The summer buzz is starting in Portsmouth. With the nice nights headed our way, the best thing to do is take a walk downtown and enjoy the many shows that The Music Hall and Prescott Park offer.
As said in the Portsmouth Herald article on May 21 by Jane Murphy, Prescott Park and The Music Hall is part of the “Guide to festivals, tall ships, music, shows, history, food, more.”
The summer kick-off for Prescott Park is on June 1 with the first event being the “97.5 Summer WOKQ Chowder Festival Summer Kick-Off”. The first concert is with the band The Lone Bellow on June 14, according to Prescott Park’s Arts Festival website.
This year the musical is “Legally Blonde” which will run most Thursday-Sundays from June 21 through August 11.
Prescott Park is a nonprofit organization that runs off of donations from the community. All the shows put on are free to get in but it is suggested to place a $5-10 dollar donation at the gate.
The Music Hall runs shows all year long with comedy, live music, theater shows, and films being shown. On the first day of June, Seacoast Civic Dance Company and Reed Foehl will be performing. Please visit The Music Hall website for a full list of events.
The Music Hall is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from the public and different companies that sponsor The Music Hall. The tickets to see various shows can range from $20-$140 depending on who is performing and what seat you choose.
People like Lucy Foulkes, a junior at Portsmouth High School, Maya Gloss, a social studies teacher at PHS, Meg Martin, a Spanish teacher at PHS, and Michael Winters, a counselor at PHS all believe that supporting fine arts like The Music Hall and Prescott Park is important.
“Art represents different parts of society and they need to be celebrated, learned from, and enjoyed,” said Martin.
Lucy Foulkes said, “If we didn’t have [the shows and art] then there wouldn’t be culture in town.”
“The arts make us happy,” said Gloss. “If we don’t support them they might go away.”
“Fine arts made Portsmouth the place that it is today, the only reason it is popular is because of the arts with food, music, and shows,” Winters said.
In June the shows that will be at Prescott Park are:
| June 1 | 97.5 WOKQ Chowder Fest 2024, @ 11:30 am – 2:00 pm |
| June 14 | The Lone Bellow @ 7:00 pm |
| June 19 | Brent Cobb, @ 7:00 pm |
| June 21 | Legally Blonde The Musical @ 7:00 pm |
| June 22 | Legally Blonde The Musical *Asl-Supported @ 7:00 pm |
| June 23 | Legally Blonde The Musical @ 7:00 pm |
| June 24 | Josiah And The Bonnevilles With Fancy Hagood, @ 7:00 pm |
| June 26 | Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ 7:00 pm |
| June 27 | Legally Blonde The Musical @ 7:00 pm |
| June 28 | Legally Blonde The Musical @ 7:00 pm |
| June 29 | Natalie Macmaster & Donnell Leahy @ 7:00 pm |
| June 30 | Legally Blonde The Musical @ 7:00 pm |
In June the shows that will be at The Music Hall are:
| June 1 | – Seacoast Civic Dance Company’s 67th Annual Dance Concert @ 5:00 pm
– Reed Foehl @ 8:00 pm |
| June 2 | – Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert @ 3:00 pm
– Seacoast Civic Dance Company’s 67th Annual Dance Concert @ 6:30 pm – BLKBOK @ 7:00 pm |
| June 3 | – Mr. Joe Jackson Presents: Joe Jackson Solo and The Music of Max Champion @ 8:00 pm |
| June 4 | – Cat Kid Comic Club – The Musical @ 9:30 AM & 11:30 am
– Director’s Club: Five81ºNE @ 5:30 pm – William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill @ 7:00 pm |
| June 5 | – Doris Kearns Goodwin @ 7:00 pm |
| June 6 | – William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill @ 7:00 pm
– Pints! Camera! Action! – The Birdcage @ 7:30 pm |
| June 7 | – MUSE: A Salute to Divas of the 90s! @ 8:00 pm |
| June 8 | – Happy Hour Comedy Featuring Matt Shore @ 7:00 pm |
| June 9 | – Ellis Paul @ 7:30 pm |
| June 10 | – Book Club: Odette’s @ 6:00 pm |
| June 11 | – Inundation District @ 7:00 pm |
| June 13 | – Ann Leary @ 7:00 pm
– Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking For Trouble @ 7:30 pm |
| June 14 | – Dead Meat – Tribute to The Grateful Dead @ 7:00 pm
– Dave Ross @ 8:00 pm |
| June 15 | – Exhibition on Screen: John Singer Sargent @ 4:00 pm
– Challengers @ 7:00 pm – Andy Beningo @ 7:30 pm |
| June 16 | – Nowhere Special @ 1:00 pm
– Challengers @ 4:00 pm |
| June 17 | – Corey B. @ 8:30 pm |
| June 18 | – Mo Rocca @ 7:00 pm
– The Wellermen @ 7:30 pm |
| June 19 | – The Magic of Motown @ 7:30 pm |
| June 21 | – Pat McGann @ 6:30 & 9:00 pm
– Kenny G @ 8:00 pm |
| June 22 | – Fill the Hall 2024 @ 9:00 am
– Pat McGann @ 6:30 & 9:00 pm |
| June 23 | – Haley Reinhart @ 2:00 & 7:00 pm |
| June 24 | – Haley Reinhart @ 6:00 pm & 8:30 pm |
| June 28 | – Tohst @ 8:00pm |
| June 29 | – Karen Morgan @ 6:00 & 8:30 pm |
| June 30 | – Grace Pettis and Henry Honkonen @ 7:00pm |
