hatbox theatre

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.

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!!

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.

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! 

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".

Andrew discusses the Amazing Randy, hypnosis and spoon bending as well as the Hatbox Theatre and its upcoming season.

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.