New Hampshire Unscripted talks with the performance arts movers and shakers

There's some new life being injected into downtown Concord and it has the community buzzing. A new building that's being called Arts Alley is being constructed between the COOP and the BNH stage and it's frickin' wild! And in their word: “The Rooftop 20 – Our sky-high bar featuring the Ciel Airstream (because why not), cocktails, and sunsets: The Main Venue – Our largest indoor event space for weddings, galas, and private parties; The Rose & Rye – A retro style diner by day, intimate private events by night, and lastly, The Courtyard – Outdoor hangout for lawn games, live music, & weekend markets.” Oh and a Friendly Toast tossed in for the fun of it. Crazy!!

Today's WKXL NH Unscripted show has us highlighting  the fund raising efforts of NH Gives and it's impact on non-profits. Then we veer off into comparing the two most famous versions of Tom Waits' “Tom Trauberts Blues” (his and then Rod Stewart's). And finally we toss in Stewart's “I Don't Want to Talk About It” for good measure. The video version which has been viewed over a billion times!

The tKapow cast drops in to the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to talk about their upcoming production of “The Best We Could” opening Friday June 13th at the BNH stage. And as usual we get into the weeds asking and talking about the mechanics of how they pull it off.

In this episode of WKXL's NH Unscripted I discover Postmodern Jukebox and their cover of "Creep". Then offer up the goods on summer theater shows that are on stage or will be very shortly complete with some restaurant suggestions and chit chatting with Andrew.

Indie film time! Via call-in AJ Calandrino and Kristina Kessler from Christie Rex Productions give us the scoop and details of their Indie short film “Dream Genocide” (https://shorturl.at/BlKXJ). And as usual I want ALL the details. Why this genre? How long did it take to film it? How did you have auditions for the roles? What equipment and software was used (that's for the geeks)? Where does the film and the company go from here? You get the drift!

It's time to talk about the sexy part of the arts on WKXL's NH Unscripted! Budgets. Please hold back your excitement. Most of the arts that we're familiar with depend on multiple streams of income. Ticket sales, sponsorships, grants, benevolent donors, etc and lately there's been chatter about one arm of support being taken away or ended. That source is government aid and today's guest Deanna Hoying from Arts4NH comes by to about the impact that ending such aid would have on our communities. Monies from our state budget represent .06% overall and yet it has become one of the areas deemed unnecessary and defunded. Deanna is here to help me sort out this twisted thinking.

Immigration. Is there a hotter topic right now? Time to find out. The law offices of Shaheen & Gordon (@shaheengordon) are the sponsor of WKXL's NH Unscripted and each time we've had one of their attorneys in to chat those episodes have been some of the most informative, fun and educational shows we've done. Today's episode with immigration Attorney Ron Abramson (@ronabramson) further proves my point. His passion for his slice of law practice was impressive. Honestly, the hour flew by and caught me off guard at just how interesting this field of law is and my ignorance of this branch was on display! Timely (that's an understatement) and crazy informative.

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum summertime…Oh how I love summer theater in New Hampshire and todays WKXL NH Unscripted guest, Jordan Ahnquist, Artistic Director for The Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth, drops in to bolster my viewpoint! Celebrating 95 years of top tier theatre (yes, that's right 95 YEARS not 95 shows) commencing with a 2025 Gala on June 21st that will include Patrick Duffy & Linda Purl the Barnstormers show no signs of letting up on the gas! They've brought in Broadway talent to perform a classic Agatha Christie play, a world premier of another play and bookend their season with two hilarious comedies. We had a blast chatting up the Barnstormers and I know that you'll just love this episode.

It was a road trip day for WKXL's NH Unscripted as I was invited to co-host the great Ken Cail's “One Hit Wonder Wednesday” episode!! Ken asked me to bring a list of some “One Hit Wonders” that (hopefully) he and his fans hadn't heard yet. Challenge accepted! I brought hits that were considered novelty hits or hits that were sung by famous actors (think David Soul, Lorne Greene, Richard Harris, etc). What a great show. Soooo much fun and nostalgia. Enjoy!

I love just taking the time to chat with actors. Jordan Gagan drops in to the WKXL NH Unscripted studios to do just that: chat. We talked about getting his degrees, which you would think would be a mundane topic, but, nope. He got to travel to Scotland to finish his MFA and has some wonderful stories about doing some indie film shorts. I'm not sure how we haven't bumped into each other before this because he's acted trod the boards all around our state. Methods, futures, film and stage. We hit them all. Enjoy!

Nancy Barry, the Producing Director for the multiple award winning Interlakes Theatre Company, stops by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to give all the details of their upcoming season. We talk show selection, casting selections, spotting talent, their Youth division, housing the company, difficulty in the industry with releasing some of the classic more well know plays, all of the bragging rights that the company deserves and (trust me) a whole lot more.

Time for NH Unscripted to get culcha-ed up!! Todays' WKXL NH Unscripted fascinating guest is Jane Cormier, host of the NH Talk Radio program Artful Living. What an incredible life. Jane gets to name drop big names that she had the privilege of either working with or coming into contact with as she wove her way through the opera world in Europe. And man, does she know her stuff and she was very gracious to keep it all on a level that I could understand. Opera isn't my wheelhouse (unless we're counting rock operas) and it was so refreshing to learn about it from someone that not only lived in it but lived in it at the top.

It was another One Hit Wonder Wednesday on the show Cail & Company LIVE. This month's edition co-hosted by Ray Dudley of WKXL's “New Hampshire Unscripted”. No script for this program just a chance to bring back some memories including a few hand picked novelty songs that climbed the charts in the ‘60's and ‘70's.

Today on WKXL NH Unscripted former restaurant owner turned author, Douglas Zechel aka KD Mason, drops by to talk about his writing journey. He's been pretty much self taught for most of his writing career and I found that extremely intriguing. Now with 13 novels completed it was time to get the details about how he did it, his tenacity and some great stories about his characters and places he names in his books.

New York talent agent Albert Bramante (Bramante Artists) steps up to the plate on today's WKXL NH Unscripted episode! Some of Alberts talents have appeared in Blue Bloods, FBI:SVU and on networks such as Netflix, hulu, Paramount+ and Comedy Central plus in commercials for Venmo, McDonalds, Spotify and UPS. Albert chats about what he looks for when accepting submissions and taking on new talent. His agency also handles talent for theater and voiceovers. Some nice inside baseball chat taking place here!

Continuing with a little bit of an insight into my life (and I do mean a little insight) I took the time today to showcase some very interesting songs that popped up in the 60's & 70's. Think Allan Sherman (Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh), Ray Stevens (The Streak), Jimmy Dean (Big Bad John), Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon (Way Down Yonder in New Orleans) and even The Archies (Sugar, Sugar). Plus One Tin Soldier, Clap for the Wolfman and a few more. I toss in some background info for most of them and get slightly nostalgic.

Bond. Jane Bond. Yup it's time for WKXL and NH Unscripted to have a return visit with my good friend Daniel Siletti. This episode was a hoot to do!  Daniel and his crew have been crazy busy with their projects and I wanted to get caught up to speed on them. They're in the 5th season of their series Doctor Who School Daze and 2nd season of their Jane Bond series. Seriously? 5 seasons of one and 2 seasons of the other? And that doesn't count the CTV projects that they're knee deep in! This turned out to be a hilarious episode (with special thanks to Andrew Gibson) and the time just flew by. Enjoy!

Time to get personal. Well, a little personal anyway. Today on WKXL's NH Unscripted we take a trip in the wayback machine to my high school years and a couple of songs that had an impact on me. I especially focus on two musical groups: Procol Harum and Marmalade. The 60's and 70's were both great times and brutal times socially. The Vietnam war, forced school integration, the Kent State shootings, Woodstock, etc. combined to produce a snapshot of life never to be reproduced. Enjoy.

WKXL & NH Unscripted question of the day: Can you imagine attempting a brand new career at the same time that most of us would just retire and walk off into the sunset? And what if that new field you're jumping into is standup comedy? I have an incredible amount of respect for Doris Ballard who's decided to do that very thing. Honestly, I don't think I could handle the rejection, but, she's out there hitting the circuit making folks laugh. God knows we need it lately. And, just because that doesn't keep her busy enough she's working on writing her memoirs. AND she's wanting to produce a project that's she's secretly working on. Really Doris? I'm tired just writing up this blurb!!

Today's WKXL NH Unscripted interview was with Paul Lussier and it's one of those interviews that I enjoy to do so much. Paul has had an interesting (though late start) career and has managed to do what a lot of us try do. And that is work in multiple mediums. His resume is impressively full of work in film/video, television, commercials, theatre and now he's touring venues as a one man musical band! Yeah, I'm jealous. Another great inspiring interview.

Today at WKXL and NH Unscripted it's Shaheen & Gordon law day and that brings Jared O'Connor in to talk about his field of expertise: Workers Compensation. And before your eyes roll back into your head consider the following. The Federal Gov't has cannabis listed as a schedule one drug, but, what if you use it medically in your state for say PTSD? Can you be arrested? Can your prescriber or the dispensary be considered as aiding and abetting? Workers Comp has taken on a new challenge and twist with the advent of medical cannabis on the scene. See? Not as boring as you thought, is it?

Next up at the plate is Brendon Fox the new Artistic Director for the Peterborough Players! We talk about his background, love for theater, how he came to be the AD for the players, their upcoming season and their very diverse production offerings. Think cabarets, opera from the MET and England, fund raisers. We also get into how they make casting choices and decide about their seasons choices some of which are Dial M for Murder, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Boeing Boeing. And of course....much, much more!

Well, we at WKXL and NH Unscripted knew the day had to come at some point and this is that day. Today we're talking Big Foot. You read that correctly. Matt Arsenault and Mike Tinsley from Chaos Theater Productions stop by to talk about their new YT streaming series “Man Ape Among Us”. “Man Ape Among Us follows the adventures of Mike Tinsley of The New Hampshire Bigfoot Society in his search for answers of Bigfoot and other cryptids in the Northeast United States. Speaking with experts and joining them on expeditions, this documentary joins Mike as he dives deep down the cryptozoology rabbit hole to find out if there are man apes living among us in secret.”

Some interviews are longgggggg overdue and this WKXL NH Unscripted episode with Emily Karel (Glass Dove Productions) is one such interview. How I went so long with having her into the studio I'll never know. Amazingly talented and brilliant she absolutely gives us a masterclass on how to provide a backstory for a character using Lady Macbeth as her example. We also talk about the pressure of performing solo on stage and a heckuva lot more!

Part II of the WKXL NH Unscripted Spring gardening prep series with Ethan & Amy Sager from the Again & Again Farmstead (againfarmstead.com) in Tamworth. Topics covered today were soil prep, worm castings and worm tea, biochar, companion planting, succession planting, square foot gardening, their tremendous newsletter, and, as always, soooo much more!

What makes for a great garden? Were you thinking fertilizer pellets made from wool? How about biochar inoculated with worm casting tea? No? Perhaps tree sprays made from fermented fruit droppings plus a few other ingredients? Well, today we at WKXL NH Unscripted talk with Ethan and Amy Sagar from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamworth about their innovative techniques being used on their farm. Unfortunately I talk wayyyyyy too much and so had to bring them back later for a part 2. Plus we toss in a quick chat about their recent visit from the folks from NH Chronicle!

What makes for a great garden? Were you thinking fertilizer pellets made from wool? How about biochar inoculated with worm casting tea? No? Perhaps tree sprays made from fermented fruit droppings plus a few other ingredients? Well, today we at WKXL NH Unscripted talk with Ethan and Amy Sagar from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamworth about their innovative techniques being used on their farm. Plus we toss in a quick chat about their recent visit from the folks from NH Chronicle!

Well it was apparently “take a friend to work day” today at WKXL's NH Unscripted as I had the privilege of sitting with Gary Locke and Greg Gaskell. Topics covered ranged from the tv show “Severance” to a fundraiser for the Hatbox Theatre happening in April to Gary trying to convince us he was once a body double for Roger Moore. (We had a hard time believing it as well.) Greg is a crazy talented writer, especially comedic, and we talked a lot about what he's currently invested in and then he asks Gary and I what roles or types of roles we still be interested in taking on. Some other friends get honorably mentioned as well: Aaron Compagna, Alex Picard, Wayne Asbury, Emily Karel and more!

Time to talk magic at WKXL and NH Unscripted! More specifically the upcoming show “Jokers of Magic” hitting the Rex Theater stage in Manchester on March 13. Matt Donnelly, The Mind Noodler, and recently named “Las Vegas' Best Up and Coming Comedy Magician” by the Review Journal phones in to talk about the project. Four performers, Matt, Eric Dittleman (a guest on Ellen, Live with Kelly & Ryan and appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us), Michael Mills (has appeared at The Chicago Magic Lounge, Carnival of Illusion in Phoenix and his one man showFool Me Once tours the country) and Nick Diffatte (has performed at nearly every property up and down the Las Vegas strip, including the New York, New York Hotel & Casino where he is currently starring in Cirque du Soleil's hit residency Mad Apple), “…are armed with credits ranging from America's Got Talent to Penn & Teller's Fool Us and have entertained audiences around the world…”. “The Jokers Of Magic is like SNL and Whose Line is it Anyway? had a love child and sent it to Hogwarts!”

It's S&G Friday at WKXL and NH Unscripted where we dedicate the last Friday of every month to chat with our sponsor! Today Bill Christie, partner at Shaheen & Gordon, steps up to the plate to discuss some of the highlights and strengths of their law firm. He's a famous lawyer that successfully sued the federal government for leaking information to Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang that they then used to murder informants against them. Then he speaks of the time they had a case which dealt with copyrighted material that even involved a representative from Apple Records (think the Beatles) stepping in to assess the case. We are so proud to have them sponsoring NH Unscripted!

God I love my job! Willie Armstrong from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers (yes pipers) takes some time from their busy schedule to call in to the WKXL/NH Unscripted studios and talk about this high octane musical group. From the early days of winning a talent contest to playing before 85,000 fans Willie covers it all. For the past two decades, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers have taken the world by storm with their infectious blend of groundbreaking fusion of traditional Scottish music with rock and pop anthems which they proudly call ‘Bagrock.' And you can tell by the way Willie talks that RHCP have a deep love and respect for their fans. Song selection, fan engagement, the structure of each event and hint that they're dropping a new album are all on the table. They're playing March 2nd at the Colonial Theater in Laconia. Get a ticket soon because there can't be many left!

I recently came across a theatre company that somehow I hadn't heard about before and wondered “When did they pop up”? Sooooo I put my feelers out and finally got them into the WKXL NH Unscripted studio for a great chat. Meg Gore, Artistic Director/Manager and Katy Gore, Choreographer of Ovation TC in Londonderry, NH dropped all the details of this, somewhat-ish, new group. They pulled in 8 awards at the recently held NHTA's, have summer workshops and classes and tell the tale of performing Mama Mia! outdoors. Welcome aboard folks!

If you have never been to one of the Studio Lab's industry nights you are sorely missing out! The first Thursday of every month they hold a free open house and invite any in the entertainment industry to attend. Today on WKXL and NH Unscripted Andrew and I discuss the efforts by the Studio Lab in Derry to help attract more of the film industry to New Hampshire with the creation of the NHEA (New Hampshire Entertainment Alliance) and the introduction of a bill to our state congress to create a New Film Office and offer some type of tax incentives. We also go around the state chatting up some of the auditions coming up for several of the community theatre groups

One of my favorite theaters to perform at (not to mention see great shows) has always been the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, NH. And I was looking over their upcoming season and knew I just had to get someone from there in to chat it up! Today WKXL and NH Unscripted welcomed in Cory Lawson, Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Winni. And man did we have a blast. One of the most fascinating stories was about their collaboration with the Meredith Historical Society, and Mount Washington Cruises to have a dinner and show on the Mt. Washington for a play written by NH's own Bob Montana, the genius behind the Archie comics!!! Say whatttttttt?? I know right? Enjoy!!

WKXL and NH Unscripted drop part two of our interview with Angèlica Rosenthal and Mackenzie Goodwin and it picks up where we left off with both talking about their thoughts on how the NHTA's went on Saturday night. We also delve deeper into what the show The Prom is about (as well as some of the controversy it has sparked). We end this second episode with thoughts about American Idiot (with audition dates) and how it, and The Prom, are suitable for the current political and social environments.

Today's WKXL NH Unscripted episode is devoted to NH Unscripted's new show sponsor: The Law Offices of Shaheen & Gordon (https://www.shaheengordon.com). “Because everyone should know a good lawyer”, our favorite attorney Jim Rosenberg gives us all the details about how and when the law office was established and its tremendous growth over the years. Other topics include how tech has effected law enforcement (good and bad), the impact of the growth of drugs throughout the state, all of the various areas of practice at the firm and a whole lot more.

One of WKXL and NH Unscripted sassiest guests returns today: Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal and double teamed up with Mackenzie Goodwin! Angèlica is one of the busiest guests and so we are always fortunate when she drops by. Today she talks about her role in the upcoming NHTA's, her upcoming production of The Prom, as well as upcoming productions of Legally Blonde and American Idiot. Angèlica has a knack for doing spicing up her shows. Mackenzie was nominated for an award at the NHTA's and will playing Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. This is part one of a two part series.

Kevin Lefebvre comes back for a return visit to discuss big news for his seniors car service F & R Transportation (https://bit.ly/4aHZccf) in Manchester. His first visit we talked about his above and beyond transportation for seniors needing to get to appointments and how he had some plans to expand. Well guess what? Mission accomplished! New drivers, expanded routes and still the best service in the state.

We here at WKXL NH Unscripted love the Players Ring in Portsmouth and so any chance to see friends perform there gets us out of bed! Leslie Pasternack and Katie Gall  stop in and chat up their next show “As Small As Stars” by Will Murdock and directed by Kelli Leigh-Ann Connors opening Jan. 31st at the Ring. From the Players Ring website: A love story between grieving parents…As Small As Stars is based on the novel Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.A heartwarming drama sprinkled with fantastical elements inspired by J.M. Barrie's “Peter Pan”. Loved this chat!

Powerhouse Theatre in Laconia is crazy busy! Bryan Halperin stops by to chat up their latest fundraising project “Just Duets” opening for one night Saturday Jan. 25th. They just held auditions for their May production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and he's stoked with the talent that turned out. We talk about their writers workshop at Prescott Farm, their August production of Elf, John Cariani and a whole lot more!

WKXL and NH Unscripted hosted Matt Cahoon (Academic Dean), Kyrie Ellison-Keller (Associate Dir. of Theatre) and Kate Dugas (Technical Director) to discuss why they went to the New Hampton School in hopes of building a theatre program that would attract students interested in studying theatre at a high level as a way to prepare for the college audition process. In just about 2 years they have built a program that includes 9 courses and this year is the inaugural year of New Hampton's Diploma with Distinction in the Arts which means that students can come here and basically major in theatre. A remarkable achievement and a tremendous interview.

Today on NH Unscripted we present an original radio play written by Rays recurring guest, Kevin Collins. A Christmas special with a comedic noir twist. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Kevin and I try our hands at something a little different.

Merry Christmas to all of the loyal NH Unscripted fans! Time to have some Christmas fun. And to do that I've invited back to the studio Daniel Siletti to talk with us about Christmas tv shows and movies that have come our way over the years. We wax nostalgic about the early specials like Mitch Miller, Andy Williams and the Osmond Brothers. Then we get into some of the classics. Stop motion shows like Davy & Goliath, Rudolph, Frosty, etc Then we add in It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street. We turn the corner and chat about newer “classics” like Home Alone, Polar Express, ELF and try to tackle the crop of Hallmark (ugh) annual Christmas offerings. Andrew drops some tremendous audio cuts in on as well! And as usual, soooooooo much more. Happy Holidays my friends!

Guest host Kevin Collins returns to have a wonderful and insightful discussion with Brenda Laforce and Ed Tinney about the performing arts, their experiences, and it's importance.

Soooooo while I'm away in Lincoln playing Scrooge for the absolutely stunning production of "A Christmas Carol" nccajeansplayhouse (yes that's a plug for our show) I asked my longtime friend Kevin Collins to guest host the @WKXL NH Unscripted! And what a job he does. Listen in as he discusses the portrayal and evolution of teenagers and their depictions through stage, music, and cinema. And how it's impacted characters and development through the various art forms.

Todays' episode is long overdue and I'm so glad that it's finally happened! Margherita Giacobbi from the Players Ring came by the WKXL NH Unscripted studio to all about what's happening at the Ring. And, brother, do they have a slate of shows coming up that needed to be talked about. The Ring is crazy busy during regular times, but, their Christmas schedule is insane. While most groups are working on one Christmas show (usually a version of Christmas Carol) they're banging out 4 different shows for the Christmas season!! Five if you count Andrew Pinard's post-Christmas “Discovering Magic”! We get the breakdown directly from the source. Happy Holidays everyone from WKXL and NH Unscripted.

The holidays have arrived! And that means friends and family and parties and food and more parties and more food. And for some of us at WKXL and NH Unscripted THAT means gaining a few pounds. We all do it and then we all make New Year's Day resolutions to lose them. But before we fully engage in the festivities I wanted to bring a ton of hope to you. I dropped by Cutting Edge Testosterone Therapy (don't let the name trip you up!!!) to discuss the most recent, cutting edge therapies for weight loss that actually work. You may have heard about certain medications that are helping folks lose a ton of weight and while it's true there is a world full of other options that compliment those medications or work separately just as well. Happy Holidays everyone! Here's to hope and a bright (and hopefully lighter) future!

Well, it's the most wonderful time of the year and so we at WKXL and NH Unscripted felt it was also time again to take a look around the state and check out some reasons to get out of the house. In todays episode Andrew Gibson and I discuss some upcoming NH Unscripted special episodes, highlight several productions of “Christmas Carol” going up somewhere near you, throw in some craft/artisan shows and highlight the Pittsfield Players recent production of “Into The Woods”. The BNH, CCA, Peterborough Players, Power Chords and sooooo much more all make it into the mix!

I told ya that I love the fall because I have this thing about artisan craft fairs didn't I? Today's WKXL NH Unscripted guest. Paul Ringuette, aka The Artful Carver, came by with some of his handiwork and it was jaw dropping. I am fascinated with human ingenuity and constantly amazed at the folks that can think outside the box. Paul is one of those people. He is a wood worker and creates regular clocks, tide clocks, stunning sports coasters and so much more using laser cutting technology. He's incredibly busy and popular at the best craft fairs and I understand why. His website, www.artfulcarver.com, is where to go to see for yourself. Did I happen to mention gorgeous? Unique? Innovative? I should have.

I was very excited to meet today's guest, Leslie Pasternack. Leslie has a Ph.D. in Theatre History from UT Austin and spent an intensive year at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre (sometimes referred to as “clown school”). She has won a couple of Spotlight Awards for her solo show, CLEAN ROOM. She has directed and acted at a variety of places, including The Players' Ring, New Hampshire Theatre Project and The Firehouse Center for the Arts and teaches acting workshops a couple times a year at Riverwoods Durham. She's about to start rehearsing as an actor in AS SMALL AS STARS, by Will Murdock, which opens at the Ring on January 31st. It's being directed by Kelli Connors. Her website is www.Lemonpunchtheatrelab.com.

I know it's a little late, but, here's the official WKXL NH Unscripted Halloween episode! We brought in our heavy weight film expert Daniel Siletti to talk not only about some of the most iconic horror films, but,  also to chat about his own YT channels attempt at creating their version of The Twilight Zone called “The Twilight Zone: The Halloween Scare”. Hats off to Daniel and his team for celebrating their 10 year anniversary of putting out annual Halloween short films. Andrew Gibson does his spectacular yeoman's job by adding his color commentary via horror movie  soundtracks especially for this episode.