Love this studio! We went to a different studio in another part of the state and are very happy we…read moremade the change. The staff and the owner are super friendly. The students and their families are very welcoming. My daughters both love it. And the best part of this change is the way they do their recital. They have their own performing arts center that has a VIP lounge and viewing screens outside the main stage area. The recital this past weekend was amazing. They did a really nice job on the new building. Obvious the owners take great pride in their business and invest lots back into it. We feel like we have found our new dance home/family.

The Talent Factory dance studio is very classy and professional in both their instruction and as a…read morebusiness! They groom dancers to be the best they can be! Whether you want to train to become a professional dancer or just want to take classes for fun, this is the studio to join! All of the instructors are top notch! The owners are also wonderful! The best Dance Studio around! We love being a part of the Talent Factory!

The owner never replied to my emails. My daughter was attending a couple of classes prior to the…read morepandemic and had paid $120 towards costumes she never received. We received no emails regarding their reopening but instead received an email that she needs to re-register for classes and pay the fees. I'd like to know where my $120 went.

Best dance and performing arts school around! Teachers are highly educated in their field and very…read moretalented -- never thought my kids could be so great in a show! And the shows are so much more than kids shows. Totally recommend

Not at all what I was expecting, but great fun nonetheless. Logistics: Parking wasn't too bad,…read morethere are lots adjacent to the theater that offered free parking within walking distance. The indoor theater offers a small snack and beverage area featuring quirky, on-theme cocktails based on the show experience. We were greeted warmly and checked in quickly by theater staff. Seating can be a challenge because it's an intimate setting with first come, first serve arrangements. The staff is clearly well-versed in getting ticket holders settled in and scoping out extra seats for standby seating. I consider this a small, quaint community theater with an array of unique players/cast members. I went to see Into the Woods and cackled all night at the high energy performance. The acoustics are phenomenal because Red Riding Hoods screams rang in my ears long after she stopped yelling. There are also outdoor shows and I am eager to return to see one of those outside performances.

I took my son to see In the Woods and we both loved it. The show was 2.5 hours long with an…read moreintermission in between. The cast was outstanding! This is a small venue, but done well. They sell drinks of all kinds, chips, and candy. There is plenty of parking highly recommended.

Excellent professional first run musicals in the heart of historic downtown Norwich. They always…read morefind stories with depth and intrigue.

Edwards Auditorium is one of the many performance venues at the University of Rhode Island. Guest…read morespeakers, musicians, dancers, and presentations take place in this moderately sized auditorium. The building has recently undergone improvements, so seats are more comfortable, bathrooms more accessible, and overall appearance is sharp. I love this auditorium because every event I have ever been to has seemed intimate. You aren't in a gym, or a sporting arena. You can actually see the person on stage, and become easily transported to their world. The audio system is fantastic, so you won't miss a word, nor a note. Events take place almost every weekend, and most are open to the public. I shy from giving this venue 5 stars because it does not have the best parking. If you are a student, one either walks, or knows the secret safe parking lots. If this is your first time to URI or to Edwards Auditorium, you have to search for open lots along Upper College Road. I would plan on giving yourself an extra 15 minutes to search, park, and then walk to the auditorium!

I was fortunate enough to have one of my plays included in the 2008 Playwrights' Conference, and…read moresince the playwrights are asked to stay for an entire month (even though our own workshops are only 1 week), I got to have the full-on O'Neil experience. While in Waterford I saw an extremely diverse batch of plays (in terms of style, content, and execution), a handful of so-new-they-wrote-the-music-yesterday musicals, and all kinds of special panels and events -- all worth the price of admission. The staff at the O'Neill were beyond friendly, and the creative team we worked out for my play were top-notch. My room in the cottage did what it needed, and a bit more by being a mere 50 feet from Blue Gene's Pub. The productions at the O'Neill are workshops, meant to help their creators refine and develop the work. Consequently, the actors have scripts in hand and the design is only sketched out. I thought this meant things would be pretty rudimentary, but I was surprised time and again at how there were just enough elements present to allow me to imagine a full production. The work they do is truly remarkable. I haven't a negative thing to say. If you can make it up, catch a show. You won't be disappointed.

Want to see theater no one has seen before? Check out the O'Neill Center. New plays, new…read moreplaywrights, musical readings, dramatic readings, a host of programs. Saw a terrific reading there today. They've got all kinds of programs running through the summer. There's a cute little cabin on the property where you can get a drink and a snack, and you can walk beautiful grounds right down to the water. They have indoor and outdoor theater settings and there's more than one thing going on at the same time. Very cool.

Excellent live theatre! Make a point to check them out this summer!…read more Flock's Summer Shakespeare Festival includes A Midsummer Night's Dream running in the Connecticut College Arboretum July 16-Aug 2; Romeo and Juliet running on the Custom House Pier August 6-16 and Richard III running in the Connecticut College Arboretum August 20-September 6 www.flocktheatre.org

Long Day's Journey Into Night…read more Reviewed by Edmond Chibeau Flock Theatre at Monte Cristo Cottage, New London 28 April 2018 Derron Wood, director With: Christie Williams as James Sr.; Anne Flammang, as Mary; Victor Chiburis, as Edmund; Eric Michaelian as Jamie; Madeleine Dauer as Cathleen. Monte Cristo living room This production takes place in the actual living room of O'Neill's childhood home at Monte Cristo Cottage in New London. Seeing the play in the room where the events actually took place give us an uncanny feeling of eavesdropping on the family. The room is small, so the audience is limited to 26 people. The performance I attended started at 9 in the morning and ended at about 9 at night. Director Derron Wood wanted the light to be entering the room at the angle it would have been when these events took place in the life of the O'Neill family. Stage directions in the script list Act 1 at 8:30 a.m., Act 2 at around 12:45 p.m., Act 3 at around 6:30, and Act 4 at around midnight. There was only one great performance in the production; it was given by all the actors working together. Every performer on stage played their part to perfection, and more importantly, they were all acting in the same play. Often when we go to the theatre we see as many different versions of the script as there are actors.In this case the cast was united in their interpretation. No grandstanding, no upstaging! To achieve that kind of unity, we need both a director who is able to communicate his particular understanding of the script to the players, and actors who are willing trust each other. Actors must listen to each other and live in the moment that is happening on stage. They must live the moment and allow the audience to see it, hear it, and share it. The actors must also trust the audience to stay with them. When they fail to trust the audience the performers "indicate" what they are feeling rather than live it. Each actor must be generous with the other actors and with the script they are performing. To be an actor you need a strong enough ego to be able to put up with rejection at auditions, and still believe you can share your insights with a large number of people. At the same time you need to be self-sacrificing enough to bend your personality to the character you are attempting to portray, and to share the stage with your fellow actors.The actor must decide if the script is to be a vehicle for pyrotechnic display of thespian prowess, or if that actor is to be the interlocutor who helps the audience feel the play. To achieve this higher calling, as this cast does, the actors must be yoked together in a kind of emotional performance-yoga where each harnesses and enlivens the energy and intelligence of the other. (The words yoke and yoga have the same Indo-European root) That performance-yoga must link the energy of the whole team. The script is full of transitions that take place in the middle of a speech. The characters emotions are whipsawed back and forth in a matter of moments. To try to do this on stage in a thousand seat theatre would require a kind of broad-gesture melodramatic acting that is anathema to Eugene O'Neill's vision of the dramatic art, but is the cornerstone of his father's approach. There are no stars in the play written by O'Neill, nor in this production directed by Derron Wood. But there is a constellation of integrity to be found in both the characters and the actors. Preston Whiteway, Executive Director of the Eugene O'Neill Center took a chance in allowing this production to take place in Monte Cristo Cottage. He was rewarded with a great production that should be repeated as a yearly event.

The little theater with a big heart is located in downtown Westerly Rhode Island. This theater…read morehosts musical and dramatic performances all year long and pulls talent from the local region. We saw Shrek! The Musical here as our first show and thoroughly enjoyed it. The theater itself is small (holds less than 200 people) and is located on the second floor. Bring a jacket, or something to cover up with because it's kept very cold (for the benefit of the performers). The stage is small but usable. The live music added a cozy touch that made you feel fully immersed in the production. Sometimes it was hard to hear the singing over the musicians, but that's a tech crew issue. The concessions sold soda, water, and Jonathan Edwards wine, and beer with cookies, chips, and crackers. The food and beverages were reasonably priced. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and would consider attending other shows.

I've seen a few productions at Granite. What a nice place to go. It's so important to support local…read moreestablishments-not to mention we a friends with one of the actors. The building is very charming and seems to take you back in time a little, without being stale or old feeling. Ample seating and every seat is close! Refreshments at a good price are a nice feature and being able to bring them into a show is a huge plus. Great place for a night out of any kind. Younger people need to go more! I notice every time I go, the average age is 70-75 years old with only a handful of younger folks like ourselves.