'Christmas Snow,' 'Sleepyhead': 5 things to do this weekend

Jane Murphy, Portsmouth Herald
·3 min read

We're full of turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, and there's plenty of long weekend to enjoy as the holiday season kicks in.

Donald Hall's 'Christmas Snow' to debut at Pontine

Pontine Theatre in Portsmouth will premiere its original production of Donald Hall's "Christmas Snow" this weekend. The play pays tribute to New Hampshire’s beloved poet, Donald Hall, with an original two-actor staging of his story, "Christmas Snow," which first appeared in The New Yorker in December 1964.

Hall writes of his 1938 holiday trip to Eagle Pond Farm, his grandparents’ home in Wilmot, N.H., when he was 10 years old. This story blends reminiscences, anecdotes and vignettes that capture the spirit of a New England Christmas amid the quiet delights of rural life. Pontine was granted special permission by the Donald Hall Estate to stage this story for New England audiences. Co-artistic directors Greg Gathers and Marguerite Mathews will be joined onstage by fiddler Ellen Carlson.

Performances will run Nov. 25 to Dec. 4 at Pontine’s 1845 Plains Schoolhouse theatre located at 1 Plains Ave., Portsmouth. Shows are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at pontine.org. This production is underwritten by Piscataqua Savings Bank. Following its run in Portsmouth, Pontine’s "Christmas Snow"production will tour 18 communities in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. Tickets are $29, general admission; $26 for seniors and students.

'The Adventures of Sleepyhead' at The Player's Ring

The Players’ Ring Theatre in Portsmouth has long been known as a hub for new works and a center for artists exploring innovative forms of storytelling. This weekend, Nov. 25 to 27, award-winning clown and local storyteller Gemma Soldati brings her one-woman family comedy "The Adventures of Sleepyhead" to the Players’ Ring stage, perfect for dreamers of all ages.

Gemma Soldati will perform her one-woman original show, "The Adventures of Sleepyhead," Nov. 25 to 27 at The Players' Ring in Portsmouth.
Gemma Soldati will perform her one-woman original show, "The Adventures of Sleepyhead," Nov. 25 to 27 at The Players' Ring in Portsmouth.

"The Adventures of Sleepyhead" will bring audiences on a journey to discover where dreams come from and where they go. The interactive show featuring puppetry, comedy, and clowning will be coming to the Players’ Ring stage following successful performances at the Capitol Center for the Arts/Bank of NH Stage in Concord and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “What inspired me to write this particular story and adventure for Sleepyhead was the cultural phenomenon of telling children to follow their dreams, but then telling adults or ourselves that our dreams don't matter,” said writer and performer Gemma Soldati. “I wanted to highlight this shift in thinking from childhood to adulthood and explore what happens to our dreams when we grow up.”

"The Adventures of Sleepyhead" will be performed Friday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $27, student and senior tickets are $22, and children’s tickets are $17. For more information and tickets, visit playersring.org.

Dance Annex to present 'The Nutcracker'

The Dance Annex’s production of "The Nutcracker" returns to the Star Theatre in Kittery, Maine, for two weekends, Nov. 25 to 27 and Dec. 3 to 4, and features some of the Seacoast’s finest dancers, special guest artists and students.

For information, visit thedanceannexstudio.com. The Star Theatre is located inside the Kittery Community Center at 120 Rogers Road in Kittery. Tickets are $25 to $33 and available at portsmouthnhtickets.com.

Truffle’s Turkey Jam at Stone Church

Seacoast band Truffle will play its annual Turkey Jam show at the Stone Church in Newmarket on Friday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available at stonechurchrocks.com.

Dover Holiday Parade steps off Sunday

Organized by Cochecho Friends, a volunteer group and 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and city leaders, the Dover Holiday Parade is making its grand comeback Sunday, Nov. 27, three days after the Thanksgiving holiday, following past tradition. The parade starts at 3 p.m. For more information, visit cochechofriends.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 'Christmas Snow,' 'Sleepyhead': 5 things to do this weekend