance with the rest of the evening’s entertainers. She and Wiley are ruminating ways that their acts could work in conjunction.

Wiley is no stranger to the Garrison Players Arts Center, as his bluegrass band graces the stage once a month. The laid back and melodious show has become one of the Center’s most popular features.

Tickets for the evening can be purchased at www.garrisonplayers.org or through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com. The cost for a ticket is $20, which will go toward maintaining the Garrison Players Arts Center. For more information, call the Garrison Players Arts Center at 603-516-4919. 

        
the show’s over for Dover’s Bell Center

The Seacoast lost one of its premier schools for music and performing arts in March. Mired in a prolonged bout with financial problems, The Bell Center for the Arts decided its most economically viable solution was to close its doors. 

According to Kathy Fink, the Bell Center’s founder and executive director, problems began in 2004, when the school purchased a building on Dover’s Fourth Street. At the time of sale, the building appeared to perfectly complement the school’s educational objective. But unforeseen maintenance costs quickly arose when the school was informed that its new building was not compliant with the fire code. After spending more than $100,000 on safety precautions, the school’s budget was left in shambles.

The school made several attempts to raise money, initiating quarterly fundraisers, establishing a year-long capital campaign and renting out space in the building, but it was never able to break even. The building is currently for sale.

Since opening in 1994, The Bell Center schedule included various voice and music classes for students ranging from 3 to 75 years of age. The school also hosted a number of productions, including “Cinderella,” “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and “High School Musical.”

According to Finch, most of the school’s teachers are already seeking out other places to work.

“It is our hope that many of the programs will find homes in other locations and continue to offer musical and dramatic educational opportunities for their members,” she said in an email.

But, with The Bell Center gone, the Seacoast loses both a unique school and a rare performance venue.

“We will lose a valuable resource for a comprehensive school that can offer many different programs to members of the same family that are at different ages and abilities,” she said. “It is difficult to find performance space with a nice grand piano at a reasonable price.”