Events at this location

Beginner-friendly, drop-in line dancing with Robyn! Zero pressure, all fun. First Tuesdays in the Mechanics’ Hall ballroom

Yeehaw! Join Robyn for monthly line dancing at the Hall. You’re absolutely invited for zero pressure, maximum silliness, and a sweet little reset with new friends.

This line dance class is geared toward absolute beginners in line dance, people who haven’t danced since they were six, and people who are nervous about dancing now that they are adults.

Participants need no prior dance education or special attire, just an open mind and a willingness to be gentle with themselves while they learn something new. This class is open to all ages and abilities (listener discretion may be advised based on some music choices).

LEARN MORE AND GET TICKETS HERE

$7 for Mechanics’ Hall members, $10 for general admission

Mechanics’ Hall and Charcoal Workshops present an evening celebrating the work of Michael Ackerman, Pia Paulina Guilmoth, and Brad Zeller.

Part lecture, part conversation, this public program brings three renowned and singular voices of contemporary photography together to unpack the images, ideas, and experiences that shape their practices. The evening concludes with an audience Q&A.

Established in 2017, Charcoal has become a leading voice in contemporary photography. Charcoal produces workshops, retreats, and mentorships for mid-career photographic artists who want to expand their practice and network. They direct Charcoal Book Club, publish books with Charcoal Press, and host The Chico Review.

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS HERE

Monday, September 14 at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM), approximately 90-minutes, with audience Q&A. Tickets are $7 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $10 for General Admission, with no one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Join Mechanics’ Hall and Longfellow Books for an engaging author conversation.

Celebrate the launch of Mia Millefoglie’s Daughters of Stone and Tide: Loss and Resilience in a Fisherman’s Family with acclaimed author Susan Conley.

“Rooted in Gloucester’s storied waterfront, Daughters of Stone and Tide is both a love letter to the city’s disappearing fishing industry and to the resilient community that shaped generations. As questions of identity and belonging resonate more deeply than ever, Millefoglie explores family, immigration, heritage, and the questions of where—and to whom—we belong. Through one woman’s journey, the memoir reveals how women often need to leave the places that threaten to erase them before returning to reclaim their story and reconcile with the past.

Together, Millefoglie and Conley will explore the craft of memoir, tracing the author’s journey of self-inquiry, the truths she uncovered, and those that remain sealed.”

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS HERE

Tickets ar $7 for Mechanics’ Hall Members and $10 for General Admission.

Beginner-friendly, drop-in line dancing with Robyn! Zero pressure, all fun. First Tuesdays in the Mechanics’ Hall ballroom

Yeehaw! Join Robyn for monthly line dancing at the Hall. You’re absolutely invited for zero pressure, maximum silliness, and a sweet little reset with new friends.

This line dance class is geared toward absolute beginners in line dance, people who haven’t danced since they were six, and people who are nervous about dancing now that they are adults.

Participants need no prior dance education or special attire, just an open mind and a willingness to be gentle with themselves while they learn something new. This class is open to all ages and abilities (listener discretion may be advised based on some music choices).

LEARN MORE AND GET TICKETS HERE

$7 for Mechanics’ Hall members, $10 for general admission

Through the metaphors of “gray space” and “blue skies,” this contemporary dance performance journey moves from melancholy reflection to a place of acceptance, unity, and joy. Choreographed by award-winning Jenny Oliver, the piece is performed by five dancers to live marimba and gyil music.

The original composition by critically acclaimed marimbist and cultural activist Steph Davis shapes the sonic landscape of the piece. The sounds of the marimba and gyil blend West African and African American traditions, expressed through a contemporary lens that journeys through themes of self-discovery, love, and surrendering.

With layered choreography and a transformative emotional arc, the dance dives into the inner dialogue of the conscious creative navigating the duality of societal and cultural expectations. This piece offers the audience an opportunity to reflect on the complexities of identity, self-expression, and community care.

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS HERE

Tickets are $20 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $25 for general admission, and $35 for reserved seating. There is a $5 surcharge on the day of the event. No one is turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Learn about the the creative process of Davis & Oliver at this collaborative workshop, shaped by the people in the room.

Accessing Memory through Movement and Music, is rooted in the idea that in many African languages, the words for music and dance are the same.

In this workshop, award-winning choreographer Jenny Oliver and critically acclaimed musician Steph Davis will guide participants back to the first forms of communication: movement and music.

Part dance class, part creative laboratory, this workshop invites participants into the process of Davis & Oliver. Inspired by a short podcast on creative world-building, we’ll use movement, writing, music, and playful prompts to explore repetition, imitation, stillness, and changing direction.

No previous experience is necessary.

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS HERE

$5 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $10 for General Admission. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Join Mechanics’ Hall and Back Cove Books in welcoming the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Ada Ferrer, in conversation with Jordan Kisner.

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Cuba: An American History comes a heartbreaking yet redemptive memoir about migration, separation, and the love of one family forcing its way through the fissures of history.

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS HERE

Tickets are $7 for Mechanics’ Hall Members and $10 for General Admission. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Beginner-friendly, drop-in line dancing with Robyn! Zero pressure, all fun. First Tuesdays in the Mechanics’ Hall ballroom

Yeehaw! Join Robyn for monthly line dancing at the Hall. You’re absolutely invited for zero pressure, maximum silliness, and a sweet little reset with new friends.

This line dance class is geared toward absolute beginners in line dance, people who haven’t danced since they were six, and people who are nervous about dancing now that they are adults.

Participants need no prior dance education or special attire, just an open mind and a willingness to be gentle with themselves while they learn something new. This class is open to all ages and abilities (listener discretion may be advised based on some music choices).

LEARN MORE AND GET TICKETS HERE

$7 for Mechanics’ Hall members, $10 for general admission

Mechanics’ Hall presents Cassie Wang’s gorgeous investigation into yearning, in which six dancers respond to the music of Big Thief.

The Head is not the Star of the Body is a study on longing, a meditation on desire, and a measure of distances between.

Created by Cassie Wang, the interdisciplinary performance is a choreographic and ethnographic response to music by American indie folk band Big Thief. Six performers traverse through states of holding, witnessing, singing, chasing, and coalescing in embodiments of varying relationality. The audience frames the performance on opposite sides, positioned to witness both the dance and a reflection of themselves/the other.

Generative video art and projection weave into a dance that is intimate, nostalgic, and tender through moments of affective viscerality. Throughout this multi-year process, Wang and her collaborators ground themselves in the questions: How does longing reveal identity? How do we sit with someone else’s longing? How do we measure the distance between subjects of longing?

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE

Tickets are $20 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $25 for General Admission, $35 for reserved seating. There is a $5 surcharge at the door. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Mechanics’ Hall presents Cassie Wang’s gorgeous investigation into yearning, in which six dancers respond to the music of Big Thief.

The Head is not the Star of the Body is a study on longing, a meditation on desire, and a measure of distances between.

Created by Cassie Wang, the interdisciplinary performance is a choreographic and ethnographic response to music by American indie folk band Big Thief. Six performers traverse through states of holding, witnessing, singing, chasing, and coalescing in embodiments of varying relationality. The audience frames the performance on opposite sides, positioned to witness both the dance and a reflection of themselves/the other.

Generative video art and projection weave into a dance that is intimate, nostalgic, and tender through moments of affective viscerality. Throughout this multi-year process, Wang and her collaborators ground themselves in the questions: How does longing reveal identity? How do we sit with someone else’s longing? How do we measure the distance between subjects of longing?

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE

Tickets are $20 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $25 for General Admission, $35 for reserved seating. There is a $5 surcharge at the door. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Mechanics’ Hall presents Cassie Wang’s gorgeous investigation into yearning, in which six dancers respond to the music of Big Thief.

The Head is not the Star of the Body is a study on longing, a meditation on desire, and a measure of distances between.

Created by Cassie Wang, the interdisciplinary performance is a choreographic and ethnographic response to music by American indie folk band Big Thief. Six performers traverse through states of holding, witnessing, singing, chasing, and coalescing in embodiments of varying relationality. The audience frames the performance on opposite sides, positioned to witness both the dance and a reflection of themselves/the other.

Generative video art and projection weave into a dance that is intimate, nostalgic, and tender through moments of affective viscerality. Throughout this multi-year process, Wang and her collaborators ground themselves in the questions: How does longing reveal identity? How do we sit with someone else’s longing? How do we measure the distance between subjects of longing?

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE

Tickets are $20 for Mechanics’ Hall Members, $25 for General Admission, $35 for reserved seating. There is a $5 surcharge at the door. No one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Beginner-friendly, drop-in line dancing with Robyn! Zero pressure, all fun. First Tuesdays in the Mechanics’ Hall ballroom

Yeehaw! Join Robyn for monthly line dancing at the Hall. You’re absolutely invited for zero pressure, maximum silliness, and a sweet little reset with new friends.

This line dance class is geared toward absolute beginners in line dance, people who haven’t danced since they were six, and people who are nervous about dancing now that they are adults.

Participants need no prior dance education or special attire, just an open mind and a willingness to be gentle with themselves while they learn something new. This class is open to all ages and abilities (listener discretion may be advised based on some music choices).

LEARN MORE AND GET TICKETS HERE

$7 for Mechanics’ Hall members, $10 for general admission