Beer, Food, Hope, And Baseball All Come To The Hatbox

"Beer, Food, Hope, and Baseball" will premiere at The Hatbox on Friday, March 29, Saturday, March 30, at 7:30, and Sunday, March 31, at a 2:00 Matinee. It will be shown again on Friday, April 5, Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7, at 2:00. Fair warning: "Beer, Food, Hope, And Baseball" may not be suited for young children. Tickets are $17, $14 for members, seniors and students, $12 for senior members.

Concord's own GRANITE PLAYWRIGHTS, George Kelly, J.J. Hunt, and Alan Lindsay present three new original plays. The Granite Playwrights have been together for more than ten years writing and producing quality original theatre. This year's presentations highlight some of their latest work and continue to reflect the high quality of their craft for which they have become known.

Kelly's play, "Facing Backward," centers around the Boston Red Sox's 2004 World Series-the one that broke the 86-year "Curse of The Bambino," and set the stage for the new millennium. Two die-hard fans sit in an empty bar in the aftermath of that victory. One fan is joyously celebrating, but the other is troubled. As he wonders why he isn't as ecstatic as the raucous fans in the streets, he begins to realize that this long-awaited victory, may be the end of a glorious past. As he begins to discover and express his feelings, the audience is invited to side with one or the other of the arguments that though something may have been won, something else may have been lost. "Facing Backward," was presented at the International Playwrights' Festival in Torrington, Connecticut, and represented that State in NCTA's Regional Festival.

J. J. Hunt's "Throw the Bums Out" takes on a much more serious tone, as it explores the very contemporary reality that not everyone is enjoying what is being touted as a prosperous time. With progress, comes the reality that some jobs are lost, when others are created. All of this takes place in a coffee shop, once full of workers who dropped in for an early morning breakfast, and a cup of "joe," but that is now a refuge for the "down and out" unemployed workers, whose jobs were cut when the local factory boarded up its windows and left town. The play parallels many New Hampshire one-industry towns that have experienced that loss and still live in crisis. Hunt's play focuses on a few individuals who are on the downside of the supposedly bustling economy.

To round out the evening, Alan Lindsay's "The Milltown Metaphors" eavesdrops on a tricky and hilarious situation, for everyone but the main character, Kourtney, whos dalliance with a young, hot waiter has made her the celebrity of social media. She's been caught in the act and the video of her and a waiter has gone viral. This all occurs just before her wedding to a car dealer whose wealth and reputation is also under scrutiny. Kourtney's dilemma is juxtaposed to that a baseball owner whose star pitcher with a 98 mile an hour fast ball that has gone wild on the eve a visit from a professional scout. Mel Blankenstein, owner of The Metaphors has a lot riding on the game. Oddly enough, the solution to his dilemma just might be Kourtney.

Hatbox Theatre is a live performance arts space with a mission to create a cooperative community to develop unique, intimate experiences for both audience and artist. The Hatbox Theatre is located at the Steeplegate Mall at 270 Loudon Rd in Concord NH.