Wilbury Theatre Group To Present SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS Rhode Island Premiere

Wilbury Theatre Group will present the Rhode Island premiere of Small Mouth Sounds by Drama Desk Award Winner Bess Wohl, directed by Tanya Martin.

The cast features Beth Alianiello, Harry Aspinwall, Olivia Hodson, Amie Lytle, Jennifer Mischley, Dave Rabinow and Stuart Wilson with scenic design by Keri King, prop design by Monica Shinn, costume design by Dustin Thomas and sound and lighting design by Andy Russ.

The production runs January 29 - February 15, 2026. Tickets, available through the Wilbury Group's Access for All pay-what-you-can ticketing program ranging from $10 - $55, are now on sale at thewilburygroup.org.

In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect. Filled with awkward and insightful humor, Small Mouth Sounds is a unique and compassionate play that asks how we address life's biggest questions when words fail us.

"Small Mouth Sounds is one of those rare plays that quietly disarms you," said Wilbury's Artistic Director Josh Short. "With the success of Bess Wohl's new hit Liberation on Broadway, she continues to be one of the most prolific and perceptive playwrights working in the American theatre today. Ten years after its debut, Small Mouth Sounds continues to speak to an enduring need for connection, meaning, and healing in an increasingly isolating world. I couldn't be more excited to see how Tanya Martin and the incredible cast and creative team we've assembled bring this story to life for audiences, reminding us of the power, and limits, of silence."

Wohl was initially inspired to write this work after attending a silent retreat, herself, led by a Buddhist nun. In an interview with Los Angeles Magazine, she explains: "Part of what I'm interested in is the way we make a host of assumptions about someone before meeting them. Somebody enters, and you go, 'Oh, I know that guy'...I'm casting the audience as detectives and you discover whether your assumptions were confirmed or contradicted...The goal is a partnership between the actors and the audience-meeting each other halfway."