The View From Here

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe another year has passed and as I get older, it does seem to be passing much faster. Awhile back I read a short article in the Providence Monthly exulting over new leadership for Trinity Rep, the Anthenaeum and Rhode Island NPR . So, is it just me but did anyone notice that all three leaders (although coming from "outside") are White and male? Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised considering that Rhode Island is majority White and non-Hispanic, and actually increased its number of Whites since 2010 from 80% to 85% . Providence is definitely an anomaly in the Ocean State with people of color outnumbering White Non-Hispanics . However, these institutions are located in the heart of Providence and yet seemed unable to recruit and hire capable and talented women or people of color for these leadership positions. Is there really a dearth of such candidates? No, there isn't but institutions get stuck in the cycle of hiring those ...

I have to admit that I've been pleasantly surprised to see two local theaters putting on plays about race and racism. One was at Trinity Rep , which was a collection of one minute plays called Every 28 Hours although unfortunately only for one night (sheesh, is that all we get?) What wasn't a surprise were the abundant negative comments about the plays, and that about ten or so subscribers canceled their membership at the theater. The artistic director of Trinity Rep wrote an editorial to respond to the trollers and detractors. Another beloved theater institution, the Gamm , is tackling race and racism with the play The Rant , which, thankfully, is being performed for a month. I haven't read the comments but I'm sure they won't be much different than they were for Every 28 Hours. Despite all the negativity from some sectors in the community, I'm grateful that these two major playhouses are willing to address these important topics through the power of ...