Step inside: Nashua Center for the Arts is gearing up for its April 1 unveiling
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Mar. 4—W ith less than a month to go, the Nashua Center for the Arts is in the final push before an opening celebration on April 1.
"I'm counting down the days," said real estate developer Richard Lannan, president of Nashua Community Arts, the nonprofit organization formed to support the new entertainment venue.
He said the next few weeks will be spent setting up the stage drapery system, finishing up flooring, bathrooms and dressing rooms, and installing seats on the main level of the Bank of America Theater at the corner of Main and West Pearl streets.
Some of the first shows set to hit the stage are "American Idol" alumni Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken on April 13; Suzanne Vega, the singer-songwriter behind the signature folk-pop classic "Luka" on April 15, and A Girl Named Tom, a sibling trio that won the 2021 competition of "The Voice," on April 21.
Designed by ICON Architecture, the arts center is meant to bridge the past and present of Nashua's downtown. Stretching up and across four floors, the sprawling venue knits together modern features and amenities with elements of the circa-1898 structure known as the Dunbarton Building, which makes up the back portion of the venue and retains elements such as window sills and frames, several white-painted columns and exposed brick walls.
But stand in the front of the center at 201 Main St. and one of the first things people notice is the yellow-framed oculus that juts out from the facade. A square-shaped bank of windows inside the oculus exposes a space that encompasses two stories. It's meant to be an open invitation of sorts — to entice passersby to see the bustle and entice them to join the festivities.
From inside that oculus, which is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows as well as an adjacent outdoor terrace, there's a view of the city skyline, including red-bricked buildings across the street. One of the many murals dotted throughout the city adds a touch of whimsy to the vista.
The art center's footprint also holds ties to past community hubs, including the former Sunlight Pharmacy, Miller's Department Store and Alec's Shoes.
Judith Carlson, a longtime writer, editor and public relations consultant as well as secretary for Nashua Community Arts, has her own sense of nostalgia when it comes Miller's.
"I remember I came down here to help a colleague pick out a wedding dress in 10 minutes," said Carlson, laughing as she gives a tour of the art center and explains how Miller's, which closed in the early 1990s and was replaced by Alec's Shoes, once was the go-to place for just about anything people needed.
"A lot of people tell me that Miller's was their first credit card in town," added project superintendent Glenn Dugas of Harvey Construction.
The project itself has a $25 million budget, including demolition of the old building and construction of the new venue. Of that, $4 million was raised in private funding, including $1.5 million in donations from individuals, businesses and foundations as well as New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority Tax Credit funds, along with $2.5 million New Market Tax Credits. This allowed the City of Nashua to issue a $21 million bond.
The city has hired Spectacle Live, founded in 2012 by Pete Lally, to handle everything from "bookings to hiring and managing staff to taking out the garbage," according to the commission. Spectacle's client base in New England also includes operations at the Colonial Theatre in Laconia.
A big consideration was not just getting patrons through the front door, but crafting back-stage spaces and experiences that would convince musicians, dancers, comedians and actors to make return appearances. There's no longer just the proverbial "green room." Touring artists are looking for comfortable spaces and modern amenities that make life on the road a bit easier, from dressing rooms and lounging areas to kitchenettes, bathrooms, showers and laundry services.
The Bank of America Theatre will have 750 seats, split between the balcony and telescoping main-floor sections that can be retracted to allow for tables for events such as wedding receptions and conventions. Capacity for standing-room only concerts is 1,000.
"Once the center is open and running, we will be working with Spectacle Live to help fund community access programs and projects at the center, which always have been part of the plan," Carlson said.
Symphony NH has decided to mark its 100th anniversary with a concert in the new venue on April 29. The program, "Momentum," will feature two pieces from the ensemble's initial 1923 concert — Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony" and Strauss's "On the Beautiful Blue Danube." Guest cellist Amit Peled will solo in Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor, and New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary will debut a commissioned poem.
For more updates on the 2023 lineup, go to nashuacenterforthearts.com.
