Recent Programs
2021
2020
2019
Historic Theater Curtain Restoration Program
with Christine Hadsel
Sunday, March 15th 4 pm • Hopkinton Town Library
Christine Hadsel, director of “Curtains Without Borders,” will present a talk about Hopkinton’s theater curtains and other New England curtains. “Curtains Without Borders” has been preserving and documenting painted scenery curtains since 1996. The group has documented hundreds of curtains in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Please come to her talk to learn about the process!
What are painted curtains? They are scenery painted on fabric, used as the front and the backdrop for community performances from the 1890s to the 1940s; they were a primary artistic feature in the cultural life of almost every town in northern New England.
Hopkinton Historical Society is collaborating with the Town of Hopkinton on the restoration of Hopkinton’s grand painted curtains from the 1930s, which had been used as the backdrops for numerous theatrical performances on stages in Hopkinton and Contoocook. The restoration will involve cleaning and repairing the curtains under the direction of the not-for-profit organization, “Curtains Without Borders,” and hanging the curtains in the Town Hall and Hopkinton Town Library. With your help, this project will take place in September – one of several projects to help celebrate Hopkinton’s 250th anniversary.
Program made possible with the support of the Hopkinton Library Foundation