PROVIDENCE: The Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company MFA Programs in Acting and Directing present Fugitive Songs, with music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen, and directed by Tara Moses. This production is the culminating project of the three-year MFA Program in Directing for Moses.
This production runs from October 31 through November 10 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center on 87 Empire St. in Providence. General admission is $15 with discounted prices for seniors and students. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Trinity Rep’s Ticket Office on 201 Washington St., by phone at (401) 351-4242, or online at trinityrep.com/fugitive-songs
ABOUT THE PLAY
What happens when six seemingly unrelated people find themselves in the purgatory of a 1997 New York City subway station? Told entirely through 90s grunge music, Fugitive Songs shares the stories of six people who find connection and clarity, and how their lives and histories unexpectedly intertwine. This production offers a fresh perspective on the 2008 Drama Desk Award nominee for Best Musical-Revue, and a reminder of our communion with one another in an ever-disconnected world.
“As an artist and an Indigenous person, I am interested in reimagining existing works for Native people, telling stories in a medium that has consistently excluded us,” director Tara Moses said. “Since Fugitive Songs does not have a traditional book, a perfect opportunity arose for our seven ensemble members, music director, and design team to breathe new, unexpected life into this song cycle. Together, we generated a dynamic, deeply interconnected story in which a Native trickster spirit takes six apparent strangers, transports them to a liminal space, and challenges them to change how they live on occupied Native land.”
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
Tara Moses (she/her) is a citizen of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Mvskoke, director, multi-award-winning playwright, and co-founder of Groundwater Arts. She has directed across the country in cities including Santa Fe, NM; Kansas City, MO; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; Kyle, SD; Vermillion, SD; Providence, RI; Seattle, WA; New York, NY; Tulsa, OK; Washington, D.C.; Bethesda, MD; Oklahoma City, OK; Palmetto, GA; Edmond, OK; and Hartford, CT. As a playwright, her completed works include Sections, He’eo’o (winner of the 2019 Native Storytellers Contest), Quantum (2020 and 2021 finalist for the National Playwrights Conference), Bound (2019 Native American New Play Festival Winner), the adaptation of Hamlet: El Príncipe de Denmark, Don Juan, Arbeka, Patchwork (a 10-minute play), Oñgwehoñwe (a 10-minute play), Snag, Sugar, OklaHOME (a 10-minute play), Billie, Poyvfekcv (a 10-minute play), and Haunted. Her plays have been produced, developed, and taught across the country. Tara has been commissioned by Audible, Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program, Company One Theatre, AlterTheatre Ensemble, Kitchen Dog Theater, the New Now Commission with Lauren Gunderson, Geva Theatre Center, Red Bull Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Tara will work alongside Matthew Requintina (music director), Kimberly Powers (set designer), Elizabeth Winslar (costume designer), SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal (lighting designer), and Kathy Ruvuna (sound designer). The ensemble cast of this production includes Brown/Trinity Rep students David Bertoldi, Nicholas Byers, Layan Elwazani, Allison Jones, Rosalyn Tavarez, and Austyn Williamson; as well as guest artist Chingwe Padraig Sullivan.
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
Fugitive Songs
Music by Chris Miller
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen
October 31 — November 10, 2024
Director: Tara Moses
Music Director: Matthew Requintina
Costume Designer: Elizabeth Winslar
Lighting Designer: Kathy Ruvuna
Assistant Director: Kayla Bennett
Scenic Designer: Kimberly Powers
Lighting Designer: SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal
Stage Manager: Tristen Mosley
Cast
David Bertoldi, Nicholas Byers, Layan Elwazani, Allison Jones, Chingwe Padraig Sullivan, Rosalyn Tavarez, Austyn Williamson
Performances:
Thursday, October 31 at 7:30 pm
Friday, November 1 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 7 at 7:30 pm
Friday, November 8 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 9 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, November 9 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 10 at 2:00 pm
Website: trinityrep.com/fugitive-songs
Ticket Office: (401)-351-4242; 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI, 02903
