It’s going to be a big weekend on the Seacoast. Among the highlights are a film festival, a music and art fest, an exhibition with 60-plus artists, a new show at the Rep, and a 10-year anniversary shindig for Portsmouth Public Library.
Telluride by the Sea
Luis Gnecco (foreground) stars as poet Pablo Neruda in Neruda.
For 18 years now, Portsmouth has served as a sort of satellite venue for Colorado’s famed Telluride Film Festival. Telluride by the Sea takes place this weekend, with six films (nine for pass-holders) showing at The Music Hall between Friday, Sept. 16, and Sunday, Sept. 18. The lineup features films from around the world, including “La La Land” (United States), “Things to Come” (France), “Neruda” (Chile), “Arrival” (United Kingdom), “Graduation” (Romania), and “Maudie” (Canada). The casts highlight fresh faces and established stars, including Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams, Ethan Hawke, and others. For tickets and more information, click here.
Line up for Takedown
The Landladys are among the acts performing at the Takedown Festival. photo by Michael Winters
Live music, visual art, aerial performances, puppet shows, games, food, and a live reenactment of “E.T.” — the seventh annual Takedown Music + Art Festival has all the ingredients for a tasty Saturday afternoon. The event moves to a new location this year at Rock Maple Woods in Strafford. Featuring more than a dozen regional acts, as well as local artists brought together by Wrong Brain, the outdoor festival celebrates nature, art, and the relationship between creative expression and community. It takes place from noon to 11 p.m. on Sept. 17; there is a suggested donation of $20. Find out more here.
50 years of fine art
Floral Set, colored porcelain by Karen Orsillo
The Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Exeter Fine Crafts with a new exhibition. “Rock, Paper, Scissors” features fiber art, jewelry, metal work, printmaking, glass, clay, woodworking, beading, and more by over 60 member artists and craftspeople from around New England. The show opened on Sept. 7 and runs through Oct. 15, with an opening reception tonight, Sept. 16, from 5-7 p.m. A gallery talk follows tomorrow, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. For more on the exhibition, click here. For more on Exeter Fine Crafts, which opened in downtown Exeter in 1966, click here.
Laughter at the Rep
The cast of Laughter on the 23rd Floor. photo by Jasmin Hunter
Continuing its diverse main-stage offerings this year, the Seacoast Repertory Theatre opens its production of Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” this weekend. Inspired by Simon’s experience writing for comedian Sid Caesar’s variety series “Your Show of Shows” in the 1950s, the play follows a team of television writers as they wisecrack and squabble through their work. The show in Portsmouth is directed by local theater staple Jamie Bradley and stars regional actors Scott H. Severance, G. Matthew Gaskell, and Chris Bradley, among others. It runs from Sept. 16 to Oct. 9; for show times and tickets, click here.
Library turns 10
It’s been a decade since Portsmouth Public Library opened the doors to its 38,000-square-foot building on Parrot Avenue. The library will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary for the next three months, starting with a kick-off party on Saturday, Sept. 17. The festivities begin at 1 p.m., when Alex the Jester presents family entertainment. Following a proclamation by Mayor Jack Blalock at 2 p.m., staff will cut two cakes prepared by White Heron Tea & Coffee — one depicting the old library on Middle Street, and one replicating the new facility that opened in late 2006. For more on the anniversary celebration, click here.