Wilbury Theatre Group presents People of Earth by The Gillen Street Ensemble

The Wilbury Theatre Group presents, People of Earth by The Gillen Street Ensemble, on Sunday, October 29 starting at 7:00 p.m. The performance will take place in the Wilbury Theatre Group’s performance space inside the WaterFire Arts Center. Suggested admission is $5, a ‘pay what you can’ model.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

This musical improvisation collective is composed of nine members including Umberto Crenca, Susan Clausen, Christopher Anderson, Alan Greco, Alice Jackson, Armando Crenca, Cliff Wood, Mitch Mackenzie, and Heather Ahern. Guests can anticipate a combination of music, spoken word, movement, and video projections.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The Gillen Street Ensemble is a group of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and musical influences.

We come together periodically to eat, talk, and play music.

The sessions are pure improvisation, any perceived structure is a result of the natural tendency of humans to find form in chaos.

There are no limits to the sounds and timbres that may be employed. What we do might be classified as anti-pop; more likely to provoke than entertain.

Think of it as a group of individuals with different palettes. Sometimes our colors clash, sometimes they compliment each other and sometimes they blend. There will be conflicts, tensions, dissonance and on occasion, harmony.

Sometimes a member may drop out of the conversation, sometimes everyone will talk at once. It may happen that a player will be too shy to speak or at a loss for words.

At times, one or all of us will whisper. At times all or one of us will scream. At all times, we strive for expression; expression that is fundamentally abstract, universal, felt and in the moment.

A public performance may include spoken word, projections, movement, sculpture and possibly additional guest performers.

What we request of you as an audience is that you watch, listen and determine for yourself if through our demonstration that while retaining one’s individuality, community is possible.

This performance coincides with DIVINE PROVIDENCE, a salon-style month-long exhibition by Umberto “Bert” Crenca on view from Thursday, October 12 through Sunday, November 12, 2023 at the gallery of the WaterFire Arts Center. Crenca’s paintings offer a genuine, loving yet unsentimental perspective of urban Providence. His art portrays the lesser-explored aspects of the city, from its corners and crevices to the in-between spaces. Each piece celebrates the beauty found in everyday life and captures the essence of the city’s neighborhoods from the perspective of a longtime resident. Although each individual DIVINE PROVIDENCE painting can captivate with its unique details and character, the series, consisting of over 250 pieces, is best seen as a cohesive installation.

The gallery at the WaterFire Arts Center hours will be extended on the night of this performance to allow visitors access to the gallery before the performance starts and for a short time after the conclusion.

Additional exhibition-related events:

• Thursday, October 19, FireBall Gala, a fundraiser for WaterFire Providence, honoring Umberto Crenca with a WaterFire Impact Award for Creative Impact
• Wednesday, November 8, starting at 6pm In Conversation with the Artist, Umberto Crenca joins us in discussion with WaterFire Programs Coordinator, Grechel Rosado and ArtLab@WaterFire Fellow, Calvin Sangster Jr. in the gallery.