After a pause in 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. Details are at www.trinityrep.com/21-22.
To prepare and ramp back up for the upcoming season, Trinity Rep will be hiring 40 full- and part-time positions over the coming months. Job opportunities can be found at www.trinityrep.com/jobs.
The season, the company’s 58th, marks the return to in-person performances after a year of primarily digital programming. It also marks the reemergence of an organization fresh from a series of strategic changes developed during the past year. Prompted by the demands of We See You White American Theatre – a collective of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) theater artists – and Trinity Rep’s own BIPOC actors, Trinity Rep embarked on a journey to make structural changes that would result in a stronger, more accessible, and more equitable organization. Though the work has no end point, several aspects will improve access to the 2021-22 season, including significant increases in the number of seats available at the lowest ticket price points and the number of Open Caption performances for audiences who are Deaf and hard of hearing. The organization also upgraded its assistive listening system during the hiatus.
The Arthur P. Solomon and Sally E. Lapides Artistic Director Curt Columbus and his team worked to select shows that would reflect Trinity Rep’s antiracism commitment and remind audiences what live theater can do that other art forms cannot.
“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,” Columbus said. “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. 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.”
Also high on the organization’s priorities is providing a safe and healthy environment for audiences, artists, and staff when performances resume. While optimistic about the rate of vaccination and decline in new COVID-19 cases, a delayed start to the season seemed the most prudent course, especially given the multi-month lead time and investment required to produce, rehearse, and build live theater. Trinity Rep will update its full health and safety plan prior to the start of performances. The current safety protocols can be found at www.trinityrep.com/publichealth.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the health and safety of our artists, staff, students, audiences, and community have been of the utmost importance,” Executive Director Tom Parrish said. “Trinity Rep’s Health Advisory Committee and numerous trained staff COVID-19 Safety Officers have been guiding and monitoring our safety plans. Patrons can rest assured that we will have protocols and systems in place that meet or exceed health and safety guidance when we resume performances.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here