Funny Please, Cause We All Need a Laugh
If there’s one thing we can say about 2017 it is this: We are going to need a laugh. A new group on the scene is hoping to do just that. Funny Please, based out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, is brand...
View ArticleShakespeare in the City Prepares to Perform
I have an immense love for theater. I also have another love: education. As a teacher, I love everything about education (okay, maybe not grading): the students, the literature, that amazing light bulb...
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Delightful Midsummer Night’s Dream at Trinity
I love seeing Shakespeare, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream is by far my favorite of all of the Bard’s pieces. If there’s a production of it nearby, I have to attend — including 20 years ago when Trinity...
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The Lion King Is a Spectacular Spectacle
Lion King Tour The Lion King opened on Broadway 20 years ago, and I have spent the last two decades rolling my eyes at the thought and never felt the need to buy tickets. As a huge Disney fan, I have...
View ArticleBuilding Confidence with Girls on the Run
I teach my students that both genders are equal, and frequently introduce them to stories of strong women. I have them read I Am Malala and hold Socratic seminars about women’s rights, but sometimes a...
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Trinity’s Project Discovery
In 1997 I had the opportunity to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Mrs. Mumford’s English class. This was important for two reasons: one the show’s memory stayed with me for 20 years, and two, I enter...
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Faithful Cheaters Will Make Your Sides Ache
I love seeing new theater, mainly because I never know what to expect! Sure something can be billed as a comedy, but maybe it’s not that funny. Something can be billed as poignant, but maybe it’s...
View ArticleThe Lenny Schwartz Legacy: Celebrating the Big 4-0 at Arctic
It’s always a treat to head to The Arctic Playhouse, and it is especially nice when the show on the stage is a Daydream Theatre production, the resident theater of The Arctic Playhouse. Lenny...
View ArticleMatilda Comes to PPAC with Miss Honey by Her Side
As a teacher, I have to admit I gravitate toward stories involving education. As a literature/theater nerd, I think Roald Dahl’s work was simply amazing. And if those worlds could actually...
View ArticleMatilda Wows at PPAC
I love theater. I love British Literature; from Jane Austen to JK Rowling to JR Tolkien to Roald Dahl. And then these two entities that I adore got together and formed Matilda The Musical. This show is...
View ArticleThe Yellow Wallpaper Is a Conversation Starter
The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which was first published in 1892 and has lived on in college syllabi ever since. It’s an important piece of literature as it explores...
View ArticleArtists Have Something to Say
The other night I went to the U2 concert for the Joshua Tree tour. I have always been a casual fan, but two years ago my best friend introduced me to the Innocence Experience tour, and I was hooked. I...
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James Franco Doesn’t Get It
My favorite plays to see are the brand-new ones. Last season I was fortunate enough to see Epic Theatre’s James Franco and Me, written by Kevin Broccoli, the “me” in the title. In the play, Kevin sits...
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Epic’s Girls Shine in Dorothy, Rose, Sophia, and Blanche
Epic Theatre Company’s summer of satire is underway, and insanely ironic if you read our piece on James Franco and Me. The second installment in the summer rep shows is an original offering by Kevin...
View ArticleCTC’s One Man Two Guvnors Delights Audiences
For me, nothing says summer like a trek to Contemporary Theatre Company. I was excited to hear that they were doing a comedy this summer, One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean, which graced Broadway...
View Article3C: The Not So Good Old Days
Epic is rounding out their summer of satire — where life truly has imitated art — with David Adjmi’s embroiled show 3C. The show, which runs in rep with Kevin Broccoli’s Dorothy, Rose, Sophia &...
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Grab Your Broomsticks — it’s Quidditch Time!
Ah! It’s that time of year again! I love fall, and not just for the pumpkin spice, warm sweaters, Scituate Art Festival and because I get to set up my Harry Potter-themed classroom! It’s also because...
View ArticleAn End to Lunch Shaming in Providence
It’s back to school time, which means that our social media newsfeeds are full of back-to-school stories. The cute first day photos, the recipes for healthy meal prep ideas, the shopping lists, that...
View ArticleSkeleton Crew and Death of a Salesman Explore the American Dream
Last year, when Trinity Rep announced their season, I was almost giddy. It is an educator’s dream, beginning with Arthur Miller’s classic Death of a Salesman. I read it as a student and taught it this...
View ArticleOut Loud’s King Lear Showcases Incredible Performances
Having been to a few Out Loud productions, I knew to expect something … different for King Lear, and director Kira Hawkridge did not disappoint! You walk into the space and you’re no longer on...
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Finding Neverland Flies into PPAC
Finding Neverland has flown into the Providence Performing Arts Center, and you don’t want to be left behind! I admit I love Peter Pan; it was one of my favorites growing up, and I’ve always found JM...
View ArticleHPV Vaccine Conundrum
When I got the call asking to write this article, I have to admit I was a little split on the issue. When this vaccine was developed, I wasn’t yet a mother. It also was developed around the time that...
View ArticleLittle Foxes Speaks Truth to Power
As I was sitting down to write this review, I was struck by one thing in particular. This is one of the rare times I have sat down to write a review of a play written by a woman, directed by a woman....
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Shakespeare Shorts at AS220
Bob Colonna (Prospero) with Lauren Annicelli (Ariel)Photo by Richard Boober Ever wonder what Shakespeare and karaoke would look like? How about hip-hop and Shakespeare? It is that spirit of...
View ArticleA Teacher’s Perspective on the National School Walk-Out
On March 14, students throughout this country exercised their first amendment rights and walked out to bring awareness to the gun problem in our country. As an educator, I firmly believe students need...
View ArticleMichelle Wolf’s Performance
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, and if you are I wouldn’t blame you, you’ve now heard about the White House Correspondents Dinner where Michelle Wolf’s 15-minute set created quite the uproar....
View ArticleAudiences Get a Different Point of View from Trans Views
What if you looked into the mirror, and did not see yourself there? This question is being posed by the URI Feinstein Providence Campus Arts and Culture Program (in conjunction with the Rhode Island...
View ArticleFountaingate 2018
Ah, Rhode Island. We’re unique. We don’t eat hot dogs, we eat Olneyville Weiners (without ketchup). We don’t drink milkshakes, we drink cabinets. We can drive anywhere in the state in an hour, and...
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Homos, or Everyone in America Is Must-See Summer Theater
If you hang around with me long enough, you’ll notice a few lines I tend to repeat regarding my opinions on theater, including how it helps with reading comprehension and how it’s beautiful in its...
View ArticleMaking It All Up
“Okay, you’re at the grocery store and a zombie apocalypse is on the way, but you can only speak in questions and scene!” This is the type of direction audiences may witness improvisors play out on...
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Powerful 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 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...
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Sylvia 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...
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DITKO 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....
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It’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...
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Captivating 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...
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High 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 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...
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Charlotte’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,...
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Revisit 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 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...
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All 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 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...
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Mamma 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...
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Therapeutic 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....
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Zooming 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 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...
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See 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...
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Take 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 ArticleWho 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...
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