Curt Columbus and Executive Director Tom Parrish In Case You Missed ItHighlights from Recent Activities

Curt continued from page 2 in and film the following morning, in order to get the footage we needed. The whole crew showed up early in the morning, without complaint, and when Joe arrived (through his own special entrance, for safety reasons), he said, “I thought of [former acting company member] Barbara Meek, who would have said, just show up and do your job, no matter what is happening in your life.” And then, he climbed into a casket — a casket! — to film the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come Stave of the story. Shortly after we finished, the mayor shut down all gatherings for groups over five people. We would have been shut down, too. We came in under the wire, that close. I wish I could introduce you, personally, to all of these remarkable folks. They wanted to bring you this story so badly that they spent hours in masks and plastic face shields, doing work that normally is very hands on and up close, at a safe distance. They stood in a rainy cemetery while we did multiple takes to get everything just right, for hours and hours without complaint. It took a lot to make A Christmas Carol happen this year. But this is your theater, your Trinity Rep, and nothing means more to us than making stories for you. I wish you all a safe and healthy New Year. May you find moments of surprising joy in the months to come. And of course, I look forward to seeing you in the theater again, as soon as we possibly can.

Curt Columbus The Arthur P. Solomon and Sally E. Lapides Artistic Director

Trinity Rep partnered with Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA) and the Providence Public Library (PPL) for a Dia de Los Muertos celebration at the library on November 2. The holiday originated with the native people of Mexico and is a celebration of the lives of people who have died. Families welcome back PHOTO BY NEIL DIXON, HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND the souls of their deceased relatives by creating colorful ofrendas (altars) with their photos, flowers, and favorite foods. Trinity Rep, RILA, and PPL created an altar outside the library entrance and invited members of the community to add names and photos of their loved ones. Some participants visited briefly to leave remembrances of their loved ones while others stayed for an evening ceremony that included speakers and music from the Extraordinary Rendition Band.

After 18 incredible episodes between April and December, Curt’s bi-weekly Facebook Live event, Your Half Hour Call with Curt has concluded (at least for now) so that the team can focus on new digital programming. This talk show-style show featured interviews with actors, staff, and community members with clips from past productions and questions taken from the Facebook audience. All episodes can be found on our website at trinityrep.com/theshowgoeson or YouTube channel (trinityrep).

Why We Do Musical Theater Why We Love Live Theater What Theater Does That Nothing Else Can Why We Do New Plays The Towering Women of Trinity Rep A Special Message from Joe Wilson, Jr. Looking Forward Company, Community, and Education Three Scrooges How Do you Solve a Problem Like…Shakespeare How to Prepare an Actor How the Sausage Gets Made Checking In TRAIN (our work with the autism community) Our Friends at Rhode Island Latino Arts A Salute to our Veterans Inspired Acts Making Christmas

In addition to A Christmas Carol Online, which was available for viewing December 17 – January 10 (see more on page 7), we also produced bonus content that is still available. The viewer guide included family activities like a word search, recipes, and coloring pages. Our Community Sing is a virtual sing-a-long featuring videos from people throughout our community. Mermaid Masterpieces generously provided a step-by-step video for a painting inspired by the Dickens classic. All of this can be found at trinityrep.com/carol.

In June 2020, Trinity Rep commissioned artists to continue the public-art-as-activism that appeared on plywood-covered storefronts and businesses after the Black Lives Matter protests. The protests followed the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others who have yet to receive justice. Local artists Jess Brown, Angela Gonzalez, and Kendel Joseph were selected, and their work is installed at Trinity Rep on Washington St. in Providence. Jess Brown painted both Harry Belafonte and Diahann Carroll (pictured below) because “I wanted to choose subjects that have a connection to both the theater and the Black community. Both icons were groundbreakers in their industry.” Kendel Joseph painted the late United States Congressman from Georgia, John Lewis because “we’re still fighting the same today. This is a tribute to that.” Angela Gonzalez selected

Trinity Rep acting company member Joe Wilson, Jr. as her subject and cited, “Joe has been someone whom many aspiring actors and actresses look up to in the theater industry here in Providence, RI.” More photos and information about the artists and their subjects can be found at trinityrep.com/publicart.

LEFT: Curt Columbus, Stephen Berenson, Brian McEleney with Sharon & Richard Jenkins discussing what theater does that nothing else can during Your Half Hour Call.