Trinity Rep has certainly earned its reputation for dynamic performances and traditions. As the company prepares for its next season, Artistic Director Curt Columbus explains that the themes of conversation and community shaped how the season came together.
“Planning a season, for me, starts with the questions that I want to ask my audience,” says Curt. “We’re living in interesting times, and those interesting times sort of pressurize the choices and make me want to ask bigger questions.”
One of these questions, according to Curt, centers on the debate about American labor and the workforce. This led to the inclusion of Death of a Salesman, a show that demonstrates the cost of the American Dream. Skeleton Crew, a new show that premiered last year in New York, will be paired with Salesman to offset the classic’s masculine and Euro-centric focus, making it more applicable to today’s America.
Other shows will consider subjects like race, gender and militarism. Curt is especially excited for the world premiere of Into the Breeches!, a play written for the company that tells the story of women who find themselves in charge of a small theatre. Later in the season, the company will present Native Gardens – a show about building fences – and Ragtime, a musical that considers both racial and gender identity. Of course, no season at Trinity Rep would be complete without A Christmas Carol. The company’s mission to tell stories that involve or reflect our community and its diverse nature is clear in the upcoming season. “If we’re meant to be the state theatre, then we should reflect the state,” Curt says. He also believes that theatre can bring us together to have those important conversations. “I think Providence is a better city, a richer city, a more culturally diverse city because we have theatre in our heart.”
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