Archive for category Lakes Region

The Streetcar Company Presents The Miracle Worker

Nerrishia Bodwell as Annie Sullivan and Sophia Joyal as Helen Keller rehearse a scene from The Miracle Worker being presented by The Streetcar Company December 2nd-4th at Laconia High School

Laconia, NH-
The Streetcar Company will present William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker at Laconia High School on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th. With two months of rehearsals behind them, cast and crew will spend the last few days before opening night fine tuning their roles and acclimating themselves to the newly constructed set. Director J Alward and assistant director Carolyn Desrosiers are quite pleased with the progress made by the cast, especially as a number of them have had little or no previous stage experience. One thing Streetcar tries to encourage is for new members to come and be a part of the live theater experience. While lead actress, Nerrishia Bodwell as Annie Sullivan has a number of shows under her belt with Streetcar and other surrounding companies, this is the first show Heidi Erhard, as Kate Keller, has performed in since high school. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of this presentation.” said Erhard. “It’s been a really positive experience; I feel I have joined a whole new family and I hope the audience appreciates all the work everyone has put into this production.”

Sophia Joyal, a sixth grader at Laconia Middle School, has been seen in a number of Streetcar productions and shows a capacity beyond her years as she portrays the deaf and blind Helen. New to Streetcar, but not to the stage, are Suzanne Banister as Aunt Ev and Eric L. March as Capt. Keller. Others performing in the production are Braeden Alward as James, Dawn Thompson as Viney, Doug Embree as Mr. Anagnos, Riley Alward as Percy, Sharleigh Thomson as Martha, Peter Ayer as Ezekiel, Johan Andersen as the doctor, Rebekah Roy, Hannah Watson, Alexa Dembiec, Cecilia and Kayla Zarella as the blind girls, Alec Thomson as Jimmy and Marcia Haven and Melissa Bigler as the crones.

Based on Gibson’s 1957 teleplay, The Miracle Worker was first presented on Broadway in 1959 starring Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen Keller. Gibson’s adaptation of Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life, garnered rave reviews for the production and lead to the Academy Award winning movie also starring Bancroft and Duke in 1962. The struggle by Sullivan to teach a deaf and blind Keller to communicate with the outside world is a powerful story of compassion and strength of character. Battling her own demons as well as the frustrations presented by the Keller family having coddled Helen for so long, Sullivan’s progress is slow but eventually all parties grow and adapt to the challenges in the end.

Show times are at 7pm on Friday and Saturday night, December 2nd and 3rd, with a 1pm matinee on Sunday the 4th. Tickets are available at Greenlaw’s Music in downtown Laconia, Danbury General Store 705 US Route 4 (at the junction of Routes 4 and 104), and will also be available at the door. Ticket prices are $10.00 each with an advanced sale price of $8.00 for 4 or more tickets purchased at the same time. All tickets will be $10.00 at the door.

For more information go to the company website at www.streetcarcompany.com

, , ,

No Comments updated August 5, 2012

How Does One Say Goodbye?

How does one say goodbye to a life-long companion, confidante, supporter, and lover? Even though I barely knew the person I am thinking of today, I am writing and thinking of my co-worker, who lost his wife last week. I can’t prevent the tears from forming when I think about how difficult it will be for him to carry on in a world that can be so cruel. I’m trying to avoid using names out of respect for the deceased and my co-worker, but it’s hard because these are people, true individuals who mattered to each other greatly in this world.

I suppose this recent passing is moving me so greatly because of the vast divide between how she saw my co-worker and how the rest of the world sees him. If you would ever ask her if she would leave him, she would always say, “God no! He’s a good man and someone would snap him up!” – to which some (IMO) lesser men would shake their heads in disbelief. I don’t think we’ll ever know exactly what she saw in him but what concerns me is whether he will continue to see those good things in himself now that she is gone. Who will be there to remind him every day that he is a good person and has done right by his family, his country, and his God? Who will be there to renew his faith when he is down after the employer he has loyally served for better than 30 years denies him advancement again?

There is so much that isn’t right what my co-worker has gone through in his working life, but she was always there to console him. She was always there to tell him that he was a good man worthy in her eyes and in the eyes of the Lord. Who will remind him of his good traits tomorrow or the next day or the next when (again IMO) a lesser man denigrates him at work – perhaps even with the temerity to do it to his face?

Each of us walks a path in life that at times can be hard. So much of the burden of what we go through in the hardest times is borne by the people who care about us. The greatest burden of all is borne by those closest to us. How does one say goodbye to the person who stood by you when you felt at your lowest? Saw you at your weakest? Loved you at your ugliest?

How does one say goodbye and shoulder those burdens after so many years of being helped by such a good, strong and honorable person? In God we trust. I hope for my friend and co-worker’s sake He is merciful and kind. He’s a good man and deserves it.

, ,

No Comments updated October 25, 2011

Pippin Comes to PSU Silver Center

This Show Altered My Life

Those of you who know me know that Playing the Role of Pippin Changed My Life. It should come as no surprise to you then that I would highly recommend you visit the PSU Silver Center this week to see the PSU Theatre students perform this amazing show. Incomparable music, dance choreography, and imagery are hallmarks of this Tony Award winning classic. Below is the official press release from the Silver Center with details on ticketing and cast info.

Plymouth, N.H. –The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Plymouth State University will present a modern interpretation of the musical Pippin, October 20-23 in the Hanaway Theatre at the Silver Center for the Arts.

Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the original Broadway show in 1972, starring Ben Vereen as “the Leading Player” and John Rubenstein as Pippin. The production addresses adult themes.

The musical uses the device of a mysterious acting troupe led by a “Leading Player” to follow a young prince, Pippin, eldest son of Charlemagne, through his quest to discover the secret of true significance and fulfillment. Pippin plows through obstacles, seeking that fulfillment in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh, and the intrigues of political power.

Adjunct faculty member Morgan Murphy directs the PSU production. Murphy is a film and theater producer, director, actor and instructor with Whitebridge Farm Productions, Plymouth State University and St. Paul’s School. He says, “If done the way Bob Fosse envisioned it, Pippin is surreal and disturbing. We’ve added today’s technology addiction to the array of obstacles and objectives thrown Pippin’s way in the original script. Facing this gauntlet, Pippin has to navigate his way to his own sense of identity and purpose…what does he want to be when he grows up?”

Murphy challenges the audience to consider trying to grow up today when we don’t have time to keep up with our smart phones, let alone figure out why we invented them, or why we buy them. “Perhaps you don’t have to use your imagination at all to recall this common technopoly we live in,” he says. “It can be worth turning it all off occasionally. That moment has always been in the Pippin script, and it’s my favorite moment in the show. Pippin gets to taste simplicity when everything stops for a few seconds.”

The cast includes theatre arts majors Luke Meierdiercks, a junior from St. Johnsbury, Vt., portraying Pippin; Mervin Marvey a senior from Rustenburg, South Africa, portraying the Leading Player; Samantha St. Onge, a senior from Londonderry, portraying Catherine; Alyssa Dumas, a sophomore from Manchester, in the role of Fastrada; Ben Cesare, a junior from Boxborough, Mass., portraying King Charlemagne and Laura Daigle, a sophomore from Salem, portraying Berthe. DJ Spinelli, a senior psychology major from Chester, portrays Lewis and Sam Ebner, an 8th-grade student from Plymouth, portrays Theo.

PSU alumna Amanda Munton is the music director for Pippin, with Lisa Travis as choreographer and Gary Corcoran as conductor.

Performances are Oct. 20 and 22 at 8 p.m., October 21 at 7 p.m., October 22 at 2 p.m. and October 23 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for youth at the Silver Center Box Office, (603) 535-2787 or (800) 779-3869.

, , ,

1 Comment updated July 26, 2013

Annie’s Overflow Re-Opens in Plymouth NH

Annie's Overflow in Plymouth NH Re-Opens after Hurricane Irene

Annie's Overflow Re-Opened October 6th

Signs of Life Returning to Normal in Plymouth After Hurricane Irene

Things are finally starting to get back to normal after hurricane Irene in Plymouth NH with the re-opening of Annie’s Overflow on Rt 175 in Holderness NH. Located just across the border from Plymouth across the bridge on Rt 175, Annie’s is placed mid-way between the Plymouth State University main campus and the Field House. If you’re familiar with the lay of the land at all in Plymouth you know that location put Annie’s square in the middle of the flood damage zone from hurricane Irene in early September 2011.

From Flooding to Recovery in Plymouth NH

Regular readers of our blog will recall the sad videos we posted of the hurricane Irene flooding damage in Plymouth NH just after hurricane Irene flooded the town. Regular patrons will tell you of their feelings for local business-woman and friend Ann Currier, who had recently installed beautiful new carpeting in her restaurant. All the money spent remodeling and redecorating the place was barely paid when Irene blew into town and made a mess of her newly remodeled place.

Patrons React to the Damage by Putting Hands to Work

Lauren, Patty, and Annie of Annie's Overflow in Holderness NH

(from left): Lauren, Patty, and Annie Look Forward to Seeing You Soon!

Friends and patrons of Annie’s showed up by the dozen on Tuesday morning ready to put their gloves on and get to work. With no questions asked the work to clean up and re-model the re-modeling began. Finally this past Thursday (October 6, 2011) Annie’s was ready enough to turn the lights back on and re-open the doors. For folks like yours-truly, it wasn’t a moment too soon – not having had a proper breakfast in 4 weeks!

Now Serving Breakfast and Lunch 7 Days a Week in Plymouth NH!

So Annie would just like to take a moment and say, “THANK YOU!” to all the folks who had come in to help and otherwise wish them a speedy recovery. She’s got a pot of coffee on and Lauren, Patty, and the gang are eager to see all there friends again – and to make new friends as well! So stop by and take a friend or your family out for a great breakfast or lunch at Annie’s Overflow today. See you soon!

Please Do Us a Favor and Like/Share/Twitter This Post!
Thanks so Much
!

, , ,

No Comments updated July 26, 2013

Hurricane Irene Impact Plymouth NH

Plymouth, NH-

Hurricane Irene had a significant impact over a wide area of Plymouth due to the twin rivers (Pemigewasset and Baker) which shape and run through the town. Anyone who has looked at flood plain maps of the area can see there is a significant area of flood plain (most of which is sparsely developed), but there are also some areas which have significant development. Needless to say as a result of Hurricane Irene this past weekend a number of businesses in the flood plain sustained significant damage.

Helicopter Video of Hurricane Irene Damage in Plymouth NH
It just so happens that the morning after hurricane Irene there was enough calm air and sunshine to get a helicopter in the air to survey the damage. The video posted on Facebook is quite clear in showing just how far and wide the Pemigewasset and Baker river flood plains are near town. Some of the highlights from Bruce’s awesome video starting from Plymouth High School (just behind my house) include: Tenney Mtn Highway (:24), Rt 3 (:43) I-93 exit 26 (:46), Common Man Plymouth (:49), PSU Athletic Field/Exit 25 (:46), Annie’s Overflow/Ice Arena/Gas Stations (:59), vast flood plain (1:04), and eventually rt 3 again (2:00 – a line of trees in the water) and the Bridgewater Power Station (2:18).

Businesses Impacted Heavily by the Flooding
Suffice to say that the businesses nearest to exit 25 on I-93 on route 175 saw significant flooding resulting in businesses closing indefinitely until repairs are made. This second video shows a ground eye view of several downtown Plymouth NH landmarks and businesses. Friends familiar with Annie’s Overflow (3:00), the Irving Station (:45), and the Citgo Station / Big Apple (formerly Mobil) will find them closed while repairs are made. Other favorite landmarks such as the Green Street ampitheatre (:30) and the Plymouth State University Athletic Field (1:13) and the new Ice Arena (:00) are also visible.

Tough Road Ahead for Business Recovery
I spend a considerable amount of time in the flood damaged areas, and I am very concerned about the businesses (and their employees) recovering quickly. Each day I pass by Annie’s and the service stations and I hope for everyones sake that they get back up and running soon. Judging by the flood videos and comments I have heard from around town – it’s going to take a lot of work to get things going again. I hope when things return to normal on Rt 175 you all will come over and have breakfast with me and my friends at Annie’s Overflow. They’ll appreciate the business. Tell them Barry sent you.

, , ,

4 Comments updated September 6, 2011