The Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company MFA Programs in Acting and Directing present the brand-new play Soul Tapes, written by directing student JaMario Stills, adapted from Will Johnson’s lecture “The Soul Tapes of Black Folks.” Directed by Stills, this production runs from November 10 through 20 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center on 87 Empire St. in Providence. General admission is $15 with discounted prices for seniors and students. Tickets will go on sale soon and can be purchased at Trinity Rep’s ticket office, by phone at (401) 351-4242, or online at trinityrep.com/soultapes.
ABOUT THE PLAY
In 2105, soul musician Taji and filmmaker Siya bond over their shared love of vintage media: cassette tapes, film reels, and the public access television show “Beautiful Black Brilliance,” featuring a record store owner named Genesis Jones. But when Taji and Siya’s relationship is challenged by a tempting celestial force, Genesis, a sage and ancestor, guides them through a series of surprising revelations that help illuminate their path. Soul Tapes explores the challenges of when shared visions are tested by individual pursuits.
“Soul Tapes has been revealing itself to me since we started working on it this summer,” director JaMario Stills said. “The piece has called for a leap into imagining Black life 100 years into the future. Mixing digital and musical composition into a theatrical narrative has been an enlightening experience for us.”
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
JaMario Stills (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist and producer from Jacksonville, Florida. He received his BFA in acting from The Juilliard School and studied screenwriting and scenography at the Rhode Island School of Design He is currently an MFA in Directing candidate (‘23) at Brown University/Trinity Rep. As a professional actor he has performed at The McCarter Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and The Brooklyn Academy of Music. Stills has directed at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville as year-long resident artist, and as a performance curator for Art Republic. His work as a creative entrepreneur has been featured in Innovate Jax.
Stills will serve as Soul Tapes’s director, co-writer, and costume designer, working alongside Will Johnson (music composer, and video imagery designer), Sara Ossana (scenographer and creative producer), Ebony Burton (lighting designer), Anne Drummond (sound designer), SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal (projection designer), and Lisa Biggs and Cloteal Horne (dramaturgs). The cast of this production includes Stills and Johnson as well as Brown/Trinity Rep actor JaQuan Malik Jones and guest artist Angelique Dina.
The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs provide a three-year professional training program under the auspices of an Ivy League university and Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning theater company. Brown University’s Department of Theater and Performance Studies is internationally recognized for the quality of its faculty and instruction. Trinity Rep, with its deep tradition of resident artists, provides powerful artistic assets and creates a firm foundation for a new generation of theater artists.
AT A GLANCE
Soul Tapes
By JaMario Stills
Adapted from “The Soul Tapes of Black Folk” by Will Johnson
November 10 – 20, 2022
Director: JaMario Stills
Music Composer: Will Johnson
Scenic Designer and Creative Producer: Sara Ossana
Assistant Scenic Designer: Shivani Pinapotu
Costume Designer: JaMario Stills
Lighting Designer: Ebony Burton
Sound Designer: Anne Drummond
Projection Designer: SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal
Video Imagery Designer: Will Johnson
Dramaturgs: Lisa Biggs, Cloteal Horne
Stage Manager: Destiny Hyman
Cast
Angelique Dina
Will Johnson
JaQuan Malik Jones
JaMario Stills
Performances
Thursday, November 10 at 7:30 pm
Friday, November 11 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 12 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 13 at 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 17 at 7:30 pm
Friday, November 18 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 19 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 20 at 2:00 pm
Website: trinityrep.com/soultapes
Ticket Office: (401)-351-4242; 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI, 02903