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The Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist and Tony-nominated theater artist chronicles an unseen history of America through a hand-picked selection from his epic 24-Decade pop odyssey, ranging from murder ballads to disco and everything in between. Co-Presented by FirstWorks with the Brown Arts Initiative.
$29-69 (Ticket price incl. $4 restoration fee)

Live music, dance, food, and visual art installations transformed the city for a four-day, multi-arts take-over of public spaces, parks, and outdoor stages in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. Artists from across the globe joined the Ocean State’s finest for a free outdoor party that inspireed the soul, fireed the spirit, and haed thousands dancing in the streets. Produced by the City of Providence with founding partner FirstWorks.

After a show-stopping collaboration with local musicians at PVDFest 2017, composer/violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (aka DBR) returns to launch a year long FirstWorks Artistic Ambassadorship reaching students across the state.

Director and media artist Lars Jan creates exciting installations that “weave the unraveling stories of water” by simulating floods in boxes while people perform everyday tasks inside them. He strives to create visceral beauty and discomfort with these “HOLOSCENES” disrupting public and private spaces with the collision of the human body in water.

Deeply influenced by traditional Creole, Cajun and Haitian music, as well as by American jazz and folk, Leyla McCalla is at once earthy and elegant, her sound vibrating with three centuries of history yet strikingly fresh and distinctive.

Famed costume designer Machine Dazzle will lead a workshop for budding designers in developing a glam look for the PVDFest Parade – Family Friendly! All materials provided.

Celebrate Italy with “a brilliant outfit who grab southern Italian traditional music by the neck and recast it in a dramatic style” –Songlines (UK)

Unexpected new music at the crossroads of Ukrainian folklore and theatre.

Add your name to an impressive list of Providence Champions for the Arts by joining our host committee for the PVDFEST Opening Night VIP Party! Get tickets here:

Join FirstWorks for a free Artist Up-Close Conversation with Master Choreographer Dwight Rhoden, former Alvin Ailey principal dancer, and the legendary Desmond Richardson, first African American principal dancer of the American Ballet Theater. Moderated by Julie Strandberg, co-founder of The American Dance Legacy Initiative, Artist-In-Residence and Founding Director of Dance at Brown University.