THETFORD — When coming up with We the People Theatre’s annual show, founder Perry Allison often asks herself what kind of story Upper Valley audiences need that year.
This time around she gravitated toward “The Spitfire Grill,” a folk musical about Percy Talbott, a young woman who finds work at an eatery in a struggling town after being released from prison.
The play, up next Thursday at Eclipse Grange Theatre in Thetford, explores the possibility of “second chances, and it’s a very hopeful piece, which I think is something we all are yearning for these days,” Allison said.
She and director Richard Waterhouse described that yearning in broad terms.
“I think it’s always good to be reminded about our humanity, about being kind and forgiving, and those qualities that we sometimes forget about and they go away if we don’t watch ourselves,” Waterhouse said.
Premiering in the early aughts, “The Spitfire Grill” is based on a 1996 film of the same title that, while set in Maine, was filmed in Peacham and Troy, Vt.
The stage adaptation, however, is set in the fictional town of Gilead, Wis., where, upon arrival, Talbott is met with a haze of gossip about her checkered past.
When she starts waiting tables at the Grill, she learns that its elderly owner has been trying to offload the business for years with no takers. Talbott suggests she hold a contest in which, for $100 and an essay about why they want to buy the grill, contestants have the opportunity to take over the business.
Soon letters start to trickle in from near and far, some funny, others poignant. Townspeople help Talbott and her boss sift through the entries, and as they do, Gilead’s tired atmosphere, and its residents’ surly attitude toward their new neighbor, begins to shift.
“I’ve been thinking of (the play) as a rebirth of a community due to an outsider coming in,” Waterhouse said.
That community is portrayed by a cast of nine, the majority of whom are returning players to We the People.
A small band of string players and an accordionist will perform the play’s music, which was composed by James Valcq with lyrics by Fred Alley, both Wisconsin natives.
The play’s sets, designed by Hanover High School alum Alex Taylor, are anchored by the Grill, which is as much “the heartbeat of the community” as it is a symbol of the way things have been in town for a long time: run-down, stagnant, Waterhouse said.
Other stories about communities contending with unexpected newcomers have been cropping up on Upper Valley stages in the past year.
Last fall, Northern Stage produced the rallying musical “Come From Away” about the townspeople of Gander, Newfoundland who sheltered travelers after their planes were rerouted during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Shaker Bridge Theatre’s production of “Eureka Day,” a sardonic comedy about a school board forced to entertain the views of a new family during a community-wide mumps outbreak, opened about the same time.
Even We the People’s 2025 production of “A Man of No Importance,” which starred Waterhouse as a closeted theater troupe leader in 1960s Dublin, dealt with themes of otherness and acceptance.
Maybe there’s something aspirational behind this trend, a declaration of what the Upper Valley, or at least its theater community, wants this area to be: a place where people from all walks of life can feel at home.
“I sure hope the Upper Valley is a place that welcomes people. I don’t know that that’s everyone’s experience, but it’s certainly what I aspire to and what I hope we can artistically contribute to,” Allison said.
We don’t always live up to that ideal, though, despite what we say. A couple months ago I drove through Woodstock while a small rally was underway at Tribou Park on Central Street. “Immigrants are our neighbors,” read one person’s sign. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the statement, as I rumbled past rows of million dollar homes with their primarily white owners. Immigrants may live and work in Woodstock, but the gulf between most of them and these grand properties remains vast.
Like the people of Gilead, we have room to grow.
We the People Theatre’s production of “The Spitfire Grill” is up from April 30 through May 17 at Eclipse Grange Theatre in Thetford. For tickets ($30 for adults; $26 for seniors; $15 for students) and more information go to wethepeopletheatre.com.
Book crawl
An indie bookstore crawl is planned for Saturday, April 25 in honor of Independent Bookstore Day. Locations include the Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, Left Bank Books and Still North Books and Bar in Hanover, Cover to COVER Books in White River Junction and the Norwich Bookstore. Those interested can pick up a map of the crawl at any of the five participating bookstores on Saturday morning. To complete the tour, visitors must have their map stamped at each location. To learn more about Independent Bookstore Day go to indiebound.org/independent-bookstore-day.
Pride on the green
Dartmouth College is hosting Pride Palooza from 1 to 5 p.m. this Saturday on the Green in Hanover. A “celebration of queer and trans joy” that’s open to all, the event will feature LGBTQ+ arts and craft businesses, musical performances and food. Learn more at shorturl.at/TxQfP.
Symphonic sounds
Next week the Upper Valley Symphony Orchestra will perform two movements from a new piece, “Upper Valley Seasons,” a clarinet concerto composed by Pablo Santiago Chin, a lecturer at Dartmouth and UVSO’s principal clarinetist. Chin composed the piece for the Upper Valley Music Center’s 30th anniversary. Concerts are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 at Mascoma Valley Regional High School in Canaan and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 at Lebanon Opera House. For tickets ($25; free for youth under 18) go to uvmusic.org.
Pandemic reflections
Counterpoint Chorus, a vocal ensemble based in Montpelier, is scheduled to perform a free set reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 at Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock. The concert will feature pieces by Beethoven and Mendelssohn as well as poetry readings from area authors. Learn more at counterpointchorus.org.
Ribbit!
A couple of events are coming up at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction this week. DIY Upper Valley record label What Doth Life is hosting a handful of bands at the museum on Thursday, April 23. The ska and punk band McAsh and the psychedelic rock group Phrogs are both set to perform, as is the indie project Yabai! and the Vermont pop-punk band Vallory Falls. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 or best offer.
Then on Saturday, Upper Valley mutual-aid group the Cobra Lily Collective is hosting an 18+ drag show and dance party at the museum starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door. Learn more at mainstreetmuseums.org.
HanUnder
Dartmouth College’s annual student arts festival is slated for April 23-25 in venues across Hanover. Learn more about the lineup at https://shorturl.at/nQQmm.
