James Lucey

After closing for nearly 18 months, Burbage Theatre Co reopens for Season 10 with live performances and the Rhode Island Premiere of Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Logan Serabian.

It's always exciting when a young theatre company finds a place to call its own, a permanent home where it can grow creatively and grow hopefully long-lasting roots into the surrounding community and the local performing arts scene. Such is the case with Burbage Theatre Co., which has just opened its first ever show in their new space at 59 Blackstone Ave in Pawtucket. While the show, David Ives' The School for Lives is a bit uneven, it is an undeniably successful launch of this exciting new phase in the life of Burbage.

THE FLU SEASON is a darkly funny, incredibly touching and thoroughly strange production.  At its core, it's a simple story about love and relationships. The setting of a mental hospital, with additional commentary from two men known as Prologue and Epilogue, who are dueling over creating the story as it unfolds for the audience, complicates things and interjects unexpected twists and turns.  Burbage Theatre Company has never been afraid to take on the surreal and strange, and with The Flu Season, they have proven once again that odd little stories are in very good hands.  Under the expert direction of Wendy Overly, this simple premise becomes wholly immersive and heartbreaking.

Burbage Theatre Company continues their sixth season with the Rhode Island Premiere of 'The Flu Season' by Will Eno, directed by Wendy Overly, which opens previews Today November 4.

Burbage Theatre Company continues their sixth season with the Rhode Island Premiere of 'The Flu Season' by Will Eno, directed by Wendy Overly, which opens previews Friday November 4.

One might argue that Titus is the perfect kind of play for a bold young company like Burbage Theatre Company. Willing and able to take risks, to go places other theater companies might not be so interested in going. And while there are some high points for Burbage and their production, it seems that they've fallen into the trap of focusing too much on one thing, to the detriment of other important aspects of Shakespeare's work. Primarily, they seem to have spent most of the time perfecting all of that carnage, all the blood and gore, while not spending enough time on perfecting the actual text, the words and language that make up the work and create its true life. As a friend and Shakespearean scholar noted to me, “That's always the danger with Titus, I'm afraid,” and her fears would have been realized in this production.

After their sold-out run of 'Happy Birthday, Wanda June', Burbage Theatre Company presents the Rhode Island Theatrical Premiere of TITUS ANDRONICUS, the first tragedy written by William Shakespeare, directed by Jeff Church, which is the second and final play in the Burbage Theatre Company's winter series, This Winter's War. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the company onstage below!

After their sold-out run of 'Happy Birthday, Wanda June', Burbage Theatre Company presents the Rhode Island Theatrical Premiere of 'Titus Andronicus' the first tragedy written by William Shakespeare, directed by Jeff Church, which opens previews tonight, February 18, as the second and final play in the Burbage Theatre Company'swinter series, This Winter's War. 

After their sold-out run of 'Happy Birthday, Wanda June', Burbage Theatre Company presents the Rhode Island Theatrical Premiere of 'Titus Andronicus' the first tragedy written by William Shakespeare, directed by Jeff Church, which opens previews February 18 as the second and final play in the Burbage Theatre Company'swinter series, This Winter's War. 

Plays, like anything else, come in all shapes and sizes. There are the extra-long, three hour epics. And there are the much shorter forms, such as one-acts, which can sometimes be just as epic. You can certainly craft an exceptional piece of drama in a short period of time, even something as short as ten minutes. On the other hand, some of these shorter works can feel like a story and a journey cut too short, leaving the audience wanting more, and such is the case with John Kolvenbach's Love Song, currently being presented by Burbage Theatre Company at Aurora Providence.

The Burbage Theatre Company opens previews of the second installment of their summer rep series -- 'LOVE SONG' by John Kolvenbach -- tonight, August 20 at 7 p.m. at Aurora Providence, 276 Westminster St, downtown Providence.

The Burbage Theatre Company opens previews of the second installment of their summer rep series -- 'LOVE SONG' by John Kolvenbach -- on Thursday, August 20 at 7 p.m. at Aurora Providence, 276 Westminster St, downtown Providence.

It may be something rare when a theater company is able to utilize its two performances spaces at the same time to feature two plays which are extremely similar yet completely different in important ways. Two plays that deal with similar issues and in a sense tell the same story, or kind of story, but execute that story with vastly differing results. Such is the case at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, where the current production in the UpStage space, Seminar, bares a striking resemblance to the just-closed production that playe din the DownStage space, Collected Stories. While Collected Stories was a finely crafted study of two nuanced and textured characters, Seminar is the exact opposite. This play, written by Theresa Rebeck, doesnt even begin to scratch beneath any surfaces as it deals with four writers who are participating in a writing seminar with a well-known, past-his-prime writer of fiction. As the seminar progresses over the course of a number of weeks, we begin to see conflicts arise as the egos, insecrities, passions, dreams and failures of the writers, young and old, tumble together and clash.

An arguably wise person once told me there are four major issues that can potentially ruin any relationship. They are, 'money, religion, sex and family.' Hard to argue with that. For the moment, let's take out three and just focus on one of those issues: religion. It's a topic that can be thorny at best and downright destructive at worst. It can lead people to violent extremes but also guide them to extreme peace and tranquility. And it's the issue at the heart of a funny, moving and thought-provoking play called A Bright New Boise, currently playing in the Downstage space at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren.

The 2nd Story company very ably presents this character-driven, dialogue-heavy piece, and under the smart direction of Mark Peckham, 'Dancing at Lughnasa' unfolds plainly and naturally.

Peter Shaffer creates an intriguing piece of historical fiction by recognizing that the most forceful and compelling of human foibles often emerge clearly in situations of artistic rivalry.