Hear the play, see the art, talk about it.
Hear new or rarely produced plays that relate to special exhibitions at the Currier Museum of Art or objects or artists in the museum's permanent collection. After each of the readings, stay for a conversation lead by local experts in the fields of fine art, dramatic literature, and politics.
Admission to the readings and participation in the discussions is free with museum admission ($15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for students). Passes for reduced admission to the museum may be checked out from more than 90 public libraries across the state. Students, faculty and staff from seven area colleges (including the NH Institute of Art, St. Anselm College and Southern NH University) receive free admission to the museum. Following each reading and discussion, visit the galleries to view related artwork.
As It Is In Heaven by Arlene Hutton
November 10, 2019, 2 pm, Currier Museum of Art
Read in conjunction with the special exhibition The Shakers and the Modern World: A Collaboration with Canterbury Shaker Village
The story of a prosperous Shaker community in the 1830s that is disrupted by three young newcomers, Arlene Hutton's As It Is in Heaven provides a fascinating glimpse into a turbulent time in Shaker history, when the Shakers' orderly, Puritan modes of worship were being slowly transformed into something more visionary and ecstatic. Hymns sung a cappella punctuate the scenes of the play, and The Canterbury Singers will join theatre KAPOW for this moving presentation of song and spirit.
The God Game by Suzanne Bradbeer
January 12, 2020, 2 pm at the Currier Museum of Art
Read in conjunction with the special exhibition For Freedoms
Faith and politics. Marriage and friendship. Choices and consequences. Tom is a Virginia senator and rising star in the Republican Party. When a long-time family friend resurfaces and offers the opportunity of a lifetime, Tom faces a crisis of conviction while his marriage hangs precariously in the balance. How much do you tell the public? Do you talk around the truth? Bradbeer's ideas intrigue us as we consider the age-old dance between religion and politics.
The Rembrandt by Jessica Dickey
POSTPONED: Date TBD at the Currier Museum of Art
The play opens in a modern-day art museum where three individuals yearn to experience first-hand the wonder and glory of Rembrandt’s work. When a museum guard decides to touch a famous Rembrandt painting, a remarkable journey across the ages ensues. Spanning centuries of human experience, Jessica Dickey’s The Rembrandt movingly explores the power of creative expression and the sacrifices we make in the pursuit of love and beauty, reminding us that though our beliefs may die with the sound of our voice, it’s the love we share—and the art that love inspires—that finds eternity.
