“How do we make government transparent, and how do we make government function well?” asks State Senator Gayle Goldin (Senate District 3), who sees it as the fundamental question for the future of Rhode Island Senate Leadership. Once seen as too wonky of an issue for hardcore politicos, the General Assembly leadership debate has turned […]
“Once you do a play like that, it’s basically in your bones, so it all just came back,” says Wilbury Theatre Group artistic director Josh Short of Nick Payne’s Constellations. Wilbury is teaming up with WaterFire Providence to remount and reimagine the play, originally produced in spring 2019, as a COVID-safe, drive-in experience. Constellations is […]
When the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843 by Chapman & Hall, its author was struck by the the world’s reevaluation of the famous holiday. Traditions and customs were evolving, and symbols we take for granted today were only beginning to cement themselves, like carols and Christmas trees. Forty-three years […]
When most of the country thinks about holiday traditions, they think about Christmas trees, snow, time with loved ones, Santa Claus, that kind of thing. Here in Rhode Island, we think of a giant blue bug who sits atop a building just off I-95, bringing holiday cheer and joy to all of those around him. […]
Governor Gina Raimondo, and DOH director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott gave the weekly COVID press conference at 1pm today. “The only option we have is to take all of this seriously,” said the governor today. COVID runs rampant in the Ocean State, as metrics of measuring the virus’s spread surge. DOH reports 845 new cases of […]
Now that we’re approaching nine months of theater’s absence here in Rhode Island, it seemed like a good time to take stock of how the performing arts have managed to stay creative while their venues are dark. Initially, it appeared as though many were willing to simply wait out the pandemic, but once it became […]
Dear C and Dr. B; I am really mad, but don’t know what to do or say. Last night during a 12- person zoom meeting of nine men and three women, the head of the board I am on kept asking the women to smile. He didn’t do this to the men. I didn’t want […]
I first met frontman Anthony at – of all places – an All Time Low show a couple years back. The thing about Never Coming Home is they don’t view their band as a hobby. The equation is simple – all four boys have that quintessential boy-band aesthetic (but edgier, of course) that makes teen […]
What’s it for? Challenging public preconceptions Championing all things local Exploring art and entertainment Spotlighting small businesses Holding government accountable Independent, local media plays an indispensable role in today’s turbulent times. Motif’s artistic, social, environmental and political coverage can help. Motif champions transparency and fosters community within our region for artists, musicians, thespians and more. […]
The pilgrims invited their Indigenous friends for that first Thanksgiving feast because they were grateful for the help growing enough of a fall harvest that they could stay alive in the upcoming harsh cold winter. Whether this story is based on facts or not, we have celebrated this American holiday ever since. But this year, […]