NH Unscripted with Ray Dudley: Recent Episodes
rjdudley
3X New Hampshire Theatre Awards winner, actor, author Ray Dudley chats with the movers and shakers of the arts and entertainment industries to talk shop.
We want to know all about them: their passions, their projects, their futures!
Directors, actors, filmmakers, government officials, casting agents, etc.
Examples of Theaters: Hatbox Theatre, Concord City Auditorium, Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Jean's Playhouse, The Players Ring, etc.
(Celebrating 80yrs of blissful community radio!) We at WKXL's NH Unscripted know the heartache of failure and so did the 60's and 70's! So many ways to fail (and God knows we've had our share), so much material to sing about! Here's our playlist:
The Beatles – “I’m a Loser” (1964)
Ray Charles – “Born to Lose” (1962)
Simon & Garfunkel – “The Boxer” (1969)
Gladys Knight & Pips - “Midnight Train to Georgia” (1972)
The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
The Temptations – “Since I Lost My Baby” (1965)
Etta James – “I’d Rather Go Blind” (1967/1968)
Frank Sinatra – “Here’s to the Losers” (1964)
The Everly Brothers – “Bye Bye Love” (1957)
The Platters – “The Great Pretender” (1955/1956)
Harry Chapin – “Taxi” (1972)
Albert Hammond – “It Never Rains in Southern California” (1972)
NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
We at WKXL's NH Unscripted gave you the overtures! Now we start bringing the hits. Songs from various musicals that got our feet tapping and put our "car karaoke" into full throat mode! We present to you our playlist for today:
Put on a Happy Face (Bye Bye Birdie)
If Ever I Would Leave You (Camelot)
Love Makes the World Go Round (Carnival)
Brotherhood of Man (How to Succeed in Business…)
Comedy Tonight (A Funny Thing…Forum)
Consider Yourself (Oliver)
Sunrise, Sunset (Fiddler)
Hello Dolly (Hello Dolly)
People (Funny Girl)
The Impossible Dream (…La Mancha)
Cabaret (Cabaret)
NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of envious community radio!) We at WKXL's NH Unscripted continue our mini series: “Shows That Got Us Into The Theater” and present to you overtures from the Broadway Musicals of the 70’s! Just picture the overtures from these shows: “JC Superstar”, “Follies”, “The Wiz”, “Chicago” and “Grease” to name few. Big shows, big overtures and, man, did they get us in the theaters!! Playlist:
- Company
- A Chorus Line
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Follies
- Grease
- Pippin
- A Little Night Music
- The Wiz
- Chicago
- Annie
- Sweeney Todd
- Evita
NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of incredible community radio!) Well, we at WKXL's NH Unscripted decided that it's time to help let the NH Arts community really take a look at what the heck the Righteous Brothers were singing about in their song "Rock & Roll Heaven". And, man oh man, is it rich! Just take a peek at this playlist and try to tell us that we're wrong:
1)Rock and Roll Heaven - The Righteous Brothers
2)Rainbow Bridge - Jimi Hendrix
3)Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin
4)Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
5)Light My Fire - Jim Morrison
6)Bad, Bad Leroy - Jim Croce
7)Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
8)Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
9)Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
10)Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher - Jackie Wilson
11)Monday, Monday - Mama Cass Elliot (The Mamas & Papas)
NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of uplifting community radio!)
Never get tired of Shakespeare? Never get tired of beer? What would a marriage of those two prospects look like? We at WKXL's NH Unscripted ask that same question! Thanks for asking! It would look VERY much like the brand new professional group called “The Stage of Fools Theatre Company” which the award winning actor Glenn Provost has created. He’s the Artistic Director as well and he drops by to talk his new group, beer, Shakespeare, the Stark Brewing Co. hosting their events and what a night combing the two looks like. Think you’d like to AUDITION or help out? Here’s a link: SOF involvement page.
NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of community radio) We here at WKXL and NH Unscripted realize that theaters rely very little on ticket sales. Those are a small drop compared to the actual costs of producing a show. And so many theaters depending on ad revenue and donations to make up the difference. Enter the unsung heros. Or in this case "hero", singular. Dr. Marc Bard and his organization "Paintings for a Purpose" . And that purpose? According to is website: "Our mission is to advance the well-being of our communities by financially supporting charitable organizations that provide valuable community resources and services. 100% of our sales revenue is donated to those community-based charitable organizations." Yes 100%! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
(NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com)
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of community radio!) It’s summertime and that means that it’s time to talk about our body’s shape and condition with Darrell Glass from Eastern States Medical on Loudon Rd again. Not only do the provide peptides and HRT, but, they employ cutting edge tech like “T-Shape2” “…It combines radio frequency, low-level laser therapy, vacuum massage, and mechanical stimulation in one platform…skin tightening, body contouring, improved circulation, and a smoother overall appearance…” And “Styku 3D Body Analysis” to “…create a full 3D model of your body in under 60 seconds.” Now we're talking!
(NH Unscripted is proud to be recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com)
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
It's no secret that WKXL's NH Unscripted isn't very well versed on many, many topics and so it's time for another episode about something I don’t know about! Today we are discussing whiskey. You read that correctly! Jameson McKible from All Casks Considered (aka AllCasks.club) drops in to educate me about the topic. And man, did I need the education! He also has a really insightful YT page:
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/eo2tfjEjZkI?feature=oembed
(NH Unscripted is recognized as one of the Top 100 Acting Podcasts on the web and also featured in the Top 50 New Hampshire Podcasts list by Millionpodcasts.com)
(Airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
We at WKXL's NH Unscripted realize that the 60’s sure had a lot going on (I know it's an understatement). But some of the things that immediately come to mind about that decade are the monikers “Flower Power” as well as “The Summer of Love” and so we’re all in on songs that have a “vegetative” inference. Our playlist:
1)”Roses Are Red (My Love)" – Bobby Vinton
2)”San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)" – Scott McKenzie
3)”Paper Roses" – Anita Bryant
4)”Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" – The Kingston Trio
5)”Flowers in the Rain" – The Move
6)”Flowers on the Wall" – The Statler Brothers
7)”Eighteen Yellow Roses" – Bobby Darin
8)”Build Me Up Buttercup" – The Foundations
9)”Green Grass" – Gary Lewis & the Playboys
10) “Green, Green Grass of Home” - Tom Jones
11) “Artificial Flowers” - Bobby Darin
12)“Crimson and Clover” Tommy James
(NH Unscripted airs @ 9am M/W/F on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
We at WKXL’s NH Unscripted are always trying to find ways to entice our audience to go out and have dinner and see a show. Today we’re going to introduce you (or re-introduce) to the shows and songs that got us all goosebumpily about seeing the shows live. And so we give you: “ The Shows That Got Us Off The Couch And Into The Theater”. First up is the overtures from the Broadway show during the years 1960-1969. Think “Camelot”, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “My Fair Lady”, etc.
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F @ 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord and 101.9FM Manchester)
(Wildly celebrating 80yrs of community loved community radio!)
So, yeah, there's gonna be a heartache tonight! Not only did folks growing up in the 60’s and 70’s have to worry about things like “the draft”, dying in Vietnam, forced integration, civil rights, multiple assassinations, protests everywhere, Woodstock (complete with the Hell’s Angels), the National Guard (Ohio anyone?), BUT, they had to learn to love in between. And with love comes the other side of the coin: Heartbreak. Welcome to the heartbreak of the 60’s!!! Orbison, Temptations, Righteous Brothers, The Eagles, etc. right here at WKXL's NH Unscripted. Song list:**
1) Crying – Roy Orbison (1961)
2) The End of the World – Skeeter Davis (1963)
3) Since I Lost My Baby – The Temptations (1965)
4) I Wish It Would Rain – The Temptations (1967)
5) You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ – The Righteous Brothers (1964)
6) Breaking Up Is Hard to Do – Neil Sedaka (1962)
7) Walk Away Renée – The Left Banke (1966)
😎 Hurt So Bad – Little Anthony and the Imperials (1965)
9) Go Away Little Girl – Steve Lawrence (1963)
10) Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right – Peter, Paul and Mary (1963)
11) Yesterday – The Beatles (1965)
12) You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – Dusty Springfield (1966)
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord & 101.9FM Manchester. Wayback Machine Edition is on Mondays @ 103.9FM. Streaming on Apple Music, Google Play, Soundcloud and sometimes Spotify)
(Heck yeah we're still celebration 80ys of beautiful, local, brilliant community radio!) When you hear the name “Easterseals” do you find yourself asking the question: “Are they still around?” Well we did. And so when WKXL's NH Unscripted got the chance to chat with a spokesperson from Easterseals NH we jumped on it. Welcome Ana McKenna, Chief Military & Veterans Services Officer over at Easterseals NH and man, oh, man did she give me all the deets and promptly filled me in on all of the great work they do!!!!
(NH Unscripted airs @ 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord & 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of envious community radio) We here at WKXL's NH Unscripted have an enormous respect for the wonderful folks that actually pen the work we love to perform and bring to life. I recently got the opportunity to interview Colette Mazunik, author of “A Danger to Yourself and Others", the comedy currently premiering at the Peterborough Players. She was so gracious to give me almost an hour to sit and listen as she talked about her works, work ethic, this production itself, and, believe me, a whole lot more!! A Danger to Yourself and Others- July 1st - 12th
(NH Unscripted airs @ 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of the finest community radio) WKXL's NH Unscripted takes us down the path of being free! Mainly free from a relationship but we toss the wilderness, the wind, a band of gold and maybe a song about a light of mine.
The roster:
1) “People Got to Be Free" – The Rascals (1968)
2) “Born Free" – Roger Williams (1966)
3) “Don't Set Me Free" – Ray Charles (1963)
4) ”Blowin' in the Wind" – Peter, Paul and Mary (1963)
5) ”Set Him Free" – Skeeter Davis (1959/1960s)
6) "I Will Survive" – Gloria Gaynor (1978)
7) “It's Too Late" – Carole King (1971)
8) “I Am Woman" – Helen Reddy (1972)
9) "You're So Vain" – Carly Simon (1972)
10) "Band of Gold" – Freda Payne (1970):
11) “This Little Light of Mine” The Seekers
12) "She's Gone" – Hall & Oates (1973)
Bonus track: 13) "Release Me" – Esther Phillips (1962)
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F at 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, and 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of unrivaled community radio!) The Winnipesaukee Playhouse has a new Producing Artistic Director and his name is Bryan Knowlton. Bryan stops by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to talk about his new role, how it impacts play selection, auditions, the Winni itself and then he talks a bit about his background. He’s very excited to step into the role and discusses his history with the Winnipesaukee Playhouse.
(NH Unscripted airs @ 9AM on 1450AM/103.9 FM Concord & 101.9FM Manchester and is streamed as well on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Soundcloud, etc.)
(STILL Celebrating 80yrs of stellar community radio!) Today’s guest was Josh Gross from the group Puppeteers for Fears. They’re bringing their Show “Roboapocalypse” to the Bank of New Hampshire stage July 14. Josh gives us the history of the group, the puppets, the audience reaction, and where they’re going from here.
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F @ 9AM 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
It's amazing how many songs from the 60's have something to do with the topic of "Walking"! So today, WKXL's NH Unscripted, along with our producer Andrew Gibson, "walks" through some of the Billboard Hot 100 gems. Think:
Walk a Mile in My Shoes — Joe South (1969)
25 Miles — Edwin Starr (1969)
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ — Nancy Sinatra (1966)
I’m Walkin’ — Fats Domino (1960)
Walk Right Back — The Everly Brothers (1961)
Walk On By — Dionne Warwick (1964)
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) — Four Tops (1965)
Walk Away Renée — The Left Banke (1966)
Walk Like a Man — The Four Seasons (1963)
Walkin’ the Dog — Rufus Thomas (1963)
Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog — Norma Tanega (1966)
The Wanderer — Dion DiMucci (1961)
Also, we add a bonus track as we close out the episode!
(NH Unscripted airs @9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord and 104.5FM Manchester)
WKXL's NH Unscripted guest is Nancy Barry from the Interlakes Theatre in Meredith New Hampshire. Nancy stops by to talk about their fundraiser called “Great Balls of Fire” that’s opening this weekend, about the new awards that they have won, her children's summer theater program and about all of her stars that have gone onto Broadway and of course this year’s productions of “Hello Dolly”, “Cabaret” and more!!
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F 9am 1450AM/103.9FM Concord & 101.9FM Manchester. Can also be found on Google Play, Apple Music, Soundcloud and Spotify)
There is no shortage of theater productions happening right now in NH. This state is practically bursting with talent and productions that are having audiences rave about them. WKXL's NH Unscripted is a proud supporter of the entertainment scene here and with the season now upon us it’s time to talk about them. Playhouses mentioned in this episode: The Ogunquit Playhouse, The Winni Playhouse, Interlakes Theater, The Peterborough Players, Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, The Palace Theater. And we touch on upcoming fall (aka haunted) shows. Toss some songs and we’ve got a show!
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F 9am 1450AM/103.9FM Concord & 101.9FM Manchester and can be found on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Soundcloud, etc.)
(Celebrating 80yrs of community radio!)
Yesterday was Father's day, so we at WKXL's NH Unscripted dug out some classic songs dedicated to all the dads out there. So tune on in and enjoy some tunes from the 60s about the dear old dads out there! Think: "Patches", "Leader of the Band", "Color Him Father", etc
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F 9am 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of the highest quality local community radio!) It’s that time of year again! We at WKXL's NH Unscripted want to talk about summer movies and Saturday morning cartoons. Enter stage right: Daniel Siletti and behind the glass with added commentary is Andrew Gibson. We had a blast talking about upcoming summer movies that we’re anticipating and cover some favorite Saturday morning cartoons. We even reference some of the great old time shows. Think "Davey and Goliath" the clay-mation figures. And being the geeks we are, a lot of trivia and little known facts get dropped along the way. So much fun (almost too much)!
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F at 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord, 101.9FM Manchester and can be found on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Soundcloud, Spotify, etc.)
(Celebrating 80yrs of top tier community radio!)
WKXL's NH Unscripted believes that right now I don’t think there’s a hotter spot that you want to be seen at than Arts Alley in downtown Concord. More specifically you want to make the scenes at the Rooftop Social (“…where elevated vibes meet skyline sips…” and the Courtyard “…The Beating Heart of Arts Alley…”. Arts Alley is almost a year old now, but, still remains pretty unknown to many folks. From activities like watching the FIFA matches to Hat Burning to lawn games, live music, weddings, business events to just hanging out this is becoming THE spot to be seen!
(NH Unscripted, as well as all of the WKXL programs, can be found on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc. and airs M/W/F at 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord and 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs, you read that right, 80yrs of community radio!)
We here at WKXL's NH Unscripted missed out on Mother's Day (okay, we just forgot. Alright?) and so in honor of that we decided to play some songs dedicated to love and the romancing of the ladies in our lives. We hope you love these songs as much as we do! Our Playlist:
Aubrey – Bread (1972/1973).
Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass (1972)
Candida – Tony Orlando & Dawn (1970).
Layla – Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton, 1971)
Delilah – Tom Jones (1968).
Eloise – Barry Ryan (1968).
Honey – Bobby Goldsboro (1968).
Tracy – The Cuff Links (1969).
Julie - Bobby Sherman (1970)
Barbara Ann – The Beach Boys (1965).
Donna – Richie Valens (1958/59)
Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose - Tony Orlando and Dawn (1973)
(NH Unscripted, as well as all of the WKXL programs, can be found on Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc. and airs M/W/F at 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM Concord and 101.9FM Manchester)
(Celebrating 80yrs of community radio!) Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode has Andrew & I chatting about an array of topics from around the state. We chat up “Come From Away” at The Winnipeasaukee Playhouse, “Hello Dolly” at the Interlakes Theater as well as the Ogunquit Playhouse, NH Gives Day, audition notices for upcoming shows and some odd personal blabbing.
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F at 9am 1450AM/103.9FM/101.FM)
(NHTalkradio.com)
(Celebrating 80yrs of spectacular community radio!) Did we ever tell you how much we love entrepreneurs? Todays’ episode is one of the great reasons why. Chris Joseph, founder and head kook (his words), of Brain Wave Mushroom Gummies calls in to the WKXL NH Unscripted studio talk about his company and products. They make and sell mushroom gummies. It’s a fascinating story and a brilliant product. They say “It’s like floss for your brain.” Great episode!
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM/101.9FM)
(Celebrating 80yrs of the finest community radio!) The 60's were filled with emotions!! Crying, dreaming and loving all ran hot! Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted we're delivering the heat. Our playlist:
- Summer in the City – The Lovin’ Spoonful (1966)
- (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave – Martha and the Vandellas (1963)
- Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly & the Family Stone (1969)
- Light My Fire – The Doors (1967)
- Fire – Arthur Brown (1968)
- Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash (1963)
- In the Heat of the Night – Ray Charles (1967)
- Sunny – Bobby Hebb (1966) Bright, warm, sunny-day feel-good hit.
- Big Cold Wind – Pat Boone (1961) A chilly, lonely wind blowing through.
- I Wish It Would Rain – The Temptations (1968) Longing for cooling rain amid emotional heat.
- Sunshine Superman – Donovan (1966) Warm, sunny, psychedelic summer energy.
- Summertime Blues – Blue Cheer (1968) Hard-rocking version of the Eddie Cochran classic about summer frustrations.
(NH Unscripted air M/W/F 9am 1450AM/103.9FM/101.9FM)
Gordon Clapp, star of NYPD Blue, Chicago Fire, Eight Men Out, Cheers and Wonder Years, calls in to the WKXL NH Unscripted show to chat about his upcoming performance as Robert Frost at the @barnstormerstheatre in Tamworth June 6th.
Time for WKXL's NH Unscripted to finish my interview with Brendon Fox, AD for the Peterborough Players. We’ve gotten through the first half hour and it’s time to get to the last half hour. Peterborough is a quintessential NH theater and their summer slate is packed. Sherlock Holmes, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jane Austen and the Pulitzer Prize winning “Proof” are all on the schedule! And that’s just the main stage! They have a whole “Arts on Screen” involving The Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre that has whole life of its own. Toss in a quick look at what else is happening around the state and you’ve got a full episode.
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F at 9am 1450AM, 103.9FM, 101.9FM as well as can be found: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, etc)
(Celebrating 80yrs of unrivaled community radio!) We at WKXL's NH Unscripted present to the NH Arts Community our latest episode of Wayback Machine Monday and we've gone from crying (see the previous Wayback Monday) to dreaming baby!!!!! The Lovin' Spoonful, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, The Mama's & Papa's, The Everly Brothers, and so many more are all dreaming.
(WKXL's NH Unscripted airs M/W/F at 9am 1450AM/130.9FM, 101.9FM and is streaming on Apple music, Spotify, etc)
In today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode we had a very special call in guest, Kathy Garver. Kathy is the original “Cissy” from Family Affair whose Hollywood journey started with The Ten Commandments and keeps right on rolling today. From her PR release: “Beyond classic TV, Kathy’s voice has shaped decades of animation, from Firestar on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends to more than 80 audiobooks. She just landed a 2026 GRAMMY nomination for narrating Elvis, Rocky and Me…” Kathy’s portion of the show took up the first half of the episode and then Andrew and I talk about the various productions happening around the state. And trust me, there’s an abundance!
(NH Unscripted airs every M/W/F at 9AM on WKXL 1450AM/103.9FM)
(WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of premier community radio!) We all know it's true. There are actors who can sing and singers who can act and then… well and then there’s the other side. There are actors who cannot sing and shouldn’t but do (we're looking at you Pierce Brosnan) and singers who cannot act and shouldn’t but do. It’s time to name names and Daniel Siletti’s in the house to help us focus on all of those artists.
(NH Unscripted airs M/W/F mornings at 9am on 1450AM/103.9FM and 101.9FM. And can be streamed in all its glory on Soundcloud or NHTalkradio.com)
(WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of fan loved community radio!) On today's WKXl NH Unscripted Memorial Day Wayback Machine, we are looking at some popular songs from the 1960's that are all about one thing. Hopefully it won’t make you cry too much! I mean, come on! The Vietnam War, protests, the assassinations of John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., forced bussing, etc. You'd be crying too! And into that mix we drop Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, Brenda Lee and, oh yeah, a couple more!!
(WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of the finest community radio!) In this episode of WKXL's NH Unscripted: during the first half of the show we play two of the four segments from an interview I did with Brendon Fox, the Artistic Director for the Peterborough Players. The final two segments of that interview will air at a later date. Then, Andrew and I talk about shows/productions that are currently up and running as well as point folks to some of the shows/productions/auditions that are coming up. Featured: The Barnstormers, Peterborough Players, Powerhouse Collaborative.
(NH Unscripted airs every M/W/F at 9am on WKXL)
(Celebrating 80yrs of spectacular community radio!) The Barnstormers Theatre is celebrating 96yrs and Jordan Ahnquist, Artistic Director and Kate Middleton (with a her new title and duties) stop by the WKXL NH Unscripted studios to tell us all about it. And it’s a packed season. A “Summer Soiree Gala” in June, a one person show about Robert Frost, Agatha Christie Murder Mystery, the play called “One of the longest-running non-musical plays in the world…”, “a must-see new play that follows a typical board meeting on what seems like a typical day…” and a play that’s “Often hailed as one of the most charming musicals ever written." And that’s just scratching the surface!!!
(Celebrating 80yrs of highly sought after community radio!) Well, it's time to get serious. What the heck is the current state of cannabis in our state? How can we be one toke over the line sweet Jesus if we don't know!!!!! Matt Simon, Director of Public and Government Relations for GraniteLeaf Cannabis stops by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to help us try to understand the curious state of medical cannabis in NH. GraniteLeaf Cannabis has two dispensaries (did you know that?) AND a production facility in Peterborough NH. Some of the topics: certification vs prescribing, conditions that qualify for a medical card, how to get one, pricing of their various products, what a visit to their dispensaries is like, ohhhhhh and so much more.
(Celebrating 80 grand years of community radio!) Rubin Lichtenstein comes back home to the WKXL NH Unscripted studio with some great updates about his business “Rubin’s Hot Sauce”. Rubin, CTV (Concord Community TV) and the restaurant 90 Low, located in Eagle SQ., got together and created a cooking show. It’s been getting great reviews and personally I’m loving it. Rubin has news about working with Hannaford Supermarkets, gives us updates on some of the fairs and festivals he’ll be doing this year and we get to discuss his 5 and 10yr plans for the biz.
(Celebrating 80yrs of raucous community radio!) On today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode of the Wayback machine, we’re taking a deep dive look at the life of Johnny Rivers. He sold over 30 million records, discovered the fifth dimension, and yet most people don’t have a clue who he is. Think "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", "Memphis", "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu", etc.Time to set the record straight.
Man oh man do I love sourdough bread! New Hampshire has some absolutely incredible sourdough bakers and WKXL's NH Unscripted is thrilled to introduce you one of them. Gary Sessa of Sessa's Sourdough drops by the studio to give us the lowdown on how and why the Sessa’s entered the market. Two years ago, they were baking and selling just 5 loaves at the end of their driveway. Today, they have a whole new industrial kitchen in their basement where they’re cranking out 200 loaves of sourdough and tons of pastries every week! They sometimes bake up to 500 loaves a week!! I have a soft spot for entrepreneurs because they’re dreamers and doers and they have a heckuva knack for getting things done. Check 'em out: https://tinyurl.com/nhksjjtp
(Dinner Theater is on the menu) Sometimes it’s just great to sit and chat with friends and today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode is one of those events. Kat Abdelwahid and Mary Fraser of Lend Me A Theater stop in to discuss what’s happening with their group. LMAT occupy a unique niche and specialize in Dinner Theatre (usually at the @tupelomusichall Tupelo Music Hall in Derry). They are a VERY nomadic group and that fact adds a layer to everything they do that most groups do NOT have to contend with. I’ve known the group almost since their beginnings and have been trying to get them back into the studio for a couple of years now. Finally we get to catch up.
Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted we are taking a more in depth look at the history of Motown, the artists, the music, and chart topping stories surrounding them! (Kudos to the YT channel "Groove Lens" for the transcript I used). Some of the greatest Motown hits almost never happened. Here's the crazy story along with the songs that were massive hits, but, almost weren't. Think: Ain't Too Proud to Beg, I Heard it Through the Grapevine", "Tears of a Clown", just for starters!
Jeff Preston from Mint Condition Cleaners sits down with WKXL's NH Unscripted to discuss who, what, when, where and why the franchise exists and what’s happening with it in NH. "Imagine a life where you're not only providing for your family but also enjoying the comforts of a beautiful home and empowering your children with quality education. Your unwavering dedication and work ethic is your driving force. Introducing Mint Condition Commercial Cleaning – Your Gateway to Entrepreneurship."
(Proudly celebrating 80yrs of exemplary community radio!) Well WKXL and NH Unscripted have dutifully turned our clocks forward and turning the clocks forward tells me that it’s time to talk again with Jamie Jobin and Heather Moynihan from the Capitol Area Beekeepers Association. Beekeepers around the state are eager about getting to look at their bee boxes to see how they’ve faired over the winter. Bears, parasites, colony collapse and a whole host of other tasks all come under the umbrella of topics that are addressed!
Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted: Most of us who enjoy the music of the 60’s weren’t aware of the impact of a group of studio musicians had on what we were enjoying. Those musicians were known as The Wrecking Crew. The Wrecking Crew were an elite group of Los Angeles studio musicians who quietly played on hundreds of hit records in the 1960s—and shaped the sound of modern pop. Some info: What they did: Played backing tracks for major artists who often only added vocals later, Could learn and record songs incredibly fast, sometimes cutting multiple hits in a single day, were central to producers who demanded precision and speed. They defined the Los Angeles studio sound of the 1960s and influenced how records are made to this day. We hope you enjoy our samples of their work.
Still, yup, still celebrating 80yrs of exemplary community radio! It’s always exciting here at WKXL's NH Unscripted when we get to chat with folks from theatre groups that we didn’t know existed! Introducing the Stone Arch Players in Hillsboro NH. Kimberly Damboise, Besty O’Mally and Gene Gould (via phone) of the Stone Arch Players discuss why they came into existence, shows that they’re interested in performing, fundraisers they conduct, sponsors (thank God for those), their current performance space and what they hope the future holds for the arts in Hillsborough.
(Celebrating 80yrs of the highest quality community radio!) Well time for another education. Sandra Harper from CloverPottery603.com stops in to the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to talk about her business (including 3 upcoming fairs), the pottery classes she offers, the gorgeous studio and fills me in on the basics of creating art using clay! Cute beach houses, gnomes, mugs, etc. We covered it.
(Celebrating 80 glorious years of community radio!) On todays' WKXL NH Unscripted Wayback Machine, we decided to go a little nautical for the NH Arts Community! All these songs from the 60s (and even a little 70s) have one thing in common. So let's ride that wave for these fun tunes!
(Celebrating 80yrs of truly enviable community radio!) Marek Bennett makes a return visit to discuss his latest book “The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby” Vol 4. It’s a large, beautiful and simplistic book featuring illustrations that are mesmerizing but magnetic to the soul. We also discuss his project “New Hampshire Sketchbook – Community Conversations” which details public events around the state that were hosted by NH CDFA and the NH Humanities. The time flew by too quickly!
(Celebrating 80yrs of the most excellent community radio!) Some things just don't compute. Can you picture Dick Van Dyke as James Bond? How about Nicholas Cage as Superman? Well those are some of the VERY interesting tidbits that Daniel Siletti brings to today’s WKXL's NH Unscripted episode. Many of the stars in lead roles weren’t the first casting choice, but, now we can’t think of anybody BUT the final choice. Casting choices: That’s what we’re chatting about.
(Are you wondering if we're still celebrating 80yrs of community radio? Heck yeah we are!!) On today's WKXL NH Unscripted Wayback Machine Monday, Ray takes us back to some hits that crossed genres! The 60's were a crazy eclectic time for music and we're highlighting Country Western-ish hits that made their way over to the Billboard Hot 100. Roger Miller, Eddy Arnold, The Man in Black - Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and a heckuva lot more!
(Psst...we're celebrating 80yrs of exemplary community radio) Hot topic time! Darrell Glass, owner of Eastern States Medical on Loudon Rd in Concord, stops by WKXL's NH Unscripted to chat about the topic of peptides. We focus a little more attention to the GLP’s and weight loss in general, but, several other peptides get mentioned as well. BPC157, Tesamorelin, Sermorelin, NAD+ all get a little love in our attempt to delve into the peptide arena.
(80, count 'em, 80yrs of exemplary community radio!!) Ever wonder what certain departments actually do in the state/city government? Well today at WKXL's NH Unscripted we get a close up look at the Dept. of Food and Nutrition Services courtesy of Harlan Freeman and Catherine Parker. Special diets, nutritional breakdowns, patient restrictions, food inventory, budget concerns are all topics that we hit today in trying to understand what they do.
Still, I say STILL, celebrating 80yrs of community radio! Today WKXL's NH Unscripted (Ray and Andrew) take us wayyyyyy back to the 1960s, and we’re listening to songs that are either about a specific male or just feature a name or title. Featuring artsists like Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, The Byrds, Lulu, and more!
(Oooooo, celebrating 80yrs of community radio) Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest was Alan Govenar. His latest film, "Quiet Voices in a Noisy World: The Struggle for Change in Jasper, Texas", could not be more timely or urgent as it starts streaming on Amazon Prime late last year. Alan spent thirty years working alongside leaders in Jasper, culminating in a Texas premiere and community screening where he returned more than six thousand digitized photos by Black photographer Alonzo Jordan to the very people who lived that history. This was not just documentary work—it was a tangible act of community partnership, centered on preserving legacies so easily erased. Tremendous interview.
(Celebrating 80yrs of community radio) Keeping with our current topic of beekeeping today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest is Julia Mills,Construction Safety Program Manager, who drops in to chat about her experience as a 3rd year beekeeper and then drops some dynamite info on her consulting job for construction site safety as well as her role in Larceny and Old Lace, an upcoming production with the Stone Arch Players of Hillsboro. The production goes up April 23 at 6:00PM. You’ll also hear more facts about beekeeping than you probably ever wanted to know!!
(Celebrating 80yrs of community service. In case you were wondering.) One of the great things about doing this job is the ability to learn about subjects you know nothing about. Today my WKXL NH Unscripted guests were Dorinda and David Priebe, both master bee keepers. They’re here to talk about the safety of hives and what to do to keep your hives healthy. It’s a whole world that’s new to me and I know nothing about it so it’s a fascinating interview today.
(Celebrating 80yrs of community radio! WKXL, not me.) One of the great things about doing this job at WKXL's NH Unscripted is the ability to learn about subjects you know nothing about. Today my guests were Dorinda and David Priebe both master bee keepers. David is the Apiary Inspector for the NH Dept. of Agriculture and they’re here to talk about the safety of hives and what to do to keep your hives healthy. It's an extremely tenuous culture filled with predators, poisonings and short live spans. It’s a whole world that’s new to me and I know nothing about it so it’s a fascinating interview today.
Daniel Siletti is back to the WKXL NH Unscripted studios to help guide us through the world of “soundtracks”. Many great (and sometimes not so great) movies and shows have wonderful soundtracks created for them and are very memorable. Think “Mission Impossible” and “Star Wars”. But many of the best pieces of music aren’t the overtures. Some pieces are quietly in the background gently moving us through a scene. Talking soundtracks today.
{Still, yup, still celebrating 80yrs of community radio!} Were you aware that in the land of the free and brave there was a time when music was censored and banned? Welcome to WKXL's NH Unscripted and Andrew Gibson present the groovy 60’s baby! Yup, we were protected from the harsh lyrics and hidden meanings of some songs while we were busy protesting, integrating, dying in Vietnam. Come and listen with us today as we discover the “Controversy” and the “Ban” of songs in the 60’s.
Still, I say "still", celebrating 80yrs of community radio! We WKXL's NH Unscripted are having a science day! Have you ever heard the terms “peptide”, “bioregulator” or “glp”? Are they good or bad? Healthy or unhealthy? Hunter Williams, a biohacking educator and podcaster, calls in to help us understand them, where they come from, some pros and cons as well as some controversy about them.
Still celebrating (what can I say we like celebrating!) 80yrs of community radio. Some of the best interviews come from referrals and today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode is no exception! Steve Blunt, award winning singer/storyteller, drops by to talk about his work performing in schools, libraries & concert venues entertaining children (and adults). He plays some selections “live” for us and tells of his work with the NH Humanities Council. All of it was fascinating.
Celebrating 80yrs of community radio! In this WKXL NH Unscripted show Ray is taking us back to the anti-war era of the 60s with some great classics written during a time when the country was in so much chaos, the only thing that could be done was to write strong and amazing music to speak what people were feeling. We ain't looking for the smell of napalm in the morning, just the sweet sound of this episode. We're talking Billy Jack, CCR, Barry McGuire, Marvin Gaye, Coven, Sam Cook, etc.
WKXL is celebrating 80yrs in nh community radio. And you don't even have to thanks us (but we won't turn any down!) It was getting time for WKXL's NH Unscripted with Ray Dudley and the NH Arts Community to hear from my friend Leslie Pasternack and catch up on what’s been happening in her world. She is hella busy at the Players Ring in Portsmouth. In our NH Hampshire Theater Podcast we discussed her role in The Man Who Laughs, her beginnings in the arts field and her time teaching, and the opportunities and then got to the meat about the show and the performances. Leslie is the director for Enid’s Mill. It’s a production taking place at the players ring that’s been getting wonderful reviews. It deals with several issues and one in particular that I was curious to see how it was handled.
Still celebrating 80 yrs of community radio! In today's episode WKXL's NH Unscripted with Ray Dudley one of the up and coming filmmakers in New Hampshire Tyler LaPlant stops by to chat about his short film "Joey's Big Reveal". Walking the FCC line very keenly we have a great discussion about the film, working in the industry, and (as always) more!! Like his nh theater auditions, the granite state actors he hired and the impact on the nh arts community.
Celebrating, yes CELEBRATING, 80yrs of community radio! WKXL is happy to once again post the latest NH Podcast Oldies Monday baby! Finally RAY RETURNS (complete with his bell bottoms and platform shoes while kicking back on his waterbed) to WKXL's NH Unscripted! Thrilling the NH Arts Community once again with something a little different. That’s right this is not a drill, Ray is back (and he's snagging his now stretched out nehru jacket from Andrew) AND for the arts and culture folks he’s got some golden oldies and a little catching up in this episode of the Wayback Machine Oldies Music Monday with hits from Jimmy Dean, Tony Orlando, Skeeter Davis, and many more! Wanna listen? Do ya huh? Do ya?
(WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio!) In this New Hampshire theater podcast episode of NH Unscripted: WKXL NH Unscripted "Wayback Machine" Ray has Andrew Gibson opening up each segment with some pretty familiar scary film scores (which might just bring back some nasty memories), all while cranking out classics from The Toys, Roy Clark, and more!
(WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio!) In this New Hampshire theater podcast episode of NH Unscripted: Thought we were done with movie soundtracks? Think again my friends.Daniel Siletti drops in to WKXL's NH Unscripted studio once again to bring us a sampling of his upcoming WKXL show called: Soundtrack Cinema! He and Andrew Gibson (who’s filling in for Ray) talk about all things music and film from the old, the obscure, to the more modern. You’re going to want to take a listen!
(Woohooooo! WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio) Well it's another WKXL's NH Unscripted Monday and that means some oldies!!!! Today Andrew Gibson hits the studio in his paisley nehru jacket and bell bottoms and trucks to the Wayback Machine! Ray has given Andrew a great list of songs featuring Diana Ross, Ricky Nelson, Blue Swede, and so much more!
(WKXL is celebrating 80yrs in community radio and we're telling the world!!) We love to have fun and show off our diverse knowledge and so on today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest host Andrew Gibson takes over for Ray and plays some familiar, and not so familiar film scores. Can you, our audience, guess all of them?
(WKXL is proudly celebrating 80yrs of community radio!) Today on WKXL's highly rated program NH Unscripted guest host Andrew Gibson sits down with Bryan Halperin & Courtney Palmer from Powerhouse Theater Collaborative in Laconia to talk about the very large, fun, and lighthearted season they have coming up. And it includes audition info, some show tunes, Shakespeare, an Elephant, some fairy tale creatures, and a whole lot more!
(Did you know that WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio? Yup, we're that good.) Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted the great Andrew Gibson jumps into the drivers seat and does double duty by stepping in for Ray to take us to the Wayback Machine! Today's list:
1) The Streak - Ray Stevens
2) The Unicorn - The Irish Rovers
3) Danke Schoen Wayne Newton
4) If - Bread
5) Laurie (Strange Things Happen) - Dickey Lee
6) Polk salad Annie - Tony Joe White
7) Easy Come, Easy Go - Bobby Sherman
😎 Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu - Johnny Rivers
9) I’m a Girl Watcher - The O’Kaysions
10) You Got It - Roy Orbison
11) I’m living right next-door to an angel - Neil Sedaka
12) Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio (yeah, we're that cool)! Well it's time once again for WKXL's NH Unscripted to climb into the 60's Way Back Machine and get nostalgic. The tremendous Jane Cormier once again guest hosts for Ray Dudley and, man, she delivers some great tidbits along the way. Songs: 1)River deep Mountain wide - Tina Turner
2)Opus 17 - Frankie Valli
3)The Name Game - Shirley Ellis
4)Son of Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
5)My Girl - The Temptations
6)I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight - Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
7)Dream a Little Dream of Me - Mamas and Papas
8)25 miles - Edwin Star
9)Devil with the Blue Dress on - Mitch Rider and Detroit wheels
10)Sugar Sugar - The Archies
11)The Mighty Quinn - Manfred Mann
12)Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
(Pssst, did you know WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of local radio?) Dang!!!!! Someone better tell Ray Dudley to get his butt back to the studio real quick like!! Because Jane Cormier, guest hosting for him, is on fire!!!!! A.J. Kierstead, host of New England Take , was her guest on NH Unscripted today. Jane Cormier is doing yeoman's at the YMCA like digs of the WKXL NH Unscripted studios and together they offer a lively discussion on local policy, politics, and news. Hope you will join the discussion with Jane and AJ!
(Hey, did you know that WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio?) Jane Cormier, host of WKXL's Artful Living, is subbing for Ray Dudley on NH Unscripted! Join the conversation with Emma Cahoon and Carey Cahoon of tKapow as they unveil their upcoming local production of "What the Constitution Means to Me". The production will be performing at two locations in February! The first at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse and followed up the Bank of NH Pavilion.
WKXL is celebrating 80yrs of community radio in 2026! WKXL's NH Unscripted is growing and as part of that growth is that starting on January 19th we’re adding a new Monday morning program we’re calling NH Unscripted in the Wayback Machine. Break out those black light posters, kick back on your waterbeds, light the incense and turn on those lava lamps because at 9am on Monday mornings we’ll be taking you back to the tunes of the 60’s & 70’s! Oldies are new again! Today you’ll get a taste of The Osmonds, James Brown, The Cowsills, Three Dog Night, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and so much more!!!
WKXL is proudly celebrating 80yrs of community radio and man oh man did we score big with today's guest/episode! WKXL's NH Unscripted had the honor of having Ron McNeil, the co-founder of The Fab Four: The Best Beatles Tribute Band called in to chat about the top tier Beatles tribute band. Ron is not only is the co-founder, but also plays John Lennon (minus Yoko), and he talks about touring, what it’s like working with multiple tour groups, and even where The Fab Four is going. The Fab Four provided motion capture performances for the Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE Show’s 10th anniversary revamp in 2017 and for The Beatles: Rock Band music game. Their numerous television appearances include “Entertainment Tonight,” and “Good Morning America” along with recording the soundtrack for the CBS-TV movie, “The Linda McCartney Story.” And, AND this Friday January 23rd at the Capitol Center for The Arts they will be hitting the stage. Grab your favorite squeeze (wife, girl friend or heck bring them both) and get over there!!
(Celebrating 80 years of NH community radio, @wkxlnhtalkradio!) Staying with my attempt to start the year off by keeping things light WKXL's NH Unscripted invited my good friend Daniel Siletti back into the studio and as always the man came prepared!! Topics covered in this episode were the films Supergirl, Spider-Man, Toy Story, the biopics of Michael Jackson and Jimmy Stewart, Zorro, Now I See You 3, the 60th anniversary of Star Trek and a whoooooooole lot more! Plus, Andrew Gibson (working the board) drops some great soundtracks!
(Celebrating 80 years of NH community radio, WKXL! www.nhtalkradio.com) We at WKXL's Nh Unscripted start the new year off with some music by Charlie Daniels (and sprinkle in Olivia Newton John, Neil Diamond and the Brooklyn Bridge), then I say goodbye to a friend that recently passed away, follow that up talking a bit about performing at Jean’s Playhouse and then we take a look at some upcoming show by local companies.
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest, via call in, was film director Michael Dahan to talk about his film YES REPEAT NO. About the film: “An experimental drama where three actors audition to portray Juliano Mer-Khamis, the Palestinian-Jewish activist who called himself “100% Palestinian and 100% Jewish” before his assassination in 2011. Shot in black and white, it’s a meta exploration of identity and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…During a tense rehearsal meant to determine which of them is most suited for the portrayal the three Julianos find their sense-of-self fractured and disrupted.”
Calling into the Taj Mahal like digs of the WKXL NH Unscripted studio from a tour bus Colleen McCarthy, a cast member, and gives us the details about “A Celtic Christmas”. From the promo material: "Direct from its Off-Broadway season, A Taste of Ireland – The Irish Music & Dance Sensation, presents its holiday spectacular, “A Celtic Christmas”. “A Celtic Christmas” brings holiday cheer to Massachusetts this December, featuring a line-up of world Irish dance champions to share the spirit of “Nollaig Shona” (Happy Christmas). Combining jaw-dropping dance moves with high-energy Irish tunes, heartfelt ballads, and favorite carols, this high-octane show features stars from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance as well as other World Champions, plus live musicians, to transport audiences to Christmas in Ireland. A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland will make a tour stop in Boston from December 2-14."
Dan Lloyd of Big Dog BBQ Sauce and Brian Bowman of Hot Mess BBQ rub shoulders with some of the best in bbq business and today they introduce WKXL NH Unscripted to Chad and Nicole Humphrey owners of Humphrey’s BBQ . From their website: “At Humphrey’s BBQ, we don’t just build smokers; we craft experiences. Our team of dedicated craftsmen is committed to producing top-quality BBQ smokers and accessories that stand the test of time. With a perfect blend of innovation and traditional craftsmanship, each product is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence.” Their smokers flat out rock! They’ve taken the best concepts from all types of smokers and worked them into some brilliant cabinet smokers. They craft unique cabinet style smokers for competition enthusiasts to the backyard duffers like myself. Check ‘em out.
Our monthly WKXL NH Unscripted visit from Dan Lloyd, Big Dog BBQ Sauce, and Brian Bowman, Hot Mess BBQ, has arrived and todays topics include barbecuing for the holidays, rubs (and when and when not to use them), attempting to bbq in the winter, recipes, tips, smokers and a little info on competition style cooking. Then we top it all off with Dan talking about getting his rubs into Walmart and his spectacular Capital Campaign via Honeycomb Credit to enable him get his products nationwide!
It was an honor for WKXL's NH Unscripted to get to speak with Daniel Masciari via phone about his stunning and beautiful Christmas film “Stationed at Home”. From the website: “Stationed At Home is award-winning writer/director Daniel V. Masciari’s debut feature film, which has just been recently completed. The film is made in the spirit of 70s and 80s independent films, with a raw and unfiltered approach that captures the essence of storytelling without compromise. It is a personal and unique embrace of creative freedom, resulting in a truly uplifting, one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.” It’s currently available on Apple TV and Prime. “As covered in Variety for its North American acquisition by Freestyle Digital Media — Stationed At Home is NOW AVAILABLE on all cable, satellite, and digital platforms!”
Mushrooms seem to be all rage these days and I’m not talking about the ones we Beatniks like to highlight. Mushroom coffee, tinctures, powders, blends, capsules, etc seem to be popping up in all of my social media. Soooo WKXL's NH Unscripted reached out to Eric Milligan at the NH Mushroom Company (didn’t know that there was a NH mushroom company) to get all the details on why there’s so much chatter lately. They have a 5000 sqft warehouse in Tamworth so it seemed like they would know a little about the subject. From their marketing material: “NHMC has been a leading source of specialty mushrooms, with educational programs on fungi enjoyed by many. It has been recognized in WMUR’s cook’s corner and New Hampshire Chronicle. Additionally, it was featured in the documentary “The Line that Divides Us.The NHMC has experienced a growing interest in mushroom education, providing an array of educational programs year-round. From the Cooking with Mushrooms, to the enchanting Friday Forage, Fungi and Fibers, and Mushroom ID Class. Not to mention the highly sought-after Can You Eat It Class”
Time to show some love to a few venues that I somehow always manage to overlook in our WKXL NH Unscripted “What’s Happening in the Entertainment Scene” segments. But, first stop is me showering kudos and love on Greg Gaskell’s production of “Ye Merry Gentlemen” taking place at the Players Ring in Portsmouth. Then some deep admiration for Ernest Thompson for his kind and voluminous shoutouts to folks that he has worked with (it honestly caught me off guard). Then a tip of the hat to the various Christmas Carol productions about to take place around the state (humbly highlighting the version at Jean’s Playhouse where I play Scrooge) and then off we go. The Tupelo Music Hall (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Capitol Center for Arts (Cookies, Cocoa & Kindness) & (Stand By Me: The Film and Its Stars 40 yrs Later), Bank of NH Stage (Safe Haven Ballet Charlie Brown Christmas), Palace Theater (Nutcracker, Christmas Carol, Footloose, Cabaret) all get some NH Unscripted love.
I love it whenever I get the chance to invite friends into the WKXL NH Unscripted studio! “Ye Merry Gentlemen”, written by G Matthew Gaskell and directed by Sam Smith, is up and running at the Players Ring in Portsmouth Nov. 14 – 30. Knowing absolutely nothing about it I thought it was time to get Mr. Gaskell back into the studio and dissect the production for me. From the promo material: “…This heartwarming new play is a joyful reminder that believing can bring a little magic into our lives… especially during the holidays. A decade after its first production, Ye Merry Gentlemen returns with some of the original script and original cast—now ten years older, and maybe a little wiser. Get ready to laugh, feel, and leave with your heart full.” I know and have worked with about half of the cast and so it was a treat to get to hear about how they’ve handled his work.
Well it's "something old, something new" day at the WKXL NH Unscripted studios! Rhonda Shear, one of the busiest women in show business, took some time today to chat about her latest project. That project is to re-fire up the engines on her immensely popular previous USA Network television series “Up All Night”. Here’s some info about her from her press release: “The late-night hostess with the mostest! For 8 years and over 450 episodes of USA: Up All Night, Rhonda Shear kept America UP every Friday with outrageous comedy, over-the-top characters, and campy fun. Known for her big hair, quick wit, and playful style, she introduced a generation to horror, B-movies, and late-night laughs. In 2017, Rhonda came out with memoir Up All Night: From Hollywood Bombshell to Lingerie Mogul, Life Lessons from an Accidental Feminist”.
There is so much talent and entertainment in this little state and it’s time once again for WKXL's NH Unscripted to shine a spotlight on some goings on. First up, I show a little more love than usual to the show’s sponsor The Law Offices of Shaheen & Gordon. There local community involvement is dang impressive and we get to highlight some of it. Then it’s time to shower some praise on recent and upcoming productions from The Players Ring in Portsmouth (Ye Merry Gentlemen), Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative (Fezziwig’s After Dark & A Christmas Carol), The Community Players of Concord (The Adams Family), Lend Me a Theater (Dinner theater at Kimball Jenkins), The Village Players (Sweeney Todd) and North Country Center for the Arts aka Jean’s Playhouse (Ghostlight and Christmas Carol). We toss in some great songs from the 60’s, a little bit of rambling from yours truly and bingo, bango, bongo we got our selves a show.
My wife and I have questions about putting our garden beds to rest now that it’s the end of the growing season and that means it’s time to bring on Ethan and Amy Sager from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamsworth, NH. What I prize about talking with them is that they are live in a rarified world known as “permaculture”. And when I say they live in that world I mean exactly that. Soil preservation, water capture, wool pelletizing, worm castings and biochar are just some of the techniques employed on their farm. Every chat them delivers an education in how to garden the right way. It’s never, ever boring spending time with these two friends. Their respect and knowledge for proper land use absolutely amazes me. And their newsletter is like an encyclopedia. In this episode they’ve even kindly provided a coupon code for free shipping on anything from their website. Luv these guys!!!
God knows I love bbq and today Dan Lloyd, Founder and CEO of Big Dog Sauce Company, and Brian Bowman of Hot Mess BBQ NH stop by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to chat about their latest bbq news updates. Dan let’s us in on a little secret concerning Big Dog’s website upgrade and where the company is headed (and believe me, it’s great to hear). Hot Mess BBQ, voted Northeast Barbecue Society’s “Rookie Team of the Year”, shares some year end team updates and tells us what it’s like to be in these competitions. Meat selection, sauce and rub use, presenting to the judges, team placement, etc are on the menu. See what I did there?
In the first half of this episode of WXXL's NH Unscripted The Players Ring, and more specifically the production of “The Man Who Laughs”, takes center stage in this interview with Kevin Collins. Kevin and I saw a matinee of the show recently and wanted to give our take on it. I know several of the cast members (Wayne Asbury Emily Karel and Leslie Pasternack) and was intrigued and excited to see them perform again. Toss in actors Ben Bagley Kevin Baringer and we were off to the races! Only six words are spoken in the whole show and it attempts to transfer a black and white silent movie to the stage. It was the perfect use of the Players Ring theater and it drew a truly appreciative crowd. Niche? Yup. Risky? Yup. Did they pull it off? Heck Yup. I loved the show, loved the cast and loved the venue. This was/is a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Portsmouth. Kudos to the Ring for letting this show see the light of day. I never doubted that they could deliver. Oh BTW, the music was haunting and perfect. In the second half of the show Kevin and I get into television shows we feel are and aren't worth watching lately.
Marek Bennett, New Hampshire cartoonist, musician and educator drops in to talk about his graphic novel series “The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby”. Marek is the recipient of the New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award for Art Education “...His work is brilliant, playful, relevant and infused with compassion and deep understanding of the world as it is, was and might be.” This interview was absolutely fascinating to me! It was intriguing, at times riveting and absolutely rich with information. I fell in love with his artistic style and his love for bringing subjects to light that I had never considered.
Here at WKXL's NH Unscripted mention the movie “Jaws” and adrenaline instantly pours into my veins! It’s an iconic movie with a crazy amount of adrenaline pumping scenes (especially that opening one jeeze). It was released 50yrs ago this year. The @nhtheatreproject is showcasing the stage production of “The Shark is Broken”. Directed by Todd Hunter and starring Jeff Ripley as Robert Shaw, Dan Kelly as Roy Scheider, and Aaron Bencks as Richard Dreyfuss, this spectacular comedy co-written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, the short tempers of Jaws stars Robert Shaw (father of co-writer Ian), Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider take center stage as they bond, argue, drink, gamble, and pray for an end to the shoot, not knowing it will change their lives forever. October 17- Nov 2nd in Portsmouth.
I absolutely LOVE Rubin's Spicy BBQ Hot Sauce. If it's a meat it gets the sauce! Ever been to The Big E in West Springfield MA? WKXL's NH Unscripted has (that was another life ago) and so has our friend Rubin Lichtenstein of Rubins Hot Sauce and he’s come by the studio to tell us what his experience was as a vendor for 18 days as over a million visitors filter on through. As a bonus for our NH Unscripted listeners Rubin drops some inside info about an upcoming cooking show (thank you CTV and the 90 Low restaurant) AND a cookbook that he’s working on. Oh and wait until you hear his story about fairgoers putting his hot sauce on their ice cream!! Yup you read that right.
In our WKXL's NH Unscripted continuing mini-series chatting about the New Hampshire Film Festival happening Oct. 16-19 in Portsmouth with spend some time with Ian McCarthy, Lead Programmer for the Festival. Ian talks to us about the film selection process for him and his team and gives a couple of film titles that he’s excited about and why. Toss in a little chatter about the various ticket levels (and trust me they’re a bargain) plus a lot more and we’re off and running!
CABA returns!! At WKXL's NH Unscripted we really love honey and so Jamie Jobin and Heather Moynihan from the Capital Area Beekeepers Association swing by to answer some questions I’ve had about the various types of honey (dark, types of infused, seasonal, creamed, psychedelic, etc) and help me to understand certain terminology that I’ve come across while traveling down some rabbit holes doing research. They even brought some samples for us to try!!! Oh yeah, daddy’s a happy camper.
We all know that there are many types of art. And truthfully, I’ve never thought much about furniture as art and had no idea that a group of furniture makers fall in a category called “Fine Furniture Masters”. But they exist and not only exist, but, will have some of their works on display at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester from October 9th through February 8th. Today with the help of Richard Oedel, Fine Furniture Master from Wolfeboro, we take a little detour into some of the most incredible pieces of furniture that I’ve ever seen. We talk about the exhibit called “Joined Together: 30 years of the Furniture Masters”, the accompanying book, other Furniture Masters around the country, the Prison Outreach Program they’ve created and, as always, much, much more.
One of the most popular Stephen Sondheim musicals, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", will be hitting the stage of The Village Players of Wolfeboro for two weekends beginning (quite appropriately) October 31st. And we at WKXL's NH Unscripted just happen to get the director Paul Stewart (yes I get his name wrong during our interview! Sue me.) and several of the cast members to break down the progress of this tremendous show. Andrew Gibson (Sweeney himself), Erin Balestrieri (Mrs. Lovett), Louis Laurendeau (Anthony Hope) and Janice Knepp (Ensemble member) give us all the details. Synopsis for those who aren’t familiar with it: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is a dark musical about a barber named Sweeney Todd who returns to London after being wrongfully imprisoned. He seeks revenge on the corrupt Judge Turpin, who framed him, and teams up with Mrs. Lovett, who runs a failing pie shop, leading to a series of gruesome events as Todd’s thirst for vengeance escalates.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again. One of NH’s premier events is happening right around the corner. The 23rd Annual New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth is October 16th – 19th and here at WKXL's NH Unscripted we’re having a small mini series talking with some of the folks involved. First up is Mark Pruett, Cinema Curator for the festival, and he’s kind enough to answer my questions about how films get selected, which films may be the highlights of the festival, about the connection between the NHFF and the Academy Awards. International films, animated films, films with a NH connection are all in our chat. The topic of the use A.I. in film making is particularly interesting. Great first episode to kick off our series!
So many great things take place in our state which many us never know about. One of those is the film: "Granite Orpheus". My WKXL NH Unscripted guest for today was Rick Broussard of Resurrection Films in to talk about the film which will be showing at the Colonial Theater in Laconia, NH Sept 26th at 7pm. What makes this film kind of special is that we here at NH Unscripted know a few of the folks starring in the film! Bryan Halperin, Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, and Gina Carballo (former President of the New Hampshire Theater Awards) have the leads! Rick brings us up to date on what is now a project that’s 10yrs in the making. It’s history, creation and why it’s taken so long is a fascinating tale! Come on out tonight and join us in the screening!!!
Daniel Llyod, CEO of Big Dog BBQ Sauce makes a return visit to WKXL's NH Unscripted and brings with him his latest additions to his line of sauces and rubs. We talked about his new “finishing rub” (and why it works so well), his hard to keep on the shelf Caribbean Rub and his cutting edge line of freeze dried sauces. Some talk about the bbq competition circuit and his invitation to the 2025 Jack Daniels BBQ World Championship rounds out the episode! All talk today was a bbq enthusiast’s dream!
Today’s show includes “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray, mentions of the following upcoming productions: “Ghostlight” at Jean’s Playhouse, “Mutiny on the Mount” a Winni Community Theater production, “A Clockwork Orange” – Actors Coop, “The Importance of Being Earnest” – M&D, Andrew Lippa’s “Wild Party” – Seacoast Rep, “Journey Through Neverland” & “Granite Orpheus” – Powerhouse Theatre, “Company” – Actorsingers, “The Rocky Horror Show” – Divein Productions, “Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons” -tKapow. I toss in some tv shows I’m following (I know nobody asked!) as well as start some chatter about the New Hampshire Film Festival. Phew.
It’s time for WKXL's NH Unscripted to take a stroll around the state and see what’s a happenin’. This state is still just chock full of theater activity and so Andrew and I chat about upcoming auditions, summer shows that are still being produced AND we toss in some fun tunes for folks that can’t stand our chatter!!!
Culture has been thrust upon us here at the WKXL NH Unscripted studio! Callum O’Neill, dancer with the now touring production of “A Taste of Ireland” calls in to give us all the deets on their US tour. Currently in Maine, but, coming to Concord on Sept. 14th at the CCA, Callum goes into tremendous detail about the cast, musicians and crowd reactions. From the press release: “Combining traditional Irish music given a modern twist with jaw-dropping dance performances, and vibrant storytelling. This high-octane show features stars from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance as well as other World Champions, plus live musicians, to transport audiences through the heart and soul of Ireland’s culture and history.”
Part 2 of my WKXL NH Unscripted trip out to Tamworth chatting with the Barnstormer Theatre folks. And on this episode I wanted to chat with Jordan Ahnquist the new Artistic Director for them. I thought it would be great to look back at his first year as the AD and see what he thought about the season. We start with the seasons opening gala (what an event!) and talk through the seasons productions. I pick his brain about the upcoming season, possible plays he’s thinking about and what the future might look like for the Barnstormers. Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/yefsdh53
Ernest Thompson, Oscar winning playwright, director, actor, teacher, mentor and author drops by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to chat about some of his latest projects. His one man play “Archie Parish’s Parting Words” at the REX Theatre Sept.7th, his sequel to “On Golden Pond”, his latest film “The Constituent” (w/costar Gordon Clapp) plus a heck of a lot of name dropping were all on the table during this wonderful interview. More info about Ernest and his projects can be found here: Ernest Thompson and tickets for the REX https://palacetheatre.org/venues/rex-theatre/ Otherwise, listen here: https://bit.ly/4m28Fz2
Sometimes the stars just align correctly and this past weekend WKXL's NH Unscripted had a chance to head out to The Barnstormers Theater in Tamworth got a chance to speak with some of the cast members (Sara Coombs and Lee Hollis Bussie) out there about their upcoming production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". And I’ll tell you what, after seeing the show it is hysterical, absolutely hysterical. By the time you hear this interview, they’ll have already finished their first weekend but their second weekend is coming up. You really should get out there if you get a chance to see this production. Hey, you know what is a good idea? Go to the matinee on Saturday after you check out the Tamworth farmers market first. It’s a beautiful, beautiful setting for day out and then go on over to the matinee and enjoy yourself. You’ll laugh like you haven’t laughed in years. It’s just tremendous.
Today WKXL's NH Unscripted finishes up my on site interview with the Peterborough Players with an absolutely great chat that I had with Brendon Fox about their production of Noel Cowards “Hay Fever”. Just a one on one with an AD that loves what he does and shares that passion, especially concerning “Hay Fever”. It was a fantastic trip to Peterborough and a wonderful interview to wrap-up that refreshing visit.
Time to talk about bees at WKXL and NH Unscripted! And so I invited folks from the Capital Area Beekeepers Assoc. (CABA) to chat. Today’s guests were Heather Moynihan (CABA President) and Jamie Jobin (Newsletter Manager). “Located in Concord, New Hampshire, CABA was organized in 2010 with a mission to provide support and education to beekeepers and the public regarding honeybees. With a robust membership of beekeepers of all ages, occupations and levels of experience from beginners to commercial beekeepers we promote good beekeeping by providing ongoing education to beekeepers about the latest beekeeping practices to both our membership and the general public.”
At WKXL's NH Unscripted it’s time once again to talk about summertime movies. That means roping in my favorite movie critic Daniel Siletti. To prep for this assignment and get a jump on our discussion I went to the movie theater and saw “Ballerina” (John Wick spinoff), Mission Impossible-The Final Reckoning, Superman, The Fantastic Four and The Accountant 2. Daniel and I had our back and forth about them with both of us giving our recommendations and insights. Andrew provided the soundtrack for the show! Having Daniel in the studio is always one of my favorite episodes. And for more info on Daniel's projects head on over to his YT channel:
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BBQ time at WKXL's NH Unscripted and we’re doing it up right! Daniel Lloyd, CEO of Big Dog Sauce Co., makes a return visit and brings a special guest with him: Brian Boyd, Pitmaster for the Hot Mess BBQ team. Hot Mess was recently voted Northeast Barbecue Society’s “Rookie Team of the Year” for 2025. Today we talked about competition, new sauces, smokers, awards, the 16 Mesh BBQ team (Grand Champion, 2022 Central Maine BBQ Cookoff) and much more!
Well, it’s taken a very long time to get The Village Players of Wolfeboro into the WKXL NH Unscripted studio, but, dang it we finally did it! Paul Stewart the President and Stefanie Marsh the Treasurer make the trip in to chat about all things Village Players. We got into the history, past productions, current productions (especially the upcoming "Sweeny Todd"), auditions (did we mention "Sweeny Todd"?), how seasons are chosen, their beautiful theater in beautiful downtown @visitwolfeboro and a heck of a lot more! Interested in performing in "Sweeny Todd" in an absolutely quaint and gorgeous NH/NE setting? Get all deets here baby!
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest was celebrity dwarf comedian Brad Williams! Calling in from CA Brad wanted to talk about his upcoming shows Aug. 8th at the Capitol Center for the Arts. His press release says it all: ”Pound for pound, Williams is one of the funniest comedian in the country right now and has taken the comedy world by storm with sold out concerts across the U.S. and Australia along with numerous comedy specials with his most recent being Starfish. In September, Brad will be seen in the movie Spinal Tap II: The End Continues and if this is not enough, there is also the entrepreneurial side to Brad – he has just come out with a hot sauce called DEATH BY DWARF. His high energy live performances frequently produce standing ovations from audience members; which prompted the late Robin Williams to call him “Prozac with a head.”
Today was a field trip day! Headed to the campus of the Peterborough Players to do an onsite interview with some of the cast for their upcoming production of “Native Gardens”. From their site: “Native Gardens is a high-spirited Horti-Culture Clash by Karen Zacarías. Melissa Crespo will be directing the comedy. Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. But a disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, and horticulture. The hilarious results guarantee that no one comes out smelling like a rose.” The cast members interviewed were: Robert Ariza, Bianca Rivera-Irions, Anne-Marie Cusson and Kurt Zischke.
Todays guest is Jordan Reeves from The Barnstormers in Tamworth. “The Barnstormers Theatre is premiering a brand-new play this month — “Front Row to Murder,” a cozy, comedic murder mystery inspired by Agatha Christie and written by longtime Barnstormer Jordan Reeves. It opens July 24 and runs through August 2. Directed by Blair Hundertmark and featuring a cast of professional actors, the play is both a love letter to theatre and a fun nod to the Tamworth community, which was directly involved in the development process. In fact, Jordan hosted feedback sessions at the local library to help shape the final script.” Tickets can be bought here.
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted show is about the upcoming Ovation TC production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and our guests were Meg Gore (AD), Katy Gore (choreographer), Debrah Hernandez (Esmeralda) and Jillian Mastroberte (Gargoyle).”Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame who longs to be “Out There,” observes all of fifteenth-century Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools.” Tickets can be purchased: ovation.ludus.com/index.php
Todays WKXL NH Unscripted guest was Emma Cahoon. Emma stops by to chat up tKapow’s first show of their 18th season. From their own marketing: “theatre KAPOW and Ballet Misha bring to life the greatest love story and most epic tragedy of all time. Seven actors and sixteen dancers lay their scene in fair Verona in this fresh and physical reimagining of Shakespeare’s transcendent play. Featuring musical selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet ballet and performed on the beautiful green space in front of the iconic Alumni Hall at Saint Anselm College.” it opened July 18th and continues this weekend July 24,25,26.
We at WKXL's NH Unscripted focus a lot on entertainment on this radio/podcast but what good is it if you can’t experience the entertainment? Amy Evans, board member of NHhears.org, graciously comes by to talk about hearing loss in this day and age. And she came armed with stats, technology currently being used and the evolution of that technology going forward. Red River Theatre is one example of some of the cutting edge tech being employed in theaters. They have something called “The Loop” that aids in assisting those with difficulty hearing. Fascinating stuff actually and we in the entertainment industry should perk up because we want to entertain everyone not just the healthy! Also check out Northeast Deaf & Hard of Hearing!
Well it’s summertime and we (okay I) at WKXL's NH Unscripted decided to try a little more laid back approach to the show. Introducing “Quad Intro Music”! I felt that it was time to start introducing some of the songs and artists that I reference to the listeners in a longer version. For some it’s a new music find and to others it’s a time to reminisce. So each block starts with a song from wayyyy back followed by me chatting about the summer theater scene in NH. Companies mentioned are The Barnstormers, The Peterborough Players, The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and The Village Players. Oh and songs from Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show.
In this episode of WKXL's NH Unscripted: I had no idea that the traumatizing movie I saw when I was younger, A Clockwork Orange, was now also a stage play! And here to correct my ignorance was Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal, assisted by Mackenzie Goodwin, on a return trip to talk all about her upcoming October production of the play as well as giving us some audition info. She’s, eerily, more versed in the history of movie and play than I had expected and that made for some hilarious banter.
Today's WKXL NH Unscripted guest, Ethan Paulini, Artistic Director for the Weathervane Theatre, graciously came all the way from Whitefield NH and drops by to chat up the Weathervane’s 60th season. It’s packed to say the least! With a themed season focusing on icons it features productions such as Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill”, “Becoming Dr. Ruth”, “Grease”, “Dirty Blonde”, “The Producers” as well as a play called “The Shark is Broken” in which 3 actors take on the roles of Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfus who “…are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic…if it doesn’t sink them all.” And all of that is just SOME of their seasons offerings. (Tickets can be purchased here: ci.ovationtix.com/35289)
On today’s episode: Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal & Mackenzie Goodwin from the Actors Cooperative Theater served us up all the deets on their upcoming production of “American Idiot” opening this Friday at the Derry Opera House. Controversial, striking, dark and thought provoking the musical is derived from the Green Day (certified 6x Platinum) album of the same name. It features all 13 songs from the album plus 5 from their album “21st Century Breakdown”. Don’t miss “American Idiot” At the Derry Opera House June 27-29! Tickets: kidscooptheatre.ludus.com/200480428
There’s some new life being injected into downtown Concord and it has the community buzzing. A new building that’s being called Arts Alley is being constructed between the COOP and the BNH stage and it’s frickin’ wild! And in their word: “The Rooftop 20 – Our sky-high bar featuring the Ciel Airstream (because why not), cocktails, and sunsets: The Main Venue – Our largest indoor event space for weddings, galas, and private parties; The Rose & Rye – A retro style diner by day, intimate private events by night, and lastly, The Courtyard – Outdoor hangout for lawn games, live music, & weekend markets.” Oh and a Friendly Toast tossed in for the fun of it. Crazy!!
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted show has us highlighting the fund raising efforts of NH Gives and it’s impact on non-profits. Then we veer off into comparing the two most famous versions of Tom Waits’ “Tom Trauberts Blues” (his and then Rod Stewart’s). And finally we toss in Stewart’s “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” for good measure. The video version which has been viewed over a billion times!
The tKapow cast drops in to the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to talk about their upcoming production of “The Best We Could” opening Friday June 13th at the BNH stage. And as usual we get into the weeds asking and talking about the mechanics of how they pull it off.
In this episode of WKXL's NH Unscripted I discover Postmodern Jukebox and their cover of "Creep". Then offer up the goods on summer theater shows that are on stage or will be very shortly complete with some restaurant suggestions and chit chatting with Andrew.
Indie film time! Via call-in AJ Calandrino and Kristina Kessler from Christie Rex Productions give us the scoop and details of their Indie short film “Dream Genocide” (https://shorturl.at/BlKXJ). And as usual I want ALL the details. Why this genre? How long did it take to film it? How did you have auditions for the roles? What equipment and software was used (that’s for the geeks)? Where does the film and the company go from here? You get the drift!
It’s time to talk about the sexy part of the arts on WKXL's NH Unscripted! Budgets. Please hold back your excitement. Most of the arts that we’re familiar with depend on multiple streams of income. Ticket sales, sponsorships, grants, benevolent donors, etc and lately there’s been chatter about one arm of support being taken away or ended. That source is government aid and today’s guest Deanna Hoying from Arts4NH comes by to about the impact that ending such aid would have on our communities. Monies from our state budget represent .06% overall and yet it has become one of the areas deemed unnecessary and defunded. Deanna is here to help me sort out this twisted thinking.
Immigration. Is there a hotter topic right now? Time to find out. The law offices of Shaheen & Gordon (@shaheengordon) are the sponsor of WKXL's NH Unscripted and each time we’ve had one of their attorneys in to chat those episodes have been some of the most informative, fun and educational shows we’ve done. Today’s episode with immigration Attorney Ron Abramson (@ronabramson) further proves my point. His passion for his slice of law practice was impressive. Honestly, the hour flew by and caught me off guard at just how interesting this field of law is and my ignorance of this branch was on display! Timely (that’s an understatement) and crazy informative.
Summertime, summertime, sum, sum summertime…Oh how I love summer theater in New Hampshire and todays WKXL NH Unscripted guest, Jordan Ahnquist, Artistic Director for The Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth, drops in to bolster my viewpoint! Celebrating 95 years of top tier theatre (yes, that’s right 95 YEARS not 95 shows) commencing with a 2025 Gala on June 21st that will include Patrick Duffy & Linda Purl the Barnstormers show no signs of letting up on the gas! They’ve brought in Broadway talent to perform a classic Agatha Christie play, a world premier of another play and bookend their season with two hilarious comedies. We had a blast chatting up the Barnstormers and I know that you’ll just love this episode.
It was a road trip day for WKXL's NH Unscripted as I was invited to co-host the great Ken Cail’s “One Hit Wonder Wednesday” episode!! Ken asked me to bring a list of some “One Hit Wonders” that (hopefully) he and his fans hadn’t heard yet. Challenge accepted! I brought hits that were considered novelty hits or hits that were sung by famous actors (think David Soul, Lorne Greene, Richard Harris, etc). What a great show. Soooo much fun and nostalgia. Enjoy!
I love just taking the time to chat with actors. Jordan Gagan drops in to the WKXL NH Unscripted studios to do just that: chat. We talked about getting his degrees, which you would think would be a mundane topic, but, nope. He got to travel to Scotland to finish his MFA and has some wonderful stories about doing some indie film shorts. I’m not sure how we haven’t bumped into each other before this because he’s acted trod the boards all around our state. Methods, futures, film and stage. We hit them all. Enjoy!
Nancy Barry, the Producing Director for the multiple award winning Interlakes Theatre Company, stops by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to give all the details of their upcoming season. We talk show selection, casting selections, spotting talent, their Youth division, housing the company, difficulty in the industry with releasing some of the classic more well know plays, all of the bragging rights that the company deserves and (trust me) a whole lot more.
Time for NH Unscripted to get culcha-ed up!! Todays' WKXL NH Unscripted fascinating guest is Jane Cormier, host of the NH Talk Radio program Artful Living. What an incredible life. Jane gets to name drop big names that she had the privilege of either working with or coming into contact with as she wove her way through the opera world in Europe. And man, does she know her stuff and she was very gracious to keep it all on a level that I could understand. Opera isn’t my wheelhouse (unless we’re counting rock operas) and it was so refreshing to learn about it from someone that not only lived in it but lived in it at the top.
It was another One Hit Wonder Wednesday on the show Cail & Company LIVE. This month’s edition co-hosted by Ray Dudley of WKXL’s “New Hampshire Unscripted”. No script for this program just a chance to bring back some memories including a few hand picked novelty songs that climbed the charts in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.
Today on WKXL NH Unscripted former restaurant owner turned author, Douglas Zechel aka KD Mason, drops by to talk about his writing journey. He’s been pretty much self taught for most of his writing career and I found that extremely intriguing. Now with 13 novels completed it was time to get the details about how he did it, his tenacity and some great stories about his characters and places he names in his books.
New York talent agent Albert Bramante (Bramante Artists) steps up to the plate on today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode! Some of Alberts talents have appeared in Blue Bloods, FBI:SVU and on networks such as Netflix, hulu, Paramount+ and Comedy Central plus in commercials for Venmo, McDonalds, Spotify and UPS. Albert chats about what he looks for when accepting submissions and taking on new talent. His agency also handles talent for theater and voiceovers. Some nice inside baseball chat taking place here!
Continuing with a little bit of an insight into my life (and I do mean a little insight) I took the time today to showcase some very interesting songs that popped up in the 60’s & 70’s. Think Allan Sherman (Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh), Ray Stevens (The Streak), Jimmy Dean (Big Bad John), Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon (Way Down Yonder in New Orleans) and even The Archies (Sugar, Sugar). Plus One Tin Soldier, Clap for the Wolfman and a few more. I toss in some background info for most of them and get slightly nostalgic.
Bond. Jane Bond. Yup it’s time for WKXL and NH Unscripted to have a return visit with my good friend Daniel Siletti. This episode was a hoot to do! Daniel and his crew have been crazy busy with their projects and I wanted to get caught up to speed on them. They’re in the 5th season of their series Doctor Who School Daze and 2nd season of their Jane Bond series. Seriously? 5 seasons of one and 2 seasons of the other? And that doesn’t count the CTV projects that they’re knee deep in! This turned out to be a hilarious episode (with special thanks to Andrew Gibson) and the time just flew by. Enjoy!
Time to get personal. Well, a little personal anyway. Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted we take a trip in the wayback machine to my high school years and a couple of songs that had an impact on me. I especially focus on two musical groups: Procol Harum and Marmalade. The 60’s and 70’s were both great times and brutal times socially. The Vietnam war, forced school integration, the Kent State shootings, Woodstock, etc. combined to produce a snapshot of life never to be reproduced. Enjoy.
WKXL & NH Unscripted question of the day: Can you imagine attempting a brand new career at the same time that most of us would just retire and walk off into the sunset? And what if that new field you’re jumping into is standup comedy? I have an incredible amount of respect for Doris Ballard who’s decided to do that very thing. Honestly, I don’t think I could handle the rejection, but, she’s out there hitting the circuit making folks laugh. God knows we need it lately. And, just because that doesn’t keep her busy enough she’s working on writing her memoirs. AND she’s wanting to produce a project that’s she’s secretly working on. Really Doris? I’m tired just writing up this blurb!!
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted interview was with Paul Lussier and it’s one of those interviews that I enjoy to do so much. Paul has had an interesting (though late start) career and has managed to do what a lot of us try do. And that is work in multiple mediums. His resume is impressively full of work in film/video, television, commercials, theatre and now he’s touring venues as a one man musical band! Yeah, I’m jealous. Another great inspiring interview.
Today at WKXL and NH Unscripted it’s Shaheen & Gordon law day and that brings Jared O’Connor in to talk about his field of expertise: Workers Compensation. And before your eyes roll back into your head consider the following. The Federal Gov’t has cannabis listed as a schedule one drug, but, what if you use it medically in your state for say PTSD? Can you be arrested? Can your prescriber or the dispensary be considered as aiding and abetting? Workers Comp has taken on a new challenge and twist with the advent of medical cannabis on the scene. See? Not as boring as you thought, is it?
Next up at the plate is Brendon Fox the new Artistic Director for the Peterborough Players! We talk about his background, love for theater, how he came to be the AD for the players, their upcoming season and their very diverse production offerings. Think cabarets, opera from the MET and England, fund raisers. We also get into how they make casting choices and decide about their seasons choices some of which are Dial M for Murder, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Boeing Boeing. And of course....much, much more!
Well, we at WKXL and NH Unscripted knew the day had to come at some point and this is that day. Today we’re talking Big Foot. You read that correctly. Matt Arsenault and Mike Tinsley from Chaos Theater Productions stop by to talk about their new YT streaming series “Man Ape Among Us”. “Man Ape Among Us follows the adventures of Mike Tinsley of The New Hampshire Bigfoot Society in his search for answers of Bigfoot and other cryptids in the Northeast United States. Speaking with experts and joining them on expeditions, this documentary joins Mike as he dives deep down the cryptozoology rabbit hole to find out if there are man apes living among us in secret.”
Some interviews are longgggggg overdue and this WKXL NH Unscripted episode with Emily Karel (Glass Dove Productions) is one such interview. How I went so long with having her into the studio I’ll never know. Amazingly talented and brilliant she absolutely gives us a masterclass on how to provide a backstory for a character using Lady Macbeth as her example. We also talk about the pressure of performing solo on stage and a heckuva lot more!
Part II of the WKXL NH Unscripted Spring gardening prep series with Ethan & Amy Sager from the Again & Again Farmstead (againfarmstead.com) in Tamworth. Topics covered today were soil prep, worm castings and worm tea, biochar, companion planting, succession planting, square foot gardening, their tremendous newsletter, and, as always, soooo much more!
What makes for a great garden? Were you thinking fertilizer pellets made from wool? How about biochar inoculated with worm casting tea? No? Perhaps tree sprays made from fermented fruit droppings plus a few other ingredients? Well, today we at WKXL NH Unscripted talk with Ethan and Amy Sagar from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamworth about their innovative techniques being used on their farm. Unfortunately I talk wayyyyyy too much and so had to bring them back later for a part 2. Plus we toss in a quick chat about their recent visit from the folks from NH Chronicle!
Well it was apparently “take a friend to work day” today at WKXL's NH Unscripted as I had the privilege of sitting with Gary Locke and Greg Gaskell. Topics covered ranged from the tv show “Severance” to a fundraiser for the Hatbox Theatre happening in April to Gary trying to convince us he was once a body double for Roger Moore. (We had a hard time believing it as well.) Greg is a crazy talented writer, especially comedic, and we talked a lot about what he’s currently invested in and then he asks Gary and I what roles or types of roles we still be interested in taking on. Some other friends get honorably mentioned as well: Aaron Compagna, Alex Picard, Wayne Asbury, Emily Karel and more!
Time to talk magic at WKXL and NH Unscripted! More specifically the upcoming show “Jokers of Magic” hitting the Rex Theater stage in Manchester on March 13. Matt Donnelly, The Mind Noodler, and recently named “Las Vegas’ Best Up and Coming Comedy Magician” by the Review Journal phones in to talk about the project. Four performers, Matt, Eric Dittleman (a guest on Ellen, Live with Kelly & Ryan and appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us), Michael Mills (has appeared at The Chicago Magic Lounge, Carnival of Illusion in Phoenix and his one man showFool Me Once tours the country) and Nick Diffatte (has performed at nearly every property up and down the Las Vegas strip, including the New York, New York Hotel & Casino where he is currently starring in Cirque du Soleil’s hit residency Mad Apple), “…are armed with credits ranging from America’s Got Talent to Penn & Teller’s Fool Us and have entertained audiences around the world…”. “The Jokers Of Magic is like SNL and Whose Line is it Anyway? had a love child and sent it to Hogwarts!”
It’s S&G Friday at WKXL and NH Unscripted where we dedicate the last Friday of every month to chat with our sponsor! Today Bill Christie, partner at Shaheen & Gordon, steps up to the plate to discuss some of the highlights and strengths of their law firm. He’s a famous lawyer that successfully sued the federal government for leaking information to Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang that they then used to murder informants against them. Then he speaks of the time they had a case which dealt with copyrighted material that even involved a representative from Apple Records (think the Beatles) stepping in to assess the case. We are so proud to have them sponsoring NH Unscripted!
God I love my job! Willie Armstrong from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (yes pipers) takes some time from their busy schedule to call in to the WKXL/NH Unscripted studios and talk about this high octane musical group. From the early days of winning a talent contest to playing before 85,000 fans Willie covers it all. For the past two decades, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers have taken the world by storm with their infectious blend of groundbreaking fusion of traditional Scottish music with rock and pop anthems which they proudly call ‘Bagrock.’ And you can tell by the way Willie talks that RHCP have a deep love and respect for their fans. Song selection, fan engagement, the structure of each event and hint that they’re dropping a new album are all on the table. They’re playing March 2nd at the Colonial Theater in Laconia. Get a ticket soon because there can’t be many left!
I recently came across a theatre company that somehow I hadn’t heard about before and wondered “When did they pop up”? Sooooo I put my feelers out and finally got them into the WKXL NH Unscripted studio for a great chat. Meg Gore, Artistic Director/Manager and Katy Gore, Choreographer of Ovation TC in Londonderry, NH dropped all the details of this, somewhat-ish, new group. They pulled in 8 awards at the recently held NHTA’s, have summer workshops and classes and tell the tale of performing Mama Mia! outdoors. Welcome aboard folks!
If you have never been to one of the Studio Lab's industry nights you are sorely missing out! The first Thursday of every month they hold a free open house and invite any in the entertainment industry to attend. Today on WKXL and NH Unscripted Andrew and I discuss the efforts by the Studio Lab in Derry to help attract more of the film industry to New Hampshire with the creation of the NHEA (New Hampshire Entertainment Alliance) and the introduction of a bill to our state congress to create a New Film Office and offer some type of tax incentives. We also go around the state chatting up some of the auditions coming up for several of the community theatre groups
One of my favorite theaters to perform at (not to mention see great shows) has always been the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, NH. And I was looking over their upcoming season and knew I just had to get someone from there in to chat it up! Today WKXL and NH Unscripted welcomed in Cory Lawson, Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Winni. And man did we have a blast. One of the most fascinating stories was about their collaboration with the Meredith Historical Society, and Mount Washington Cruises to have a dinner and show on the Mt. Washington for a play written by NH’s own Bob Montana, the genius behind the Archie comics!!! Say whatttttttt?? I know right? Enjoy!!
WKXL and NH Unscripted drop part two of our interview with Angèlica Rosenthal and Mackenzie Goodwin and it picks up where we left off with both talking about their thoughts on how the NHTA’s went on Saturday night. We also delve deeper into what the show The Prom is about (as well as some of the controversy it has sparked). We end this second episode with thoughts about American Idiot (with audition dates) and how it, and The Prom, are suitable for the current political and social environments.
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted episode is devoted to NH Unscripted’s new show sponsor: The Law Offices of Shaheen & Gordon (https://www.shaheengordon.com). “Because everyone should know a good lawyer”, our favorite attorney Jim Rosenberg gives us all the details about how and when the law office was established and its tremendous growth over the years. Other topics include how tech has effected law enforcement (good and bad), the impact of the growth of drugs throughout the state, all of the various areas of practice at the firm and a whole lot more.
One of WKXL and NH Unscripted sassiest guests returns today: Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal and double teamed up with Mackenzie Goodwin! Angèlica is one of the busiest guests and so we are always fortunate when she drops by. Today she talks about her role in the upcoming NHTA’s, her upcoming production of The Prom, as well as upcoming productions of Legally Blonde and American Idiot. Angèlica has a knack for doing spicing up her shows. Mackenzie was nominated for an award at the NHTA’s and will playing Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. This is part one of a two part series.
Kevin Lefebvre comes back for a return visit to discuss big news for his seniors car service F & R Transportation (https://bit.ly/4aHZccf) in Manchester. His first visit we talked about his above and beyond transportation for seniors needing to get to appointments and how he had some plans to expand. Well guess what? Mission accomplished! New drivers, expanded routes and still the best service in the state.
We here at WKXL NH Unscripted love the Players Ring in Portsmouth and so any chance to see friends perform there gets us out of bed! Leslie Pasternack and Katie Gall stop in and chat up their next show “As Small As Stars” by Will Murdock and directed by Kelli Leigh-Ann Connors opening Jan. 31st at the Ring. From the Players Ring website: A love story between grieving parents…As Small As Stars is based on the novel Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.A heartwarming drama sprinkled with fantastical elements inspired by J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan”. Loved this chat!
Powerhouse Theatre in Laconia is crazy busy! Bryan Halperin stops by to chat up their latest fundraising project “Just Duets” opening for one night Saturday Jan. 25th. They just held auditions for their May production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and he’s stoked with the talent that turned out. We talk about their writers workshop at Prescott Farm, their August production of Elf, John Cariani and a whole lot more!
WKXL and NH Unscripted hosted Matt Cahoon (Academic Dean), Kyrie Ellison-Keller (Associate Dir. of Theatre) and Kate Dugas (Technical Director) to discuss why they went to the New Hampton School in hopes of building a theatre program that would attract students interested in studying theatre at a high level as a way to prepare for the college audition process. In just about 2 years they have built a program that includes 9 courses and this year is the inaugural year of New Hampton’s Diploma with Distinction in the Arts which means that students can come here and basically major in theatre. A remarkable achievement and a tremendous interview.
Today on NH Unscripted we present an original radio play written by Rays recurring guest, Kevin Collins. A Christmas special with a comedic noir twist. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Kevin and I try our hands at something a little different.
Merry Christmas to all of the loyal NH Unscripted fans! Time to have some Christmas fun. And to do that I’ve invited back to the studio Daniel Siletti to talk with us about Christmas tv shows and movies that have come our way over the years. We wax nostalgic about the early specials like Mitch Miller, Andy Williams and the Osmond Brothers. Then we get into some of the classics. Stop motion shows like Davy & Goliath, Rudolph, Frosty, etc Then we add in It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street. We turn the corner and chat about newer “classics” like Home Alone, Polar Express, ELF and try to tackle the crop of Hallmark (ugh) annual Christmas offerings. Andrew drops some tremendous audio cuts in on as well! And as usual, soooooooo much more. Happy Holidays my friends!
Guest host Kevin Collins returns to have a wonderful and insightful discussion with Brenda Laforce and Ed Tinney about the performing arts, their experiences, and it’s importance.
Soooooo while I'm away in Lincoln playing Scrooge for the absolutely stunning production of "A Christmas Carol" nccajeansplayhouse (yes that's a plug for our show) I asked my longtime friend Kevin Collins to guest host the @WKXL NH Unscripted! And what a job he does. Listen in as he discusses the portrayal and evolution of teenagers and their depictions through stage, music, and cinema. And how it’s impacted characters and development through the various art forms.
Todays’ episode is long overdue and I’m so glad that it’s finally happened! Margherita Giacobbi from the Players Ring came by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to all about what’s happening at the Ring. And, brother, do they have a slate of shows coming up that needed to be talked about. The Ring is crazy busy during regular times, but, their Christmas schedule is insane. While most groups are working on one Christmas show (usually a version of Christmas Carol) they’re banging out 4 different shows for the Christmas season!! Five if you count Andrew Pinard’s post-Christmas “Discovering Magic”! We get the breakdown directly from the source. Happy Holidays everyone from WKXL and NH Unscripted.
The holidays have arrived! And that means friends and family and parties and food and more parties and more food. And for some of us at WKXL and NH Unscripted THAT means gaining a few pounds. We all do it and then we all make New Year’s Day resolutions to lose them. But before we fully engage in the festivities I wanted to bring a ton of hope to you. I dropped by Cutting Edge Testosterone Therapy (don’t let the name trip you up!!!) to discuss the most recent, cutting edge therapies for weight loss that actually work. You may have heard about certain medications that are helping folks lose a ton of weight and while it’s true there is a world full of other options that compliment those medications or work separately just as well. Happy Holidays everyone! Here’s to hope and a bright (and hopefully lighter) future!
Well, it’s the most wonderful time of the year and so we at WKXL and NH Unscripted felt it was also time again to take a look around the state and check out some reasons to get out of the house. In todays episode Andrew Gibson and I discuss some upcoming NH Unscripted special episodes, highlight several productions of “Christmas Carol” going up somewhere near you, throw in some craft/artisan shows and highlight the Pittsfield Players recent production of “Into The Woods”. The BNH, CCA, Peterborough Players, Power Chords and sooooo much more all make it into the mix!
I told ya that I love the fall because I have this thing about artisan craft fairs didn’t I? Today's WKXL NH Unscripted guest. Paul Ringuette, aka The Artful Carver, came by with some of his handiwork and it was jaw dropping. I am fascinated with human ingenuity and constantly amazed at the folks that can think outside the box. Paul is one of those people. He is a wood worker and creates regular clocks, tide clocks, stunning sports coasters and so much more using laser cutting technology. He’s incredibly busy and popular at the best craft fairs and I understand why. His website, www.artfulcarver.com, is where to go to see for yourself. Did I happen to mention gorgeous? Unique? Innovative? I should have.
I was very excited to meet today’s guest, Leslie Pasternack. Leslie has a Ph.D. in Theatre History from UT Austin and spent an intensive year at the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre (sometimes referred to as “clown school”). She has won a couple of Spotlight Awards for her solo show, CLEAN ROOM. She has directed and acted at a variety of places, including The Players’ Ring, New Hampshire Theatre Project and The Firehouse Center for the Arts and teaches acting workshops a couple times a year at Riverwoods Durham. She’s about to start rehearsing as an actor in AS SMALL AS STARS, by Will Murdock, which opens at the Ring on January 31st. It’s being directed by Kelli Connors. Her website is www.Lemonpunchtheatrelab.com.
I know it’s a little late, but, here’s the official WKXL NH Unscripted Halloween episode! We brought in our heavy weight film expert Daniel Siletti to talk not only about some of the most iconic horror films, but, also to chat about his own YT channels attempt at creating their version of The Twilight Zone called “The Twilight Zone: The Halloween Scare”. Hats off to Daniel and his team for celebrating their 10 year anniversary of putting out annual Halloween short films. Andrew Gibson does his spectacular yeoman’s job by adding his color commentary via horror movie soundtracks especially for this episode.
The level of my ignorance revolving around the depth of talent in this state is mind boggling. We’ve talked a lot about many different performing arts types except for dance and so today we’re correcting that oversight. Joan Brodsky and Sallie Werst, from the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative, come to the YMCA like digs of the WKXL and NH Unscripted studios to talk about the work the NHDC does. Their mission “is to make dance a more well understood, accessible and utilized art form” and they break down exactly what the heck that means. We talked about the Accelerator program, their grant making “…that not only provides financial support to dance artists but also expands opportunities for them…”, their collaboration with Canterbury Shaker Village, tKapow, the Currier Gallery of Art and the 3S Artspace just to name drop a few you may know. To date NHDC has hosted more than 20 collaborative performances throughout New Hampshire. Their Instagram account is nothing if not breathtaking. Great, great episode.
Yes we’re talking about artisan craft shows today on WKXL's NH Unscripted. Believe it or not there are artists that exist outside our performing arts circles and today we are highlighting them! Jody Donohue, from Great New England Craft & Artisan Shows, drops by to chat up what’s happening with her artisan craft events and I’m very glad that she did. My wife and I absolutely love going to them to see the ingenuity and creativity that is always on display. Jody and I talk about some of best and some of the worst ideas that cross her path as well as show dates, venues and soooooo much more!
Been curious at all about what’s happening with the Hatbox Theatre? Well wonder no more! Kinda. Gary Locke, President of the Hatbox Theatre board, drops in to bring us current on all that’s happening and all that needs to happen as they look to the future. Many theater groups leaned on the Hatbox over it’s time at the Steeplegate Mall and they would certainly like for that to continue, but, there are hoops that need to be gone through to make that dream come true and Gary discusses the reality of it all. Hatbox 2.0 is not far off!
Fall is the perfect time for bbq: cool air, football, fairs and bbq. As though nature intended it that way!! And you can’t do bbq without sauce and that brings us to today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest, Daniel Lloyd from Big Dog Sauces. Yeah I know we’ve talked sauce before, but, sometimes you don’t want to lean into the hot stuff. Sometimes you just want mellow. Daniel has a series of sauces (some used by competition rib teams) that are unique and I get to taste them on air!! His newest one called Cranberry Spice is darn perfect for Thanksgiving. He layers the flavors of cranberry, nutmeg and cloves into something that evokes grandma’s kitchen. AND he has a great story to boot!!!
We at WKXL's NH Unscripted are very concerned about staying at the top of our game!! Performing optimally without taking care of ourselves is a VERY short term strategy. We make our livings and entertain our patrons, friends and families using our minds and bodies. I asked Cutting Edge Testosterone Therapy in Manchester (don’t let the moniker throw you) to chat with me because they are using technologies and therapies that help us battle brain fog, Alzheimer’s, aging, etc all things that I’ve seen fellow performers eventually succumb to and since knowledge is power I felt we need the knowledge. Cutting edge technologies such as peptide therapy, radio frequency treatments, IV therapies, etc are designed to keep us at the top of our game!!!! This is one of the most interesting episodes, from a health perspective, that you’ll hear in a long time.
Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted: What do Ubers, taxi cabs and buses have in common besides being modes of transportation? No heart. They’ll all pick you up and drop you off somewhere, but, will they stay with you when you get there? Will they go into the doctors’ office and sit beside you or go into the grocery store with you and help you shop? Nope. But, Kevin Lefebvre of F&R Transportation sure will. Today’s episode is all about kindness. Kindness especially to the elderly and homeless. Kevin seen a need and decided to add some humanity into a sterile and cold system. And he’s busy. Crazy busy! AND he’s a coach for MWHS Football in Manchester. AND they’ve sitting as one of sixteen national sites that are in the running for a potential “T-Mobile Friday Night Lights” field and locker room major upgrade. And you can help. Check out this episode.
Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted (and what should be award winning) episode is the third and final episode in our series for the New Hampshire Film Festival and features Dan Hannon (a frickin') co-founder of the festival! Dan takes us on a tour of a lot of the after party events, talks up some history, the Portsmouth Music Hall as well as giving us more clarity and color for some of the bigger films! Third time is a charm!!! Do I make you randy baby?
Have you ever given any thought about possibly doing audio book narration? Well, today’s interview is for you Bucko! A-lister, world renowned, highly sought after audio book narrator Alex Picard drop by WKXLs NH Unscripted to talk you off that ledge. In what turned out to be a wayyyyy too short chat she gives us hard look into the craft. And let me tell you, it’s NOT for the faint of heart. She details things that she has to prepare like: being in a booth by yourself for hours on end, different accents, genders, multiple characters, geographic locations, unknown word pronunciations and so much more. Accepting or not accepting books or genres to read, deadlines, coordinating with the author, maybe including other narrators. It’s all there. Makes me sweat just thinking about it.
Today Dive-in Productions (www.diveinproductions.com) stopped by to introduce a new word that they invented: “Monromcom”! It’s a shortened version of the phrase Monster Romantic Comedy which just so happens to be what their new horror rom-com production, Romantic Atmos-FEAR, is about. Whoddathunkit! Author/Director Will Saxe along with actress Heather Howe stopped by to give NH Unscripted all the deets on this unique and creative show. It’s a series of short plays with titles such as “Witch Seth”, “Once in a Full Moon”, “Just Vamp” and “Pieces of You”. Will and Heather give us the low-down on how the show came about, some idea of what’s going to happen (can’t reveal too much after all), what they were looking for from anyone that auditioned and, trust me, a whole lot more! Performances 10/11-10-20 at Nasson Community Center and Little Theatre (Springvale, ME) & 10/25-10/27 at RPAC – Rochester Performance & Arts Center.
Ian McCarthy, the head programmer for the 22nd Annual NHFF, calls in for the second of our three Film Festival interviews and talks all about the number of films that were submitted, how they did their film selection as well as naming some of the films he and his team are excited to be shown. He breaks down the various Film Festival Passes that are being offered and chats up some of the “perks” added into a few of them. We really dig into the Thursday October 17th films because that’s the day films tied to New Hampshire have their own day to shine. And the day pass is only $30!!!! Some special “blocks” are brought up as well such as the “Rolling with the Punches. Welcoming You into the World of Stunts” and the “Young Filmmakers Workshop”. Trust me, the hour is packed!
It’s time once again for one of New Hampshire’s most inspiring and attended events: The 22nd Annual New Hampshire Film Festival to be held in Portsmouth! The first of 3 interviews for the NHFF begins with Tina Sawtelle the Executive Director for the Music Hall which has assumed the gargantuan task of taking over the reins of the festival. Covering 4 days, 100+ films and 22yrs of storytelling the festival is an absolute “must attend” for filmmakers and cinephiles! Passes, both for daily and 4-day, are available which allow for entrance to any of the four types of showings. Feature Narrative, Feature Documentary, Short Block and Special Event. Thursday October 17th is NH Day & Night Program at NHFF is dedicated to promoting films, filmmakers, producers and actors who hail from the Granite State. Word on the street is that there will be appearances by actors Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Succession) and Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop 1,2,3). And of course sooooo much more.
My goodness, I LOVE this time of the year! Today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest was my friend and the Artistic Director for the North Country Center for the Arts @Jean’s Playhouse Joel Mercier. Joel and his company just wrapped up their summer season and so it was time to talk about how he thought it went, what’s on the horizon and, of course, we couldn’t leave out a quick discussion of his new kittens! Topics that we really spent some time on were “Ghostlight” (the very popular and un-traditional haunted house), “A Christmas Carol” (now an extremely beloved seasonal staple) and “Taste of Jean’s” (the annual event where next seasons roster is revealed). Always a great guest with great stories!
For those of you who have been quietly asking yourselves: “When is Ray going to have someone on the show to talk about marketing?”, well, Bucky, this is your lucky day! In this episode, Joe Walker of Joe Walker Marketing Services calls in and chats about that very subject. Joe kindly educates me on topics such as Guerrilla Marketing, SWOT analysis, Fractional CEO-ing, why, how and when to create a business, business funding, presentations and his guest speaking services. He brings up an example of money NOT well spent trying to market a product (it happened during a Superbowl). When you might need to “rebrand” your product and why. Possible speed bumps when trying to expand nationally and much, much more (of course).
It’s time for WKXL's NH Unscripted to talk about upcoming productions and auditions around the state. The NH professional season is pretty much wrapped and now it’s time for the community theater groups to step forward and get some of good loving and attention! Groups we highlight today are the Pittsfield Players, Powerhouse Theatre, tKapow, Discovering Magic (Mr. Pinard), Lend Me a Theater, Jean’s Playhouse, the Players Ring, and lastly, the Winnie. We toss in some quick hits for the NH Film Festival and the Music Hall, drop some info and deets on upcoming guests and episodes and voila! Another award winning episode!!!
It’s time for a Jean’s Playhouse “Misery” recap! Having just finished two very successful weekends performing “Misery” I thought I would grab Alex Picard (Annie Wilkes) and Adam Kee (Paul Sheldon) for some quick thoughts on the production. In their opinions which scenes were the most difficult for each of them? What was their character development process like? Did you find the show successful? What happens next for each of them? And of course, sooooo much more!!
Today’s guest was my new friend Adam Kee. Adam is an Equity actor currently co-starring, along with Alex Picard (a previous guest on the show), in “Misery” at the North Country Center for the Arts at Jean’s Playhouse in Lincoln. We sit down and talk about the production, his journey from novice to union actor, his methods/tips for performing, and some plain ole’ jawboning between to friends. Excellent time!
A return visit from our friend Jim Rosenberg brings up a discussion about the Olympics, break dancing, pickle ball, Stephen King’s “Misery” @ Jean’s Playhouse in Lincoln, Copenhagen, trips to NYC and, as always, sooooo much more!
NH Unscripted at WKXL was originally crafted with the idea of letting the listening audience get a glimpse of what and how our artists do the things they do to bring the magic to our stages or screens. Today I had the honor of speaking with a longtime friend and brilliant mind Kevin Collins. Kevin’s has been an actor, director, writer, teacher, principal and mentor over the years and during that time he wrote/created a series of vignettes that made me think of early radio programs like The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, Jack Benny, etc. and it gave me the idea to see if he’d be interested in airing them maybe on a weekly or monthly basis for the NH Unscripted audience. But, I also wanted to let the listeners in on the process of creating the show/characters and today’s episode is the beginning of that task. We start by talking about humor. It’s history, how it’s in our DNA, why we laugh at certain things and not others. It’s a fascinating delve it the topic and we barely scratch the surface. I think this will turn out to be a tremendous series and I hope you find it as captivating as I do.
Getting to chat with friends makes for some of the best WKXL NH Unscripted episodes and this one with Deirdre Bridge is a great example of that. This get together was supposed to happen earlier, but, got delayed. (Okay, I forgot about it and was cutting my grass! There, you happy?) I was curious about her role in the tKapow production of Paradise Now! as well as what it was like to work at the Bank of NH Stage, but, as the conversation continued things just kept going off the rails!! Deirdre cracked me up and then tossed me under the bus a couple of (well deserved) times. I really enjoy our theater community and chats like this one are big reasons why. Enjoy.
Co-star in Donald Tongue’s award winning short film “Home Burial”, Michael Cobb from “truepenny arts” dropped in the WKXL NH Unscripted studio and gave me a captivating hour talking about his upcoming workshops. Stage actors looking for an edge should lend an ear to today’s episode. Here is just a sample of his pedigree: “…movement improv in Boston, onstage at Trinity (including study and casting and advice by/from Richard Jenkins, some other names), including three-hander with another Tony nominee/Olympic Speed skater/Renfield to Frank Langella’s Dracula on Broadway, Dallas Theatre Center lead, crashing Emmy-winning choreographer’s audition and getting national broadcast on PBS out of it, year as leadership in the now Gamm Theater there, M.A. at Brown, years in the Adirondacks doing theatre, training at A.R.T./Moscow Art Theatre School to be voice/speech/text coach, STUDYING ACTING WITH MOSCOW ART THEATRE FACULTY, going to Moscow to study/teach/see theatre for three months, getting hired as Head of Voice, Speech, and Text (including teaching Shakespeare) at National Theatre Conservatory in Denver (including coaching at Denver Center Theater)…” Well worth the listen.
Franklin Footlight Theatre showed up to chat about their upcoming production of SPAMALOT. We had actors, an assistant director, a choreographer, one person just hanging out and taking pictures (I’m looking at you Olivia Martenson!). And talked about classic Monty Python gags, laughs, audience expectations, crappy accents (except my Inspector Clouseau French one was spot on), and thanks to Hayley de Sousa we even (gingerly) threw in some info on their NEXT show TWISTED. SPAMALOT has all of the characters that you would expect including King Arthur, Lancelot (the homicidally brave), Lady of the Lake (complete with Laker Girls), Sir Robin (the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot), Sir Galahad, Sir Bedevere, Patsy, Prince Herbert, Concorde and many more. I’m breakin’ a sweat just typing it all!! Show dates and tickets: Aug 1-4 at the Hamilton Hall, Tilton School.
Well, as promised today WKXL and NH Unscripted bring you part II of my interview with several members from the cast of Actors Cooperative Theatre’s production of Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical stop by and give us a deep, deep dive into the show. Angelica Forcier Rosenthal (Kathryn Merteuil), Garrett Meyer (Sebastian Valmont) and Mackenzie Goodwin (Cecile Caldwell) continue to walk me through more the plays insane “Dantes Inferno” type levels of craziness. Six potential “couples”? Cocaine inside a crucifix? A celebrated death by taxi driver? What is going on here? And to top off the episode we get a sneak peek into their next seasons choice. It’s a play based on a movie that I had no idea was made into a stage production and ONLY ACT would be looking for it!!! The show goes up Aug. 2-11 at the MCTP Theatre at the North End Montessori School; 698 Beech St, Manchester and tickets can be bought at app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=191346
Todays’ episode of NH Unscripted at WKXL is part I of a two part series. Several members from the cast of Actors Cooperative Theatre’s productions of Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical stop by and give us a deep, deep dive into the show. Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal (Kathryn Merteuil), Garrett Meyer (Sebastian Valmont) and Mackenzie Goodwin (Cecile Caldwell) VERY delicately walk me through this insane show! ACT does some of the most creative, thought provoking material in the state. I’m not talking classics or Greek theatre or Moliere. I’m talking about crazy, sometimes gritty, sometimes just wild shows and this one ranks right up there. This is a collaboration between the Hatbox Theatre, ACT and MCTP. There is soooo much happening here on soooo many different levels that we had to break the discussion into two parts! The show goes up Aug. 2-11 at the MCTP Theatre at the North End Montessori School; 698 Beech St, Manchester and tickets can be bought at app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=191346
Hot sauce is today’s topic on WKXLs NH Unscripted, but, we’re not talking about the garden variety here! No sir. We’re talking hot sauce birthed in heritage and love and a generational appreciation for the highest quality ingredients that now comes bottled by Rubin Lichtenstein. A beautiful story of a man and his desire to create something unique and special: Rubin’s Hot Sauce.
Mike Perry takes a break from his long haul trucking ventures to stop by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio and chat us up! I first met Mike while performing a play at the Hatbox Theater in Concord. The rigors of otr trucking take center stage for a good portion of the show as Mike gives me an inside look at what it’s like to be a trucker. And it ain’t pretty let me tell ya! Then we get into Mike’s side gig of photography and his website Clardy Short PhotographyClardy Short Photography . Most of his photographs can be found on his Instagram page @clardyshortphotography. He LOVES black & white photos and talks about his real passion of one day owning his own studio. Just two friends catching up!
Todays’ WKXL NH Unscripted guest was my good friend Scott Millette. Scott and I discuss working on the short indie film called “Teddy”. “Teddy is a throwback to 80’s slasher films…Teddy was shot in a total of under 6 hour, with no real plan.” Scott talks about Rebel House. “An amazing new creative Co-work space” that’s in the Fox Run Mall in Newington, NH. It’s an absolutely gorgeous facility dedicated to creativity and for podcasting (audio/visual). You have to see the photos to believe it! We also get into the NHFF in Portsmouth as well as the current state of filmmaking in New Hampshire. And as always much, much more!
Not sure how I haven’t had my friend Dan Adams on the WKXL show NH Unscripted before, but, it’s time to correct that error in judgment!! He’s been a paramedic since 2003. Was a police officer in the early 2000’s. So his life was public safety before he needed to make a change and got into education. He went to college for News Reporting and Anchoring, had some job offers but didn’t want to move across the country. He had always wanted to be an actor. So started doing some community theater then took a break. Then got cast at the Weathervane. Then it took off from there. Oh yeah, we got all the juicy details.
No pressure on my end, but, rumor has it that we have a new WKXL show starting up called “Soundtrack Cinema” and it will be hosted by Daniel Siletti and it has fallen on my shoulders NH Unscripted to introduce him to our beautiful WKXL audience. The show’s basis will be Daniel playing themes, soundtracks, and songs from silver and small screens as well as some fun games and bonuses at the end of episodes. He’s been crazy active on his YT channel paying tribute to some of the best films and franchises ever. Time for me to get all the deets and pump the young buck up!
Today’s guest was my friend Jennifer Sue Rockwell. Jenn and I go wayyyyy back and it was time to do some catching up. Her acting resume is darn impressive with gigs at the Seacoast Rep, the Palace Theatre, some stints with National touring companies and she’s even spent some time performing in Maui!!! She directs, does 1- on -1 acting coaching AND she’s now doing floral artistry with her business “Flowers by Jennifer”. One hour just wasn’t enough, but, we managed to get in the good stuff!
How many times do I have to tell WKXL NOT to leave me alone in the studio? Oh well. We are fast approaching the end of June and that means that theaters are gearing up for opening nights!!! And so I take a look at some of the plays that just opened or will be opening shortly like Jersey Boys at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, A Night of One Acts and Opera at the Pittsfield Players. I also talk about my disappointment with the recent Frankie Valli concert that my wife and I attended at Mohegan Sun as well as give a (somewhat) review of tKapow's recent show “Paradise Now” at the Bank of NH Stage and Concord’s Market Days comes up and I may have veered somewhat off track at a point or two as I fell into a couple of rabbit holes, but, hey, that’s just the way we roll!!!
I’m not even sure where to begin describing the chat I had with my long time friend Clint Klose when he stopped by WKXL's NH Unscripted. We talked about the one act play festival that his students from Concord High School participated in and their success there. Clint then talked about RB Productions (hint: they are unbelievably busy), his role there and then out of the blue he dropped a piece of remarkable breaking news about RB and its future with CCA-NH. Lastly, Clint goes into details about the success of his program at CRTC (Concord Regional Technical Center). Along the way he name drops some of his students which have gone on to act on Broadway!
Almost all entertainment is magical to a certain degree. However today’s entertaining episode is ALL about magic. Real Magic. In fact it’s all about “Discovering Magic”, Andrew Pinard’s magic show that is taking place for the next 3 months at the Kimball Jenkins Estate in Concord. What I love about speaking with Andrew, besides the magic, is the history behind some of the magic that he brings. His knowledge of his craft is downright fascinating! AND he did not one, but, TWO pieces of magic in the studio. One that you can perform at home while he’s performing it in the studio and another that just blew my mind!!! Magic is entertainment and entertainment is magical. Feel free to quote me!
Hoo boy! It's another stream of consciousness. I've warned them about letting me alone in the studio... Riding solo again today I brought up various productions that are happening this summer at the Winnipesaukeeplayhouse, the NL Barn Playhouse, the M&D Playhouse in Conway, the Powerhouse Theatre and the Pittsfield Players. I gave a quick recap of the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative Play Festival held at Prescott Farm this past weekend. I give a quick look at some upcoming interviews and finally, I talk about the Market Days coming up in Concord June 20-22.
The Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative Play Festival @ Prescott Farm in Laconia is once again tackled by WKXL NH Unscripted! Today’s guests, Gary Locke (one of the directors) and Chuck Fray (one of the writers) stop in to discuss the Festival in more detail. We talked about things like: Is the shortened format easier or more difficult to work with? What do they think the actors, audience and writers will take away from the event? How does writing for a shorter play impact the structure of the writing? Why even do a Play Festival with plays that are under 15-20 minutes apiece? We covered a lot in this hour so hang on!!!
Today’s episode on WKXl NH Unscripted was all about the Powerhouse Theatre upcoming “free to attend” Play Festival at Prescott Farm in Laconia this weekend June 1st and 2nd. Pumping it up with me is K. Stawasz. 14 short plays written by local talent, directed by local talent and performed by local talent will be showcased for free both days. We break down what it takes to accomplish that goal as well as get some background info on our guest!
Today guest on NH Unscripted at WKXL was Tom Seiler. As a stage actor he has appeared in over 197 plays including the leads in such shows as The Man who came to Dinner, Rumors, Dam Yankees, Cheaper by the Dozen, and many others. He spent 10 years in television news working for CNN for the first three years they were on the air. He spent 4 years on the New Hampshire Film Commission, 2 years as Chairman. He has shot and edited more than 2000 News stories as a camerman. He worked in Radio for WUNH FM and hosted his own 90 minute talk show, “Quest for the Truth”. A 45 year resident of New Hampshire with his wife and 4 cats. He spent 4 years on the New Hampshire Film Commission, 2 years as Chairman.
What I know about opera is pathetically slim. Shocking, I know. That’s right nobody comes to me when they have questions about it, but, I needed to get a little more “culcha” in my life and so I broke down and went to NH Opera Idol recently held at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord. I was intending to quietly slid in as an audience member, but, was quickly pressed in to service by station manager Cat Martinez to conduct some “man on the street” interviews. Todays show is the result of my attempt to accomplish that task. No animals were injured during the process.
Cars & Coffee. My God does it get much better than that? Alex Stoyle, owner of Revelstoke coffee in downtown Concord, drops in to talk about the event he created. Cars & Coffee on Capitol hosted by Revelstoke Coffee is a gathering of people and their vehicles in beautiful downtown Concord, New Hampshire. All makes and models are welcome and encouraged. From rat-rods to exotics, muscle cars to imports, tuners to classics and everything in-between, if you’re proud of it, they want to see it. Held alongside the state capitol building on Capitol Street and Park Street in Concord, NH directly across from Revelstoke Coffee and is on the second Sunday of each month 8am-11am. The streets are closed to normal traffic, open for show car parking only.
Were you aware that there’s a cutting edge film studio located in Derry, NH? Don’t feel bad, neither did I until recently. It’s called Studio Lab and it’s one of the most fascinating places in the state. Benjamin Davis, director of the studio, drops by to give us the details. Some of the companies that have used their facilities include Disney, Prime Amazon, Titleist, Sony, Hannaford and Red Bull! Not only do they have “the largest film studio and recording space in New Hampshire” complete with 20ft high lighting grid and 2200 sq.ft.space they have a recording studio with a state-of-the art control room, versatile tracking space and isolation booths. This place rocks!!
I love coffee. Wayyyyyy too much to be honest. Anyway I thought that I fell into a fever dream when I found out that there’s a coffee event called The Northeast Coffee Festival coming to Concord, NH on May 10-11. It’s being hosted by two of my favorite coffee houses Revelstoke Coffee and Wayfarer Roasters. Alex Stoyle and Karen Bassett, respectively, come by and give me the deets on this event for all of us java addicts. There are going to workshops on espresso, tea, and homebrewing. There’ll be panel discussions, coffee tastings AND “drumroll please” a 2024 Latte Art Throwdown at the Bank of NH Stage! Much of the weekend is free, but, certain events require purchasing a pass.
Did you know that there’s a heckuva theater group that’s north of Lincoln? I didn’t even think that there was life north of Lincoln! Well, there is and it’s called Theatre UP in Littleton, NH and the founding artistic director for them, Andrew Lidestri, drops by WKXL NH Unscripted to chat with Ray Dudley about the great work that’s happening wayyyyyyyy up there! A gorgeous ride north, a stunning little community and a vibrant arts program all in one beautiful package.
Andrew talks about their upcoming production of “Curtains”, their new season, classes, youth programs, their new digs and much, much more!
This guy just cracks me up!!! Jim Rosenberg from Shaheen & Gordon makes a return visit to try to impress me with his E-bike. Not gonna happen! We also discuss his upcoming trip to Copenhagen with his BFF’s, his previous trip to Amsterdam with those same BFF’s, his daughter getting into Clemson, the Concord High girls undefeated season and, as usual, much, much more.
Bryan Halperin from the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative stops by to chat. We discussed PTCs’ relatively new relationship with the Colonial Theatre in Laconia, more thoughts on great theatre and acting. PTC is incredibly busy! Auditions for Fiddler on the Roof are on May 2nd and 3rd with info on their website. Tuck Everlasting goes up May 10-12, get your tickets! Bryan and I really encourage anyone that’s considering attempting to act to come for the auditions, but, more importantly get out of the house and go see a show! Live theater is happening all around our state. Support them, enjoy their work, smile, laugh, cry with them.
Amy Antonucci, Living Land Permaculture, returns to bring us a little deeper into the world of permaculture. She discusses the differences between organic gardening vs permaculture. The why’s and how’s of soil building complete with a tutorial on the technique of lasagna gardening. We talked about soil testing and the best place to get it done. The best plants to begin with, the theory of “chop and drop”, no till gardening, the Seacoast Permaculture Group and much more. She is the main organizer for Seacoast NH Permaculture and was proud to be named Leading Gardener of 2017 and Mentor of the Year in 2022 by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH
Tom Lott from the Actor Cooperative in Derry wanted to come by and talk up their latest production “The Trail to Oregon”. And when I read that an audience member said “Dying of dysentery has never been so much fun” I couldn’t wait. And THEN I saw a post about a ballet number with a “horny” very happy cow and a farmer, welllllllllll to say that my curiosity was piqued would be the understatement of the century. Fake beards, audiences getting to pay to pick who dies, ballet with a cow, songs about dysentery… I mean I’m all in!!!! Second weekend is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (matinee).
Christopher Ouellette from Chesterton Stage Productions stops WKXL and NH Unscripted in to talk about his love for the work of G.K. Chesterton and the success of their recent production of “Magic: A Fantastical Comedy” in Rochester, NH. CSP is a youth oriented company with workshops, a two week theater camp (which will include a June performance of “Alice Through the Looking Glass”), teen improv class, help with auditions and a Sept. 2024 production of “The Nutcracker and Mouse King”.
Brian Messina, owner of the Royal T Car Wash in Derry, dropped by WKXL and NH Unscripted and gives us a boatload of info on his car wash business. One of the fastest hours I’ve spent with a guest and it was all about his car wash!! From part time employee to ultimately becoming a passionate owner. I met Brian at a Studio Lab open house in Derry (another topic for another episode) and he started to talk about his car wash; how he started, his issues with the state, the technology, etc. Some inside baseball and a great look at an amazing business as well as an amazing man. What an hour!
Well, it was time to put on my WKXL big boy pants and do a solo episode! Trying to talk by yourself for an hour was a little more difficult than I had imagined, but, it was time to give it a shot. Topics for this episode were spotlighting Mike Perry’s website “Clardy Short Photography” and Instagram account @clardyshortphotography and walking through Jeremiah Smith’s incredible website “The Casting Connection” which does a superb job of aggregating audition postings from around the country and making it a one stop shop! Then it was time to talk about local productions and auditions with highlights of the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, the Pittsfield Players and the Bank of NH Stage. Plus a lot of other gum flapping by yours truly about various things that popped into my head.
Karielle Silk called into WKXL and spoke with NH Unscripted about a project she and some friends are working on at The Fourth Ministries. It’s a music album. What’s it like to create a music album? What if it’s not just a music album, but, a Christian music album? Do the songs have to have a meaning and/or a purpose greater than just be entertaining? If so, why and what would that be? What’s the process to create the songs? Who’s involved in producing and marketing it? Also, the group is going to take it on tour in NH at a minimum. And did she say they’re going to give the album away for free?
Continuing with my discussions about permaculture today Amy Antonucci called in to WKXL and NH Unscripted to chat up the Seacoast Permaculture Group as well as her homestead. She teaches workshops on homesteading topics including: permaculture, soil building, no-till gardening, composting, herbal infusions, beekeeping, goats, poultry, cheese and yogurt making, and food preservation. She has spoken at libraries, schools, garden clubs, at the NOFA-NH winter conference, and on the radio. She began growing food in 1995 on a local organic farm and CSA. She later became a certified permaculture designer and transitioned to homesteading and teaching others. She now keeps poultry, goats, plants and builds soil at Living Land Permaculture Homestead in Barrington, NH. She is the main organizer for Seacoast NH Permaculture and was proud to be named Leading Gardener of 2017 and Mentor of the Year in 2022 by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH.
Is the third time the charm or the curse? The charm of course!! Attorney Jim Rosenberg from the law offices of Shaheen & Gordon drops by for his third visit. The topic? Forget about it!! I had to toss the topic sheet out the window because Jim came loaded for bear. He’s like a verbal machine gun. He can hit more topics in the first 5 minutes than I can hope we’ll hit in total hour we have together. Keno, March Madness, trips to NYC, black ice hockey tournaments, tips on getting to NYC, inflation and he even managed to sneak in a little politics. That just the first segment!!! He’s a great guest, brilliant mind, incredible memory and excellent story teller. Yup, third time was a charm.
I called him a renaissance man. My friend John Marshall stopped by WKXL and NH Unscripted to talk with me about biochar, herbs, roasting his own coffee beans, working on his truck, acting and a heckuva lot more!!
It’s time to party at Dive In Productions!! Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Marina Altschiller-Gannon (founder) and Jordan Formichelli (Artistic Director) came by the studio to chat up their celebration. March 29th at the Millspace in Newmarket, NH will be the day they pop the cork with Performances from Dive In’s past productions including: The Upside of Being Down, Moments: A Song Cycle, Little Shop of Horrors, Dogfight, Jesus Christ Superstar, Lizzie and sooooo much more. They also dropped some hints about their upcoming season and a shout out to Tim Goss!
Part time commercial actor Pattiann Graham dropped by the WKXL studios and spoke with NH Unscripted host Ray Dudley about how she stumbled into doing commercials, what it was like being on set, some of her favorite shoots (Wayfair, Honda, Al Terry) and gave some tips for any newbies that might want to give commercials a try. She also gives some hilarious personal stories from her life. Oh yeah, and she’s also my sister!!!
I’m telling you I’m in love with permaculture and so today I had Amy and Ethan Sager, from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamworth, come by to chat up their farm. Their diversified farm produces growing supplies, wool products, flower bouquets, and ethically grown fruit and vegetables using non-certified organic methods. We talked about biochar, vermiculture (worms), no-till gardening, heritage breed chickens, ducks and sheep (and all the great wool that comes from them) and a heckuva lot more!!
Springtime is peaking its’ head around the corner and that means gardening and I’m particularly fond of permaculture gardening. Dunstan Smith from The Hummingbird Center in Dorchester, NH drops in to chat about all things permaculture and organic at the Center. The Center is an active permaculture farm with a 26-year perennial food system and hosts tours. It has a huge cob pizza oven, solar dehydrator, two outdoor solar heated showers, has classes for yoga, sound baths, has a literal farm to table restaurant called Nourish and can accommodate campers. The Hummingbird Center will begin offering yoga-based retreats with diverse programming ranging from edible wild plant walks to paint therapy, meditation, cooking classes, guided hikes, and much more.
It’s almost springtime and that means birds are chirping, bunnies are running around and Artistic Directors are scouring the landscape looking for talent for their upcoming seasons of shows! What exactly does that process look like? How do they choose who to make an offer to? Where do they even go to audition them? Well lucky for us Joel Mercier, Artistic Director for the North Country Center for the Arts, drops in to explain all of that as well as discuss their upcoming season which will feature The Secret Garden, CATS, Little Shop of Horrors and Stephen King’s Misery!
When WKXL's NH Unscripted needs a little attitude and sass that’s when it’s time to bring in the big guns and so today Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal from the Actors Cooperative Theatre is back for a repeat visit. She’s directing “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” for the Milford Area Players and she lays it all out there!! I love her honest, don’t give you-know-what approach to life. We also get to catch up on what’s happening in Derry with the Actors Cooperative Theatre. Open and refreshing.
“It’s never too late to start” is more than just a cute saying. David Afflick came by NH Unscripted to discuss how he took it to heart, applied to his life and turned his focus toward acting. His resume now glows with commercials for companies like Ocean State Job Lot, Direct TV, Tufts Health Plans, East Boston Savings Bank and NH Realtors as well as roles in films that have shown in the Cannes Film Festival and one that’s on Amazon! When and how he did it plus advice for others that are thinking about dipping their toes into acting are all on the table.
Liam Magan, General Manager, from the Teatotaller Cafe on Main st. in Concord dropped in to talk about all that’s happening at the cafe. Twice named Best of NH, Teatotaller is a “queer, hipster oasis of tea, coffee, and pastry goodness.” Named “Most Instagrammable Restaurant in America” by Food Network Magazine they have incredible waffles, drinks with boba (I didn’t know either) and macaroons made right there. Teatotaller is a café, tea-house, bistro, and venue with two locations in Concord and Dover, New Hampshire. They offer catering as well as host functions.
It was time for part II of my chat with Kevin & Kate Collins from the Garrison Players about the evolution of high school and community theater. Some of the topics today included: 1) The rise of theater training camps marketed to high school students (not summer; year-round) and its impact on traditional HS drama 2) The fragmenting and siloing of theater (HS shows in the 21st century v. 1950s-2000s) 3) Difference between the shows being done by high schools and youth theater v. “traditional” nonprofessional theater. And as usual, we drop down some rabbit holes!
Jim Rosenberg, attorney at Shaheen & Gordon, makes a return visit to WKXL chat about DUI stops and aliens in NH. Yup, aliens in NH! Jim is a defense attorney and I wanted to ask questions about what to do should you get stopped for a DUI and he certainly provided the info. Then in the last segment Jim makes the leap to alien citings around the Granite State. I had no idea how many there are. Did you know that there’s a state plaque dedicated to one particular citing? As ususal Jim’s a treasure trove of info.
Kevin Collins, board member at the Garrison Players, was today’s WKXL NH Unscripted guest. And our topic? “What is the current state of non-professional theater and theater training?” We also had the good luck to be doing theater in the 1970’s which was a highly experimental time, particularly in the arts. It was also still an analog world when we did just about everything — lighting, set design, publicity, with little or no training, just because we had to. But times have changed, in the sense that there used to be a sort of apprenticeship process through which an actor learned his or her craft: college theater, summer stock, summer festivals, regional theater, off-off-Broadway, etc., etc. Not that anyone followed this step-by-step — usually, an actor just tried out for everything. But the fact was there were many roads and many venues. In a very small way, community theater was a part of that. What are the changes? NH Unscripted and Kevin go deep in the weeds for what turned out to be “Part I”!
Today’s WKXL guest was Kelsey Domeny. Mother, podcaster, photographer, mentor, entrepreneur, speaker and author. And that’s just on her slow days! Kelsey stopped by to talk mainly about co-authoring her new book “Next Best Yes” (due out in March) and its companion podcast by the same name (available now). Kelsey walks what she talks. “Next Best Yes” explores how we can take practical next steps with God as we activate our faith even when it doesn’t make sense. Writing a book is time consuming and a daunting task on its own, but, add in self publishing, creating a new podcast, mentoring others, etc and now you’ve got your own Next Best Yes. We discuss why she and Mike (her husband) decided to write the book, what it’s all about, what the heck is “imposter syndrome” and a whole lot more! The Grove
Today’s guest was attorney Jim Rosenberg. It was a great ride as Jim (with an unbelievable memory) tells the story of a murder that took place in Concord where the victim was bludgeoned to death by being beaten over 80 times with an axe! And then he tops THAT story with a tale of a section of Concord that no longer exists called…wait for it…Peckerville. Oh yeah we went there! Jim is a Partner at Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. and the Chair of its Criminal Defense Practice Group, focusing his practice in the areas of criminal defense, white-collar defense and DWI / DUI defense. Jim has been repeatedly recognized for his outstanding work as a criminal defense lawyer. For the past two years, Best Lawyers in America and New Hampshire Magazine named Jim among the top attorneys in New Hampshire in the areas of General Criminal Defense, White-Collar Criminal Defense and DUI / DWI Defense.
My friends Kat A’wahid and Laura Hoglund from the nomadic theatre troupe Lend Me A Theater came by to chat about their history as well as their upcoming projects. I was particularly interested in hearing about their expertise providing the entertainment portion of dinner theatre at Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, NH. The amount of work that goes into mounting those productions is quite remarkable and LMAT has it down to a science. They understand their audience demographic and very smartly cater to it. They’re creative, innovative, progressive, focused and have unbounding energy. They have no permanent home residence and must depend on other venues such as the former Hatbox Theatre to house their shows. A wonderful and fun chat!
The term “entertainment” covers a wide spectrum of options and today we explore one of my favorites: BBQ. In particular the bbq that comes from the hands and heart of Joe Bernier of Angry Hog BBQ in Meredith, NH. Joe began his BBQ journey over ten years ago, creating new and exciting award winning sauces that are designed to complement any meal. After appearing on the Travel Channel with Adam Richman (yup THAT Adam Richman!), and several interviews in local media about creating the perfect BBQ experience, his passion for BBQ was ignited! And we talk all things bbq baby! Smokers, types of wood, his favorited bbq item, his time creating and selling his own sauces and then we get into his breaking news. He has partnered up with Twin Barns Brewing Company to sell his BBQ at their Lincoln, NH location. This is a BIG step up for him and we get all the details! angryhogbbq.com
Another good friend of mine, Jim Rogato (aka the voice of God), stopped by to talk about his recent role in the Traditional English Panto that played at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse. He’s been seen by thousands of theater goers over the years and Jim is a founding member of the Rockin’ Daddios as well. The Rockin’ Daddios bring back some of the best loved songs from the 50’s and 60’s sung in a doo-wop style with the accent on harmonies and FUN. They’ve performed all around NH as well as a 3 year stint at Mohegan Sun! Jim shares great stories about how the Daddios met and got to sing with the Tokens and the Shirrelles. And a lot more!
Doo Wop DJ to the gods! That’s how I refer to him. Among his many talents, Joe is a DJ for WMWM 91.7 and northofbostonradio.com and spins his best Doo Wop on Uncle Henry’s Basement and Uncle Henry’s Folk show. Sometimes that’s usually followed up playing DJ’s picks on Heart of Saturday Night where you can expect a mixture of Psychedelic, Folk, Deep Tracks, Jazz. Questions, questions, questions! What music falls under the genre title of Doo Wop? What groups are considered Psychedelic? That’s the first half of the show. Joe is also artistic director for Bedford Off Broadway in Bedford NH (www.bedfordoffbroadway.com) and so we jump into their upcoming show (directed by himself) “Blame it on Beckett”. The staging of the show has them using the old Bedford Town Hall in a very interesting format.
Emmy award winner Marc Murai dropped by to chat about what he’s up to lately and brought a guest with him: Andrew Pinard of the Hatbox Theatre. I was interested to discuss his attempt to purchase the Ioka theatre in Exeter NH and what the final result was of the attempted purchase. I also wanted to pick his brain about two of his productions that took place in the Hatbox, “Barnum” and “1776”. “Barnum” won several awards the year it was staged and “1776” was a herculean lift since the cast alone called for 24 men! Each performance was wall to wall people! Andrew gave us a little more info on the impending closure of the Hatbox and all 3 of us discuss the impact that will have of the local economy, artists, playwrights, etc.
My guest today was friend, director and author George Kelly! I asked George to stop by so that I could pick his brain about his group Granite Playwrights, his various plays that have been performed outside NH, how he decides which topics to write about, the impact of the closing of the Hatbox Theatre on is group and finally I grabbed some ideas of what to do in NYC based on his many visits. www.facebook.com/Graniteplaywrights
Irreverent, provocateur, out-out-out of the box thinker, not one to shy away from controversy and a definite envelope pusher is how I would describe Angelica Rosenthal and she totally brings her sassy ways to this interview.
She loves theater that brings her audiences to some kind, any kind of reaction, doesn’t hesitate to stage it and is almost disappointed if it doesn’t happen.
A great interview with NH Unscripted at WKXL and I’m very thankful that she took the time to drop by and chat!
Her next endeavor: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Milford Area Players
Today’s episode starts with a quick nod to thecastingconnection.net (a website designed by Jeremiah Smith strictly for theatre actors to aid in finding work). We then speak with Donald Tongue, of Tongue Mountain Productions, about the making of his short film “Home Burial” starring Michael Cobb and Kate Gilbert. The film is Donalds first attempt at creating a short film and was accepted at the Culver City Film Festival 2023. We talked about how he was able to put together the right film team, the difficulties of the film shoot, securing the right location, and a whole lot more!
Bolt Cutter Productions begins a two week run of another play I’ve never heard of, Lungs, which opens this Friday at the Hatbox Theatre in Concord. It’s a two person play and I wanted to get the skinny on it so I had Glenn Provost, co-star and producer, come by and fill us in. Glenn gives us some introductory background about himself and then talks about this wonderful play and the challenges it took to bring it to life. Using terms such as “emotionally brutal” to describe portions, he talks about how his co-star Ashley Risteen and director Catherine Stewart delicately handled the required intimacy involved.
From the website: “…With a whiplash-fast speed and a devastating conclusion, Lungs will leave you gasping for breath long after the lights go out.”
I’ve been looking forward to sitting with Andrew Gibson, for quite some time and today was the day! If you’ve been to a play in NH recently you’ve probably seen Andrew. Okay, that may be a bit of a stretch, but, honestly, the guy has been on a tear lately! Pittsfield, the Majestic, the Colonial Theatre, Jean’s Playhouse, etc. he’s everywhere! And he freely talks about playing Spiderman for Marvel (true story, but, not the movies), his passion for voice-over work, his start in the arts, his love for Phantom Of the Opera (he despises it), and more!
Michael Cobb, of Truepenny Arts stopped by to talk mechanics! As in the “mechanics of good acting”. Why do some people care to get better at the craft of performing while others could care less? What does he mean by helping actors be “in the moment”? Has he seen anything, performance-wise, that’s really impressed him? Hint: yes, and it was a musical!
We also discussed his love for the “classics” and which types of plays he feels fall into that category. So many questions, so little time.
Nancy Barry, Producing Director for the Interlakes Theatre in Meredith, stopped by WKXL and NH Unscripted to discuss the history of the group, her time under the mentorship of Norman Leger at the New London Barn Playhouse, what it’s like to herd 30-50 summer actors/staff each year, the process of learning to cater to her paying demographic and sooooo much more.
CCA Executive Director Sal Prizio dropped by to talk the Bank of NH Stage venue. I was able to get him to discuss his own humble beginnings which included stories of him playing in a band when he was younger, his time as a restaurant owner and how he eventually came to overseeing the Capitol Center for the Arts and the Bank of NH Stage. They’re upped their community outreach programs as well and Sal proudly (rightly so) spoke of: “The first Culinary Artist-in-Residence…Batulo’s Kitchen, run by beloved local food vendor Batulo Mahamed, who specializes in Somali meat pies.”
A excellent inside look at how the CCA and Bank of NH Stage think and act!
We at WKXL in Concord, NH have reached Nirvana, found Shambala, we have been handed the holy Grail! Todays’ guests, Don Lincoln (owner) and Andrew Gilman (GM), from the Axe & Ale in Gilford stopped by to talk about their new restaurant/pub. And man oh man did we have blast! Whose idea was it to combine having a few drinks with throwing axes? How hard was it to get insurance? What is the typical demographic for ax throwing anyway?
Then we talked food, live entertainment (in case tossing an ax wasn’t enough), jenga, battleship, how that the whole family can get involved and so, so, so much more. It was a heck of an interview and it’s a heck of a night out.
It’s December and that means Christmas! And Christmas means tradition! And tradition means taking in a holiday show and today we invited Andrew Pinard and Erik Hodges to stop by and talk about Hatbox Theatre’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol”.
Erik plays Scrooge in this version which was adapted and directed by Jill Pinard. Topics today were: the use of modern technology in the classic Dickens play, the tremendous cast and costumes used, Erik’s approach to the main character and much more!
NH Unscripted and WKXL hosted Glynn Cosker from the Creative Ambitions Performance Studio of NH (CAPS-NH) to discuss the creation of the studio. We talked about the timing of its ambitious beginnings and the unfortunate deflating of the group due to the COVID pandemic.
Then we discuss his 3 previous productions at the Hatbox Theatre: “Vanities”, “Education Rita” and “Masked”. “Masked” was a personal project that he wrote and then had it developed and ultimately got it performed off Broadway! Great story, rich episode!!
We get to take a look at the 7 Day Plays event from backstage, sort of.
Meredith Compagna shared the stage managing activities and, along with her insight as being the spouse to Aaron, shares her experiences from her privileged angle. Helping to choose the props, getting to view the scripts early, helping to manage Aaron (just joking!), etc. all are on the table!
Ok, the truth is that Jennifer and I start off our chat a little off track. She brings up D&D and I see the shining object and chase. But, eventually we get back to discussing her role as an actor in the 7 Day Plays event and how she viewed the productions and the process.
Jennifer also brings up some topics related to the event that I hadn't really considered before, towards the end.
Valerie Kehr had the unenviable task of playing the straight guy, er, woman to a cigarette smoking stuffed bear and a fellow actor that seemed to be channeling Chris Farley.
So, she rolled up her sleeves and more than held her own in a delightful comedy that captured the audience from "lights up".
A thoroughly engaging discussion that felt like two old friends have a summers chat.
Enjoy.
Well, it took a while to get around to discussing Karielle's script writing, but, we eventually do it! Two comedies beautifully bookended the 7 Day Plays production.
For second comedy Karielle Silk took on the role of a first time author and produced a hilarious play that ended the 7 Day Plays event on a wonderful upbeat.
I'm sorry that more people couldn't have seen it and I was determined to find out where the premise came from and how in the world did she decide to let a bit of her more "colorful" side out into the wild!
The 7 Day Plays event featured two volunteers, who had never directed before, offered to try their hands at directing plays that hadn't been written yet with casts yet to be picked and to be performed in 7 days before a paying audience at the Hatbox Theatre in Concord NH.
Mary Fraser is the second "newbie" director and it was a great pleasure to speak with her about what would possess a person to attempt it and how she thought it turned out.
Laura Hoglund volunteered to direct a play that had yet to be written and using a cast that will be assigned to her AND she has only 7 days to make the whole show ready to be seen by a paying audience. Challenge accepted! Great chat with Laura about how she got to the point of doing the 7 Day Plays production as well as whether the task was a failure or a success.
Dwight Stearns was of the two actors in the first of the four plays presented on May 24th in the 7 Day Plays Production held @ the Hatbox Theatre in Concord NH. Dwight spends some time speaking about what it was like to take on 4 different roles, wrestle a Teddy Bear that smokes and much more.
After the final production hit the Hatbox Theatre stage and the curtain came down I talked with Aaron about he felt the whole shebang went. We started at day one and briefly went through each stage of the entire project.
4 playwrights (2 seasoned, 2 newbies) are given 24hrs to write a script, hand them over to 4 directors (2 seasoned, 2 newbies) who each choose a cast and have one week to put the play into a production worthy of an audience to see. Can it be done? Why would it be done? And who would conceive of the idea?
Aaron Compagna that's who and he sits down with me to tell the story.
Inspired by the Play in a Day festival, this expanded form brings theatrical artists together to both create and develop original 20-25 minute plays, to be performed in front of a live audience on the seventh day!
Heather and Suzanne spend some time educating me about their theater paths and about their performances in "Last Gas" which will be performed at the Concord City Auditorium May 6-8.
Tickets:
https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=cpcnh
Wayland Bunnell and Patrick McGranaghan take a moment to talk about the play "Last Gas" which will be opening shortly in the Concord City Auditorium.
May 6-8, 2022
Directed by Wayland Bunnell
Cast List
Nat Paradis: Patrick McGranaghan
Troy Paridis-Pulcifer: Ryan Flaherty
Dwight Paradis: Eric Stanley
Guy Gagnon: Jerry Smith
Cherry-Tracy Pulcifer: Heather Carmichael
Lureen Legassey Soloway: Suzanne Watts
Synopsis:
Last Gas by John Cariani
Nat Paradis is a Red Sox-loving part-time dad who manages Paradis Last Convenient Store, the last convenient place to get gas--or anything-- before the Canadian border and on the edge of what's wild and what's not. If you remember our production of "Almost, Maine" in February of 2011, you'll remember how delightful Cariani's characters and situations are.
Last Gas also takes place in way-northern Maine, in a very small, unincorporated town, T16-R8, where unusual things happen to ordinary people. Long-time member Wayland Bunnell (from way-northern Colebrook, New Hampshire) directs a cast of six, four of which are brand new to The Players: Suzanne Watts, Heather Carmichael, Eric Stanley and Patrick McGranaghan. Children's Theater veteran Ryan Flaherty plays the teenage son, and Jerry Smith (The Full Monty, The Drowsy Chaperone, and others) round out the cast. Both staff and actors are wonderful, devoted, and working hard to bring this amazing play to you. So come take another trip back to way-northern Maine and see how funny, touching, moving and universal the human condition is. There's more than moose that can cross and impact our paths!
Our fifth and final WRRR interview in our series.
This time we talk with Peggy Rae Johnson, an audience member who saw four different performances starring four different actors.
Her insights are wonderful, honest, deep and sincere.
My chats with the cast of White Rabbit Red Rabbit continues as I sit down with Aaron Compagna (#7) and Katie Dunn-Law (#9) about what it like for them to perform this intriguing play.
In 2021 the Community Players of Concord staged nine performances, using nine different actors, of the play "White Rabbit Red Rabbit".
No actor can have seen a previous production or have ever been in a previous production and once they've performed they can never perform it a second time.
With no rehearsals, no directions and having never seeing the set before they walked onto it on their performance night, each performer was tasked with opening their script on stage for the first time and perform the piece.
Today I talk with performer #8, Chris Avery. We discuss why he was chosen, the difficulty of the piece, what it did for him personally, etc.
In 2021 the Community Players of Concord staged nine performances, using nine different actors, of the play "White Rabbit Red Rabbit".
No actor can have seen a previous production or have ever been in a previous production and once they've performed they can never perform it a second time.
With no rehearsals, no directions and having never seeing the set before they walked onto it on their performance night, each performer was tasked with opening their script on stage for the first time and perform the piece.
This is the first, of several actor interviews, of what it that night was like told by performer #5, my good friend, Katie Collins.
What's it like to produce a play where your actors never see the script until they get on a live stage?
No rehearsals, no directions, the actor doesn't see the set or the script until the performance!
Wayland and Lacy give me all the details, well, as much as they can divulge anyhow, about the craziness of the play "White Rabbit Red Rabbit".
A few years ago Matt Cahoon from theater Kapow contacted A.J. Ditty and asked if he would write a play for him. That play is about to be staged in Derry, NH and Charlestown, MA.
Matt and A.J. take some time to discuss the process, the cast and the production in general.
We especially discuss the back story of the play and the very interesting casting choices that were made to enhance the productions value.
Just as the "you-know-what" ramps up in the USA I chat with Joel about himself, Jeans Playhouse and how they're prepping for the deep sleep the virus is putting on live theatre.
Neil and I take time to chat about the impact of the pandemic on theater in general and The Winnie Playhouse in particular.
Chuck gives us an overview of what the NHCTA and NETC are all about. He also talks a bit about adjudicating show and tries to get me to open up about myself.
https://youtu.be/_VV8OLPvpu4
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nhcta
Improve for the People! In our first (YES you read that right: OUR FIRST) podcast video we bring Aaron Compagna and Toby H. Paul from QCI (Queen City Improv) into the studio and talk about what the hell is improv comedy and why in the world would anyone want to do it?
Jim Webber and I talk about his background and his early days in L.A. as well as ideas about set design. Then, around the 40 minute mark, we talk about "Somethings Afoot" a play he's producing for the Community Players of Concord.
In part 2 Donald helps us to see the evolution and future of New World Theatre as well as discussing the plays he hopes will hit Broadway and the crazy intensive process that all his plays go through before they're ready to hit the stage.
In part 1 Donald and I talk about his early days of writing and how it progressed over the years, about his connection to the old Smothers Brothers tv show and how that connection may have been the ultimate cause for the shows cancellation. We discuss the nuts and bolts of playwriting such as what a dramaturg is, what the Dramatists Guild is and all of the autonomy that a playwright has.
Doug sits down with NH Unscripted and talks about being a double for Kevin James, his battle with cancer, working on set with Adam Sandler, his time with the YouTube series Paragods and many other topics relating to acting and auditions!
Brett and I talk all about his love for the musical Sweeney Todd, his collection of harmonicas, his blues DJ station "Blow Me Away Blues", actor egos, his prep work for his blues station and, lastly, how he'd love to podcast/broadcast live from the NHTAs.
Karielle sits with NH Unscripted and talks about her the church she attends, her involvement in its ministries and then we move on to Singing in the Rain, a production she recently directed.
Next up is her modeling career as well as her dipping her toes into the field of photography.
Lastly, we talk about her future and what that would look like.
Dan chats us up about how CZ started, his zany schedule, the CZ podcast, his love for helping his students learn as well as the mission CZT is on to get out the best possible theater experience that they can.
https://cztheatre.com
Scott chats about his touring production of "Christmas Carol", his acting life and PerSeverance Productions.
In a heart warming sitdown, Charles and I talk about how he got his love for the theater (hint: it has to do with Eugene O'Neill), how and when he decided to begin writing (he's written over 20 plays), his passion for O'Neill and Thoreau, his successes and his not successes, and we finish with a discussion about his latest play script "Fitzgerald at Your Service".
Charles is a retired resident playwright and English professor at Southern NH University, Manchester, NH, where he taught playwriting, literature, and creative writing. He directly annually at SNHU a stage reading of one of his plays. Charles has a deep admiration for Henry David Thoreau and has written three stage plays and one mini-series about this important figure in American history. One of his Thoreau plays was performed on the Second Stage Lincoln Center, NYC. Charles studied playwriting at the Roger Simon Studio and at the HB Studio in NYC. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. Charles has written over thirty stage plays, some of which have won national playwriting competitions. He has over thirty years’ experience as a director. Three of his plays have been published. His one-woman play about Gertrude Stein toured New England and New York State. He is an experienced workshop presenter and public speaker. Charles will be directing many of the Schoolhouse Players’ productions.
Tom is an actor (stage & film), writer, producer who has an extremely diverse background. He's written scripts and made films in L.A., was a camera man for several years for CNN, was on the NH Film Division board for awhile and has performed in over 200 plays! He also tells the story of how he was supposed be on one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers on 9/11.
He started acting at the age of 9 and to date has appeared in almost 200 plays including Dracula, The Fantastics, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Oklahoma, Man of La Mancha, Dial M for Murder, The Seven Year Itch, Dam Yankees, The Graduate and Neil Simmons Rumors, among many others. While attending college in Miami, Florida he appeared as an extra in a number of pictures including Darker Than Amber and The Aquaknots, both shot at the Ivan Tors Studios in North Miami.
He made his first film as a writer/director/producer, The Barrington Oak, in 1978 and then spent the next 10 years in TV news, the first three working as a cameraman for CNN. He followed that with four years at WCSH-TV in Portland, Maineas a camerman/editor.
In 1996 he arrived in Hollywood and to date has completed 20 films, produced 5 and written 16 screen plays. He has played opposite Timothy Bottoms,Maureen McCormick, Edward Albert,LeLe Sobiski, Timmothy Hutton and Christopher Atkins (in 4 different pictures) A 45 year resident of New Hampshire with his wife and 4 cats. He spent 4 years on the New Hampshire Film Commission, 2 years as Chairman.
Mo and I sit down and talk the joys, pains, headaches and passion of creating a theater group that, despite having no home of their own, has become a very successful entity after 5 years. Creative thinking, finding their niche and having a dedicated group of volunteers has given them the edge in what has become a very crowded field.
http://www.lendmeatheater.org
Billy Butler is an actor, musician, producer in the New Hampshire area.
Recently he landed the role of Bob Crachit in the new Dolly Parton Smokey Mountain Christmas. A great discussion of what art really is.
https://bitterpillband.com
Andrew discusses the Amazing Randy, hypnosis and spoon bending as well as the Hatbox Theatre and its upcoming season.
Rob and Ray discuss the Majestic Theatre, Robs beginnings in the performaning arts world and the many, many, many irons he has in the fire. Piano man, CEO, keyboard player for the Rockin' Daddios, tutor, choir director, producer and more!!
https://majestictheatre.net
NH Unscripted sits down with Matt Newton, Bureau Chief, NH Division of Film and Digital Media, to discuss the current and future state of filmmaking in New Hampshire.
https://www.visitnh.gov/film
https://www.visitnh.gov/film/filming-in-new-hampshire
603-271-2220
matthew.newton@livefree.nh.gov
NH Unscripted sits back down with Joe Gleason to discuss the new venue Bank of NH Stage since its recent grand opening. We talked tech, performing artists, budgets, food and a lot more!
CCA
Does your project need some funding? Duh.
Ginnie's office is the place to start. This is all about how to get grant money in the state of NH.
Jackie Gleasons "The Honeymooners", Sid Ceasars (Your Show of Shows) and Bob Newharts standup comedy are all examples of influences in the writing of Mr. Gaskell. And boy does it show it. His brain just drips comedy and I wanted to find out all about how he does it. Greg lets us in on his process, his influences and his mind. Scary I know.
Keith is a professional Equity actor from New York City, originally a native of Erie, PA. For over thirty years, Mr. Weirich has performed in professional and regional theatres across the United States, Canada and Europe. He has a B.F.A. in both Theatre and Music from Otterbein College, in Columbus, OH.
Broadway and National Tour credits include: My Fair Lady starring Richard Chamberlain, and Victor/Victoria. Regional Theatre credits include: Theatre Under The Stars (TX), The Fifth Avenue Theatre (WA), Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park (OH), The St. Louis Repertory (MO), The Orpheum (MA), The Fox Theatre (GA), The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PA), The Public Theatre (WV), The Tuacahn Amphitheatre (UT), the American Stage Festival (NH), and Stagecoach Productions (NH). Peacock Players Directing credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Addams Family, Spring Awakening, Disney’s Tarzan, Shrek-The Musical, Into the Woods, Rumors, Les Miserables, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Noises Off, The Dinosaur Musical, Seussical, A Christmas Carol, 13 the Musical, The Wedding Singer, Forbidden Broadway, A Night of a Thousand Stars, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Little Shop of Horrors, Barnum, Peter Pan, Damn Yankees, The Wizard of Oz, Aida, The Wild Party, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Narnia, Oklahoma!, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In addition to being a founding member of the Children’s Threatre Ensemble (PA), Keith has trained and worked with such prominent theatre organizations as the Pennsylvania Governor School for the Performing Arts (PA), the Chautauqua Theatre institute (NY), Stuart Howard Associates (NYC), National Artists Management Company (NYC), the Manhattan Theatre Project (NYC), the New Hampshire Theatre Project (NH), and the Music Hall in Portsmouth (NH), as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the NH Theatre Awards, and as an active adjudicator and guest director for the New Hampshire Educational Theatre Guild.
Keith has produced over 85 Mainstage productions for Peacock Players, directing over 37 of them. Keith has been honored as a Top Three Finalist for Best Director at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards for the past ten consecutive years, and has received multiple New Hampshire Theatre Awards for Best Direction, Best Lighting Design, Best Scenic Design, and Best Original Playwright. In addition, Mr. Weirich was honored as the recipient of the Children’s & Youth Theatre Award for his continuing dedication and guidance in theatre education. Keith is extremely proud of all of his students, which have appeared on Broadway, National tours, and Regional an stock theatres across the country.
Michael fills me in on what improv comedy is all about and discusses his role in the 3-2-1 Improv group.
Lowell gets deep about the play Long Days Journey into Night and also discusses his relationship to Ernest Thompson, author of On Golden Pond.
Michael Venn is an awarding winning, Emmy nominated New Hampshire filmmaker. We talk about film making in NH, how he started his career, films he's yet to make, his commercial endeavors and how he came about to make "The Heroin Effect", his award winning film.
Part II of the interview NH Unscripted had with Gina and Justin when we talked all things NHTA. Past, present and future projects were all put on the table.
Part I of the interview NH Unscripted had with Gina and Justin when we talked all things NHTA. Past, present and future projects were all put on the table.
Donna chats about what it's like to do makeup and hair styling for a dizzying array of names! She's done makeup for MSNBC, CNN, WMUR and FOX News as well as commercials, weddings, political events, television shows! During our discussion she name drops: Fox News, Mitt Romney, George Stephanopoulos, Jeb Bush, MSNBC, Chris Hayes show, Rachel Maddow show, Morning Joe, Chris Matthews Show, James Taylor on the Katy Tur Show, Ivanka Trump, Chris Christie, Good Morning America, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Michael Moore, John McCain, Andrea Mitchell, Bernie Sanders, Lenny Clark, Rick Perry, Dr. Phil, Trading spaces, NOVA, Greg from Greg in the morning.
What does it take to have a five year run of a YouTube series? Shawn Allen also talks about how the show was almost picked up by ABC-TV with names like Jim Carrey and Rob Schneider being attached.
Well, today I learned that I know nothing about what's going on at the Red River Theatre in Concord! Emily Marsh, Events Coordinator for the Red River Theatre, fills me in. Did you know: That every October they have a "Rocky Horror Picture" night and that they supply ALL the props for AUDIENCE? Squirt guns, toilet paper, etc. That they have a Galentines Day? Or a "Princess Bride" night where the audience gets to quote the movie as it plays? That they're going to have an anime night? With four or five of the most popular anime movies showing? That they have an Oscar Night where the audience gets dressed up and they live stream the Oscars? That they have a themed fund raising event (Emily drops the info on this years theme)? That they do sooooooo much more? Me neither. I've been educated!
Holy Crapanola! Matt Cahoon just schooled me on all things KAPOW. Lessac training Strindberg Agamemnon Trained Dove Moments Grotowski Psycho-physical improv (yeah, me neither) Kinesetics training Getting the drift? There's stuff happening at theatre KAPOW that is DEFINITELY NOT happening at most places. You think you want to improve your skills? Check into KAPOW, your head will explode.
The highly anticipated interview with Michael Curtiss is here!! Verbose? Perhaps. Illuminating? Always. Didactic? Most assuredly! Mamet, Sorkin, Broadway and NH Theater are all on the table.
Joe and I talk about what defines doo wop, how much of it was regional, how it peaked and then died out. He lets us know of several big name groups that had roots in doo wop, but, that most folks don't know it.
Catherine is an actress, singer, songwriter, classically trained opera singer and co-host for the show The Ghost Girl Diaries. She talks all about what it was like to audition for Disney (2X), the Boston Opera and the Voice (3X). Then she spills the beans on how to went about creating an album in Boston with no money, no band and with the hope of inventing a new musical genre. As if that wasn’t enough, she gives us details about her ride from fan to co-host of the paranormal series The Ghost Girl Diaries. Phew! But we got it all in. Grab your favorite beverage, lean back and enjoy.
For the first 8.5 minutes Jim and I have small talk about his skiing, about Judys first time on stage and pre-performance routines. Then we get down to it: we talk about how the Rockin' Daddios came to be, about how great it must have been to perform (multiple times) at Mohegan Sun and finally about how a trust which he helps to execute brings big name artists into the Laconia Region for free.
Man oh man, did Bryan have me in stitches!! First we talked about how he got into acting/director and then we spent some time chatting about his stint as Director for the NHTAs. After that Bryan speaks about his bucket list of plays he'd like to do and lastly he calls me out as a Bugs Bunny cartoon character minus the steam coming out my ears. This is a very informative conversation and we hope you enjoy it.
Katie and I have a great conversation around the CCA and her role there. She graciously drops a secret about a future CCA project. We get into the art of bringing acts into the CCA, which are the most popular/profitable, how tough the competition is for getting acts and how funding works (aka the craft of shmoozing). Finally Katie and I get around to speaking about her acting career. Bucket lists, future projects and a play she'd LOVE to see get done (hint: female version of a Mamet play).
One of the more engrossing of our podcasts.
Andrew Pinard tells some of the most wonderful stories about famous magicians as well as discussing the beginnings of the Hatbox Theatre in Concord, NH.
Doris talks about what it's like taking the plunge into standup comedy.
She also gives us a peek into what it's like to be the manage at Concord TV (CTV).
2019 - Our first podcast, done in the CTV studio.
Greg and I talk about his touring comedy show and what it's like to do comedy.
Ellen Desmond and Karina Allayne from the NHTA take some time to discuss how the group is adapting during the you know what with something they call the UnAwards, which will stream @ 7pm on April 10th. The UnAwards is a compilation of videos sent in by various individuals and groups in an effort to provide a temporary outlet to exercise their talents and hopefully entertain as well. Ellen and Karina also talk about the morphing of the NHTA into something that isn't just an awards night gig, but, something that is a greater resource for all the groups to tap into. Some of the topics they hope to be able to assist with are grant writing, access to needed resources such as set designers, light designers, etc.
The Garrison Players stepped up to the plate and chatted about all things Garrisony.
Their history, how they got their name, the Grange building the ended up buying, their upcoming season and a chuckaluck more!
Joel Mercier, Producing Artistic Director @ Jean's Playhouse in Lincoln, NH chats us up about opening up post "you know what" and fills us in on the new season. This seasons production list was chosen with specific parameters in order to stay within the guidelines of the state.
Joel is also on a board that offers guidance to the state government concerning theater attendance and gives us some insight about how that works.
Jean's is also collaborating with The Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative to produce the Colonial Theatre's Christmas show.
Ellen Burger is the current President of the Community Players of Concord and was gracious enough to spend time with NH Unscripted and talk to us about all the goings on with them.
The pandemic caused them to have to make some quick decisions to keep themselves afloat.
Ellen talks about all the support they've received from their sponsors and how volunteers have seized the downtime to spruce up their rehearsal space. A herculean task if you've been there! All costume rooms, the prop room and the reading/rehearsal room got make overs!
My good friend Andrew Pinard takes a breather from his very busy schedule to discuss several topics with us. Andrew has a new position as the Executive Director of the Claremont Opera House, Claremont, NH and he brings us up to speed on how and why that happened.
He also talks about the move by the Hatbox Theatre to go from "profit" to "nonprofit" status and where they are in the process.
Slate talks up what they do, gives us some audition tips as well as some do's and don'ts for set protocol and a lot, lot more!
They cast extras for Castle Rock, Daddys Home 2,
Slate Casting specializes in full service union and non-union casting for industrials, commercials, films, live events, voiceovers, web videos, kids casting, theater, print, real people, and any other project that requires talent.
The Youtube video can be watched here: youtu.be/fJT7qUhMpJo
John Campanello answers questions for us like "Do I need an agent?", "What's expected of me in an audition?", "What should a taped/video audition look like?" and sooooo much more.
John is a talent agent with NEMG (New England Model Group) in Manchester, NH.
Time to get an update on the impact of COVID-19 on the NH performing arts scene.
And the best source for that chat is with Andrew Pinard (the Hatbox Theatre, Concord, NH).
Andrew is very connected with the arts AND the political scene in NH and I was sure he could provide us with some inside info.
We talked about his involvement as the virus started to spread and things began shutting, to his knowing that the arts needed some representation at the governmental table.
He gives us the present scoop about how groups are beginning to reopen, albeit tentatively, and a peek at possibly the future of the arts in our great state.
Bryan and Johanna Halperin take the time to sit and discuss their newest creation: The Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative. The Powerhouse is community theatre group based in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with their home base in the newly renovated Colonial Theatre AND in the Belknap Mill, both located in Laconia, NH.
NYMMT chats with us about all their various endeavors. And there are many! They have their professional series, their concert series, their touring series, they blog (rossandjamieadventure.com), they have a podcast (Finishing the Season)and on and on. We talk the impact COVID has had on their plans and how they're planning to work around it.
Well, Wayland and I cover it all!
His business as a sheet music collector, his previous career as an expert artist in residence for pottery, how he broke his back and how he got to hang out with Ginger Rogers (who sang a song just for him) several times.
This episode of NH Unscripted is jam packed. Enjoy!
Get out those Divine posters, fire up your copy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, grab you best makeup kit and put on your funkiest feather boa because today we're going drag baby!!
Lady Ro (aka Robbie Chubbuck) dishes the dirt on drag in the Queen City and beyond.
Did you know most drag queens work for tips? Did you ever think you'd hear the phrase "I forgot my tits at home?". Well you're gonna hear that and a whooooooole lot more in this episode!
Time for a (remote) fireside chat with actor (and friend) Aaron Compagna.
His passions for stage, film and improv are on the table as well as what the heck is he doing while stuck in quarantine.
Jane Button, of Jane Button Photography, graciously chats remotely with NH Unscripted about photography. More specifically about headshots.
Headshots are the actors calling card and I had some serious questions about them that needed answers. Like, who owns them after the pictures are taken? Is it ok to get reprints at Walmart? Why shouldn't I just let my grandmother take my headshots with my phone?
Also, we get geeky in the first 20+ plus as we talk about cameras, lights, software, etc.
YouTube video link:
https://youtu.be/gH6RT7BQL7s
Clint and I have a quick chat about the impact the virus and the quarantine are having on the students and faculty of Concord High School.
In the second half we talk about the new film course he's teaching to his acting class.