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...
When Valentine’s Day rolls around, many of us feel the pressure to rekindle love’s flame. If you are looking for a new and fun experience to bring you and your partner together, the New England Leather Alliance (NELA) has the perfect event for you! New England’s 48th Fetish Fair Fleamarket will be happening February 17 […]
Corinne Southern, Burlesque Performer, Actress, Musician, “The Shakespeare of Burlesque” & “The Gateway Drug of Providence Burlesque,” corinnesouthern.com What’s the weirdest place you ever had sex? In a lake under the midsummer stars with someone I truly love. If you had to eat something while conjoining, what would it be? I am a traditional romantic — chocolate-covered […]
Borrowing from the great American Theatre Magazine, Motif reached out to several artistic directors in the area to get their response to the current political climate and how they see that impacting the work they do. Here are their responses. From Theodore Clement, Artistic Director, Counter Productions Theatre Company “It’s inevitable that the art we […]
Most of us have a favorite holiday. For Morgan Kaegael of Bywater, Valentine’s Day it ain’t. So why in the world would I ask her to come up with a Valentine’s Day cocktail? Because this woman makes bad-ass drinks. And you, kind drinkers, deserve a bad-ass drink while we wait for that chubby, scantily clad […]
We asked our music writers to tell us their soundtrack for romance. Here’s what they said (Note: Some declined to reveal trade secrets.) Matthew Curtis “Location” by Khalid “Exchange” by Bryson Tiller “Frustrated” by R.LUM.R John Fuzek “Glory Box” by Portishead “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice “And You And I” by Yes Marc Clarkin […]
With Valentine’s Day approaching, you may be wondering how to add a little extra fun to your romantic festivities. Cannabis has long been known to be an aphrodisiac, cited in ancient texts and folk medicine. Given the many forms in which cannabis is now accessible, you and your partner are likely to find a […]
Let’s talk about love … and art. Let’s find the perfect gift for that charming special star in your life. I’ve roamed the city and found some lovely forms of art that will top the list of blissful art buying. “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Charles […]
FRI 3 Lewis Black: America’s one and only angry funny man! The long-time “Daily Show” correspondent brings his trademark funny and thoughtful rants to the PPAC stage. 8pm, 220 Weybosset St, PVD. See our interview at motifri.com/lewisblack Felix Brown Band: Famed Newport dance band throws a mid-winter banger in anticipation of warmer times. 9:30pm, Ocean […]
Okee dokee folks… Welcome back to the Dark Ages. Here is a brief synopsis of what went on then: economic and cultural deterioration, ignorance and lack of reasoning, disease, corrupt religion and superstition, and a general backwardness. The only way to stop this from progressing is to resist and revolt. Why am I putting this […]
So, you met a great woman/man/whatever you’re into over the holidays and after trading some flirty texts and a couple of actual phone calls (“It’s so real, we even talked on the phone. It’s like an old-school courtship! I feel like I’ve known him/her forever.”) you decide to meet up. Nothing serious or crazy, […]
