NH Unscripted with Ray Dudley

Did you know that there’s a heckuva theater group that’s north of Lincoln? I didn’t even think that there was life north of Lincoln! Well, there is and it’s called Theatre UP in Littleton, NH and the founding artistic director for them, Andrew Lidestri, drops by WKXL NH Unscripted to chat with Ray Dudley about the great work that’s happening wayyyyyyyy up there! A gorgeous ride north, a stunning little community and a vibrant arts program all in one beautiful package. Andrew talks about their upcoming production of “Curtains”, their new season, classes, youth programs, their new digs and much, much more!

This guy just cracks me up!!! Jim Rosenberg from Shaheen & Gordon makes a return visit to try to impress me with his E-bike. Not gonna happen! We also discuss his upcoming trip to Copenhagen with his BFF’s, his previous trip to Amsterdam with those same BFF’s, his daughter getting into Clemson, the Concord High girls undefeated season and, as usual, much, much more.

Bryan Halperin from the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative stops by to chat. We discussed PTCs’ relatively new relationship with the Colonial Theatre in Laconia, more thoughts on great theatre and acting. PTC is incredibly busy! Auditions for Fiddler on the Roof are on May 2nd and 3rd with info on their website. Tuck Everlasting goes up May 10-12, get your tickets! Bryan and I really encourage anyone that’s considering attempting to act to come for the auditions, but, more importantly get out of the house and go see a show! Live theater is happening all around our state. Support them, enjoy their work, smile, laugh, cry with them.

Amy Antonucci, Living Land Permaculture, returns to bring us a little deeper into the world of permaculture. She discusses the differences between organic gardening vs permaculture. The why’s and how’s of soil building complete with a tutorial on the technique of lasagna gardening. We talked about soil testing and the best place to get it done. The best plants to begin with, the theory of “chop and drop”, no till gardening, the Seacoast Permaculture Group and much more. She is the main organizer for Seacoast NH Permaculture and was proud to be named Leading Gardener of 2017 and Mentor of the Year in 2022 by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH

Tom Lott from the Actor Cooperative in Derry wanted to come by and talk up their latest production “The Trail to Oregon”. And when I read that an audience member said “Dying of dysentery has never been so much fun” I couldn’t wait. And THEN I saw a post about a ballet number with a “horny” very happy cow and a farmer, welllllllllll to say that my curiosity was piqued would be the understatement of the century. Fake beards, audiences getting to pay to pick who dies, ballet with a cow, songs about dysentery… I mean I’m all in!!!! Second weekend is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (matinee).

Christopher Ouellette from Chesterton Stage Productions stops WKXL and NH Unscripted in to talk about his love for the work of G.K. Chesterton and the success of their recent production of “Magic: A Fantastical Comedy” in Rochester, NH. CSP is a youth oriented company with workshops, a two week theater camp (which will include a June performance of “Alice Through the Looking Glass”), teen improv class, help with auditions and a Sept. 2024 production of “The Nutcracker and Mouse King”.

Brian Messina, owner of the Royal T Car Wash in Derry, dropped by WKXL and NH Unscripted and gives us a boatload of info on his car wash business. One of the fastest hours I’ve spent with a guest and it was all about his car wash!! From part time employee to ultimately becoming a passionate owner. I met Brian at a Studio Lab open house in Derry (another topic for another episode) and he started to talk about his car wash; how he started, his issues with the state, the technology, etc. Some inside baseball and a great look at an amazing business as well as an amazing man. What an hour!

Well, it was time to put on my WKXL big boy pants and do a solo episode! Trying to talk by yourself for an hour was a little more difficult than I had imagined, but, it was time to give it a shot. Topics for this episode were spotlighting Mike Perry’s website “Clardy Short Photography” and Instagram account @clardyshortphotography and walking through Jeremiah Smith’s incredible website “The Casting Connection” which does a superb job of aggregating audition postings from around the country and making it a one stop shop! Then it was time to talk about local productions and auditions with highlights of the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, the Pittsfield Players and the Bank of NH Stage. Plus a lot of other gum flapping by yours truly about various things that popped into my head.

Karielle Silk called into WKXL and spoke with NH Unscripted about a project she and some friends are working on at The Fourth Ministries. It’s a music album. What’s it like to create a music album? What if it’s not just a music album, but, a Christian music album? Do the songs have to have a meaning and/or a purpose greater than just be entertaining? If so, why and what would that be? What’s the process to create the songs? Who’s involved in producing and marketing it? Also, the group is going to take it on tour in NH at a minimum. And did she say they’re going to give the album away for free?

Continuing with my discussions about permaculture today Amy Antonucci called in to WKXL and NH Unscripted to chat up the Seacoast Permaculture Group as well as her homestead. She teaches workshops on homesteading topics including: permaculture, soil building, no-till gardening, composting, herbal infusions, beekeeping, goats, poultry, cheese and yogurt making, and food preservation. She has spoken at libraries, schools, garden clubs, at the NOFA-NH winter conference, and on the radio. She began growing food in 1995 on a local organic farm and CSA. She later became a certified permaculture designer and transitioned to homesteading and teaching others. She now keeps poultry, goats, plants and builds soil at Living Land Permaculture Homestead in Barrington, NH. She is the main organizer for Seacoast NH Permaculture and was proud to be named Leading Gardener of 2017 and Mentor of the Year in 2022 by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH.

Is the third time the charm or the curse? The charm of course!! Attorney Jim Rosenberg from the law offices of Shaheen & Gordon drops by for his third visit. The topic? Forget about it!! I had to toss the topic sheet out the window because Jim came loaded for bear. He’s like a verbal machine gun. He can hit more topics in the first 5 minutes than I can hope we’ll hit in total hour we have together. Keno, March Madness, trips to NYC, black ice hockey tournaments, tips on getting to NYC, inflation and he even managed to sneak in a little politics. That just the first segment!!! He’s a great guest, brilliant mind, incredible memory and excellent story teller. Yup, third time was a charm.

I called him a renaissance man. My friend John Marshall stopped by WKXL and NH Unscripted to talk with me about biochar, herbs, roasting his own coffee beans, working on his truck, acting and a heckuva lot more!!

It’s time to party at Dive In Productions!! Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Marina Altschiller-Gannon (founder) and Jordan Formichelli (Artistic Director) came by the studio to chat up their celebration. March 29th at the Millspace in Newmarket, NH will be the day they pop the cork with Performances from Dive In’s past productions including: The Upside of Being Down, Moments: A Song Cycle, Little Shop of Horrors, Dogfight, Jesus Christ Superstar, Lizzie and sooooo much more. They also dropped some hints about their upcoming season and a shout out to Tim Goss!

Part time commercial actor Pattiann Graham dropped by the WKXL studios and spoke with NH Unscripted host Ray Dudley about how she stumbled into doing commercials, what it was like being on set, some of her favorite shoots (Wayfair, Honda, Al Terry) and gave some tips for any newbies that might want to give commercials a try. She also gives some hilarious personal stories from her life. Oh yeah, and she’s also my sister!!!

I’m telling you I’m in love with permaculture and so today I had Amy and Ethan Sager, from the Again & Again Farmstead in Tamworth, come by to chat up their farm. Their diversified farm produces growing supplies, wool products, flower bouquets, and ethically grown fruit and vegetables using non-certified organic methods. We talked about biochar, vermiculture (worms), no-till gardening, heritage breed chickens, ducks and sheep (and all the great wool that comes from them) and a heckuva lot more!!

Springtime is peaking its’ head around the corner and that means gardening and I’m particularly fond of permaculture gardening. Dunstan Smith from The Hummingbird Center in Dorchester, NH drops in to chat about all things permaculture and organic at the Center. The Center is an active permaculture farm with a 26-year perennial food system and hosts tours. It has a huge cob pizza oven, solar dehydrator, two outdoor solar heated showers, has classes for yoga, sound baths, has a literal farm to table restaurant called Nourish and can accommodate campers. The Hummingbird Center will begin offering yoga-based retreats with diverse programming ranging from edible wild plant walks to paint therapy, meditation, cooking classes, guided hikes, and much more.

It’s almost springtime and that means birds are chirping, bunnies are running around and Artistic Directors are scouring the landscape looking for talent for their upcoming seasons of shows! What exactly does that process look like? How do they choose who to make an offer to? Where do they even go to audition them? Well lucky for us Joel Mercier, Artistic Director for the North Country Center for the Arts, drops in to explain all of that as well as discuss their upcoming season which will feature The Secret Garden, CATS, Little Shop of Horrors and Stephen King’s Misery!

When WKXL's NH Unscripted needs a little attitude and sass that’s when it’s time to bring in the big guns and so today Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal from the Actors Cooperative Theatre is back for a repeat visit. She’s directing “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” for the Milford Area Players and she lays it all out there!! I love her honest, don’t give you-know-what approach to life. We also get to catch up on what’s happening in Derry with the Actors Cooperative Theatre. Open and refreshing.

“It’s never too late to start” is more than just a cute saying. David Afflick came by NH Unscripted to discuss how he took it to heart, applied to his life and turned his focus toward acting. His resume now glows with commercials for companies like Ocean State Job Lot, Direct TV, Tufts Health Plans, East Boston Savings Bank and NH Realtors as well as roles in films that have shown in the Cannes Film Festival and one that’s on Amazon! When and how he did it plus advice for others that are thinking about dipping their toes into acting are all on the table.

Liam Magan, General Manager, from the Teatotaller Cafe on Main st. in Concord dropped in to talk about all that’s happening at the cafe. Twice named Best of NH, Teatotaller is a “queer, hipster oasis of tea, coffee, and pastry goodness.” Named “Most Instagrammable Restaurant in America” by Food Network Magazine they have incredible waffles, drinks with boba (I didn’t know either) and macaroons made right there. Teatotaller is a café, tea-house, bistro, and venue with two locations in Concord and Dover, New Hampshire. They offer catering as well as host functions.