Amica helps keep the lights shining in
“A Christmas Carol”
11/4/19
Nothing illuminates the holiday spirit quite like … well, light. And this season, while A Christmas Carol is brightening the Chace Theater, Amica Insurance, a sponsor of this beloved classic, is generating some light of its own.
Like Trinity Rep, Amica has kept an annual tradition going strong for decades. Now in its 49th year, Amica’s Thanksgiving greeting, which features the work of an American artist, goes out at the start of the holiday season to nearly 900,000 households. Amica also posts the greeting on AmicaThanksgiving.com, where everyone can send the e-card to family and friends.
Light, and all its magic, is an inspiration for Trisha Adams, the Virginia-based painter who describes her work as “representational, with a touch of abstraction.” Her abstract landscape, “Dazzled by the Light,” was chosen from a national field of artists’ work for its luminous colors and textures, and treatment of natural light.
“Light is so evocative,” says Trisha. “When you can capture the essence of dramatic light, you have a dramatic painting.”
And speaking of lighting used for dramatic effect, Barbara Samuels, Trinity Rep’s lighting designer for A Christmas Carol, has spent her career working in light. Having designed the lights for Trinity Rep’s 2016 production of Arnie, Louis and Bob, she says she’s especially excited to be back to design for the theater’s enduring classic, which, as she points out, is reimagined by the theater’s creative team every year: “To retell the same story in a fresh new way is an amazing design opportunity for me.”
Without revealing too many secrets of this year’s in-the-round production, Barbara says, “My task is to use light and shadow to locate and highlight Scrooge’s long journey of self-realization, so that audience members have moving and unique experiences from wherever they sit.”
Julie Montalbano, Amica’s corporate social responsibility and events manager, says giving is in the company’s nature. “Our support of organizations and events across the country is just one way we try to bring light into people’s lives. We’re honored to partner with Trinity Rep, one of Rhode Island’s best and brightest.”