Local organizations continue to help us make the most of our time at home. Offerings over the next week include virtual theater, music, comedy, art, literature, and more. To see more virtual events, click here.
Shakespeare Happy Hours
Seven Stages Shakespeare Co. and their Queens-based partners Rude Grooms continue to work their way backward through Shakespeare’s entire canon with their thrice-weekly Shakespeare Happy Hours. A rotating cast of 40 actors will perform each work live online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5 p.m. through June 26. Up next are “Merry Wives of Windsor” on May 13 and “Merchant of Venice” on May 15. Learn more here.
Online Wild Edible Plants
There are more than 100 species of edible wild plants in the Portsmouth area, many of which are highly nutritious and flavorful. Expert forager Russ Cohen, author of “Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten” will explain how to identify and prepare more than 40 of the tastiest regional species in a 90-minute online presentation hosted by Portsmouth Public Library on Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. For more information, click here.
Art at Your Desk Workshops
Artist Tif Farmakis-Day of Exeter Fine Crafts will help you feed your creative soul using only materials found at home during a series of weekly Zoom workshops hosted by the Lamont Gallery at Phillips Exeter Academy. The topic of the next workshop is “Spring Awakening: Origami Flowers.” It takes place Thursday, May 14, from 12-1 p.m. No experience is required to learn the techniques for making beautiful paper flowers. Learn more here.
Facebook Live: Spider Crab Feeding
We can’t visit the Seacoast Science Center in person, but we can still observe and learn about some of its resident sea creatures. On Friday, May 15, from 11-11:30 a.m., an aquarist and a naturalist educator will be in the museum’s Gulf of Maine Hall will feed a spider crab live on Facebook and talk about the distinctive species’ diet, habitat, physical adaptations, and more. Viewers can post their questions. Learn more here.
Hip Hop 101 with Nick Phaneuf
Local musician Nick Phaneuf, a teaching artist at the Portsmouth Music & Arts Center, will lead a guided tour of hip-hop history on Friday, May 15, from 7-8 p.m. Phaneuf will discuss the music’s roots in New York City in the 1970s and trace its evolution up to today, playing excerpts of songs and answering questions from viewers at the end. The free event is intended for teens and adults. For more information, click here.
A Virtual Dance Event – Bear (v.)
“Bear (v.)” is a dance performance that explores experiences or memories that we’ve buried. New York City-based dancers Jessica Smith and Chelsea Ainsworth, who have been quarantined together for the past two months, will perform the piece together live online on Friday, May 15, from 8-9 p.m. Presented by The Dance Hall in Kittery, Maine, there is a suggested donation of $20. For more information, click here.
Word Barn Comedy LIVE Online
Headlining the next virtual installment of Word Barn Comedy is Myq Kaplan, whose resume includes appearances on late-night shows with David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Seth Myers, and James Corden. He’ll be joined by guests Marleah Rose, Dean Abbott, Matt Fanikos, and Nathan Burke, as well as hosts Josh and Sara Day. It takes place Friday, May 15, at 8 p.m.; a portion of proceeds goes to area hospitals. Learn more here.
The Marvelous Wonderettes
The Seacoast Repertory Theatre is getting back in the business of musical theater with a series of live-streamed musicals over the next four weekends. First up is Roger Bean’s Off-Broadway hit “The Marvelous Wonderettes” on Saturday, May 16, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, May 17, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The show is directed by Ben Hart and Brandon James and features a cast of four local actors. Tickets are $20 per viewer. Learn more here.
Portsmouth Memorial Day 5K
The 23rd annual Runner’s Alley Cisco Brewers Portsmouth Memorial Day 5K is transitioning to a virtual race for 2020. Instead of competing in a live event with a fixed route, participants have a full week to chart their own course, indoor or outdoor, from May 17 to 24. Runners can complete their distance all at once or in segments, from the comfort of home or in their neighborhood of favorite secluded area. Learn more here.
Bob Halperin: Tuesdays with Red & Shorty’s
Watching (and hearing) local blues musician Bob Halperin play guitar is one of life’s true pleasures. Halperin performs live from the fabulous “Isolation Lounge” at Red & Shorty’s Complex in Dover every Tuesday night from 7-8:30 p.m. Coming up next on May 19, he’ll play some tunes and take (reasonable) requests submitted via Facebook. Viewers can tip him on Paypal or Venmo. For more information, click here.
For a complete calendar of local events, click here.