Rae Mancini

After last season’s splendid ‘The Oldest Profession,’ Burbage Theatre Company and WomensWork Theatre Collaborative join forces again for ‘Playhouse Creatures,’ April De Angelis’s fascinating portrait of five females from late 17th-century England who were able to pursue careers on stage after King Charles II overturned the Puritan law that previously forbid them from doing so.

It's the final week left to vote for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

There's just two weeks left to vote and we have the latest standings as of Monday, December 18th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

It's December, and the first standings of the month have been announced as of Tuesday, December 5th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

Happy Holidays! The latest wave of standings have been announced as of Monday, November 27th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Rhode Island Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

What did our critic think of THE OLDEST PROFESSION at Burbage Theatre Company?

After a widely successful first round of streaming events, The Wilbury Group announces new events to be streamed through May 6. In addition to the previously announced performances of New and Dangerous Ideas by Christopher Johnson and CVK.

In the forty years since its debut, Sam Shepard's 'True West' has been lauded for its stark portrayal of the duality of the American soul. The Gamm Theatre has mounted a visually compelling production with penetrating performances that slice to the heart of Shepard's darkly comedic vision.

WomensWork Theatre Collaborative presents My Left Breast by Susan Miller and directed by Lynne Collinson. The play features Rae Mancini, MJ Daly, and Joanne Fayan.

WomensWork Theatre Collaborative presents My Left Breast by Susan Miller and directed by Lynne Collinson. The play features Rae Mancini, MJ Daly, and Joanne Fayan.

Juliet was traditionally played by a boy. A man played Medea. For centuries, women have been consigned to play lesser parts in the creation and production of theater. And even as progress is being made, gender and age parity, onstage and off, continues to be a major issue in the theater. 

It may seem a bit odd to base a play on a movie, but when one considers that SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE was co-written by Tom Stoppard and won him an Academy Award, it becomes a no-brainer.  Under the capable direction of Jeff Church this witty and heart-warming story comes alive in a new way that will make you laugh out loud and also feel awfully smart. The script is chock full of references to other Shakespeare plays/themes and well-known writers of the day, then layered with a tale of two star-crossed lovers portraying star crossed lovers.  Set in the round, this production hits all the right notes and is cerebral, fun and perfectly cast.

There is nothing quite like a powerfully delivered sermon. Even non-believers may find themselves getting chills in the presence of impassioned oratory, regardless of the subject matter. That seems to be a central point of young Jean Lee's CHURCH, currently playing at The Wilbury Theatre Group. Similar to last year's production of Lee's Straight White Men, she again toys with typical expectations, this time of religious services, and manages to be somewhat heartwarming while also being confounding. But lack of solid direction and movement leaves the production feeling much longer than it is, despite an exceptionally talented cast.

In CHURCH, 'the best playwright of her generation' (The New York Times) Young Jean Lee transforms her life-long struggle with Christianity into an exuberant church service. This church of celebration is designed to test the expectations of religious and non-religious alike. Never content with simple parody, Lee aims to give herself and her audiences a true religious experience.

Women in business in the 1950's--not the easiest row to hoe.

Rona Jaffe's mid-century page-turner electrified millions of women who saw their own lives reflected in the experiences of five young employees of a New York publishing house. Julie Kramer's adaptation touchingly and faithfully captures Jaffe's incisive look at the personal and professional struggles these women faced (face?) in their male-dominated world, bringing it to colorful theatrical life with sympathy, wit, intelligence and love.

MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY takes place in the near future, and then further into the future, and then way into the future as the world as we knew it becomes increasingly distorted and warped seemingly via a century long game of telephone.  It's a play that analyzing will just leave a person more discombobulated, so it's probably best to just strap in any enjoy the ride.  Regardless of whether or not you understand it, you will come away thoroughly entertained by the phenomenal cast and skillful music direction of Wilbury favorite David Tessier.  The people Wilbury Theatre Group are masters of the strange and unexpected, and even if the audience can't completely grasp what's going on, the cast has everything handled, so that it's best to just sit in their thrall and trust that we're all going to make it out ok.

MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn, directed by Brien Lang, is currently playing at The Wilbury Theatre Group. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Di and Viv and Rose makes its New England premiere on November 25 in a production directed by Kate Kataja and featuring Milly Massey, Melissa Penick, and Rae Mancini.

The Wilbury Theatre Group announces the New England premieres of Young Jean Lee's Straight White Men and Amelia Bullmore's Di and Viv and Rose, running in rotating performances November 17-December 23.