Gossip: Art in the news; fairytales and fables in the Garrison City ...

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ART IN THE NEWS

BRIEF 1: Art-Speak has received the data for this year's Arts and Economic Prosperity Survey IV, which demonstrate that despite the recession, the arts and culture have had an increased impact on our local economy, generating $41.4 million in total economic activity, up 8.5 percent over the last survey five years ago. Check the main pages for a full story.

BRIEF 2: Bear Kirkpatrick won the $25,000 N.H. Charitable Foundation's 2012 recipient of the Artist Advancement Grant. Check back for a full story in a few weeks.

BRIEF 3: "Coming of Age," John Herman and crew's film, just took 48-Hour Film Project's N.H. Audience Choice, Best Directing and Best Film Award. Next week: What's next.

Fairytales and fables in the Garrison City

Something interesting is bubblin' and boilin' in Dover ? "Into the Grim," a Halloween performance and promenade/haunting extravaganza, courtesy of Theatre.Unmasked (T.UM).

"The show will be completely devised by the actors and director and will be based on fairy tales and fables. We are asking the question, 'What do we learn from fairy tales?'" says Jamie Clavet, who will direct. "Other than that basic outline, the rest is awaiting creation!"

T.UM cofounders Clavet and Aimee Blesing hatched the idea together. "We think Halloween is fascinating ...; and we love fairy tales. We wanted to create a show that would bring fairy tales to life."

Actors will be asked to explore a large number of stories, "from 'Rumpelstiltskin' to 'Cinderella,' and 'The Three Little Pigs,' and a variety of styles and a large variety of characters ? animals, enchanted people, playing little girls, witches and monsters," Clavet says. The project also offers opportunity for special skills, such as clowning, music, puppetry, juggling ? "anything is game."

"The (Washington Street Mills) where we're located is a great background, so we are going to create a haunted mill experience," she says. "The show will include a tour of different exhibits in the mill all related to Halloween. ...; Some will be tableau, some art exhibits and some might be interactive fairy tales."

The play's basic premise is: "A single character travels through the world where all the fairy tales exist. That central character may influence the fairy tale so it changes or they may be changed."

Basic parameters; a fairy tale must allow for a character to journey through it "like Little Red Riding Hood," says Clavet. "Another is there is a clear lesson you learn from the fairy tale."

T.UM is seeking eight to nine actors; requirements: "Creative, adventurous and open-minded." Visual artists are also needed, to create related works for display or to design the promenade's various spaces with specific Halloween themes. "We're looking for anything from painters, sculptors, textile artists, as long as they feel comfortable with a Halloween theme." Info at: jamie@theatreunmasked.com or http://www.theatreunmasked.com/.

Drika and the Dance Hall's history

"Well, in another life I would have loved to be a historian," says Drika Overton. And her words have weight.

Overton, a renowned dancer and director of the Dance Hall in Kittery, Maine, was instrumental in the Portsmouth Vaudeville Project (1999-2003) that included the documentary "4 Theatres: Remembering Portsmouth in the Age of Vaudeville." Now she's turned her sights on the Kittery Grange Hall, built in 1928, home to the Dance Hall.

"There's a life in the Grange Hall. You can feel it. I can feel it," says Overton. "When the minor renovations were going on the workers found memorabilia that I flipped over. ...; I just got fascinated by what was going on here ? what has been going on here for how many years."

From the time the Dance Hall opened people have shared stories about the place. They recalled minstrel shows and 1960 square dances. One woman sent a card saying she met her husband at the latter. "That stuff really touches me."

There were less lovely tales; for example, one regarding a KKK parade in downtown. Overton's initial response was "Oh, my God, I don't want that to be a part of the story," but it is and so it will remain.

The "Vaudeville" project drove home how a building's history can reflect that of a community. "And I decided a lot of people had forgotten what this downtown community has been to Kittery," says Overton. "Buildings that have been gathering places for people have life, especially buildings where people gather for joyful events ...; like this one."

Jillian Clark entered about the time the new project was percolating. "She's a young passionate history student living in the community," says Overton. "She knew at 5 years old she wanted to be a historian."

Together the two are researching and seeking people to interview for a collection of oral stories. Among those on the list is Jim Coles, who grew up beside the Grange and is long the town's unofficial historian.

They're hoping more come forward with stories and memorabilia.

There are plans to make this a community-wide project, and perhaps a video documentary. Both the Maine Arts and Maine Humanities commissions have shown interest in the project. If you have something to share e-mail thedancehallkittery@gmail.com.

D&D? Weeeeeeeeee!

Dungeons and Dragons Live proved more enjoyable than Producer Kathleen Cavalaro anticipated ? much more.

"I really wasn't familiar with it but I had formed some opinions," unflattering ones, she admits, based on D & D circa "high school"; "I was completely wrong."

D&D Live was one presentation, within a collection packaged as "Art Infusion," that got its test-run/workshop at the Players' Ring's "Late Night Series."

"It was very successful and we got a great response from the audience, they let us know they want more," says Cavalaro. "(D&D's) audience doubled in size the second time we (presented) it, and we got e-mails and Facebook messages ... I've never had a response like that after any show I've done."

Hence she and the D&D crew are looking to do it again.

"We are going to pitch it with the Ring, but we're not sure if that will go over or not. If not we'll look for a space that will let us do it twice a month," she says. "We can be creative with the space, it doesn't necessarily need to be in a theater. ...; and it was a workshop. So we learned and now know what needs to be adjusted, so we can make it even better for the next time."

Sew up your spot at the Button Factory

Hey all, time to apply for the Button Factory Winter Open Studio event for Dec. 1 and 2. "I think people think it's the same people every year and they don't have the chance to get in, but they do," says Megan Stelzer. "Last year we had a few new people apply, and it made for a nice breath of fresh air." Interested? E-mail: yankeereal@aol.com, or http://www.buttonfactorystudios.com/application.htm

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Jeann? McCartin has her eyes and ears out for Seacoast gossip. Visit her blog at http://thegossiplady.blogspot.com and e-mail maskmakernh@gmail.com.

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Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120809-ENTERTAIN-208090306

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