What do you do at WaterFire?
Hi there, my name is Ed Cabral and I’m the manager of sponsorships and corporate relations at WaterFire Providence. I’ve been with WaterFire for just under two years.
What is something that people might not know about WaterFire that you think they should?
One of the things that people don’t know about WaterFire is that we’re a small organization with a small team that works behind the scenes. And the reason why people don’t understand that or know that is because we put such an amazing elaborate large production on downtown Providence with our WaterFire lightings.
What place are you looking forward to visiting after our pandemic shut-downs are over?
One of the things I’m really looking forward to is for the RISD Museum to open up and also for their program that they have called Think and Drink. You see amazing artwork. And then afterward you go out to their courtyard and have great cocktails and talk about the art. I just can’t wait for that to come back. One of the first things that I did once the economy opened up was to go and have a lobster roll. Yes, a delicious Rhode Island lobster roll, it was at Blount’s Clam Shack which is an awesome Rhode Island tradition. It was outside by the water and enjoying the company of people and just seeing folks for the first time outside was just wonderful.
Name an organization that impressed you with their pandemic response?
One of the organizations that has most impressed me during the pandemic has been the Wilbury Theatre Group. It’s an amazing production theater company located right here in little old Providence, Rhode Island. They have been able to pivot and put on programming via online streaming so that folks can still appreciate theater. We at WaterFire have been able to create a partnership with Wilbury Theatre and have put on several productions at the WaterFire Arts Center outside. The first production we did was the Decameron Providence, and now we’re currently working with them again because that was so successful, by the way, it got reviewed in The New York Times. The current production is called Fire Flowers and a Time Machine and it’s run was just extended through October 24.
So it’s really great to see two organizations coming together and sharing resources and bringing art to the community in these most amazing and challenging times.
I think that once we have the opportunity to do this again, it’s going to be really wonderful to see the river and see our city and see our friends and see our family and see all these folks that come from all over the world to see Rhode Island and to see WaterFire Providence through new eyes and through a new appreciation of what WaterFire brings to the community.
What hidden gem in our community do you think people should know about?
Tiny Bar in the Jewelry District in Providence does a great job of bringing people together in a very safe and comfortable way. All the tables are located outside, safely distanced from other tables, amongst a beautifully curated landscaped patio!
About WaterFire Staff Stories
Each week we will bring you stories of WaterFire from the perspective of our staff members. This series will feature short videos produced by each team member and they will be sharing stories and facts about our organization as well as their recommendations for places and activities around Rhode Island that you can enjoy.
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Support the WaterFire Relief Fund
For 25 years WaterFire has been transforming place and building community in downtown Providence with impacts that reach into every corner of Rhode Island. Unfortunately, we’ve had to indefinitely postpone the WaterFire season, losing the earned revenue on which our work depends. We need your help—now more than ever—to get us through this financial crisis.
About the author
I've worked at WaterFire Providence since 2003. For the first 9 years of my career, I worked in the Production Shop learning all of the details that go into the physical production of the event. In 2012 transitioned to the role of managing WaterFire's social media and web presence. I now head up WaterFire Providence's digital projects including, web, social, databases, and our physical IT infrastructure.
