Shannon McLoud is a lifelong theater geek. She has been involved in the arts in Rhode Island for almost 20 years, first as an actor, and then finding her way to director and playwright. When Shannon isn't enjoying a show, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their son.
It is hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of Kevin Broccoli or his theater, Epic Theatre Company. They are known for taking risks and experimenting with the art of theater, and their newest selection, James Franco and Me, certainly fits that bill. You may not think that a two-person show where the playwright has a conversation […]
Growing up, I was discouraged from embracing my nerdy side and letting my geek flag fly. So when Comic Con became an actual viable thing I could attend as an adult (who had recently abandoned all geeky inhibitions and embraced geekdom fully and unconditionally), I was thrilled. Four years later, it’s not only going strong, but […]
Some reviews write themselves, and this is one of them. Wicked has flown into the Providence Performing Arts Center for their season opener, and it is every bit as captivating and magical as you would expect it to be. I knew I would enjoy myself because I am very familiar with this show, I know the […]
Newport Playhouse has opened their season this year with Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite. This charming show is a bit different from the farces I’ve grown accustomed to seeing at the Playhouse, but the switch is welcome as they put on a solidly funny show. Plaza Suite is a bit of a switch for Simon as […]
There is so much theater out there that when you come across a show that has that ever lasting endurance, you know you’ve stumbled upon a classic — an iconic play. Wicked is one of those plays. I remember when it first hit Broadway how I desperately wanted tickets (and how they were one of the […]
Keeper. Chaser. The golden snitch. These terms might not sound very athletic, but they are! They’re from the destined-to-be-classic sport of Quidditch, which, for you Muggles out there, (non-magical people, that is), is the brainchild of the amazingly talented, JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. In Rowling’s classic, the game consists of three […]
When I’m not writing articles for Motif, I can be found in a classroom teaching high school English classes. I feel as passionate about teaching as I do about theater. In fact, it is because of my love of theater that I returned to college to become a teacher at an age where most people […]
Theatre by the Sea is ending their season this year with Sister Act. This was my first time visiting the venue this summer, and the first thing I have to say is, “Holy AC!” (Pun fully intended.) Those uncomfortable nights in the balcony are a thing of the past, thanks to the theater’s new air […]
Ever have to walk into a meeting 100% totally unprepared? Ever find yourself standing in front of a group of people and have to deliver, but you’ve had no time to prep? What did you do? Panic, pray for the floor to open up beneath you and devour you whole? For performers trained in improv, […]
It isn’t summer without an outdoor Shakespearian play. Head Trick Theatre has, excuse the pun, turned that idea on its head with its latest selection The Revenger’s Tragedy by Thomas Middleton, a Shakespearean contemporary. They have taken over the quaint park across from the Narragansett Boat Company in Providence, overlooking the scenic Seekonk River, which, […]