​A howl against entropy.
​A gesture toward awareness.
​An intimation of the sacred silence at the center of it all.

*WORLD PREMIERE*

FROM HERE TO WHERE

BOOK BY UMBERTO CRENCA
MUSIC BY THE GILLEN STREET ENSEMBLE

​PERFORMANCES​
SEPTEMBER 18 - OCTOBER 5

Part lyrical sermon, part political exorcism, and part late-night jam session, From Here to Where is an ensemble-driven living composition that confronts questions of existence, power, and transformation. Structured less like a story and more like a reckoning, it unfolds through monologue, music, movement, sculpture, film, and satire—swerving between psychic vignettes, sacred ritual, and primal scream.

At the heart of the piece is The Gillen Street Ensemble - Heather Ahern, Chris Anderson, Susan Clausen, Umberto Crenca, Alan Greco, Alice Jackson (a.k.a. Cyberbully), Mitch Mackenzie and Cliff Wood and dancers Amy Maria Burns, Nina Kossler, and Michelle Salgueiro -  whose performances are simultaneously intentional and abstract. With additional design by Monica Shinn, Andy Russ, Jason Sall, Jacob Dixon, and stage management by Maxime Hendrikse Liu - ​what may appear formless gradually reveals a delicate outline of connection. No two shows will be the same. You can never step into the same river twice. But it is unmistakably a piece—clashing, harmonizing, fiddling at the edge of collapse.

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NEWS + MEDIA

​"At 74, Umberto Crenca is still wrestling with the existential questions about the meaning of life and existence that, as a young man, he thought he would have pinned down by now. As a not-young man, those nagging questions about the nature of existence itself have become prescient. Crenca is now taking some of that dialogue to the stage to open the Wilbury Theatre Group's 2025-26 season. 'I am trying, through all of this, to calm myself for what is inevitable. I dream of a peaceful passing, from here to where,' Crenca said during a telephone interview, quoting from one of his lines in the show..."
- READ THE PREVIEW ARTICLE IN THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

“Our inner relationship with each other and the universe is a perfect place to come out of a sort of a jam. This piece is a mix of sort of through composed and written work and choreography, along with a lot of improvisation. So you'll never see the show twice...And it sort of starts at a place, an individual place, in Bert, and then really works its way through collectively into the universal sort of big questions. I don't know if we answer them, but we definitely ask them, and we ask them in all kinds of ways to be processed consciously, subconsciously.”
- INTERVIEW W/ GILLEN STREET ENSEMBLE'S ​CLIFF WOOD ON BARTHOLOMEWTOWN

"As you enter the Wilbury Theatre, you see a sign hanging that reads in Italian, “In bocca al lupo.” This is an Italian idiom translating to “into the wolf’s mouth,” which is commonly used to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance or challenging task, similar to ‘break a leg.’ A typical response might be, “Crepi il lupo,” meaning “May the wolf die.” This production screams, ‘There’s something wrong. I need to fix this now! Let’s do it!’ As art is open to interpretation, you get to decide who, or what, the wolf is."
- MOTIF Magazine REVIEW

"With a uniquely rugged magnetism, the show’s creator, Umberto Crenca, leads you on a wild, unrestrained journey which he calls “part lyrical sermon, part political exorcism".... From Here to Where is exploratory and experimental. It’s chaotic and loud. It’s a protest– an escape. You will find substance and meaning here if you’re open to it. Unlike most theatrical experiences, this show is not necessarily meant to be understood; it is meant to be felt and experienced. It cannot be defined or confined. From Here to Where will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is, in a way, for everyone."
- Theater Mirror REVIEW

"'From Here to Where' is traveling through a landscape they have all created, discovering new places along the way.  "It's aim is to feed the soul and provide an escape from this crazy world we live in."  And that's so true, this 75-minute musical tour de force goes by as if it was like 5 minutes.  When the standing ovation came, I literally had to check my watch because I didn't believe the 75 minutes had come and gone.  You just get caught up in the incredible music, dancing and poetry and you lose yourself, something we all need a little bit of these days....'From Here To Where' is another original musical triumph for Wilbury Theatre, and for all of us...."
- Broadway World REVIEW

"If you’re looking for a traditional musical theater experience with a linear narrative and easy conclusions, this isn’t the show you’re looking for, but I would challenge you to go anyway. There will always be another production of Seussical (no hate intended), but this is something rare, the kind of art that is less frequently made and even more scarcely offered for public consumption these days. You’ll leave feeling energized, perhaps charged toward change, and definitely with something to talk about."
- WPRO REVIEW

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Umberto (Bert) Crenca is a multidisciplinary artist with a long exhibition and performance history. His work appears in the permanent collections of the Rhode Island School of Design and Newport Art Museums, and in numerous private collections in the US and abroad. Bert’s most recent work is an ongoing series of paintings called DIVINE PROVIDENCE, a loving but unsentimental glimpse into the corners, crevices and in-between spaces in which life happens in the city.

Well known for being co-founder and longtime artistic director of AS220, a nonprofit center for the arts in downtown Providence, Bert is a passionate advocate of the conviction that all people should have access to the means to cultivate and express their creativity. He has received numerous honors and awards for his community work and holds honorary doctorates from Roger Williams and Brown Universities.

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ON SALE NOW

2025/26 Memberships

Join us at for Season 16 at Providence's home for groundbreaking artists and adventurous audiences. Membership includes admission to our 2025/26 Main Series productions and special events, including Rhode Island premieres of Bess Wohl's Small Mouth Sounds and Girl from North Country by Conor McPherson with music by Bob Dylan, the New England premieres of Dave Malloy's Chamber Musical Octet and Lilana Padilla's How to Defend Yourself and the world premiere of From Here to Where by Umberto Crenca with music by The Gillen Street Ensemble.

Become a Member for our 2025/26 Season today ​and never miss a thing.

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ABOUT

Providence's award-winning, not-for-profit professional theatre company, the Wilbury Theatre Group engages our community in thought-provoking conversation through new works, reimagined classics and adventurous playmaking. We are idealistic, ambitious, and stubborn in our resolve to create theatre that entertains, enlightens, and inspires.

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