The Music Hall’s Capital Campaign Enters ‘Community Phase’: Recent Major Gifts Bring Campaign Total to $11.4 Million

PORTSMOUTH—
As The Music Hall begins its countdown to the launch of The Music Hall Loft, its new Center for Performing Arts, Literature, and Education, its Treasure the Future capital campaign is stepping out into the community to advance its fundraising efforts.
Said Treasure the Future Campaign Co-Chair Jameson French, “Through its infancy back in the mid 1980s up until this day, The Music Hall has been a community project, supported and advanced by the generosity of all sorts of individuals – from business leaders who set up challenge gifts to individual patrons throwing money in the hat at end of a show. As we look to the success of this major campaign it is, again, all about the community and individuals’ support for bringing arts to the community.”
The move to a community phase comes with the announcement of several major advancements in fundraising. Chief among them is a $1,000,000 pledge to the Treasure the Future campaign from the Thomas W. Haas Foundation of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Additionally, the campaign has received several major six figure gifts and legacy pledges bringing the campaign total to $11.4 million in funds raised. In addition to the on-the-ground community effort, the Campaign Committee continues to pursue other major gifts with a number of key prospects.
“The Committee’s work on major gifts combined with our efforts in the community bring us within sight of our goal,” said Director of Institutional Advancement and Campaign lead, Laura Smith.
“To see the completion of the capital projects, we need to raise $1 million in new funds in the final phase of the campaign. On the way to the finish, we’ll see many intermediate steps. We’re on the road to meeting a mini-challenge set for our opera audience. Last week with the launch of our new website we now have the capacity to accept donations online at http://www.themusichall.org/support_us (click “Donate to the Campaign.”) We’re planning outreach to all Music Hall members and patrons. In the weeks ahead all our members and audiences will be invited to an open house in the new Music Hall Loft hosted by the Board of Trustees on Sunday, April 10. The open house will be a show-and-tell for the new space. It’s also where the campaign will truly be launched for the community,” added Smith.
“We’ve achieved this milestone of $11.4 million with major donors, board members, staff and a number of corporations and downtown businesses digging deep in support of The Music Hall. They have inspired and challenged us to step out further into the community and gather support from all our patrons and members. This is truly everyone’s Music Hall and every gift gets us closer to realizing our goal. We look forward to everyone joining in and to the fun of seeing donors recognized on our donor wall by generations to come,” said Campaign Co-Chair Gail VanHoy Carolan.
“Not since the historic theater was threatened by a wrecking ball in 1980s have we seen such a transformation in the scope of The Music Hall and its work in the community. With the Music Hall Loft space nearly complete, we are already seeing its powerful effect on the city and on the broader region. Shows are selling out before the paint is even dry! But, more importantly, more and more individuals are stepping forward to offer support. They know as we do this is a rare opportunity for any individuals who wants to make their mark and support the future of the arts and education as we experience and treasure them in this special community,” said Executive Director Patricia Lynch.
Photo caption: The Music Hall’s Loft design team pictured in June of last year, including Doug Nelson, Mary Jo Brown, Lee Frank, John Merkel, John DeStefano, Patricia Lynch, Jennifer Steffek, Diane Hart and John Lynch. Their efforts, along with the impressive and ongoing fundraising over the past year, will result in the opening of the new Loft performance space in April. (Courtesy photo)

Shipyard Continues to Affect NH Economy

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
KITTERY—
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard continued to be a major contributor to the economies of southern Maine and southeastern New Hampshire in 2010 with indications of even further increases this year.
The Seacoast Shipyard Association recently released the Economic Impact Study for the calendar year 2010, showing growing employment, the purchase of goods and services, and contracted facility services.
Civilian employment at the Kittery facility has risen from 3,648 in 1998 to 5,168 last year with a corresponding increase in payroll. In 1998, workers earned $192,008,527, while last year’s payroll was set at $395,166,516.
The total civilian payroll for the shipyard is set at over $395 million, and $227,335,288 of that is to workers in the state of Maine. A total of 2,911 Mainers are employed there. New Hampshire’s 2,015 workers have a payroll of $149,514,994.
The military payroll also showed an increase over 2009. The 2010 figures included $24,961,035 for Navy personnel and $14,978,396 for the Coast Guard.
The shipyard purchased over $44 million in goods and services, $6.4 million from Maine and $4.3 million from New Hampshire providers. Over $20 million worth of goods and services were purchased in the six New England states.
Good news on the horizon for the shipyard came in a joint press release from Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, New Hampshire Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, announcing that the Navy proposes to invest approximately $100 million during Fiscal Year 2012 in facility upgrades and modernization.
The funding, provided through the Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization (SRM) budget, would be used for energy conservation and repairs to submarine enclosures, building renovations, repair to the waterfront support facility and structural repair and consolidation of the yard’s workshops.
“This announcement represents an important commitment by the Navy to the future of the Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and I am pleased by this response to our efforts to encourage such investments in the long-term health of the Yard’s facilities,” Sen. Snowe said.
Sen. Susan Collins said, “This is wonderful news not only for the dedicated men and women who work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, and their families, but also for the economy of the greater York County region.”
“I am glad to see the Obama administration prioritize funding of these long overdue improvements at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” Sen. Shaheen said. “Investments in this facility are critical to our country’s national security. (This) announcement is encouraging news to the hardworking men and women who keep the shipyard up and running.”
“The workers at Portsmouth have a long history of executing high quality work, and this funding is a reflection of that stellar record,” Sen. Ayotte said. “As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I will continue the fight to ensure that Portsmouth receives the strong support it has earned.”
The funding is contingent on Congressional authorization and appropriation of the funds in the 2012 budget.

The Wild and Crazy Guy Gets Serious

By Chip Schrader
Book Reviewer
“An Object of Beauty” is actor Steve Martin’s latest novel featuring the cutthroat business behind art collecting. A follow up to the novella “Shop Girl,” which was adapted to the screen, Martin positions himself as a Renaissance Man with screenplays, stage plays, novels, albums featuring his banjo playing, and comedic writing all credited to his name.
“An Object of Beauty” is told from the perspective of Daniel Franks. While the reader might expect the novel to be the lamenting of his own life, Daniel’s focus is on the life and times of his muse, Lacey Yeager. Lacey is a street-wise, unattached, and ruthless self-promoter. Starting in the basement of Sotheby’s restoring and cataloging “dogs,” or lesser paintings, she climbs her way up to work for a private collector.
Martin’s descriptions of the paintings mentioned in the story please even readers who do not have an understanding of art and its collectability. The story uncovers why certain paintings become valuable, and how successful people become successful through cunning. Lacey’s beauty and cunning embody the art and the business of the art trade. As Martin describes the beauty of a painting, and the teetering values of these pieces, the reader quickly realizes, he is also describing his main character.
The intermittent first person insertions in the narration give this book a shade of the old hard-boiled detective fiction. While narrator Daniel admits some of the details of his subject are made up, the account of her life seems plausible. Furthermore, this admission by the narrator is a clever device that Martin uses to enable for a more complete depiction of the elusive Lacey that even her greatest admirer could not follow her enough to witness.
The sensuality, wit, and strength of Lacey are almost enough to forgive her predilection to use the people around her. She is nearly tragic as value has only a material context, and the story, without judgment takes us on her rise to Power. Among the most interesting incidents during her ascent is her trip to Russia where she is asked to trade paintings. It is here that she meets Patrice, a European with the eyes and hands of an artist. For the first time, Lacey finds interest in somebody for more than a one-time rendezvous.
Another touch this novel provides is full color reproductions of many of the paintings Martin references in the story. Martin never falls into the trap of using art world jargon, and he keeps his audience interested in his subject while retaining the integrity and intelligence in his storytelling.
While readers might expect a fluffy romp from the actor who made “The Jerk” a household classic, Steve Martin veers away from comedy avoiding high drama, and weaves a tale with a great deal of class and tact. His descriptions are light and read quickly, yet vivid enough to paint a thorough picture in the reader’s mind. “An Object of Beauty” belongs in the same category as the work of Peter Mayle and even Truman Capote.
Grand Central Publishing, November 2010, 292 Pages, $26.99.
Photo caption: (Courtesy book cover of “An Object of Beauty” by Steve Martin)

Museum Celebrates Irish Heritage Day with Music, Dance and More

DOVER—
The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire will celebrate its second annual Irish Heritage Day on Sunday, March 20 from 12 – 5 pm. This family-friendly event comes on the heels of St. Patrick’s Day and highlights the vibrant Irish heritage of the Greater Dover community.
Irish Heritage Day will feature traditional live music and step-dancing performances throughout the afternoon, and children are invited to try their hand at traditional Irish crafts with free make-and-take activities. There will be other opportunities around the museum to learn about the culture of the Emerald Isles as well.
Regular museum admission applies for all Irish Heritage Day festivities: $8 for children and adults, $7 for adults age 65 and over, and there is no charge for museum members or children under 12 months old.
Photo caption: Irish step-dancing and live Gaelic music will be featured at the Children’s Museum of NH on Sunday, March 20 as part of the museum’s annual Irish Heritage Day. (Courtesy photo)

Chamber Kicks Off Grand Sports Raffle

SOMERSWORTH—
The Greater Somersworth Chamber of Commerce recently kicked off its annual Grand Sports Raffle, a fundraising raffle that offers the winner a number of tickets to major sports events. One lucky winner takes all tickets to three different sporting events.
Up for grabs this year are two box seat tickets to a 2011 Red Sox game with a value of $240 as well as four tickets valued at $800 to a Boston Celtics game next season with center court, club seats and a parking pass included. Two UNH Hockey tickets for the 2012 season will also go to the one winner. Price for the raffle tickets is one for $5, six for $25, and 12 for $40. The drawing takes place on May 20 at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner and Awards event, but the winner does not to need to be present to win.
Sponsors of this year’s raffle are Digital Ink Printing, Waste Management, and Seacoast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. For information on purchasing raffle tickets, contact the Chamber at 603-692-7175 or info@somersworthchamber.com.
Photo caption: Ann French of Profile Bank and Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, buys the first six tickets for the Grand Sports raffle from Peter Juneau of Waste Management, one of the raffle’s sponsors. (Courtesy photo)

Opening Scenes: ‘The Adjustment Bureau’

By Chip Schrader
Movie Reviewer
“The Adjustment Bureau” begins with Matt Damon standing alone in a cathedral like room with the light seeping through ornate windows. The key words are “Next Senator David Norris” as a montage showing dailies and GQ with his face on the cover, an appearance on “The Daily Show,” and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsing him all accompanied by Norris’ speech at a rally. The last headline to drop across the screen regards a college prank that could cost his election.
Set in New York and inside some of the most palatial buildings, “The Adjustment Bureau” follows the handsome political hopeful through the early stages of his career. But, through a misstep of chance interfering with “The Plan,” his career is sidetracked by a woman with whom he is forbidden to fall in love. The Bureau is employed, like guardian angels of a sort, to ensure that “The Plan” is followed through and properly executed. When David Norris is in the wrong place at the wrong time, he finds himself having to choose between the greatness he is fated to become or the woman he loves.
Norris is genuinely and articulately played by Matt Damon. While this role provides little challenge to Damon, he comes off naturally as the Kennedy-like politician. Elise, played by Emily Blunt, is seductive but with an organic soul. Blunt’s performance is so intimate the viewers feel they are in the room with her whenever she speaks. Like Damon’s performance, Elise is not a difficult character to manage, but Blunt brings about very natural portrayal, as well.
The characters are likeable, charming, and interesting to watch, but there is little psychology in their development. Other than loving Elise, we really aren’t shown what makes David Norris tick. We see his public side and his yearning for this woman, but we don’t see much about who David Norris really is, other than a well groomed politician with a relatively squeaky clean image. Much of the same can be said about Elise. We learn she is a passionate dancer and has a wit that equals that of Norris, but there is little development beyond that.
The wide-angle shots, visual effects, and shots from various angles are dazzling. The pacing of the film is even, but it never gets dull. While one might expect more action from a film like this, the intrigue and interplay between chance and “The Plan” are more than enough to keep the audience invested in the story. The wide-angle shots that show Norris inside a palatial room or a giant warehouse nicely parallels the concept that one man is very small portion of a much larger architecture. The imagery, setting and design are stunning!
“The Adjustment Bureau” has the soul of a classic Hitchcock thriller coupled with a postmodern edge like “North by Northwest” meets “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” The story that inspired the film came from the same author who inspired the science fiction cult classic “Blade Runner.” While this film sets its aim high, the movie falls just short of the mark needing a deeper back-story to make the need for the characters’ success more compelling. With that said, the combination of romance and intrigue make “The Adjustment Bureau” a date movie well worth the price of admission. 3.5 out of 5.
Photo caption: (Courtesy movie poster of “The Adjustment Bureau”)

Local Celebrities Step Up for Dancing with the Dover Stars

DOVER—
Some of Dover’s biggest names are lining up to strut their stuff and win the title of top dancer.
Dancing with the Dover Stars, a fundraiser for the Dover Community Senior Center, pits 13 celebrity dancers against one another on stage during an evening of entertainment. Dancing with the Dover Stars will be held Saturday, March 12 at 6 p.m. in the Dover High School auditorium.
Celebrity dancers have been rehearsing for weeks in anticipation of the competition. Ready to tango are Mayor Scott Myers, City Councilor Bob Carrier, City Councilor Gina Cruikshank, Fire Chief Perry Plummer, Dover Police Officer Jason Feliciano, Public Library Director Cathy Beaudoin, Community Services Director Doug Steele, Recreation Director Gary Bannon, Dover High School Dean of Students Kimberly Stephens, Recreation Advisory Board President and Dover Middle School tutor Joe Tenuta, Woodman Park Elementary School teacher Jill Sears, Dover Community Senior Center member Alice Clark, and Kirt Schuman.
Each celebrity dancer has been paired with a professional dancer from several area studios. During the competition at Dover High School, three guest judges, along with the audience, will vote to determine the winner.
In addition to an evening of dancing, the event includes a concession stand and a raffle featuring prizes donated by local merchants, including one round of golf and cart for four at the Cochecho Country Club; a family pack of passes to the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire; and gift certificates to Ross Furniture, Jewelry Creations, Nicole’s Hallmark and Dover Wine Company. More prizes are arriving each day.
Tickets to Dancing with the Dover Stars are $10 and available at the Dover Recreation Department and Dover Community Senior Center, both located at the McConnell Center, 61 Locust St., Dover. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Community Senior Center. For more information, call 603-516-6436.
Photo caption: Dover Recreation Director Gary Bannon rehearses at the McConnell Center for Dancing with the Dover Stars, along with his instructor, Sue Dunlavey of Seacoast Set Dancers. (Courtesy photo)