• Upcoming Silent Film Screenings

Here's a running list of upcoming screenings of silent film with live music by Jeff Rapsis.

• Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18, 2013, 7 p.m.: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"; MHS Theatre, Merrimack High School, Merrimack, N.H. Providing improvised underscoring for three performances of high school staging of the Victor Hugo classic.

• Friday, May 24, 2013, 7 p.m.: "The Battleship Potemkin" (1925); Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. With its advanced editing techniques, director Sergei Eisenstein's revolutionary film about mutiny aboard a Russian warship stands as one of the top achievements of early cinema. Today, nearly 90 years later, it endures as a thought-provoking mediation on propaganda, military service, and war. Silent film with live music at this popular venue for independent and arthouse cinema in New Hampshire's state capital. Admission $10.

• Sunday, May 26, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "Tell It To The Marines" (1926) starring Lon Chaney; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. U.S. Marine Sergeant O'Hara (Lon Chaney) has his hands full training raw recruits, one of whom, 'Skeets' Burns, is a particular thorn in his side...especially when it comes to romancing nurse Nora Dale. Part of a monthly silent film series with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations of $5 per person encouraged.

• Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 6 p.m.: "The Duchess of Buffalo" (1926) starring Constance Talmadge; Carpenter Memorial Auditorium, Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; Manchester Public Library. American dancer on a tour of pre-Boleshevik Russia falls for a young army officer, and the feeling is mutual. But the officer's father is the Grand Duke of Russia, and he has designs on the girl himself. Monthly series of rarely screened silent films presented with live music in 1913 auditorium. Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Saturday, June 8, 2013, 4 p.m.: "Wings" (1927) starring Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen; Masonic Temple, 3960 Main St., Stratford, Conn. Sprawling saga of American flyboys caught up in World War I was winner of the first-ever Academy Award for Best Picture. Local fundraiser; admission charge. More info to come!

• Thursday, June 13, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "The Gaucho" (1927) starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr.; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. The leader of a band of outlaws in Argentina must help save a religious shrine from being taken over and closed by a corrupt general. Widely regarded as Fairbanks' darkest role. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Saturday, June 15, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Classic Short Comedies by Charlie Chaplin"; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.org. A collection of comedy short films that trace Chaplin's rise from unknown comedian to the most popular star in all of early cinema. Get ready to laugh, as they don't make 'em like this anymore! Part of a summer series of silent film and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted, with proceeds to help continuing preservation work.

• Sunday, June 16, 2013, 1 p.m.: "The Kid" (1921) starring Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Coogan; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com. Tip your cap to Father's Day with Chaplin's landmark comedy/drama about a man who raises an infant against all odds. Also, two of Chaplin's earlier slapstick comedy shorts that helped establish him as a star. Silent film shown in 35mm on the big screen with live music. Part of a monthly series at the Somerville Theatre, a wonderful moviehouse that's committed to keeping alive the experience of 35mm film. Featuring outstandingly exacting projection work of the legendary David Kornfeld. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700. Admission $15 per person.

• Thursday, June 20, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Sunday, June 30, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "The Yankee Clipper" (1927); Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Set sail in the era of the great clipper ships in a thrilling race between American and British vessels speeding from China to Boston, with rival crews using only the wind and their wits to win. Part of a summer series of seagoing silent films with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations of $5 per person encouraged.


• Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 6 p.m.: "Burn 'Em Up Barnes" (1921) starring Johnny Hines; Carpenter Memorial Auditorium, Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; Manchester Public Library. 'Burn 'em Up Barnes,' son of a wealthy auto manufacturer, would rather race cars, so leaves home to make his own way. After being robbed, he befriends a group of hobos who show him their carefree lifestyle. Comedy starring the underrated Johnny Hines. Monthly series of rarely screened silent films presented with live music in 1913 auditorium. Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Thursday, July 11, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Saturday, July 13, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Orphans of the Storm" (1921) starring Lillian and Dorothy Gish; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.org. We mark Bastille Day with D.W. Griffith's silent blockbuster set during the French Revolution. The story: Country girl Lillian Gish accompanies her blind sister Dorothy to Paris for an operation to restore her sight. Separated and then swept up in events beyond their control, they each must fight to survive amidst chaos that threatens to destroy the nation. Part of a summer series of silent film and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted, with proceeds to help continuing preservation work.

• Sunday, July 14, 2013, 1 p.m.: "Ben Hur" (1925) starring Ramon Navarro; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com. In the Holy Land, a Jewish prince is enslaved by the occupying Romans; inspired by encounters with Jesus, he lives to seek justice. One of the great religious epics of Hollywood's silent film era, including a legendary chariot race that's lost none of its power to thrill. Silent film shown in 35mm on the big screen with live music. Part of a monthly series at the Somerville Theatre, a wonderful moviehouse that's committed to keeping alive the experience of 35mm film. Featuring outstandingly exacting projection work of the legendary David Kornfeld. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700. Admission $15 per person.

• Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Thursday, July 25, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Friday, July 26, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Grandma's Boy" (1922); Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. Comedian Harold Lloyd's first starring feature finds a mild-mannered young man forced to confront his chronic cowardice, with a little help from his beloved Grandma, who has a few family secrets up her sleeve. A delightful romp from one of the silent film era's most popular comics. Silent film with live music at this popular venue for independent and arthouse cinema in New Hampshire's state capital. Admission $10 per person.

• Sunday, July 28, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "The Seahawk" (1924) starring Lloyd Hughes, Milton Sills; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Swashbuckling historical adventure on the high seas about an English noble sold into slavery who escapes and turns himself into a pirate king. Based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini; later remade into a talkie starring Errol Flynn. Part of a summer series of seagoing silent films with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations of $5 per person encouraged.

• Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Sally of the Sawdust" (1925), starring W.C. Fields and Carol Dempster; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.org. The great W.C. Fields stars in this heart-warming silent comedy about a lovably disreputable confidence man who becomes the unlikely guardian of an orphaned circus waif. Directed by D.W. Griffith, of all people! Part of a summer series of silent film and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted, with proceeds to help continuing preservation work.

• Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013, 1 p.m. "The General" (1926); Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com. Silent film shown in 35mm on the big screen with live music. Part of a monthly series at the Somerville Theatre, a wonderful moviehouse that's committed to keeping alive the experience of 35mm film. Featuring outstandingly exacting projection work of the legendary David Kornfeld. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.

• Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013, 6 p.m.: "The Clinging Vine" (1926) starring Leatrice Joy, Tom Moore, Snitz Edwards; Carpenter Memorial Auditorium, Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; Manchester Public Library. Gender-bending comedy in which a high-powered female executive yearns to become more feminine. Monthly series of rarely screened silent films presented with live music in 1913 auditorium. Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Saturday, Aug. 17, 2012, 7 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Ludlow Auditorium, Ludlow, Vt. Silent film with live music in the lovingly restored Ludlow Auditorium in Ludlow Town Hall, 37 Depot St., Ludlow, Vt. Looking forward to bringing silent film to life with live music in this wonderful and historic venue!

• Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "The Navigator" (1924) starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Set sail with Buster Keaton's classic comedy 'The Navigator,' which finds two wealthy socialites adrift on a giant ocean liner. Part of a summer series of seagoing silent films with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013, 1 p.m.: "The Freshman" (1925) starring Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com. Silent film shown in 35mm on the big screen with live music. Part of a monthly series at the Somerville Theatre, a wonderful moviehouse that's committed to keeping alive the experience of 35mm film. Featuring outstandingly exacting projection work of the legendary David Kornfeld. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.

• Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, 6 p.m.: "The Tempest" (1928) starring John Barrymore, Camilla Horn; Carpenter Memorial Auditorium, Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; Manchester Public Library. Epic drama in which an officer in the Czar's army (Barrymore) falls hard for a haughty princess (Horn), who spurns him and causes him to be stripped of rank. But the tables are turned with the Russian revolution, which upends the aristocracy and puts the soldier and the princess at the mercy of forces that no one can control. Monthly series of rarely screened silent films presented with live music in 1913 auditorium. Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, 7 p.m.: "The Cameraman" (1928); Rogers Center for the Arts, Merrimack College, 315 North Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass. (978) 837-5355. Portrait photographer Buster exchanges his still camera for a movie camera in an effort to break into the newsreel business and win the attention of a special gal. Spectacular movie-themed Keaton comedy filled with great stunts filmed on a grand scale. Silent film with live music on the campus of Merrimack College. Free admission. For more information, visit the Rogers Center online.

• Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Lloyd and Keaton: Silent Comedy Double Feature"; Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.org. In 'Dr. Jack' (1922), Harold Lloyd stars as a country doctor with unorthodox methods that get results! But now comes his toughest case yet: a poor little rich girl (Mildred Davis), bed-ridden with a mysterious condition. Harold's cure is sure to make you smile! In 'Seven Chances' (1925), Buster will inherit a fortune provided he's a married man...by 7 p.m. today! Classic Keaton comedy, complete with one of the best silent film comedy endings ever created. Part of a summer series of silent film and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted, with proceeds to help continuing preservation work.

• Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Friday, Sept. 20, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Clash of the Wolves" (1925); Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. Canine star Rin Tin Tin saves the day in this crackerjack action picture set in the Old West, one of his best surviving feature films. See Rinty leap from cliffs and rooftops (and even climb trees!) as he aids the good guys, chases down the bad guys, and saves his own on-screen dog family from a raging forest fire. Silent film with live music at this popular venue for independent and arthouse cinema in New Hampshire's state capital. Admission $10 per person.

• Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "Foolish Wives" (1922) starring Erich von Stroheim; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Erich von Stroheim's epic-scale account of an American diplomat's wife who falls under the spell of a phony Russian count. As artistically brilliant as it is gleefully perverse! Part of a monthly silent film series with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations of $5 per person encouraged.

• Friday, Sept. 27 & Sunday, Sept. 28, 2013, The 21st Annual Buster Keaton Festival, Iola, Kansas. This year's theme: 'Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin: A Second Look.' Details to come, but more info at www.iolakeatoncelebration.org.

• Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, 6 p.m.: "The Crackerjack" (1925) starring Johnny Hines; Carpenter Memorial Auditorium, Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; Manchester Public Library. A pickle salesman finds himself in the middle of a South American revolution, impersonating a rebel general and falling for the general's daughter. Comedy starring the underrated Johnny Hines. Monthly series of rarely screened silent films presented with live music in 1913 auditorium. Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, 1 p.m.: "Safety Last" (1923) starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis; Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.; http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com. Silent film shown in 35mm on the big screen with live music. Part of a monthly series at the Somerville Theatre, a wonderful moviehouse that's committed to keeping alive the experience of 35mm film. Featuring outstandingly exacting projection work of the legendary David Kornfeld. For more info, call the theater box office at (617) 625-5700.

• Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Nosferatu" (1922); Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Main Street/Route 7, Brandon, Vt.; http://www.brandontownhall.org. Our annual "Chiller Theater" presentation in the as-yet-unheated Brandon Town Hall. Just in time for Halloween, see the original silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous 'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—in fact, some critics believe this version is not only the best ever done, but has actually become creepier with the passage of time. See for yourself, if you dare! Part of a summer series of silent film and live music in a wonderfully restored town hall in Brandon Vt. that features great acoustics. Admission free, donations accepted, with proceeds to help continuing preservation work.

• Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, 7 p.m.: "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925), starring Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin; the Putnam Arts Lecture Hall, Keene State College, Keene, N.H. Free and open to the public. Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this silent film adaptation starring Lon Chaney helped place 'Phantom' firmly in the pantheon of both horror and romance. Just in time for Halloween!

• Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, 8 p.m.: "Nosferatu" (1922); Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. Just in time for Halloween, see the original silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous 'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—in fact, some critics believe this version is not only the best ever done, but has actually become creepier with the passage of time. See for yourself, if you dare! See great silent films with live music in a summer-only theater opened in 1923 and barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

• Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "Nosferatu" (1922); Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Just in time for Halloween, see the original silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous 'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—in fact, some critics believe this version is not only the best ever done, but has actually become creepier with the passage of time. See for yourself, if you dare! Part of a monthly silent film series with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations of $5 per person encouraged.

• Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Nosferatu" (1922); Rogers Center for the Arts, Merrimack College, 315 North Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass. (978) 837-5355. Silent film with live music on the campus of Merrimack College. Free admission. Just in time for Halloween, see the original silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous 'Dracula' story. Still scary after all these years—in fact, some critics believe this version is not only the best ever done, but has actually become creepier with the passage of time. See for yourself, if you dare! For more information, visit the Rogers Center online.

• Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, 6 p.m.: "The Patsy" (1928) starring Marion Davies, Marie Dressler; Carpenter Memorial Auditorium, Manchester Public Library, 405 Pine St., Manchester, N.H.; (603) 624-6550; Manchester Public Library. In a crackerjack Jazz age comedy directed by King Vidor, Davies stars as a neglected daughter trying to win a suitor away from her sister in a middle-class family ruled by a mother who's an inveterate social climber. A highlight is Davies's spot-on impersonations of Mae Murray, Lillian Gish and Pola Negri. Monthly series of rarely screened silent films presented with live music in 1913 auditorium. Admission free, donations encouraged.

• Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013, 6:30 p.m.: "To Be Announced"; The Flying Monkey Movie House and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551; http://www.flyingmonkeynh.com/. Part of a monthly silent film series at a newly restored moviehouse in Plymouth, N.H. Admission, $10 per person.

• Friday, Nov. 29, 2013, 7 p.m.: "Peter Pan" (1924); Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. Celebrate Thanksgiving weekend with the original silent film adaptation of J.M. Barrie's immortal tale of the boy who wouldn't grow up. Join the Darling children as they follow Peter to Never Never Land to do battle with the evil Captain Hook. A film that has lost none of its power over children of all ages. Silent film with live music at this popular venue for independent and arthouse cinema in New Hampshire's state capital. Admission $10 per person.

• Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013, 4:30 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Wilton Town Hall Theatre, Main Street, Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456; www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. Part of a monthly silent film series with live music at a theater where movies have been shown since 1912! Admission free, donations eof $5 per person ncouraged.

• Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, 7 p.m.: "The Cameraman" (1928); Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. Buster Keaton explores the nature of movies in a timeless comedy about film itself. Ring in the new year with laughter as Buster wreaks havoc as an aspiring newsreel cameraman. Silent film with live music at this popular venue for independent and arthouse cinema in New Hampshire's state capital. Admission $10 per person.

• Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, 7 p.m.: "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) starring Lillian Gish; Rogers Center for the Arts, Merrimack College, 315 North Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass. (978) 837-5355. What if a movie was acclaimed as a masterpiece, but portrayed the Ku Klux Klan as heroes? What does it say if a movie was clearly racist, depicting blacks as an inferior sub-species to whites, but was still a box office smash? Those are among the questions posed by ‘The Birth of a Nation,’ the ground-breaking epic film from director D.W. Griffith, which continues to inspire controversy nearly 100 years after its initial release. Screened in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as an example of how far we've come, and to help us consider how much remains to be done. Silent film with live music on the campus of Merrimack College. Free admission. For more information, visit the Rogers Center online.

• Friday & Saturday, Feb. 29 & March 1, 2014: "The 18th Annual Kansas Silent Film Festival," two days of silent film and live music at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. A wonderful event that's introduced me to so many great films in the way they should be experienced: in a large hall, on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience. For more info, the Web site is www.kssilentfilmfest.org.

• Thursday, March 13 through Sunday, March 16, 2014: Cinefest, Syracuse, N.Y. A four-day extravaganza of vintage film, a good portion of it silent, and virtually all of it obscure or rarely screened. My final year of a three-year engagement. For more info, visit www.syracusecinefest.com.

• Wednesday, March 26, 2014, 7 p.m.: "The Strong Man" (1926); Rogers Center for the Arts, Merrimack College, 315 North Turnpike St., North Andover, Mass. (978) 837-5355. With World War I over, baby-faced soldier Harry Langdon searches for the girl who sent such moving letters to him in the trenches. Directed by a very young Frank Capra, 'The Strong Man' is today hailed as Langdon's best feature, and also one of the greatest comedies of the silent film era. Silent film with live music on the campus of Merrimack College. Free admission. For more information, visit the Rogers Center online.

• Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, 2 p.m.: "Title TBA"; Bedford Public Library, Bedford, N.H.; Silent film with live music, part of a monthly series of performances at my hometown's public library.