I recently read an article online that posed the question, “Can’t Broadway just be for fun?” The article stepped into the debate on perhaps the biggest existential question at the heart of theatre: should theatre be a means of escapism or an instrument for social change? The Prom is a show that demonstrates it does […]
The Gem of the Ocean was a slave ship, but the gem of Trinity Repertory Company is the searing emotion conjured as part of a riveting retelling of August Wilson’s play by the same name. Chronologically, Gem of the Ocean is the first in Wilson’s Century Cycle plays relaying the 20th-century Black experience. It is […]
Greenleaf Compassion Center is hosting their third annual “Battle of the Buds,” a competition between 30 of RI’s cannabis cultivators. This contest is their way of showcasing the fantastic growers throughout the state while promoting some friendly competition. Greenleaf Chief of Staff Ted Newcomer Jr. states that the contest isn’t just about highlighting the growers […]
Okee dokee folks… Back in 2004, I was asked to write for a fledgling publication called Motif. The magazine had only put out a couple of issues and I wasn’t sure what to think. Fast forward to 2022 and it is obvious I made the right decision. In the past 18 years, I have tried […]
When early humans first embraced the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, there was a lot of experimentation (along with parental disapproval and conservative condemnation; it was practically the ’60s). Tools like sharpened sticks, vine ropes, and big rocks made the hunting part a little easier, but there were only verbal resources for finding out what berries were delicious […]
As late January’s nor’easter dropped nearly two feet of snow in Tiverton, Will Mason prepared for his students’ return to in-person classes following extra Omicron precautions. After a week of slow snowmelt, heavy rains gave way to a flash freeze. When Mason stepped outside on Saturday morning for a walk with his dog, he described […]
Examiner, the debut release from local guitarist and songwriter Nick Politelli, is a well-crafted rock record that mixes tight hooks with experimental grooves. Politelli started playing music around age 20 while studying abroad in London, initially fashioning himself as a folkster “hybrid between Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie.” Back in his native RI, he picked […]
As the weather gets warmer, people will be making their way to the great hiking trails that RI has to offer. According to Alltrails.com, there are 386 to choose from in our state, and they vary in both the style of terrain and the activities they support. Here are just a few: With over 14,000 […]
With hopes that March melts February’s freeze and April’s showers again bring May flowers, Motif’s Sean Carlson interviewed Connor Burbridge of Nuts & Bolts Nursery (374 Farnum Pike, Smithfield), a cooperative housed at the permaculture nonprofit Revive the Roots. Opened in 2021 as a worker-owned nursery specializing in edible perennial plants, Nuts & Bolts is […]
At Zero Waste PVD, volunteers collaborate to reduce excess waste by focusing on activism, policy development, and legislative work. They host reusable bag giveaways, and recruit handy volunteers to sew reusable bags, and advocated for PVD’s plastic bag ban. Deborah Schimberg, chairperson of the organization, explained that the group strives to minimize the problems of […]