02/01/2012 6-8 p.m. Granoff Center for the Creative Arts (Studio 1)
Join the Caravanserai... Women Changing Pakistan: with author and artist Samina Quraeshi
Join FirstWorks for a FREE community conversation with award-winning Pakistani author and visual artist Samina Quraeshi.
Preview excerpts from her multi-media project “The Other Half of Tomorrow: Women Changing Pakistan”, produced in collaboration with The New England Foundation for the Arts, Asia Society and WGBH Boston. Exploring Pakistan through the real-life, individual experiences of women taking active steps to reshape their world, this ambitious project spans documentary film shorts, interactive online experiences and live presentations.
Talk presented by FirstWorks as part of our year-long Caravanserai project—introducing American audiences to Sufi artists, filmmakers & musicians through a series of intensive community engagement and performance programs. This project is an initiative of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, administered by Arts Midwest.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the RI Council for the Humanities, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the Brown University Creative Arts Council.
Her devotion to propagating the importance of arts and cultural exchange in improving the world is visible in everything she does -Nirali Magazine
02/07/2012 7pm Granoff Center for the Creative Arts - Martinos Auditorium
Join the Caravanserai... "Made in Pakistan" Film Screening
Meet talented young actress and filmmaker Ayesha Khan as she showcases her documentary, "Made in Pakistan".
An insider's look into "The Most Dangerous Country in the World" (as labeled by a cover story in Newsweek, Oct. 29, 2007), "Made in Pakistan" follows the lives of four young Pakistani professionals who defy this prevailing stereotype of the country by the very choices they have made in their lives. Shot during Pervez Musharraf’s state of emergency in 2007, this real slice of life reveals a country where one definition of an Islamic State no longer holds true.
Screening presented by FirstWorks as part of our year-long Caravanserai project—introducing American audiences to Sufi artists, filmmakers & musicians through a series of intensive community engagement and performance programs. This project is an initiative of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, administered by Arts Midwest.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the RI Council for the Humanities, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the Brown University Creative Arts Council.
Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary - South Asian International Film Festival, NY
"Bucks the trend...a fascinating and ultimately successful effort to challenge Western stereotypes" —The Examiner
02/08/2012 4-6 p.m. Granoff Center for the Creative Arts - Martinos Auditorium
Join the Caravanserai... "Bridging Culture Through Film" Panel Discussion
Join FirstWorks' special guest Ayesha Khan, Executive Producer of the award-winning documentary "Made in Pakistan", and standouts of our local film industry for a panel discussion exploring the role of filmmaking in breaking down cultural barriers.
Panelists include:
Sara Archembault, Program Director of the LEF Foundation, R.I. filmmaker Keith Brown, R.I./N.Y. based writer/director Reshad Kulenovic, Dr. Kevin Esch, professor of film studies at URI and Roger Williams University, and Beena Sarwar, artist, journalist and documentary filmmaker.
Session moderated by George Marshall, Executive Director of the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Presented by FirstWorks as part of our year-long Caravanserai project—introducing American audiences to Sufi artists, filmmakers & musicians through a series of intensive community engagement and performance programs. This project is an initiative of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, administered by Arts Midwest.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the RI Council for the Humanities, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the Brown University Creative Arts Council.
Pictured: Ayesha Khan, Executive Producer of "Made in Pakistan"
03/10/2012 8pm The VETS
Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company Story/Time
FirstWorks presents Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones, who commands center stage for an exhilarating full company performance of 70 stories in 70 minutes. Inspired by the work of Merce Cunningham and John Cage’s groundbreaking performance “Indeterminancy” (1958), the piece changes each time it is staged, operating on the principle of chance to layer movement, language and music in the moment. An amazing dance-theater ‘first’ by a master storyteller.
“[Jones’s] gifts: …compelling storytelling and pure-dance interludes of slippery and often deeply romantic choreography.” —The Washington Post
03/11/2012 9:30 a.m. RISD Chace Center Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium
Coffee and Conversation with Bill T. Jones
Join FirstWorks and creative thought leaders at the RISD Museum of Art for an intimate, morning-after chat with Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, along with his "Story/Time" creative team.
Be a part of the conversation with a titanic force at the forefront of art and performance!
Presented by FirstWorks, in partnership with the RISD Museum of Art.
Coffee & breakfast served at 9:30 a.m. Conversation begins at 10 a.m.
Event is free for RISD Museum members (proof of membership required at door)
"Jones is larger than life...and then some" -San Francisco Chronicle
03/17/2012 8pm RISD Auditorium - Please note new date & time
Join the Caravanserai... Arif Lohar and Arooj Aftab
Bollywood stardom comes to the FirstWorks stage!
With 150 albums, 50 international tours and 5 million hits on YouTube, Arif Lohar is a superstar in the Punjabi world, but many Americans know him by his music ("Bend It Like Beckham" soundtrack), not by name.
Arif invites the compelling young "Neo-Sufi / Global Soul" vocalist Arooj Aftab to join his band for an unforgettable evening of pop/folk/rock from the other side of the globe.
Experience one of Pakistan's most beloved contemporary folk singers
05/10/2012 7:30pm The VETS
10-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin
One-man orchestra Bobby McFerrin uses his four-octave range and a vast array of vocal techniques to conjure the unmistakable sound of a trumpet in a jazz standard, the cello in a classical composition and the bubbly melody of a pop song.
Best known for his Grammy Award-winning, a capella chartbuster "Don’t Worry, Be Happy", McFerrin’s artistry extends far beyond this unforgettable hit. Creating spontaneous, beautiful and timeless music that transcends all borders and embraces all cultures, McFerrin is no mere singer – he is music’s last true Renaissance man.
“McFerrin’s greatest gift to his audience – changing them from spectators into celebrants and
transforming a concert hall into a playground.”
—The Los Angeles Times
09/25/2010 8pm Providence Performing Arts Center
Pilobolus A Spellbinding Spectacle of Art, Dance and Music
Festival Opening Night – All-New Program!
This year’s festival kicks off with a mesmerizing mash-up of vintage comics and dance as the Cirque du Soleil of the dance world collides with Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman. An absolute one-of-a-kind company, Pilobolus dazzles audiences with ingenious choreography, daring physicality, and raw athleticism, spiced with the sensuality of the human body and a hefty dose of humor. Pilobolus returns to the FirstWorks Festival stage with a thrilling performance of new and classic works, not to be missed. Presented in partnership with Providence Performing Arts Center and the City of Providence.
"…Dizzying… acrobatic poetry… elaborately enthralling." The New York Times
09/26/2010 3pm RISD Chace Center
Aurea: "The Search" A Soundscape of Music, Words and Imagery
A Rhode Island treasure, Aurea returns to FirstWorks with its unique alchemy of music and the spoken word. Aurea and illustrious designer/artist, Morris Nathanson, collaborate in a dynamic, eclectic juxtaposition of words and music, with images and inspiration from Nathanson's early allegorical/autobiographical print series: The Search. Engaged in a joyous pursuit to investigate the harmony of music and the spoken word, Aurea celebrates Nathanson’s birthday with this special World Premiere.
Pixilerations [v.7] New Media Fringe Festival @ FirstWorks
New Media installations, concerts and video screenings!
Pixilerations gathers groundbreaking works from the liveliest minds in digital media, music and art. This year’s festival sweeps to the far reaches of the global frontier with provocative installations by Taiwanese artist Dar-Kuen Wu and Rhode Island’s Megan and Murray McMillan; dynamic performances at Firehouse 13; and exciting new work by Mark Cetilia and Joe Cantrell at Machines With Magnets. Pixilerations extends its reach to new venues on the West Side of Providence and Pawtucket, and will include concerts, screenings and club nights of cutting edge works from around the world. Presented in partnership with Brown University & Rhode Island School of Design.
Locations:
- RISD’s Sol Koffler Gallery, 169 Weybosset Street
- FirstWorks Gallery, 65 Eddy Street
- Machines With Magnets, 400 Main St, Pawtucket
- Grant Recital Hall, Hope Street & Young Orchard Avenue
- Cable Car Cinema, 204 South Main Street
- Firehouse 13, 41 Central Street
Photo: Installation view of "What We Loved and Forgot" by Megan and Murray McMillan.
IBEX Puppetry: "Panther & Crane" A Mesmerizing Journey Through Our Earth’s Waterways
IBEX Puppetry’s Heather Henson carries forward the legacy of her father Jim Henson, summoning soaring puppets, beautiful projections, and fluid movement that envelope you into a universe of mythical imagery and dreamlike metaphor. Delve into the world of migrating cranes, pacing panthers and wading alligators, as they dance through challenges threatening their way of life.
In Year 2000, Heather Henson conceived and created a multi platform production company that would make an immediate impression by quickly establishing the uniqueness of her productions, the scope of her imagination and the sheer veracity of her creativity. Named IBEX Puppetry, Heather’s use of full sensory, non-traditional storytelling provided audiences a transformative experience that included a myriad of disciplines that embraced: film, stage, puppetry, interactive presentations, puppet design and building, projections, gallery shows, sound and light illuminations. Entertaining audiences throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada, Heather’s training as a conceptual artist, a strong background in animation, illustration and with a personal interest in health and healing and the caring of the planet, it’s no wonder that the daughter of Jim Henson would follow in his footsteps and want to make the world a better place.
"A gorgeous and moving piece." The Orlando Sentinel
10/04/2010 to 10/29/2010 URI Shepard Building
"Coming Out" The Art & Politics of Gender & Sexuality
Presented by Uri Feinstein Providence Campus Urban Arts and Culture
Exploring and understanding sexual and gender identity and the revolutionary action of coming out.
An exhibit of art in all media by professional and community LGBTQ artists and their supporters
curated by Steven Pennell.
Monday - Thursday, 9:00am to 9:00pm
Friday - Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Gallery Night Reception October 21, 5:00 to 9:00pm
Pictured: Raphael Diluzio, "You Are My Sunshine", 2009, 2-channel video installation with ice.
10/07/2010 9pm Firehouse 13
Pixilerations [v.7] Club PIXIL
Celebrate the Pixilerations new media showcase with a night of electronic performance from the world of DJ culture, where innovation and festivity are one.
"Pixilerations is a wired, wonderful world." The Providence Journal
10/14/2010 to 10/16/2010 Pell-Chafee Performance Center
Lostwax: "BLINKING" A Visual Interplay of Dance and New Media
We blink 10 times a minute. But what is lost in these liminal moments? Inspired by author Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, choreographer Jamie Jewett explores the fascinating human process of understanding pattern, information and perception with a provocative new work by multi-media dance company Lostwax. In this groundbreaking premiere — another FirstWorks first — BLINKING traverses the visceral cusp between installation, performance and narrative through technology, music and movement.
Thursday, October 14, 7:30pm
Friday, October 15, 7:30 and 9:30pm
Saturday, October 16, 7:30 and 9:30pm
"Refined, mysterious and sophisticated." The Boston Globe
10/22/2010 to 10/24/2010 URI Shepard Building
"The Journey Out"
Presented by Uri Feinstein Providence Campus Urban Arts and Culture
A premiere performance developed from the oral histories of Rhode Island’s older gay community members by Frank V. Toti, Jr. The play is an enlightening journey through the shared struggles and successes of our neighbors, friends and families, to live openly and authentically in Rhode Island from the 1950’s to the present.Funded in part by Equity Action, RICH and URI Student Government Board.
Friday, Saturday, October 22 to October 23, 7:30pm
Sunday, October 24, 4pm
This vibrant 12-piece orchestra from New York City reclaims the salsa dura (hard salsa) of the 1970s with unstoppable dance music that merges hectic percussion, screaming horns and impassioned singers — who also revive salsa dura’s political consciousness, singing about the hard life of the barrio and Latin unity. Wherever these revolutionary, new-generation salsa ambassadors perform, their contagious rhythms bring audiences to their feet. Bailamos!Presented in partnership with LUPO’s.
"Young, raw, raging musical weapons of mass destruction..." Latin Beat
10/29/2010 7:30pm RISD Auditorium
Gare St Lazare Players Ireland: "First Love" A One-Man Triumph of Irish Theater
The Irish writer Samuel Beckett revolutionized 20th century theater with his 1953 play Waiting for Godot. However, he wrote the play as a distraction from what he called the "important work": his prose. Among Beckett’s earliest short stories, First Love is full of the author’s trademark dark humor. In it, a man recounts his first and perhaps only love and the hindrance it posed to ridding himself of all contact with others. As directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett and embodied by Conor Lovett’s remarkable presence, First Love is a beautiful and concentrated work that seems to hover perfectly between comedy and tragedy.
Direct from Ireland, Gare St Lazare brings the black humor of playwright Samuel Beckett to the FirstWorks Festival stage in an adaptation of one of Beckett’s early novellas. Hailed as the world’s greatest living interpreter of Beckett, actor Conor Lovett’s solo tour de force has mesmerized audiences around the world. Lovett’s gripping performance, which The New York Times acclaimed "supremely funny," captures the author’s distinctive dark humor in this masterpiece of Beckettian perversity. Presented with support from Culture Ireland.
"A riveting experience… worth dropping everything to encounter." The Irish Times
10/30/2010 8pm RISD Auditorium
Christopher O'Riley Classical Piano Meets Alternative Rock
From his groundbreaking transcriptions of Radiohead, R.E.M., Portishead, and Pink Floyd to his sublime interpretations of classical repertoire, indie pianist Christopher O'Riley turns concert music on its ear. His genre-bending approach stretches the piano beyond conventional boundaries, garnering the only four-star review ever given by Rolling Stone to a classical pianist. Between his acclaimed performances, O'Riley also hosts NPR's popular weekly series From the Top.
SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK® An Electrifying Evening of Life, Love & Song
Sweet Honey In The Rock have been inspiring audiences for more than 30 years with their soul-stirring blend of gospel, blues, jazz and hip hop. Famous for their vocal virtuosity and vast repertoire of historically African American music, this Grammy-award winning a capella ensemble was dubbed a "National Treasure" by First Lady Michelle Obama. FirstWorks Festival 2010 culminates with an electrifying performance featuring "Indaba", a musical dialogue between youth and elders that unites the first women of song with the Junior Providence Singers. Presented through the VMA Arts and Cultural Center/ FirstWorks Partnership.
Sweet Honey member Shirley Childress Saxton will provide American Sign Language interpretation during the show.
"… An exuberant expression of the human voice and spirit. The Washington Post
Beyond the FirstWorks Festival...
05/10/2011 7:30pm Providence Performing Arts Center
Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater A Celebration of the Soul.
First Providence Appearance!
Join the celebration as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, America's Cultural Ambassador to the World, bring their unparalleled artistry to Providence for the first time ever. Few companies captivate an audience like the Ailey dancers, whose soulful energy has dazzled audiences worldwide for over 50 years. Be sure to experience this magnificent 55-dancer strong company in a program featuring Ailey’s signature masterpiece, Revelations, which uses African-American spirituals and holy blues to explore the places of deepest grief and utmost joy. Presented in partnership with PPAC.
JUDITH JAMISON ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Masazumi Chaya ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Robert Battle ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE
02/01/2012 6-8 p.m.
03/10/2012 8pm
03/11/2012 9:30 a.m.
03/17/2012 8pm
05/10/2012 7:30pm
