FIRST SATURDAY NEW SHOWS ON SALE! FIRST SATURDAY
Our “First Saturday” on sale event for members is Saturday, August 4. The following NEW shows go on sale to members at 10am for walk-up, at noon for phone and internet sales. Tickets on sale to non-members Saturday, August 18 at noon. To become a member, go online to TheMusicHall.org or call 603.436.2400.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores leadership in this culmination of her five decades of acclaimed studies in presidential history.
INTIMATELY YOURS THIEVERY CORPORATION
Wed., October 10 • 8pm • Historic Theater • $49; $69; $75
Thievery Corporation bring their diverse and energized new album from Jamaica to Portsmouth, NH.
Olivia Chaney has built a loyal and growing following as a songwriter and interpreter through her acclaimed and eclectic live performances and much lauded recorded works.
WILDCARD CLARA'S DREAM: A JAZZ NUTCRACKER
Clara's Dream: A Jazz Nutcracker is a highvoltage, sophisticated adaptation of the fairytale ballet, performed by Drika Overton’s MaD Theatricals in 2004
Plus Q&A with Drika Overton.
INTIMATELY YOURS DWIGHT YOAKAM
Tue., October 2 • 8pm • Historic Theater • $62; $84; $90
Grammy Award-winner Dwight Yoakam is a living legend and considered the pioneer of country music.
CURATOR'S CORNER
CASTING FORWARD—TUNE IN!
Thérèse LaGamma, Deputy Director of Programming & Performing Arts Curator
As a new season kicks off, there is much to look forward to.
Brazil’s Seu Jorge returns to town with a show that is sure to get us all moving and dancing to his infectious samba and bossa nova rhythms. Some may recognize his voice from Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou soundtrack where he covered David Bowie songs in his native tongue, Portuguese. This latest show has him performing a mixed repertoire. Be sure to check out this international superstar when he comes through town on August 18!
I'm especially excited to welcome the latest addition to our Intimately Yours series: The Wood Brothers on November 3. The trio tours behind their latest album, One Drop of Truth. NPR’s World Café proclaims, “There is so much warmth, soul, and musicianship at a Wood Brothers show, it's no surprise that the band's audience keeps growing.”
The Loft has come to be known as a place for discovery acts. On September 8 Rev. Sekou takes to the stage. He's a self-described activist, theologian, author, documentary filmmaker, and musician. His music is a unique blend of North Mississippi hill country music, Arkansas Delta blues, Memphis soul, and Pentecostal steel guitar. His live performances are electrifying!
If you missed Dwight Yoakam when he was here five years ago, this is your chance to catch him! He joins us on October 2. Johnny Cash once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak called him as good a songwriter as ever put a pen to paper. Time dubbed him “A Renaissance Man” and Vanity Fair declared that “Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament.”
The Lone Bellow returns to the Music Hall with new songs and transcendent harmonies. The band is known for its raucous live performance. Their voices are made for The Music Hall’s fabulous acoustics! Their performance on October 25 is sure to bring chills when they take to the stage in a full acoustic performance around one microphone.
Announcements of new shows and frequent ticket giveaways are all part of a carefully curated weekly radio show I host on WUNH. Visit WUNH.org for a full schedule and tune in for updates to our calendar. There are some wonderful surprises in store!
Check website for ticket package details
ON STAGE ON STAGE
LIVE AT THE LOFT OLIVIA CHANEY Fri., August 3 • 8pm • Loft • $12
Olivia Chaney has built a loyal and growing following as a songwriter and interpreter through her acclaimed and eclectic live performances and much lauded recorded works.
MEDIA PARTNERS: SERIES SPONSOR:
INTIMATELY YOURS SEU JORGE
Sat., August 18 8pm • Historic Theater • $36
Known to many for his smooth David Bowie covers, Seu Jorge brings Brazilian pop samba to the Historic Theater.
INNOVATION + LEADERSHIP BETH MACY Tue., August 21 7pm Loft • $42*
From the NY Times bestselling author of Factory Man comes the only book to fully chart the opioid crisis in America—an unforgettable portrait of the families and first responders on the front lines.
EVENING SPONSOR: Clear Eye Photo SERIES SPONSORS:
PRESENTING
ON STAGE COMMUNITY
LIVE AT THE LOFT PATTY LARKIN
Sat., August 4 8pm Loft $25
Patty Larkin redefines the boundaries of folkurban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics.
Bright and Bountiful, Fill The Hall was a Success!
This year’s Fill The Hall was a colorful sight! Bags in a rainbow of colors sat full in the balcony while a team of volunteers expertly sorted, collected, moved, and filled throughout the orchestra. Kids lead other kids through the steps (when they weren’t building forts in the banana boxes), and adults hooted and hollered when trucks loaded with groceries drove up the brand-new street. Portsmouth showed its love to the tune of over $5,000 in cash donations, and several tons of food. The end of the day photo captures a full hall, but there were many more bags on the stage, ready to head to Gather’s pantry for the Summer Meals 4 Kids program.
A huge thank you to the dedicated and kind group of volunteers from both The Music Hall and Gather. Thanks also to the individuals, businesses, and entire neighborhoods in the area for collecting and contributing to this year’s event.
Visit
LIVE AT THE LOFT KELLEY HUNT
Fri., August 10 8pm Loft $22
Kelley Hunt has developed authentic, straightfrom-the-heart music with deep roots that transcend limitations of blues genre.
Members are Family
We on the staff love to see you at shows, programs, and events. We also love to see you out in the community—especially when we catch you taking advantage of the great discounts offered to our members by businesses in Portsmouth and beyond. That’s right, in addition to the ability to purchase tickets before the general public, and discounts on select Music Hall events, members also receive special discounts at more than 30 local restaurants and retailers.
For the most complete and current list of participating vendors, go to our gorgeous new website TheMusicHall.org, hover your cursor over the Membership tab, and click on the Special Offers and Discounts link. And don’t forget: Membership makes a great gift! All these benefits and more, and starting at just $50 for an entire household.
Higher levels of membership come with opportunities to socialize, like invitations to our Book Club, Writers on a New England Stage receptions, Director’s Club gatherings, and so on. Look for more on those events in upcoming magazines, and visit or call the Box Office to join or upgrade, or join us anytime online.
Photo: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com
Photos: Sydney Bilodeau
Photo: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com
ON SCREEN HISTORIC THEATER
Film tickets: $12 Adults; $9 Seniors 60+, Students & Military
EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA
EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA SERIES SPONSOR:
See Calendar on page 14 for Show & Tell Discussions
PRESENTING CINEMA SPONSOR:
THE RIDER
R 1h 44m • US
7/28, 7/31, 8/1, 8/2 • 7pm; 7/29 4pm
Based on a true story starring breakout Brady Jandreau as a once-rising star of the rodeo circuit, warned that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident. Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.
ADRIFT
PG13 • 1h 36m • US 8/3, 8/4, 8/7, 8/8, 8/9 • 7pm
Based on the inspiring true story of two sailors who set out to cross the ocean from Tahiti to San Diego. Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley, Fault in Our Stars) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin, Me Before You) couldn't anticipate they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save them both.
HEREDITARY
R • 2h 7m • US
8/10, 8/11, 8/14, 8/15, 8/16 7pm
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell.
WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
PG13 • 1h 34m • US
8/17, 8/21, 8/22 • 7pm; 8/19 • 1pm
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America's favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this emotional and moving film takes us beyond the zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe, and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.
HEARTS BEAT LOUD
PG13 • 1h 37m • US
8/24, 8/25, 8/28, 8/29 7pm
In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad Frank (Nick Offerman) is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) off to college, while being forced to close his vintage record shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly “jam sesh” into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an Internet breakout, they embark on a journey of love, growing up, and musical discovery.
ON SCREEN LOFT
Film tickets: $12 Adults; $9 Seniors 60+, Students & Military
EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA
EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA SERIES SPONSOR:
See Calendar on page 14 for Show & Tell Discussions
PRESENTING CINEMA SPONSOR:
LIVES WELL LIVED
7/27, 7/31, 8/1, 8/2 • 7pm
NR • 1h 12m • US
A documentary film by Sky Bergman that celebrates the incredible wit and wisdom of adults 75 to 100 years old who are living their lives to the fullest. Encompassing over 3,000 years of experience, forty people share their secrets and insights to living a meaningful life. Their intimate memories and inspiring personal histories will make you laugh, perhaps cry, but mostly inspire you.
A KID LIKE JAKE
R • 1h 32m • US
8/5 1pm; 8/7, 8/8, 8/9 • 7pm
Brooklyn parents Alex (Claire Danes) and Greg (Jim Parsons) are lucky to have a kid like Jake. Their four-year-old is bright, precocious, creative—and just happens to prefer Disney princesses to toy cars and skirts to jeans. Jake’s “gender-expansive” behavior—as local preschool director Judy (Octavia Spencer) dubs it—is no big deal to Alex and Greg. Or so it seems, until the process of navigating New York City’s hypercompetitive private school system opens up a 21st-century parental quagmire.
THE
KING R • 1h 47m • US
8/11, 8/14, 8/15, 8/16 7pm; 8/12 1pm
Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, two-time Sundance Grand Jury winner Eugene Jarecki's new film takes the King's 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. In this groundbreaking film, Jarecki paints a visionary portrait of the state of the American Dream and a penetrating look at how the hell we got here. A diverse cast of Americans, both famous and not, join the journey.
THAT SUMMER
NR • 1h 20m US
8/17, 8/18, 8/22, 8/23 • 7pm
Three years before the Maysles' landmark documentary Grey Gardens introduced the world to Edith and Edie Beale—the unforgettable mother-daughter (and Jackie O. relatives)—renowned photographer Peter Beard chronicled life at their crumbling Long Island estate during one summer in 1972 For the first time ever, director Göran Olsson assembles this long-lost footage—featuring glimpses of luminaries like Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, and Truman Capote—into a one-of-a-kind family portrait that would make Big and Little Edie beloved cultural icons.
SAVING BRINTON
NR • 1h 30m • US
8/24, 8/25, 8/29, 8/30 • 7pm; 8/26 1pm
In an Iowa farmhouse basement, eccentric collector Mike Zahs makes a remarkable discovery: the showreels of the man who brought moving pictures to America's Heartland. From thousands of trinkets, handwritten journals, receipts, posters, and catalogs emerges the story of William Franklin Brinton, an inventive farm boy who became America's greatest barnstorming movieman. As Mike uncovers this hidden legacy, he begins a journey to restore the Brinton name that takes us to The Library of Congress, Paris, and back.
ON SCREEN ONE NIGHT ONLY
Film tickets: $12 Adults; $9 Seniors 60+, Students & Military
PRESENTING CINEMA SPONSOR:
SERIES SPONSORS: Cocked Hat Ventures; The Hippo; RAM Printing WILDCARD
EXHIBITION ON SCREEN: LEONARDO FROM THE NAT'L GALLERY LONDON
Sat., August 11 • 1pm Historic Theater $12
London’s National Gallery assembled the largest ever collection of Leonardo’s surviving paintings for a unique exhibition.
FILM CLUB
SERIES SPONSORS: Solari Salon & Spa
INNOVATION + LEADERSHIP ON SCREEN
PRESENTING
MEDIA PARTNERS: NH Gazette; RAM Printing
An all-woman adventure film festival based out of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado that meets a need and desire to highlight and connect individuals who identify as women in pursuit of the radical.
proud supporters of t he Music h all
bringing the arts home...
Tue., August 28 • 7pm • Loft
Subscription (series of six): $75; Individual Ticket: $15
Tom Doniphon has died, and Senator Ransom Stoddard is the only man living who knows the truth of what really happened all those years ago.
“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Starring John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin.
SPONSOR: EVENING SPONSOR: Allergy Associates of New Hampshire
Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling book and narrated by Natalie Portman, Eating Animals is an urgent, eye-opening look at the environmental, economic, and public health consequences of factory farming.
The Ar T s A re T he A nswer to vibrant and prosperous communities where we treasure our heritage, celebrate our diversity and nurture our ingenuity.
Happy 20th Birthday, Telluride by the Sea!
Twenty years ago, Bill and Stella Pence relocated to Portsmouth. They had been co-founders of Telluride Film Festival in Colorado in 1974 (now in its 45th year), the festival about which Roger Ebert said, “[it’s] like Cannes died and went to heaven.” Every year, the tiny town of Telluride gets swarmed by festival goers, who all buy their passes prior to any film titles being announced. That’s how greatly the curators of the festival are trusted.
To the great benefit of the Seacoast, the Pences proposed a mini-version of the festival, which would annually bring six TFF premieres to The Music Hall: Telluride by the Sea!
Twenty years later, Telluride by the Sea is going strong and growing. This year with the new Chestnut Streetscape, there are even more reasons to celebrate this gem of a festival that gives the Seacoast first looks at top-notch film premieres. The cinephiles’ party of the year!
We are also pleased to welcome this year’s Presenting Sponsor, LaBelle Winery!
Titles are announced Friday of Labor Day Weekend. Don’t forget that the top-tier Patron Passes sell out each year, so get them from the Box Office soon!
Visit TheMusicHall.org/Blog for more behind-the-scenes info!
The Innovation + Leadership Series Has a Mission
At The Music Hall, we are more than a theater. We have a mission to give back to the community, our home. Through our Innovation + Leadership series, we can do that in the way we know best: through art. Both on screen and on stage, the series explores all topics, from food waste and education, to drug epidemics and sexual assault, to well-being and more.
In New Hampshire, we know too well the effect of the opioid crisis, and sadly it’s often too close to home. We’ve heard from many of you at our previous discussions at The Heroin Effect screening, the Let’s Talk About series in the Loft, and recently at June’s screening of The Peacemaker. This month, we invite Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, to the Loft for an in-depth look at how this crisis affects families and first responders alike, and where we go from here. Dopesick is the only book to fully chart America’s 20+ year struggle with opioid addiction. This topic is immensely important for The Music Hall and we hope you will join us on August 21 for this incredible event.
Our planet needs our attention, too: between waste and destruction, the sustainability of this planet is one of the most critical topics covered. On August 30, Eating Animals will discuss the consequences of factory farming and the benefits of ethical farming in this documentary based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling book and narrated by Natalie Portman. In June’s International Ocean Film Tour, we saw six short films of our impact on the ocean alongside action footage of water sports and humans battling this epic force. But it doesn’t end there: The Music Hall shows out-ofthis-world films that explore space with young, aspiring astronauts and a famous scientist with a mission to save the world.
And through it all, we must find hope. Authors Angela Duckworth and Ann Hood remind us that we have to fight for the things we want and to cherish what we have, like food, family, and love. In Duckworth’s Grit, we learn the power of perseverance behindthe-scenes of some of the most trying careers and most successful people. And in Hood’s collection of personal essays, Kitchen Yarns, she explores ways to combat grief with camaraderie, craft, and a good meal (something we can all get behind).
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Bonjour and Bienvenue to La Maison Navarre!
If you could take your eyes off the action on Chestnut Street for a moment, you may have noticed a lot of work happening at our neighbor’s, La Maison Navarre. The authentic French pastry shop has expanded with the addition of MN Wine Bar - Fromagerie & Charcuterie. That eyecatching glass counter of macarons in the front window is now mimicked in the back by a glass case of exceptional French cheeses and cold cuts, surrounded by shelves of French wines.
Maison Navarre is now open all week, from morning to evening, making it the perfect stop for breakfast (croissants and brioches), lunch (baguettes, quiche, and salad), dinner (wine), and dessert (macarons, madeleines, and fromage).
How could your visit be any better, you wonder? Well, flip over your most recent Music Hall ticket to reveal a coupon good for 10% off your MN purchase! That’s right, in addition to being good neighbors, La Maison Navarre is also a Corporate Partner of The Music Hall, sponsoring our ticket stock.
Don’t want to go alone? La Maison Navarre will be hosting our Director’s Club members (members at the Patron level and above) for an event on Wednesday, October 17. Come have a seat at the new MN Wine Bar, enjoy light appetizers, and connect with your Music Hall community.
To learn more about La Maison Navarre, visit MNPastry.com
Join us at one of our upcoming Innovation + Leadership events and help us make a lasting impact on the world and our hometown.
Panel Discussion at The Heroin Effect Photo: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com
Photo: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com
Photo: Sydney Bilodeau
AUGUST 2018
AT A GLANCE
AUGUST 2018
Live at the Loft
Olivia Chaney
Friday, August 3 • 8pm
Live at the Loft
Patty Larkin
Saturday, August 4 • 8pm
Live at the Loft
Kelley Hunt
Friday, August 10 • 8pm
Wildcard
Exhibition On Screen: Leonardo:
From the National Gallery London
Saturday, August 11 • 1pm
Rental Partner
CreativeMornings PKX
Friday, August 17 • 8:30am
Intimately Yours
Seu Jorge
Saturday, August 18 • 8pm
Innovation + Leadership
Beth Macy
Tuesday, August 21 • 7pm
Wildcard
No Man's Land Film Festival
Thursday, August 23 • 7pm
Film Club
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Tuesday, August 28 • 7pm
Innovation + Leadership
Eating Animals
Thursday, August 30 • 7pm
SEPTEMBER 2018
Live at the Loft
Guy Capecelatro III and Jocelyn Mackenzie
Wednesday, September 5 • 7:30pm
Rental Partner
TedxPortsmouth presents: TEDxPortsmouth 2018: That was Then Friday, September 7 • 9am
Hilarity
Brent Weinbach
Friday, September 7 • 8pm
Live at the Loft
Rev. Sekou
Saturday, September 8 • 8pm
Live at the Loft
Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Thursday, September 13 • 7:30pm
Telluride by the Sea Film Festival
Friday, September 14 - Sun., September 16
Film Club
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Tuesday, September 18 • 7pm
Wildcard
An American
SEPTEMBER 2018
Rental Partner
CreativeMornings PKX
Friday, September 21 • 8:30am
Hilarity
Lewis Black: The Joke's on Us Tour
Friday, September 21 • 8pm
Wildcard
An American in Paris
Sunday, September 23 • 1pm
Innovation + Leadership
Angela Duckworth
Thursday, September 27 • 7pm
Writers on a New England Stage
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Friday, September 28 • 7pm
Live at the Loft
Lucy Kaplansky
Friday, September 28 • 8pm
Live at the Loft
Western Den
Saturday, September 29 • 8pm
OCTOBER 2018
Intimately Yours
Dwight Yoakam
Tuesday, October 2 • 8pm
Writers in the Loft
Jill Lepore
Wednesday, October 3 • 7pm
Opera Connection
18-19 Season Preview
Thursday, October 4 • 5:30pm
The Met at The Music Hall
Aida (Verdi)
Saturday, October 6 • 1pm
Intimately Yours
Thievery Corporation
Wednesday, October 10 • 8pm
Writers in the Loft
Ben Macintyre
Tuesday, October 16 • 7pm
School Days Series
The Rainbow Fish
Wednesday, October 17 • 9:30am & 11:30am
Rental Partner
Paul Dykstra with Great Bay Philharmonic
Saturday, October 20 • 8pm
Intimately Yours
Renée Fleming
Sunday, October 21 • 4pm
Film Club
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Tuesday, October 23 • 6:30pm
Intimately Yours
The Lone Bellow: TRIIIO Tour
Thursday, October 25 • 7:30pm
OCTOBER 2018
NOVEMBER 2018
Intimately Yours
The Wood Brothers
Saturday, November 3 • 8pm
Holiday Auction
Sunday, November 4 - Sunday, November 18
Writers on a New England Stage
Lee Child
Tuesday, November 6 • 7pm
Live at the Loft
Willy Porter
Friday, November 9 • 8pm
Intimately Yours
Boz Scaggs: Out of the Blues Tour
Saturday, November 10 • 8pm
The Met at The Music Hall
Marnie (Muhly)
Sunday, November 11 • 1pm
Film Club
Unforgiven
Tuesday, November 13 • 7pm
Rental Partner
CreativeMornings PKX
Friday, November 16 • 8:30am
The Music Hall presents The Ogunquit Playhouse production of: Elf The Musical
Wed, November 28 - Sun., December 16
DECEMBER 2018
