UNH, all state colleges ‘intend’ to open to students in fall

By Staff
Seacoastonline.com

Leah Zarrilli right, photographs her friends and fellow senior classmates, dressed with their graduation caps, at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, Friday, May 8, 2020. Commencement ceremonies, which were scheduled for May 16, were postponed due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. From left are Kelly Anderson, Devin Paquette, Megan Nolan and Zarrilli. The school has stated students have made it clear they want an in-person ceremony and UNH has not yet announced a date for commencement to be rescheduled. [AP Photo/Charles Krupa]

CONCORD -- The University of New Hampshire and all the colleges of the University System of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire announced Friday they “intend to welcome students back to campuses for the fall term” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The schools announced they are “working closely with state leaders and health professionals to develop guidelines and criteria that institutions will follow to support a safe return.”

USNH enrolls 32,000 students combined at UNH, Keene State College, Plymouth State University and Granite State College. The state’s community college system includes Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth and Rochester.

Lisa Thorne of USNH said said the announcement reflects the intentions of the schools, but they also acknowledge the pandemic creates continued uncertainty.

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These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org. 

The Show Might Go On, The Show Won’t Go On, The Show Must Go On: The State of Theater in N.H.

By SEAN HURLEY
NH Public Radio

The Copenhagen Cast rehearsing on Zoom (top row, left to right): Amy Agostino, James Sears and Wayne Asbury.

In a normal year, theaters around the state would be preparing for their summer seasons. With gatherings currently forbidden and uncertainty hanging over their heads, many are simply canceling the whole season. Others are postponing or, as NHPR’s Sean Hurley found out, discovering new ways to reach an audience. 

Once again I find myself sitting down at my computer for a video conference call. But this time it’s different. This time I’m watching a play, a rehearsal anyway, of Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen:

Margrethe: Why did he come? What was he trying to tell you?
Bohr: He did explain later.
Margrethe: He explained over and over again. Each time he explained it became more obscure. 

In full rehearsal since January, Director Gary Locke and his three actors had to stop meeting in person, but continued to work on the play via Zoom. “I couldn’t imagine not doing it,” Locke says. “This is a monster, this play, for the actors. And I had one of my actors started working on this in October. The other two were working on it in November. Well how could I, in March, say to them, ‘Nah. Hang it up.’ No. But I think we're further along than anybody else. I'm quite sure of that.” 

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These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.