The company of theatre KAPOW’s Paradise Now! by Margaret Perry from June 7 through 9 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord, NH. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

The desire for—and vulnerability in— connection are central themes in nonprofit theatre KAPOW’s upcoming Paradise Now!, which will take place June 7 – June 9 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord. Ticket prices range from $26.75 to $33.75.

Written by Margaret Perry, the play brings together a group of women who join a pyramid scheme where they sell a range of essential oils that soothe “a myriad of life’s stresses.” “What the play is really about is the desire for connection, something I think every woman longs for,” explained KAPOW’s Carey Cahoon.

Paradise Now!, however, rhetorically questions the ways in which modern society frames such “connections.” “Are women really lifting each other up in these scenarios, or are they about money?” Cahoon stated.

While the subject matter is serious, Paradise Now! presents it in various comedic ways. “You’ll laugh at the show, but you will also walk away with some questions,” Cahoon added.

Paradise Now! will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8, and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 9 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH. Click the button below to purchase tickets, 

On Wednesday, May 22, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord, New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) will host Excerpts and Investigations: Paradise Now!.

Free to the public, the event will offer an inside look at theatre KAPOW’s upcoming June production, “Paradise Now!” with select excerpts and the opportunity to engage with the actors, designers, and director. A play about a group of women in a multi-level marketing company promoting essential oils, “Paradise Now!” will premiere in June at the Bank of NH State at Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.

According to NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky, Excerpts and Investigations (E&I) is an immersive, multi-disciplinary experience that supports our belief that expressive movement can provoke discussion and understanding.”

“E&I was created to enhance the audience’s understanding of the process of creating a play, or originally, creating a dance,” she said. “Understanding the process deepens appreciation for the product.”

tKAPOW’s Carey Cahoon agreed and said the purpose behind the product, “Paradise Now!,” is to encourage the public to ask questions (of each other and themselves).

“The play is about ambition, exploitation, and the search for connection in a fractured world,” she said. “The play is also humorous, so the hope is that people can find connections through some laughter.”

On Wednesday, May 22, Excerpts and Investigations: Paradise Now! begins at 5.30 p.m. with wine and conversation followed by a presentation and facilitated discussion at 6:00 p.m. Registration is free.

“We believe by creating and producing professional work in our communities, we can foster a deeper connection and a genuine appreciation for dance,” said Nathan Moyer, who co-founded Lila Productions with wife Elyssa. “Through our productions, we strive to create a space for community building through dance.”

It is this sense of community building that attracted NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky to select Lila Productions as NH Dance Accelerator Fellow. “Their mission is entirely aligned with our mission to make dance a more well-understood, accessible, and utilized art form,” she said. “Accelerating Nathan and Elyssa’s organization will exponentially spread the joy and experience of dance to New Hampshire citizens who otherwise  wouldn’t have access to it.” 

Expressing appreciation for NHDC’s support, which will include mentoring, coaching, and financial assistance, Elyssa Moyer said they believe Lila Productions can help foster empathy and compassion. “Like all art, live dance is a unifier and a common language for all,” she said. “If people from different walks of life can come to enjoy a live dance performance with their neighbors, friends, and families, we help form a common bond within that audience and community.”

Love can be expressed in many ways through dance, a theme that will be explored at A Continuation of Love at The Rex Theatre in Manchester on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 4:00 p.m.

A Dance Fundraiser with catered food, drinks, raffles, and a silent auction integrated throughout the performance, A Continuation of Love features professional dancers from NSquared Dance Company, most of whom are originally from New Hampshire. The special event is presented by New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC).

“There is so much homegrown artistic talent in our state,” said noted NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky, who commented on the deeper purpose behind the event. “We’d like to change the misperception that you have to go to Boston or New York City to find high-caliber dance and theater. This performance is an opportunity to see exquisite dance in a historic Manchester theater.”

For Zack Betty, Co-Founder of NSquared Dance, A Continuum of Love also underscores their status as a nonprofit organization. He said their mission is to create versatile performances that invite local communities to experience, better understand, and feel empowered by dance as a vehicle for creative change.

“Dance embodies personal expression and communication for all—whether traditional, celebratory, commemorative, or as protest,” he said. “We invite people to embrace the joy of movement within yourself to uncover a unique world of self-expression through dance.”

In addition to dance, food, libations, and a silent auction, the event will feature several speakers, including Tina Philibotte, Chief Equity Officer for the Manchester school system.

“Dance has an important place within the arts in New Hampshire,” said Brodsky. “This event will be as informative as it is inspiring.”

A Continuation of Love takes place at 4:00 p.m. at The Rex Theatre in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Photo Credit: Matthew Lomanno

On Feb. 16–18 and Mar 1–3 at Bank of NH Stage in Concord and The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, respectively, theatre KAPOW will present On The Exhale. A full-length drama by Martin Zimmerman, On The Exhale offers a complex examination of America’s gun violence crisis.

“The performance will take the audience down the proverbial rabbit hole of grief experienced by one woman whose life is changed by a senseless act of violence,” said KAPOW Managing Director and co-founder Carey Cahoon.

This grief will be personally explored by Cahoon, who will portray the woman in the performance. “What makes this play so impactful is its complex treatment of the subject of gun violence,” she said.

This complexity is revealed through the character’s emerging (and unexpected) fascination with the gun itself and “the feeling of power that comes from holding life and death in her hands.” “The woman comes to realize that we are all part of the problem,” said Cahoon.

Senior Fellow in the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative’s NH Dance Accelerator, KAPOW is a Manchester-based nonprofit founded in 2008 with a mission to explore the truths of human experience through the passion and electricity of live theatre.

“On The Exhale reflects our mission and season’s theme of ‘where we are,’” said Cahoon. “In this theme, we ask questions about the land we are on, the time in which we are living, and who we are. We invite our audiences to ask these questions as they experience our plays.”

On The Exhale takes place on Feb. 16 – 18 and Mar 1 – 3 at Bank of NH Stage in Concord and The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, respectively.