It’s no secret that this corner of New Hampshire is known as a destination for all things arts and culture.
Between concerts, art shows and theater performances, there’s so many options to enjoy a day – or evening – out on the town.
With 2019 just about in the books, it’s time to start planning for what the new year has to offer. So grab a pen and a calendar because there are some dates you’re going to want to circle and made sure you don’t miss.
Managing Director Keith Stevens said the Players aren’t quite ready to announce its upcoming season, something he expects will happen by the middle of February. But what Stevens could relay is that the season, which will begin in June, consists of seven professional shows, including a full scale musical, and two shows by the Second Company.
It’s also a bit of milestone year for the Players as 2020 will mark 25 years with the organization for both Stevens and Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen, as well as a handful of other actors and crew that have been around since the 1996 season.
But before thinking about June, the Players still have two shows left in their winter season.
“Always…Patsy Cline”, directed by Tom Frey and featuring Bridget Beirne and Lisa Bostnar, will take to the Players stage Jan. 16-26. Full of down-home laughs and 27 of Cline’s hit songs, the play follows the story of a chance encounter before a concert that began the true-to-life, long-time friendship between Cline and her great fan, Louise Seger. Over beers and bacon-and-eggs, fan and idol became confidants, supporting each other through letters until Cline’s untimely death at age 30.
Kaikkonen directs the final show of the winter season “This Verse Business”, featuring Gordon Clapp, an Emmy-winner (“NYPD Blue”) and Tony-nominee, Feb. 6-16. It’s the perfect marriage between a treasured American poet and a beloved actor, as Clapp returns for an encore performance as Robert Frost in A.M Dolan’s creation.
The Thing in the Spring returns for a 13th year this June and it’s expected to be yet another jam-packed weekend filled with music, films, readings and art.
While the schedule and lineup has yet to be finalized, the dates will be June 4-7. Limited edition passes will be coming soon, and the lineup is expected to be announced sometime around February. The full schedule will come sometime after that.
Hillfest Music Festival returns to New Ipswich for a fourth year on July 11.
Held on a sweeping green hill at the end of Locke Road known as Lord’s Valley, the annual music festival has already announced a portion of the lineup for the one-day event. Headlining this year is Jeremy Camp, who will be joined by Sidewalk Prophets, Austin French, Cain the Band, Maria Hilman and more.
The youth theater program will celebrate 50 years in 2020 and there is a lot going on.
It all begins this Saturday, Jan. 4 at the Second Congregational Church in Wilton with AndyStock from 7 to 10 p.m.
AndyStock was the idea of Andy’s kid Siraj Husainy and is billed as a free PG version of Woodstock. In addition to all the music, it will be night filled with reveals as the 50th anniversary season is announced, which will include four main stage shows.
The four shows will be categorized as movement-based, object and puppet, a teen show and a musical.
“They are four very different styles of storytelling,” said Jared Mezzocchi, Andy’s producing artistic director.
The theme for the 50th season is Reverberation. The goal is to “honor the five decades we’ve been around,” Mezzocchi said, while looking toward the future.
There will be five workshops offered this year, including a new one that’s centered around unearthing local stories.
And of course there’s a big celebration planned for the first week in August – with a show – so stay tuned for details.
The Peterborough Concert Series had quite a bit of success in 2019 and the plan is to keep things going as 2020 rolls around.
After a little more than a month break, the series returns to the Peterborough Town House on Feb. 8 with the Pink Floyd Experience with Space Force. It’s a full audio and visual Pink Floyd experience like never before. Space Force faithfully reproduces the iconic songs and albums from Floyd’s vast catalog. This special show will feature one set of Floyd classics along with one set of Dark Side of The Moon in it’s entirety. Space Force will be bringing along their intergalactic light and video show for this special night only
On Feb. 29, they will host the Ghost of Paul Revere with Upstate and on March 13, so get ready for some high energy boot stomping Celtic Rock with Enter The Haggis, described as one part Irish Pub, two parts Rock ’n Roll.
The James Montgomery Band featuring special guest guitarist Johnny A & the Rolling Stones horn section Uptown Horns will be on March 20
And on April 11, take in Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience. Formed in 1995, Zoso performs the most accurate and captivating Led Zeppelin live show since the real thing.
The 2020 portion of the season kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 12 with the Labyrinth Choir, Boston’s professional ensemble, with their program “On Broadway and at the Movies!” featuring ensemble selections from “Les Misérables”, “Dear Evan Hansen”, “Hamilton”, “Sister Act”, and “A Star Is Born”, and solos from “West Side Story”, “The Music Man”, “Hairspray”, “Sweeney Todd” and so much more.
Feb. 16 marks Music on Norway Pond’s major choral concert highlighted by Gabriel Fauré’s beloved “Requiem” with the Norway Pond Festival singers mixed chorus, organist Mary Ann Fleming and harpist Maria Rindenello.
Choro Bastardo’s jazz pianist and composer Henrique Eisenmann returns on Sunday, March 29, followed by the new ensemble Byron’s Daughter, a five-piece, all-female musical collective that blends jazz, folk, and free improvisation on April 19. The annual fundraiser is April 25 and on May 16, the Junior Minstrels present the classic Gilbert and Sullivan operetta “Pirates of Penzance”.
Uplift Music Festival reached new heights in 2019 with the best lineup yet and a move to Marty’s Driving Range in Mason. Held each July, this is a music-filled day you won’t want to miss so stay tuned for details.
Speaking of Marty’s, the music scene in Mason has been getting better and better with each passing year and we can only imagine there will be more in store for 2020.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the full lineup of speakers planned for the Monadnock Lyceum and Amos Fortune Forum in Peterborough and Jaffrey this summer.
The Electric Earth Concerts will return for another season, beginning in late winter, so check back for more info in the coming months.