Park Play Festival premiers this weekend

LACONIA — Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and Community Players of Concord are ready to present the second part of their spring play festivals, the Park Play Festival. Performances will take place Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 at 3 p.m. each day in Rotary Riverside Park adjacent to the Belknap Mill in Laconia.

Written by NH playwrights in our fall 2020 Playwriting Workshop, plays by Doris Ballard, Betsey Cox, Joe Elcock, Chuck Fray, Sherry Gardner, Bryan Halperin, Tess Hodges, and Nora McBurnett will be directed by J. Alward, Lauren Shelby Douglas, Bryan Halperin, Kathleen Hill, Dorothy Piquado, John Piquado, Jim Rogato, and Doreen Sheppard. The plays feature over 20 actors and are a mix of comedies and dramas. While there is nothing particularly inappropriate for younger viewers, the subject matter of the plays is geared more towards older teens and adults.

The Park Play Festival is generously sponsored by the Dow Realty Group and TS Event Productions who is also providing the sound design for the event.

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative Producer, Bryan Halperin led the fall workshop. “We had a great time working on the Zoom Festival, held last month, and now with the weather warming up and vaccination rates increasing, we are happy to be able to step outside and bring people together to perform some live theatre in a safe manner,” says Halperin.

Socially distanced squares will be marked out in the park for audience members to sit with those they came with; the event will be managed similar to how the Belknap Mill’s 2020 Arts in the Park series was handled for Covid-safety. Audience members should plan to bring their own chair or blanket to sit on the grass in their designated area.

There is no fee to watch the plays, but if a viewer is inspired to help Powerhouse and the Community Players of Concord raise funds for future productions, donations to both organizations will be accepted via their websites or in person at the Festival.

For more details on Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and all the programs at the Belknap Mill or to find out how to become a sponsor, visit www.belknapmill.org or email: powerhouse@belknapmill.org.