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All Stories
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Film reviews
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Written by Larry Clow
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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rated R
Once you’ve gotten high and gone on a
mind-bending odyssey to White Castle, the only place left to go for
some extreme strangeness is Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. military prison camp
that’s physically in Cuba but exists in a legal no-man’s-land, where
the rules of the real world don’t apply. Throwing two high-strung
stoners into the mix sounds like a recipe for some off-the-wall comedy,
but “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” never really gets as
weird as it should. There’s some pointed jabs at the war on terror and
snipes at racial stereotypes amid all the dick and fart jokes, but the
movie never gets as subversive as you might expect.
Hours after their fateful trip to White Castle, Harold (John
Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are onboard a plane bound for Amsterdam,
where Kumar plans to enjoy all the legal weed he can handle and Harold
plans to woo his dream girl, Maria (Paula Garces). When a paranoid old
lady on the plane, already suspicious of Kumar because of his dark
skin, spots him lighting up a homemade smokeless bong, she cries
terrorism, and it’s not long before the hapless duo is locked up in
Gitmo.
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Film - general
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Written by Bill Trotter
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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Ioka will woo the Seacoast indie-film crowd
“It is a
great way to bring in a new demographic,” said Roger Detzler, owner of
Exeter’s Ioka Theatre. He’s excited about a new arrangement between the
Ioka and Emerging Pictures, an independent film distribution company.
Over the past couple of years, Detzler had noticed increasing
public demand for a venue dedicated to independent films. He saw the
trend as a steady source of revenue, but couldn’t conjure up an
appropriate business solution.
When Emerging Pictures contacted him two years ago, he was at
first reluctant to adopt such a “quirky business model.” The two sides
conversed sporadically, but Detzler remained uninterested until he was
certain that Emerging Pictures would steadily progress into “a more
marketable product.”
The deal was finalized a few months ago, and the Ioka began
renovating its smaller downstairs screening room to accomodate a new
entertainment system by early May. In all, the upgrades will cost over
$20,000, as the room’s old 35-millimeter projection system is converted
into a digital, high-definition system.
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Alan Chase's Jazz Universe
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Written by Alan Chase
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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It’s time for a roundup of recent CDs that have crossed my desk over
the past few months, starting with a couple of discs from Boston-area
artists who play locally with some frequency.
Brooke Sofferman’s “Fine Whines,” on Summit Records
(www.summitrecords.com), is a very good outing that showcases
Sofferman’s solid approach to drumming in a variety of settings, from
solo to trio to full quintet. The drummer is ably assisted by Norm
Zocher on guitar, Phil Grenadier on trumpet, Bruno Raberg on bass and
Jerry Bergonzi on saxophone. Sofferman arranged or composed all the
music on the disc, and, as one would expect from a drummer’s recording,
the album is full of provocative and intricate rhythms and meters. The
music primarily has an open modal sound that can start to seem
redundant after a while, especially with 13 tunes on the disc. But
Sofferman keeps things interesting with his propulsive drum work and
his fine sense of interaction with the other musicians, especially
Bergonzi’s inside/outside playing, which is a highlight throughout.
There is an underlying sense of humor in the music that gives the
recording an upbeat vibe, most notably on an outrageous version of “The
Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” and an inventive arrangement titled
“All Kashmir,” which combines elements of Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and
Led Zep’s “Kashmir.”
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Music - general
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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The Molenes pack bluegrass and twang into new disc
The
album begins with an instrumental bluegrass jam titled “Redemption.”
The introductory track weaves strains of banjo and mandolin into a
driving, rockabilly drumbeat, knitting together a timeless sound that
follows the roots of American music. As the tune begins to fade,
amplified feedback drowns out the jam, making way for the country-rock
guitar riff of “There’s a Sufferin’.”
It’s a striking transition, and one that might surprise fans of
The Molenes’ first album, “This Car Is Big.” Emerging more than 18
months after the debut disc, “Songs of Sin and Redemption” wraps
together all the rootsy elements that define The Molenes’ style, from
blues to bluegrass, rock to rockabilly. The band will unveil its new
effort with a CD release show at The Press Room on Saturday, May 3.
“We feel like this is kind of more representative of what we’re
like as a band now,” said front man Dave Hunter. “It really kind of
says who we are more and it speaks to the kind of music we want to
play.”
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Cover Stories
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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UNH’s Jeffrey Bolster rethinks our shamed maritime history
From
the days when Native Americans paddled along the Piscataqua River and
out to the Isles of Shoals on birch bark canoes, up through World War
II, when the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was churning out submarines
faster than any other shipyard in the world, the Seacoast has enjoyed a
rich culture around the construction of sea vessels. To this day,
Portsmouth’s working seaport remains a vital part of the regional
economy and identity.
But American maritime history, which has its roots in northern
New England, has long been rife with inaccuracies. That’s according to
Portsmouth resident Jeffrey Bolster, who co-authored the recent book,
“The Way of the Ship: America’s Maritime History Reenvisioned,
1600-2000.” According to Bolster, an associate professor of history at
the University of New Hampshire, the canonical view of the nation’s
maritime history has focused almost exclusively on oceanic ships, and
not enough on the domestic ships that have crisscrossed the country’s
lakes, rivers and coastlines for centuries. The historical focus on
deep water ships and the U.S. Merchant Marine belies the fact that
America’s shipping trade has thrived for centuries in the country’s
interior.
“In other words, the real story of waterborne commerce in
America is a story of Americans trading with each other, of Americans
using ships and tugs and barges to trade with each other,” Bolster
said.
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News - general
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Friday, 02 May 2008 |
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issue of airport ownership sparks turbulence in Rochester
A
couple of months ago, it appeared that Skyhaven Airport was about to
land in the hands of the Pease Development Authority. The Rochester
City Council had deadlocked on a vote in February to take over
ownership of the small airport on Route 108, failing to reach a
consensus by its March 1 deadline. With the idea of city ownership
apparently sunk, the state was poised to hand over Skyhaven operations
to the PDA on July 1. But then the Council changed its mind.
On
April 15, the Council voted to undo its February vote and reconsider
ownership of the airport. State Sen. Jackie Cilley (D-Barrington)
quickly amended a bill before the N.H. House to extend the deadline for
a city decision on Skyhaven. If approved, House Bill 1168 would give
the Council until May 30 to commit to owning the airport. If the
Council fails to make that commitment, the N.H. Department of
Transportation will negotiate a lease for the PDA to take over airport
operations on July 1.
So … what caused the Council to reconsider?
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Stage - general
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Written by Bill Trotter
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Pontine performs ‘The Story of a Bad Boy’
In its day,
“The Story of a Bad Boy” sparked a great deal of controversy, yet it
has also been hailed as the work of a pioneering genius. Portsmouth’s
Thomas Bailey Aldrich deviated from tradition when he published a
semi-fictional account of his childhood in 1870. The content was
unusual and risky, perking the curiosity of thousands of shocked
readers.
Beginning on Friday, April 25, Pontine Theatre in
Portsmouth will host an original adaptation of the revolutionary story.
The events narrated in the book will be recreated by Greg Gathers and
Margeurite Mathews, who have revised the content to fit the confines of
a stage.
Gathers said adapting Aldrich’s book to the stage
was easier than you might expect. The book is divided into stories
about Aldrich’s childhood, narrated by the author as an adult. In the
two-person performance, Gathers tackles the role of Aldrich, while
Mathews portrays several other characters. At various points in the
play, the pair uses 30-inch puppets, cutout illustrations, shadow
puppets and projector video to recreate other characters and settings.
“Everyone who has seen rehearsal so far has said it’s a visual feast for the eyes,” Gathers said.
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Literary - general
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Written by Bill Trotter
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Used and unwanted books, CDs, DVDs, videos and audio books can now
be donated to the Got Books program. The Portsmouth Recycling Center
and Got Books program have united by putting a donation container
behind the Recycling Center on 680 Peverly Hill Road. The intent is to
collect and redistribute items no longer needed by local residents.
“The container in Portsmouth is solely benefiting Portsmouth by
keeping waste out of the landfill and allowing for the reuse of items
which are taking up space for residents and businesses in the city,”
Got Books marketing coordinator Michelle Bushee wrote in an e-mail.
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Literary - general
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Written by Josh Pierce
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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by Peter Zheutlin, Citadel Press, 2007, 224 pages
It
has all the elements of a tall tale: Two wealthy, Boston sugar
merchants make a high-stakes, $10,000 bet, challenging an inexperienced
young woman to ride a bicycle around the globe, starting with nothing
but the clothes on her back. The cyclist is also tasked with earning
$5,000, without accepting any charity, before returning to Boston in 15
months or less.
On June 27, 1894, a young Jewish housewife left Boston’s West
End tenements in an attempt to become the first woman to ride a bicycle
around the world. It was the first bicycle Annie Londonderry had ever
owned—a 42-pound Columbia. She wore cumbersome long skirts, which were
the accepted women’s clothing of the time, and carried nothing else
with her. A new book by author Peter Zheutlin documents Londonderry’s
historic adventure.
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Food - general
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Written by Patrick Law
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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exploring the appeal of summer beers
Summer on the
Seacoast is a fine mix of sultry heat, ocean breezes and tasty
barbeques. It’s enough to make you thirsty—thirsty for beer. Beginning
each spring, a number of local and regional breweries produce seasonal
brews that offer relief from the heat while complementing the feel and
flavors of summer.
On Thursday, April 24, Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth will host a
summer release party for its seasonal beer, Sunrye. As if the dawning
of summer isn’t reason enough to celebrate, the kickoff party
commemorates the impending season with kegs of Sunrye, live reggae and
free giveaways.
Most of the events Redhook hosts throughout the year are
concerts focused on the music. But the Sunrye party is “really focused
on the beer,” said Jessica Watts, event coordinator for Redhook.
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Features - general
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Written by Alan Chase
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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jazz singer Sheila Jordan reflects on a life in jazz
Sheila
Jordan is one of the living legends of jazz. Jordan, who appears at the
Press Room on Saturday, April 26, as part of the Jazzmouth Jazz
Festival, is an inventive singer who has performed with a wide variety
of jazz greats, from Dizzy Gillespie and George Russell to Steve Kuhn
and Tom Harrell. Passionate about bebop, Jordan received guidance from
Charlie Parker early in her career and studied with the great teacher
and pianist Lennie Tristano. She worked full-time by day while pursuing
her musical interests at night, all while raising a daughter as a
single mom. She has also taught at a number of universities and jazz
schools, passing her knowledge on to new generations of musical
aspirants. An upbeat person with a positive outlook, Jordan has a busy
year ahead, including an 80th birthday celebration at Jazz at Lincoln
Center in November. The Wire chatted with Jordan over the phone
recently on a wide range of topics.
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Cover Stories
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Written by staff
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Billy Collins to headline Jazzmouth 2008
Since its
inception in 2005, the annual Jazzmouth festival has managed to bring
an array of talented poets and musicians into Portsmouth. Last year’s
events included live performances from internationally recognized
Romanian poet Andrei Codrescu and inventive jazz bassist Eric Mingus,
son of the great Charles Mingus. Multi-instrumentalist David Amram, who
has been performing with jazz and literary legends like Jack Kerouac
for more than 50 years, has made it to all three Jazzmouth celebrations
and will return in 2008, joining this year’s headliner, former U.S.
Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The 67-year-old Collins, who has published
eight collections of poetry and has also served as poet laureate of New
York state, is known for his rejection of standard poetic forms and his
retaliation against over-interpretation of poems. He is now a
distinguished professor of English at Lehman College in the Bronx,
where he has taught for more than 30 years. Collins will headline the
Super Beat Night Extravaganza at The Music Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday,
April 25. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Collins
conducted by Chris Elliott on his radio show, “Culture Waves,” on
106.1, WSCA, Portsmouth Community Radio.
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Music - general
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Film School joins Tiny Whales and Mosfet at Bourbon’s
When
The Wire first caught up with Film School guitarist Dave Dupuis last
week, he was in Baton Rouge, where he had been snacking on alligator
meat prior to a show at a club called Spanish Moon. The next day, he
and his four band mates were packed into their E350 Ford Super Duty
van, on their way to New Orleans for another gig at a place called One
Eyed Jacks. It was business as usual for Dupuis, who has been gigging
and touring with various bands since the late 1990s. But this tour has
a special twist: it will allow Dupuis to play a live show in his native
New Hampshire for the first time in about 12 years. Film School will be
at Bourbon’s in Portsmouth on Tuesday, April 29, along with local bands
Mosfet and Tiny Whales.
Dupuis grew up in Dover and attended the University of New
Hampshire, graduating in 1996. Toward the end of his college years, he
formed a band called Blackout Fighter Pilots, which gigged regularly at
venues like The Elvis Room and The Muddy River. He moved to Boston in
’97 but managed to keep the band together until the West Coast
unexpectedly beckoned.
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Tales from the Video Vault
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Written by Larry Clow
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Filmways Pictures, 1981
starring: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer and
Lou David
directed by: Tony Maylam
The plot: Cropsy (David), the
caretaker at Camp Blackfoot, is targeted one evening by a group of
mischievous campers. Angry at Cropsy for his bad attitude and
prodigious drinking, the campers plant a human skull with a lit candle
on a table next to his bed. Cropsy awakens, panics and is soon engulfed
in flames. The campers run off, horrified at their prank gone awry,
while Cropsy is left to recover from his wounds. Five years later,
Cropsy is released from the hospital, his face and body hideously
disfigured. Where does he go but Camp Stonewater, a new camp built
across the river from the former site of Camp Blackfoot. There, Cropsy
finds a new batch of campers, led by counselors Todd (Matthews) and
Michelle (Ayres). As Cropsy lurks about, one camper, Alfred (Backer),
takes all the blame for the weird happenings around camp.
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Film reviews
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Written by Trevor F Bartlett
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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rated R
To get a good idea of what to expect from the
new break-up comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” look no further than
it’s star and writer, Jason Segel. A veteran of Judd Apatow’s televised
“Freaks and Geeks” school, with a brief stint on “CSI,” you may have
last noticed him as Seth Rogan’s towering slacker friend in “Knocked
Up.” Like many of the men on Apatow’s crew, he comes across as a
doughy, needy, ne’er do well, with a sly comic outlook and an
undeniable attraction to smokin’-hot ladies. This movie is a lot like
that.
In writing the film (which Segel admits is 80 percent
autobiographical—including having worked on a musical production of
“Dracula” written for puppets and having once been mercilessly dumped
by a girl while completely naked), he’s put himself completely on the
line. There’s a clear and heartfelt sincerity to all the characters,
like ’em or not, which connects the audience to their plights and buoys
the comedy in a way few other film producers have even attempted.
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News - general
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Written by Matt Kanner
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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union employees at Dover schools fight for their jobs
A
small group of local union employees took to the streets of Dover on
April 13, marching and waving signs in front of City Hall on Central
Avenue. The group, consisting of members of the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2932, was protesting the
Dover School District’s decision to privatize custodial services at
city schools. The decision means that 30 to 35 union employees who
currently staff the schools will be out of a job when their three-year
contract expires on June 30.
The demonstration was quickly broken up by police, who said the
group needed a permit for such a public congregation. Union members
tried to reschedule for the following Monday, but they were told that
the permit would have to be approved by the City Council, which would
not convene again until Wednesday, April 23.
“Apparently, you can’t disagree with city government unless city
government gives you permission to disagree with them,” said Brian
Lamirande, a representative for the New Hampshire office of AFSCME
Council 93.
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News - general
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Written by Patrick Law
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Portsmouth considers streetscape improvements on Market Street Extension
The
Islington Street Action Plan has received a lot of headlines lately.
But another corridor leading into Portsmouth is also slated for big
changes. A public input session was recently held to discuss the Market
Street Extension Streetscape Improvement Plan.
Market Street Extension runs from Kearsage Way, under Interstate
95, to Deer Street. Dubbed a “gateway” into Portsmouth, it is the main
access route to the central business district and home to the city’s
working waterfront. Nearly 16,000 vehicles enter Portsmouth via the
road each day, passing by such attractions as the Greater Portsmouth
Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center and the Albacore Submarine Museum.
On April 14, roughly 35 people gathered at Portsmouth Public Library
for the unveiling of conceptual designs created by the Cecil Group.
Sprucing up the aesthetics of this four-lane corridor is a
primary focus of the project. Officials also hope to improve signage,
provide traffic calming elements and improve safety conditions for
cyclists and pedestrians. The improvements are also meant to highlight
views of the Piscataqua River and North Mill Pond.
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Stage - general
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Written by Bill Trotter
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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
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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.
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Stage - general
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Written by Scarlett Ridgway Savage
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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
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‘Last Night’ at The Players’ Ring
Orson Welles was
famous for saying a lot of things, but my personal favorite quote is,
“No one likes to leave a theater feeling empty."
In newcomer Carolyn Gallo’s play, “Last Night,” audience members
feel so many things that, when they leave, they feel as though they
just stepped off a rollercoaster—lightheaded and slightly nauseated.
And just because they may have seen one or two of those dips coming
doesn’t mean their stomachs don’t get thrown right into their throats.
The feeling is jolting, horrifying, hopeful, agonizing and delicious.
This rookie knocked it out of the park on her first try.
“Last Night,” which runs through Sunday, April 20 at The
Players’ Ring in Portsmouth, takes you on a journey that begins as a
well-traveled path. You already know these characters: You’ve dated
them, they’re your brothers, and the klutzy, well-meaning but
unconfident lead character reminded me of the young woman I once stared
at in the mirror. Oh, yes, I knew these characters. I remember the
arrogant but gorgeous lady’s man, and I remember the
obsessive/compulsive youth who refused to realize his potential because
he might have failed—or succeeded.
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Food - general
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Written by Patrick Law
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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
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stakeholders discuss male-only dogfish fishery
A series
of regulations were established in the 1990s to help restore the
over-fished spiny dogfish population. The small schooling sharks made a
successful comeback, but, in the process, the ratio of male to female
dogfish shifted dramatically. Males continue to outnumber females and
are competing for food with other important fish species.
“Typically with dogfish, if you talk about a population in
equilibrium, you want to see a two-to-one ratio—two males to every one
female,” said Ken La Valley, commercial fishing specialist with New
Hampshire Sea Grant. “What you’re seeing now is a five or six to one
ratio. Because of that, it’s out of balance.”
On April 2, a meeting was held at the Gulf of Maine Research
Institute in Portland, Maine, to discuss the potential for establishing
a male-only dogfish fishery. Joining that meeting via videoconference
was a smaller gathering hosted by N.H. Sea Grant at the Seacoast
Science Center in Rye.
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Art Show
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Written by Marie Gallo
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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
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‘New Hampshire Originals’ unveiled at the Lamont Gallery
The
current exhibition at the Lamont Gallery at Philips Exeter Academy
shows off New Hampshire’s diverse artistic population. The show is a
refreshing medley of sculptures, paintings and furniture designs by
artists who have been deemed “Lifetime Fellows” by the New Hampshire
State Council on the Arts. In order to earn that title, an artist must
have received at least three grants from the New Hampshire State
Council on the Arts since 1981, the year the award took shape. Five of
the 10 Lifetime Fellows are exhibited in “New Hampshire Originals,”
including James Aponovich, Carol Aronson-Shore, Jon Brooks, James
Coates and Gary Haven Smith. The exhibition is a wonderful reflection
of dedicated, talented artists living and working in our very own
Granite State.
Since 2006, James Aponovich has been New Hampshire’s artist
laureate, a position only three others have ever held. The UNH grad
takes a realistic approach to his still life paintings of brightly
colored flowers and fruits. He places his subjects upon a stone
windowsill overlooking an Italian countryside, much like the
composition of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.”
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