Every summer, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Seacoast to take in Portsmouth's most beloved artistic tradition: The Prescott Park Arts Festival. Across 10 jam-packed weeks, the Festival hosts incredible weekly FREE concerts from big-name acts, a musical, and more in a breathtaking historical venue seated along the Piscataqua River. And this summer, the Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary, meaning 2024 will mark one of the most memorable Seacoast summers to date. The orchestrator of all this musical magic is the guest on the debut episode of "Seacoast Stories."

In today's conversation from her office in Prescott Park, Perkins discusses:

• Courtney Perkins' Seacoast Story (00:00)
• Prescott Park's unique business model (06:54)
• The rich history of Prescott Park Arts Festival (11:22)
• The behind-the-scenes planning of Prescott Park Arts Festival (20:00)
• Plans for "Legally Blonde" this summer (30:20)
• What's your mission? (39:32)
• The state of the performing arts industry (40:36)

Courtney Perkins is the Executive Director of the Prescott Park Arts Festival. After spending 13 years working behind-the-scenes for a prestigious orchestra in Chicago, Perkins took this job in Portsmouth four years ago, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to wreak havoc on the live entertainment industry.

--For more information on Prescott Park's summer calendar, as well as how you can help support the park and its mission, please visit PrescottPark.org.

--To support the telling of more incredible Seacoast Stories, please FOLLOW this podcast on our Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify feeds.