Trinity Rep Kicks Off the Season with a Free Party

Trinity Rep invites the theater community to its annual season kick-off party to be held this year on Sunday, Sep 10, from Noon – 7pm. The event is open to the public with free admission.

In a significant change from prior years, most of the event will take place outdoors on Adrian Hall Way immediately next to the main theater building at 201 Washington St, PVD. This was necessary to accommodate production and construction work at the inside theaters, according to Rebecca Noon, community engagement co-ordinary for Trinity Rep. Unfortunately, in the event of rain, the outdoor activities will have to be canceled.

The centerpiece of the kick-off party has been 10-minute showcase opportunities for other local theater companies to perform works that have the potential to introduce them to new audiences among the many attendees of the event. While in the past up to 60 companies have participated, Noon said, the outdoor venue reduced that number this year as the unavailability of artificial light and sound meant many companies did not feel they had work they could present in that forum. Currently scheduled (although subject to change) are nine companies in 10-minute segments with 10-minute breaks between them between noon and 3pm.

¿Y Sabes Quien Es? (“And you know who it is?”) and Iris Yinette with Grupo Arcoiris will perform traditional Dominican dance, noon – 12:10pm. Swamp Meadow Community Theatre will present a short scene or two from their upcoming fall production Tending To Grace, written for the stage by Laurie Murphy from a young adult novel of the same title by local author Kim Fusco, 12:20 – 12:30pm. Counter-Productions Theatre Company will perform a selection from their recent production of Lonely Planet by Steven Dietz, 12:40-12:50pm. Tenderloin Opera Company will sing excerpts from Chronicles of K.P.: The Monkey, The Angel, and The Skunky Weed, described as “about addiction, greed, homelessness, recovery, redemption, and the power of friendship,” featuring “Monkeys, Zombies, Evil Real Estate Developers, Ancient Ones from the Deep, and the Angels of our Recently Reparted,” 1:00 – 1:10pm. The Rhode Island Shakespeare Theater (TRIST) will perform scenes from their most recent production, The Tempest, 1:20 – 1:30pm. Out Loud Theatre will present work to be announced, 1:40 – 1:50pm. Theater of Bewilderment will present “discursive theater” and “consolation of philosophy,” 2:00 – 2:10pm. Head Trick Theatre, known for their revivals of classic 17th Century drama, will perform excerpts and dance from their prior shows, 2:20 – 2:30pm. Arte Latino of New England (ALNE) will perform, 2:40 – 2:50pm.

Scenes from the very successful bilingual English-Spanish collaboration between Trinity Rep and RI Latin Arts, Romeo and Juliet as part of Shakespeare en el Verano (“Shakespeare in the Summer”), will be performed on the outdoor stage, 3 – 4pm.

Tap dancing demos from Orlando Hernandez will be presented, noon – 2pm. Throughout the early afternoon but not tied to any specific time slot, Corinne and Stuart will perform immersive character “Pixie of Potential… Part-mime/part-princess, she pops up at celebrations of creativity…” Interactive installations will include DJ-ing/MC-ing from Jerediah Gonzalez, Make-Your-Own Comics from Dean Sudarsky, Make-Your-Own Smudge Stick from Rachel Playe, games and songs from Vatic Kuumba, and a coloring book wall from Walker Mettling.

Kid-friendly events will be more prevalent this year, including giant Jenga and Connect Four, face-painting and stage make-up effects, and food trucks. Vendors from the Providence Flea will create a pop-up outdoor shopping market. The overall goal, Noon said, is to make the event this year more of a fun party, engaging people of different ages and backgrounds who are not necessarily traditional theater-goers.

Indoors events, rain or shine, will include a special props and costume sale from 4 – 5:30pm, hourly building and facility tours until 6pm, and a cash bar from noon – 7pm. Capping off the day will be a special “sneak peak” of the upcoming Trinity Rep season in the Chace Theater, 6 – 7pm.

Event web page: trinityrep.com/event/2017-18-season-kick-off-party; Facebook: facebook.com/events/133399697271303/