Things to do in Providence

Providence French Film Festival 2017

An annual event since 1998, the Providence French Film Festival will be held this February 25 through March 4, with all screenings at the Cable Car Cinema. Although the event is presented by Brown University, the films are not academically oriented and are open to the public. Richard Blakely, director of the festival, credited Dan Kamil, […]

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PVD Children’s Film Festival: No Happy Meals or Plush Toys

In its eighth consecutive year, the Providence Children’s Film Festival will run a series of feature films and short film packages February 17-26. The festival uses a number of venues throughout the city, including AS220, the Avon Cinema, the Gilder Center for the Arts, the Metcalf Auditorium, the Providence Athenæum and the RISD Auditorium, as […]

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Appropriate: The Unbearable Whiteness of Being

The word “appropriate” can be pronounced (according to the American Heritage dictionary) either as an adjective “(ə-prō′prē-ĭt)” meaning “suitable for a particular person, condition, occasion, or place; fitting” or as a verb “(ə-prō′prē-āt′)” meaning “to take possession of or make use of exclusively for oneself, often without permission.” The ambiguity is deliberate in the title […]

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Fascist Mash-Up: Send in the Clown

In Wilbury’s “Fascist Mash-Up” of three plays – although really two plays and an epilogue – director Josh Short deserves praise for conceiving a radical experiment well carried out. Interweaving scenes from The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht and from Party Time by Harold Pinter, the result is surprisingly more palatable than […]

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Beowulf: Hard-Rocking English Version of “The Greatest American Hero”

Trinity Rep’s production of Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage is a lot more fun than the average high school English class, and there won’t be a quiz afterward. The catchy rock-opera style of the book and lyrics by Jason Craig and music by Dave Malloy is a very modern take on an epic poem […]

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PRONK! Raises Voices and Instruments for Change

PRONK! street festival, which takes place on October 10 at Burnside Park, is a Providence favorite for those who love brass band music, community events and an old-fashioned good time. But the tradition that founded the original Honk in Somerville, Providence’s PRONK! and street celebrations in other cities is not just a raucous party; it’s […]

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