Natasha Hodgson in the Broadway Company of Operation Mincemeat. Photo by Matt Crockett. The Tony Award® and Olivier Award®-winning musical launches the North American leg of its world tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center September...
Hunter Brown, Allie Seibold, and Seth Eliser in You've Still Got a Friend, playing at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea from August 20 - September 13, 2026. Photo by Michael Derr Okee dokee folks… Tonight, at Theatre By The...
Photo by Steve Ahlquist. The unionized workers of the Community Libraries of Providence have been without a contract for two years now. Their patience, which had been wearing thin, was stretched to the breaking point by...
Photo: L-R: Pénélope Rose, Manya Glassman, Emeline Easton, and K. Elisa Garcia. by Mike Ryan. The Rhode Island International Film Festival, also known as Flickers, took place August 4 through August 9, bringing filmmakers, actors, industry...
I think museums and the culture around them have historically gotten a bad rap. When you think of museums, you might associate them with classism, inaccessibility, and wealthy donors and patrons. There’s also the issue...
As the leaves change to amber hues, so do fall beers. Our local brewers are excited about the opportunity to offer these loved styles of craft beer. If you are looking forward to cozy sweaters...
Illustration by Sadie Levine. 1. Adams Farm (pumpkins, hay rides, corn mazes) Plus: Variety fall farm stand 158 Burnt Swamp Road, Cumberland 401-714-4425 2. Appleland Orchard (apples) Plus: Cider, wine, and donuts 135 Smith Avenue, Greenville 401-949-3690 3. Barden Family Orchard (apples, pumpkins) Plus: Farmers...
Okee dokee folks… I just realized that I have been attending concerts for 50 years now. In that span of time I have seen countless shows. I honestly have no idea how many I have...
Moon Leone didn’t set out to make your run-of-the-mill pop songs. They build whole worlds, embodying different characters and using visuals to tell stories that ultimately help people heal from trauma. Performing as YourFriendM00n, they...
On August 12, Motif cohosted a forum on the Arts in Providence featuring Democratic Primary Mayoral candidates Brett Smiley and David Morales. In Providence, the real election typically happens in the primary. The winner will go...
Every election cycle, Motif brings you the candidates in their own words so you can try to compare apples to apples. It’s our way of contributing to the political process while not having the fact-checking...
Environmental Organizations Endorse Foulkes for Governor PROVIDENCE — The Providence Streets Coalition, a grassroots activist organization devoted to increasing funding, safety, and reliability in the state’s transit network, announced July 21 that it is backing former...
For the cover of Motif’s Fall Guide, painter and muralist Nicholas “Niko” Tolentino of Cranston drew inspiration from his childhood days, he relates in an interview at White Electric Coffee Co-Op in Providence. Roger Williams Park...
Centerville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket hosted its first live music event in August. It started big with the Island Roads Fest, featuring popular reggae/ rock bands including Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, Action Bronson, DENM, Bumpin...
Stepping into a tattoo convention without a tattoo or an array of piercings can be intimidating, like stepping into a gallery show without reading the title first. Aside from a pair of basic ear studs,...
August 12, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Southside Cultural Center - 393 Broad Street, Providence What do the candidates for Mayor of Providence have in mind for the future of arts engagement in the “Creative Capital”? Find...
Can art by Joey Visco Dogs and drafts? Is there any better way to celebrate yappy hour? If you are an animal and craft beer lover, this is an event you do not want to miss!...
Photo by Sindayiganza Photography. The FIFA World Cup tournament was full of thrills, drama, chaos, unity, and live television shots of devastated children in tears after their team lost a heartbreaking match. The final whistle brought...
Matthew Provençal as Thomas Andrews in ‘Titanic: The Broadway Musical’ at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea July 23 – August 15, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. The challenge to staging a production of “Titanic: The...
The Tattoo Awards featured a gallery wall populated by local artists. Here is a selection of the artwork on display! By Brianne Elizabeth @foxhallowart By Victori Leo Riel Grab Your Heart & Go by Allie Boyer @peaceflowercreations MONSTROELIZASUE by...
Photo by Jess Lee Images. I met Lily Spencer in an acting class taught by Eric Lutes, whom many television fans will remember from the 1990s sitcom “Caroline in the City.” Eric, who now lives in...
Rachel WS. Favorite Animal/ Favorite Floral Tara D’Agostino – Iron Lion Tattoo By the numbers, Tara D’Agostino got her first tattoo at the age of 15, picked up her own tattoo machine at the age of 19, opened...
Photo by Jillian Clark. There’s no feeling quite like finally being able to fully step into your own, to truly embrace your whole self and carry yourself through the world with that mentality. Not an identity...
Kai Nanfelt. Okee dokee folks… Last weekend I went on a ten-hour, each way, road trip to play a show. The drive wasn’t so bad, but the music was horrible. As I have mentioned before, I...
Photo by Isaac Laliberte Wards 2, 9 and 12 all report the same. Mendez wins in each! It appeared that Providence was perfectly poised to usher-in its first female mayor in history. The polls were closed and...
“You’re late, Brother,” she said, hovering outside the weathered cottage near a pebbly beach, indistinguishable from the shadows cast by moonlight that hit the thick hydrangeas. It was late in the evening of a seawind-chilled...
It’s almost Cthulhu – pardon my hiccup, I meant, “election” – season again. And if the tactics of these times don’t make your head swim and your bowls ache, as if you were being eviscerated...
When cover artist Bob Eggleton of Warwick first got interested in art and started sketching nightmarish creatures, he recalls, an aunt asked him, “What’s drawing a monster gonna get you in life?” He’s spent the last...
Skyler Shields (Kenickie) and the cast of the Theatre By The Sea (Wakefield, RI) production of “Grease” running thru July 18, 2026. Photo by Mark Turek. “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop! A-wop-bam-boom!” BY ALISON O’DONNELL ON JUNE 27, 2026 Grease is the...
Isham, Sheila. Teth (#8 Creation Series). 1972. Acrylic spray on canvas. Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI. (Image courtesy of the Newport Art Museum.) Quite some time ago, I read a quip that the art of diplomacy...
Round the roller track the Riveters roll to roust and rejuvenate their record with a Rhodey Robin against their relentlessly renowned rivalry and other revved up renegades! On Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, at Thayer Arena in Warwick, Providence Roller Derby will be hosting the Rhodey Robin, a round-robin style tournament featuring the […]
That ever-so-famous phrase, “punk is dead,” has been said by at least one person a day giving their opinion on music, but whoever says that hasn’t experienced what has been happening in Providence recently. Hairspray Queen are a bunch of kids who play emphatic hardcore punk that’s intense and emotional. Downtown Boys have been gaining […]
A smooth track with a poignant beat can leave a lasting impression, pleasing the senses while sparking artistic intrigue. Portland, Oregon, artist Alexandra Savior has that going on with her debut album Belladonna of Sadness that was released on April 8. She has a brand of alt-pop heavily rooted in jazz and vintage R&B, a […]
1. Monday April 10; Westminster Yacht Club; Ogie’s Trailer Park, 1155 Westminster St, PVD; No Cover! 21+ only. 9pm to 1am. Shameless self promotion time! DJ Haulin’ Boats (yours truly) and DJ Dan Steely (fellow Motif’er Marc Clarkin) will be slipping out the jams on the first Monday of every month at Ogie’s Trailer Park, “an urban […]
FRI 14 Olivia Newton-John: That girl from Grease performs – come and get physical. 8pm, Twin River, 100 Twin River Rd, Lincoln. twinriver.com SAT 15 Unscene: Zombie Peeps: This easter-themed fetish night and dance party is sure to put you in the holiday mood of celebrating the resurrection of Christ. 10pm, Aurora, 276 Westminster […]
Dear C: I realize now that I got involved with “Jack” because I was lonely. He’s creative, entertaining, and really cute, but he also had drastic mood swings and seemed lost without attention. I didn’t mind “sharing” him with several other women he’d call or message when the impulse struck him to “get his thoughts […]
Why do you love food so much? Have you always been this way? This was a conversation piece a few years ago among my friends who were trying to deduce where my passion for food originated. You see, I grew up being called a “bird” for how little I ate. My, my, my, how the […]
Okee dokee folks … Lately I have been trying to get out and hear some of my friends play music in bars and restaurants. It’s kind of a new thing for me as I am more used to concert settings <cranky old dude rant> Now that I have done this I have developed a […]
T he music scene in RI is currently at an all-time high. Young individuals are taking it upon themselves to curate events for the community, and with today’s online world, artists and companies are looking for new ways to gain exposure. Live-streaming has become one such major platform. I recently attended an event by B08 studios […]
W hat do starfruit, carrot, eucalyptus, chipotle, and Newport have in common? Bitters. King Ramsey’s Bitters, to be exact. These aromatic babies are created with thought and care by a very talented lady, Kodi Keith, formerly the bar manager for the Vanderbilt. Keith has years of experience pulling together cocktail menus and working with a […]
