Who Run The World?: In Headtrick Theatre’s The Assembly Women, girls
If you didn’t catch Headtrick Theatre’s production of The Assembly Women, my condolences that you missed this tremendously entertaining and thought-provoking piece. The Assembly Women is written by...
View ArticleTake a Break: Schools should give contact tracers time to catch up
I’m a teacher in Providence, and since the beginning of this pandemic I’ve been asked by the Rhode Island Department of Health to quarantine twice. Once in July, the same day my name was mentioned to...
View ArticleSee You in September: One local teacher argues against in-person learning
A lot has been said lately about reopening our schools. And there should be a healthy discussion about it — after all education is the single most important aspect of a functioning society. It is the...
View ArticleA Letter to the Graduating Class of 2020: From your high school English teacher
Dear Students of the Class of 2020, I write this as we got the news. News that we all knew was inevitable, but didn’t want to admit to ourselves. The school buildings in RI are closed for the rest of...
View ArticleZooming into a New Normal: One teacher’s reflection on educating from afar
I love teaching. I love the time I spend every August getting my class together, from hanging the bulletin board paper and borders for my walls, to decorating my desk and wall with the mementos...
View ArticleTherapeutic Theater: COAAST tackles addiction from the stage
As an educator, I can tell you a plethora of things about education today; cell phones are a battle, students still cheer when Bob Ewell meets his end, and nacho day is the best day in the cafeteria....
View ArticleMamma Mia! What a Show!
I am going to admit something here, and once it’s in print, it is here forever — I really like Mamma Mia! And no, I’m not a closet ABBA fan. In fact, I turn ABBA off if it happens to find its way to...
View ArticleOpinion: The Inside Scoop on PVD Schools
I’ve written for Motif for a few years now, but this right here is by far the hardest piece I’ve ever tried to compose. You see when I’m not writing articles or reviewing theater, I’m teaching. I’m an...
View ArticleAll My Sons — Classic Theater with a Standout Cast
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is a classic piece of theater. This play showcases what Miller did best — bring sweeping epic dramas to American theater that dealt with “the regular guy.” Sons is a play...
View ArticleYes! And…: The Providence Improv Fest takes the stage at AS220
During the last lazy days of summer, Providence Improv Fest arrives on the scene and it’s anything but lazy. The event runs September 12 through 14 at AS220, and both stages at the venue will be used...
View ArticleRevisit The Secret Garden
I haven’t read Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story The Secret Garden since I was a child. The tale of the beauty of the garden has stayed with me, as it stays with almost everyone who reads it as “It was...
View ArticleCharlotte’s Web: Some Show!
When I was pregnant with my son, I read an article that suggested I read at night out loud to him. Being a bibliophile, I had quite a few options. Would it be my go-to favorite, The Velveteen Rabbit,...
View ArticleWhen I Grow Up Cabaret Performs at the Courthouse
It’s a beautiful spring day as I climb the stairs at the Courthouse Center for the Arts, where I can clearly hear “Seasons of Love” spilling down from the performance space. Upon entering I find a...
View ArticleHigh School Kids and Academy’s High School Musical
There are few things that make me happier than young people taking on the responsibility and vision of putting on a theatrical production. Stories need to be told; in these times of school budget cuts,...
View ArticleCaptivating Hedwig Gives a Powerful Performance
I have to admit that as I drove over to Academy’s new space (same location, updated space), I knew next to nothing about Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which was part of the appeal in going. Looking...
View ArticleIt’s Tradition! Trinity’s A Christmas Carol Takes the Stage Once Again
As a proud lifelong Rhode Islander, there are traditions that are really ingrained in me. It’s a bubbla, not a water fountain; coffee milk is the only milk worth its salt and Christmastime means A...
View ArticleDITKO Brings the Man to Life on Stage
Lenny Schwartz is known for writing new plays, his terrific sense of humor and his love of comic books. He has skillfully combined these into his newest work, DITKO, now playing at RISE in Woonsocket....
View ArticleSylvia Gets Audiences to Roll Over — in the Aisles with Laughter!
AR Gurney’s play, Sylvia, has been around for just about as long as I’ve been a self-proclaimed theater geek. And I’ve never read or watched the play. What took me so long? Well I’ll first admit (and...
View ArticleSkillsUSA Helps Students Take Ownership of Their Education
When you picture high school, generally a barrage of John Hughes movies come flooding in: cheerleading, football games, debate club, prom, pep rallies. And when I made the switch from teaching middle...
View ArticlePowerful How I Learned to Drive at Wilbury
Like many Rhode Islanders, I first saw Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive 20 years ago at Trinity Rep. How fitting it is, then, to celebrate this groundbreaking production with The Wilbury Theatre...
View Article