SPOTLIGHT ON:

The Olneyville Expo

THE OLNEYVILLE EXPO video was filmed and edited by Don Mays.

Developed by James Stanley, Jesse Hawley and Resident Playwright Darcie Dennigan in collaboration with members of the community, and presented as part lecture series, part variety show, and part dance party, The Expo was an eclectic bilingual performance by, that borrowed both the variety format and the ethics of education and uplift from 19th Expositions, Chautauqua's, and Worlds Fairs.

Presented in Olneyville's Donigian Park during The 2019 Providence Fringe Festival, The Olneyville Expo brought together more than two dozen community groups, historians, ecologists, storytellers, artists, performers, engineers and artisans to create a collaborative portrait of the space we share. 

The 2019 Olneyville Expo was created by Darcie Dennigan, Jesse Hawley, and James Stanley on behalf of The Wilbury Theatre Group, in collaboration with the City of Providence Dept. of Arts, Culture, and Tourism; and with support from WaterFire Providence, TROOP, the National Endowment for the Arts, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, ​and The Rhode Island Foundation. 

View photos from the event and more at fringepvd.org/olneyville-expo.

About Our Work in the Community

The Wilbury Group believes that encouraging diversity and dialogue in our community are essential components to our reason for being. 

​With our Community Partnerships and Educational Opportunities, by offering our Performance Space as a resource to our community, Pay-What-You-Will performances for every production, and more, we strive to complement the work on our stages with our efforts to be thoughtful and engaged members of our evolving Olneyville neighborhood.

Community Partnerships
The Wilbury Theatre Group strives to build bridges and create empathy in all our work. For us, this means connecting with like-minded community organizations committed to developing a more connected community in Olneyville, Providence, Rhode Island, and beyond. 

To date, these partnerships have included ongoing partnerships on the Providence Fringe Festival with WaterFire Providence, the Steel Yard, AS220, and dozens of other organizations throughout Providence. In addition, over the years we've produced many projects in collaboration with the ​Spectrum Theatre Ensemble, Olneyville Community Library, YMCA of Providence, ​Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Camp Shakesweird!, Youth Pride RI, and many, many more. 

​Want to collaborate with us on something? Email Josh.

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Ticket Discounts and Donations
We believe in removing barriers to the theater, and so The Wilbury Group offers ongoing deeply-discounted tickets through partnerships with the Lifelong Learning Collaborative, Hamilton House, Resist Rhode Island, and to residents of our Olneyville neighborhood through United Way Rhode Island, ONE Neighborhood Builders, and the Olneyville Collaborative.

For college and high school students, $5 tickets are available using the discount code COLLEGE.

In addition to our reduced-price tickets, The Wilbury Group opens our doors to students and audiences across the region by donating hundreds of tickets every year to schools, veteran programs, playwright organizations, community organizations, nonprofits, and our neighbors as requested.

Looking for a ticket donation? Email us to request one here. 

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Free Adult Classes and Youth Playmaking Program 
The Wilbury Theatre Group offers drop-in Pay-What-You-Can classes to Youth and Adults on a rolling basis at the theatre. View current class offerings. 

Our Youth Playmaking Program allows high school students to produce theatre on their own terms. Adults serve only in an advisory capacity - youth are given complete artistic freedom to produce theatre the way they want. The program is completely free to all participants. All resources, including adult time and rehearsal/performance space are donated. Learn more about our Youth Playmaking program.

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Free and Subsidized Space Sharing
The Wilbury Group frequently opens our doors to not-for-profit community groups and arts organizations, providing free or deeply discounted space for these organizations to use. The Wilbury Group has shared our space at free or deeply reduced rates to the Manton Avenue Project, Living Literature, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, DESIGNxRI, Dramatists Guild​, the Olneyville Collaborative, neighborhood associations, and many agencies serving common community needs. 

Have a great cause but need a space to make it happen? Send us an email.