Barplays Intro — Another David Higgins

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THE BARS:

Thanks to all these fine locally-owned establishments, we were able to present, and folks were able to enjoy, some great locally made theater.

RED FEZ Located in the heart of Providence's parking garage district, the Red Fez has long been a place to watch theater from the second floor windows. In addition to the Improv Fightclub Players, who perform outside the other, less cool bar down the block, Ed & Sara moved some theater inside this summer.

E & O It's tiny. It's dark. It's crowded. So crowded, in fact, that one of the bartenders there, who is performing in the festival had to hit the road with her show. Contrary to the doubters, it worked out great.

EVERYMAN BISTRO Since her days of running the legendary Custom House Tavern, Leah Reynolds has been a savior for the local DIY music scene, hosting open mics in one of the smallest, warmest venues in the city. She now runs Everyman Bistro, a beautiful space in the American Locomotive building along Valley St., where the open mic still happens, along with a whole lot more.

WILD COLONIAL Despite the fact that there isn't a theater anywhere nearby (except for Barker Playhouse, but that place is kinda cryptic), the Wild Colonial may very likely have a higher concentration of actors in it than any other watering hole in the city

TRINITY BREWHOUSE So often, this is where the audience and the cast end up for dinner and a drink after finishing a show downtown. This summer (Sunday June 20th and Sunday June 27th), we cut the commute out all together.

ABE'S We wanted to perform plays in bars. They were already hosting a reading night on Thursdays. Guess what? We performed some plays there on Thursdays.

AS220 From humble beginnings above PPAC, to their long stretch on Richmond Street, AS220 has grown into a hub of artistic energy, supporting both visual and performative artists. A couple of years ago, they redid their space and made a nice big performance space. We used the bar next to that on Sundays and Mondays.

NICK-A-NEES They've hosted cookouts, fundraisers, birthday parties, jewlery sales, pool leagues, movie nights, and a slew of local musicians. It's a great place to bring your something or other, so we did. And they got a cool shuffleboard table.

THE ARTS:

For the first 2010 Providence Barplays Festival: Plays set in Bars Placed in Bars, David Higgins, Amanda Weir, Adara Meyers, James Celenza, and Mat Provost solicited short plays that either had a bar as the explicit setting or that would be reasonably well set in a bar. We also asked other local performers that either had a history of performing in front of a drinking audience or that we felt had shows or style that suited the venues.

*White Glove, by Charlotte Meehan. Barplays was honored to include a short play by this playwright of international stature. White Glovewas the first play of Charlotte’s to be enjoyed by Providence audiences since Sweet Disaster in 2008 at Perishable Theatre. White Glove was directed by Geoff Monti and presented at AS220 and Everyman Bistro

*Pooting, by Mat Provost was written not just specifically for this festival, but for a specific bar, exemplifies the immediate and local flavor of this festival. Mat directed his own piece and presented it at AS220

*So Far Away by Perishable Theatre founder, David Eliet was directed by RWU professor Robin Stone. It received a warm reception at the Red Fez and Everyman Bistro

*Sometimes Yin and Yang Don’t Always Get Along by Bill McDonnell was directed by Barplays co-producer Amanda Weir, who was happy to discover that Mr. McDonnell’s artistic pursuits were not limited to the visual art that he is best known for. It was featured at AS220 and Everyman

* Belly Buttons by Kevin Broccoli. After working tirelessly this past year directing and producing other plays as well as captivating audiences with his monologues, Kevin has taken an opportunity to write some words for others to perform, direct and produce. Gloria Crist directed the piece which was hosted at E&O, Trinity Brewhouse, Nick-a-Nee's, and Wild Colonial

*Dust on the Bible, a one-act play from Mark Cook focuses on the three topics that should often not be brought up in a bar and will be performed by a cast of familiar faces and newcomers. Mat Provost directed and brought the play to Wild Colonial and Abe's

*What Hope is About by James Celenza, is a new play from a local writer that has already been bringing his drama to the drinking public at Abe’s. This time Martha Swetzoff directed and, along with showcasing the show at Abe's, also moved it into the second floor of the Red Fez

*Public Response by David Higgins is a short play with a long intermission. And an even longer break between writing and production. It has yet to see an audience, due to his ignoring casting concerns in favor of production responsibilities for the festival.

*Omen Experts, a new play written and directed by Barplays co-producer Adara Meyers. Directed by the playwright, Omen Experts was a delight at both the Red Fez and the E&O Tap

*Fracture is the latest from Providence writer, producer, and puppeteer Amanda Weir, who among the other countless jobs she had on this festival, managed to direct her own play and get it in front of audiences at Everyman, Trinity, and the E&O.

*Tipping by Jill Blevins is a good reminder of what we should be doing throughout this festival and beyond. Mat Provost directed. E&O and Abe's witnessed.

*Life Preserver by Kobun Kaluza is a short play with a epic story. It was directed by David Higgins and it inhabited Everyman and Wild Colonial.

*L'Opera del Paradiso, a text and music based movement piece written and performed by Will vanNostrand, who took her bartending and performing expertise and combined them to bring a show based on mating rituals to audiences at Trinity Brewhouse and the Red Fez

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