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In a small walk-down shop in Exeter, New Hampshire, old guitars find new life at the hands of Pat DiBurro. Some are over 150 years old. When DiBurro finishes with them, his goal is that they should sound as good as that day long ago when some master guitar builder declared them done. DiBurro has been working on guitars for over 30 years and as New Hampshire Public Radio’s Jon Greenberg reports, in that time he’s learned that sometimes the most demanding bosses are the dead ones.

Pat DiBurro plays his Gurion guitar. (Photo: George Kelly)

Mobile seeds are key to the survival of the species. (Courtesy Martin Kenny)

A new version of the Tony Award winning play "The Elephant Man" opened last week at Northern Stage in White River Junction. Set in the 19th century, it's based on a true story. NHPR's Theatre Critic Kevin Gardner saw the play on opening night and has this review.

Allen Shawn is revered by his students; his book on classical composer Arnold Schoenberg has received much praise and his compositions have been performed around the world. But Allen Shawn is also both claustrophobic and agoraphobic. He’s afraid of open spaces as well as tight cramped ones. Taking subways, crossing bridges, driving down unknown rural roads or traveling on water trigger reactions that range from trembling and nausea to irritability and falling into a sort of “dream-like state”. It's caused the Vermont professor to miss many things in his life. But Allen Shawn is not alone - millions of Americans suffer from some sort of phobia. We'll explore the science and sociology of phobias.

Guests

• Allen Shawn, Professor of Composition at Bennington College in Vermont and author of “Wish I Could be There: Notes from a Phobic Life”
• David Barlow, a professor of Psychology at Boston University as well as founder and Director Emeritus of its Center on Anxiety and Related Disorders