After a pause of in-person performances that began in March 2020, Trinity Repertory Company announces a return to in-person theater production beginning in November 2021. A shortened 2021-22 Season will begin with Trinity Rep’s 44th annual production of A Christmas Carol. The holiday tradition will be followed by a four-show season running January through June 2022.
“I was so excited by the prospect of welcoming folks back to our theater in person in the coming season, and we wanted audiences to have a truly powerful reason to return to Trinity Rep. We’ve chosen a season of plays that will resonate deeply, that have great language and ideas, that show the depth of the human condition, and are all surprising, funny, and provocative,” Artistic Director Curt Columbus said in a statement. “I know our Trinity audience will love these shows, because they are all writers we’ve produced in seasons past (August Wilson, José Rivera, Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Charles Dickens) with one exciting new voice (the work of Cheryl Strayed, adapted by Nia Vardalos). These are truly Trinity plays, each and every one.”
Here’s the schedule:
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Original music by Richard Cumming
Directed by Joe Wilson, Jr.
November 4, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Celebrating the holidays together
Rhode Island’s family holiday tradition returns! Reimagined anew every year, this glorious telling of the classic story evokes the magic and hope of the season and its contemporary relevance. Guided by Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and ultimately inspired by his community, Ebenezer Scrooge embarks on a heartwarming journey toward redemption.
Tiny Beautiful Things
Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed
Adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos
Co-conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, and Nia Vardalos
Directed by Curt Columbus
January 13 – February 13, 2022
Finding hope by asking and answering the hardest questions
A celebration of the simple beauty of being human, this funny, deeply touching, and uplifting play is an exploration of resilience, based on Cheryl Strayed’s journey as the beloved anonymous advice columnist for “Dear Sugar.” Over the years, thousands of people turned to “Sugar” for words of wisdom, compassion, and hope. Reluctant to claim that she has all the answers, Sugar looks to her own past and draws on her life experiences to bring light, laughter, and humanity to others.
August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean
Directed by Jude Sandy
February 24 – March 27, 2022
A lyrical masterpiece of myth and history
Set in 1904 Pittsburgh where slavery was still living memory, Gem of the Ocean offers a searing and mystical exploration of freedom, justice, and reclamation. Racked with secret guilt, a desperate Citizen Barlow seeks refuge at the home of ancient Aunt Ester. Renowned for soul cleansing, Ester sends Citizen on an epic journey to the City of Bones, to find redemption and renewed purpose. Gem of the Ocean chronologically begins August Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle, chronicling decade-by-decade African American experiences in the 20th century.
Sueño
Translated and adapted by José Rivera
From the play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Directed by Tatyana-Marie Carlo
April 7 – May 8, 2022
Love, revenge, dreams, and forgiveness
A humorous and haunting metaphysical story peppered with intentional anachronisms, Sueño is a contemporary reimagining of Life is a Dream, considered one of the jewels of the Spanish Golden Age. Years after a Spanish prince is imprisoned at birth based on astrological predictions, the young man is released to test the prophesies. Once freed, his actions could either earn him the throne or return him to a lifetime of isolation to question the very nature of reality and humanity.
Fairview
By Jackie Sibblies Drury
Directed by Jude Sandy
May 19 – June 19, 2022
Boldly challenging perceptions
This stunning Pulitzer-prize winner begins simply: It’s Grandma’s birthday, and Beverly needs the family’s celebration to be perfect. But her husband is no help, her sister is getting into the wine, her brother hasn’t arrived, and her teenage daughter’s secrets threaten to derail the day. Then this family comedy takes a surprising turn, becoming an unpredictable and thrillingly theatrical experience that boldly confronts perceptions of race and identity.
The Trinity Rep box office is located at 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI (though currently closed to in-person transactions) and can be reached by calling (401) 351-4242. Information and online ordering is available at trinityrep.com.
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