Lakes Region Summer Theatre Still Going Strong

Dan Roach and Amy Prothro in “It Had to be You” at The Barnstormers Theatre.

Although it’s almost time for “back to school,” there’s still a lot of summer still left to enjoy. Summer theatre is a long-standing tradition in the area, and our local Lakes Region playhouses are ending the season in style with top-quality performances that are sure to keep you warm well into fall!

Founded in 1931 by Francis Cleveland, The Barnstormers in Tamworth is one of the longest-running professional summer theatres in the country. The Barnstormers is now one of three Equity theatres in New Hampshire and is the only theatre in the world that maintains the summer theatre tradition of eight plays in eight weeks. During July and August, the theatre features plays that are considered the “gems of American and British theatre.” This weekend, guests can catch the final performances of the madcap comedy, It Had To Be You, which runs until August 18. Next week is the last show of the season—Larry Shue’s The Foreigner, running August 21-25. “The Foreigner is an amazing play that incorporates comedy, drama, farce and a hint of darkness,” says Artistic Director Bob Shea. Read the rest of this entry »

Town of Holderness Celebrating 250 Years!

Mattatuck Drum Band

In celebrating the 250^th anniversary of its founding, nearby Holderness is looking back to its European roots and to those who were here long before the white settlers decided to call this Lakes Region outpost their home.  The celebration will begin this weekend, with lots of activities taking place all over the area!

The festivities kick off on Friday, August 5^th with a free concert at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, where Steve Schuch will perform “Songs and Tales of the Earth” in the beautiful Kirkwood Gardens from 1 – 2pm.  The Holderness Historical Society at Curry Place will also be open from 1 – 6pm, followed by a Street Dance at 7:00 at the Little Church Theater. Come dance the night away with Postage Due on the shores of Squam Lake!  Food options will be available at the dance starting at 6pm.

On Saturday, August 6^th from 9am – 6pm, Curry Place will be bustling with Abenaki artist demonstrations and sales, including Barry Higgins of White Crow Flutes, Bill and Sherry Gould from Western Abenaki Baskets, Darryl Peasley with beaded top hats and leather pouches, and Debbie Dostie of Silver Wolf Creations, as well as many other crafters and food vendors.  There will be a variety of parades to choose from, such as the 9:30am Mattatuck Fife and Drum Band parade by boat from Cotton Cove to Squam Boat Livery, the 10:00am Grand Street Parade on Route 3 from Shepard Hill Rd to the Squam Lake Science Center, and the 10:45am Vintage Boat Flotilla from Cotton Cove to Perkins Cabins on Little Squam.  The Science Center, Library, and Historical Society will also be holding special demonstrations and lectures throughout the day on the history of the area before the European settlers arrived.  The day will be capped off by another dance—a Barn Dance at 7:30pm in the Fisher Family Activity Barn!

The Sunday celebrations will start at 7:30am with a Pancake Breakfast at the Holderness Fire Station, while Abenaki artist demonstrations continue at Curry Place beginning at 9am, where visitors can also enjoy a Native American flute performance by White Crow at 11am.  John Brooks, a Huron descendant, will conduct a trail walk for “Feast at Your Feet” and “The Thee Sister Survival Vegetables” starting at the Historical Society at 2pm, and at 3:30 there will be a reading of the Town Charter at Livermore Common Holderness School.  The evening will finish with a 4pm Vespers service at Trinity Cemetery Chapel, followed by a reading of King George’s charter creating New Holderness and a tour of the Cemetery pointing out prominent Holderness families of the past.

There are so many other activities happening this weekend and throughout the next week that we can’t list them all here.  You’ve got to see for yourself, and what a beautiful weekend it is to visit this lakeside community and take a trip back in time!  Come celebrate the Semiquincentennial of Holderness!

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

On Golden Pond to Wow Audiences at Little Church Theater

Carly Simon and Ernest Thompson, creators of new song, The Father Daughter Dance

Next week, one of the most produced plays in history, On Golden Pond, is coming to Squam Lake—where the movie it inspired was filmed—and for the first time in its 33-year history, this legendary production will be directed by its Academy Award® winning author, Ernest Thompson.

The Little Church Theater, located on the shore of Squam Lake in Holderness, New Hampshire, will be home to On Golden Pond, which opens on the first day of summer, June 21^st, and continues through July 3^rd.  It then runs again from August 23^rd through September 4^th.  This summer marks the 30^th anniversary of the film and the 250^th anniversary of the town of Holderness.

On Golden Pond has been translated into 27 languages and has played in more than 40 countries.  This version of On Golden Pond pays homage to New Hampshire, where Ernest lives and runs Whitebridge Farm Productions with partners Morgan Murphy and Lori Gigliotti Murphy.  Featuring a cast of professional actors, this production takes Ernest back to the essence of a story that for three decades has continued to capture the imagination of audiences everywhere.  One of the opening lines of the play, “Golden Pond is very near wherever you are,” is also its universal message.  Says Ernest, “Everyone has a Golden Pond, an ideal, a fantasy, a home to go to, even if it’s only in a person’s dreams.”

The show will also highlight the world premiere of a brand new song, “The Father Daughter Dance,” recorded by musical legend Carly Simon and created by Carly, Ernest, and Joe Deleault. “When I hear Carly’s voice in ‘The Father Daughter Dance’… it makes me weep every time,” says Lori Gigliotti Murphy, who plays Chelsea in the show.  Another new song, “On Golden Pond,” created by Ernest, Joe, and world-renowned fiddler, Natalie MacMaster, will premiere in this production as well.

Ernest promises a “wildly funny, yet very, very moving” production.  In addition to Lori Gigliotti Murphy as daughter Chelsea, the cast includes Frank Wells as Norman, Vinette Cotter as his wife, Ethel, Morgan Murphy as Chelsea’s dentist boyfriend Bill, Kodiak Thompson as his son Billy, and Joe Sampson as Charlie, the Mailman.  Ernest credits the actors with unearthing an On Golden Pond “that people didn’t know could exist. People will be surprised it’s funnier than the movie, but touching,” he says.

There is no better time to see this outstanding production of the classic American play, now coming to life on stage in the hands of its creator.  Don’t miss On Golden Pond in the place where it all began!  For more information or tickets, call 603-968-2250 or go to www.ongoldenpond.org.

Carrie Reed
The Mill Falls Blogging Team

photo courtesy of Whitebridge Farm Productions

additional source: article in The Citizen of Laconia