Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, Lynne McCormack, Director, and the Department of Public Parks, Robert F. McMahon, Superintendent, are pleased to announce the Celebrate Providence! 2008 Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative. This program brings music, dance and theatre into neighborhood parks throughout the city. All events are free and open to the public.

This week's events
Friends Of Elmhurst Present The Gnomes, August 28, 6pm, Fargnoli Park

Jump! Dance Company, August 29, 12pm, Burnside Park

For more information about all of the events please click here.

September 6, 10am - 3pm, Dunkin' Donuts Center, One LaSalle Square, Free And Open To The Public This event will offer patrons an exclusive behind the scenes look at the newly renovated building. With interactive games, contests, dance lessons, facility tours and more, it promises to be an exciting and fun-filled experience for the whole family. For more information please click here.

Legally Blonde
September 21 & 23 - 28, Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, Tickets Are $46 - $73.
"It's here, and it's "AN ELLE OF A SHOW" (TIME Magazine). The hilarious MGM film is Broadway's new smash hit musical, and now Legally Blonde The Musical is coming to you. For more information please click here.

Dan Zane & Friends
October 11, Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, Tickets Are $15 - $30.
It's Woodstock for kids! In the world of family music, Grammy Award-winning Dan Zanes is a total superstar. The former lead singer for The Del Fuegos, Dan and his band perform exuberant folk-rock music for enthusiastic kids and their equally enthusiastic parents. This event is part of the FirstWorks Festival. For more information please click here.

The Rite Of Spring
October 21, Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset Street, Tickets Are $18 - $38.
Fourteen utterly distinct dancers from Mali, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal come together for Heddy Maalem's interpretation of The Rite of Spring. This event is part of the FirstWorks Festival. For more information please click here.

To view the complete schedule please click here.

August 30, 7:22pm, Sponsored By Working RI. WaterFire Providence, the award-winning sculpture by Barnaby Evans, installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence, has been praised by Rhode Island residents and international visitors alike as a powerful work of art and a moving symbol of Providence's renaissance. For more information please click here.

RiverWalk: Providence Walking Tour
Evenings Of Full WaterFire Lightings, 5:30pm, Departs From John Brown House Museum, 52 Power Street, Tickets Are $10. This walk shares the stories of the Providence waterfront and its early development while introducing the phenomenon known as WaterFire. For more information please click here.

The Dreams of Antigone
September 19 - October 26, Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street, Tickets Are $20 - $60. In the hands of artistic director Curt Columbus, one of the world's oldest plays becomes a modern-day retelling of an ancient story of courage and faith that asks the question: can one person change the world? For more information please click here.

The Receptionist
December 5 - January 11, Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street, Tickets Are $20 - $60. "Can I put you into his voicemail?" Client meetings, pastry, romantic advice and personal calls - it's business-as-usual at the Northeast Office. Or is it? This hilarious new play bristles with humor before pulling the rug right out from underneath you. For more information please click here.

To view all the performances please click here.

Bug
September 18 - October 19, Providence Black Repertory Company, 275 Westminster Street, Tickets Are $20 For Adults, $10 For Children & Seniors A handsome drifter. A lonely waitress. A cheap motel. But what's that crawling across the bed? Reality slowly blurs and suspense turns to horror, as this darkly comic thriller explores the line between conspiracy theory and actual conspiracy. A tale of love, paranoia, and the grip of government, Bug will get under your skin.

To view the complete schedule please click here.

Through September 1, Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Admission Is $3 For Adults And $2 For Children In Addition To The Regular Zoo Admission. At Flutterby, you'll wander through a picturesque greenhouse filled with hundreds of North America's most beautiful butterfly species. And just as butterflies fill the air, striking flowers and nectar plants cover the ground, an enticement to bring these "flowers in flight" even closer - perhaps even close enough to land right on you! For more information please click here.

Greater Kennedy Plaza is being transformed into a lively public square, rich with activity. The area includes Burnside Park, Kennedy Plaza, the Skating Center and Biltmore Park. Stay tuned here each week to find out what's going on!

Week of August 28- September 3

Thursday, August 28, Market Bazaar Thursday Check out lovely antiques, art and more. Join us each week this summer as Market Thursday grows!

Thursday, August 28, 11:30am - 1:30pm, Performance By Fishing With Finnegan's

Friday, August 29, 11am - 2pm, Farmer's Market
Shop for tasty harvests from RI farms here along the sidewalk at Burnside Park. Choose from a selection of foods fresh from the fields and meet the people who grow your meal!
Friday, August 29, 12pm, Celebrate Providence! with Jump! Dance Company. The Jump! Dance Company will be showing their inventive moves that draw from everyday sights and things in nature. This dance company is transcendent in its thought.

Saturday, August 30, 4pm - 8pm, Burnside Park, R&B Heritage Festival Presented by Rhode Island Rhythm and Blues Preservation Society with free performances featuring a variety of R& B styles as well as spoken word.

Sunday, August 31, 2pm - 8pm, Burnside Park, Rhythm & Soul Sunday Chill with friends at the weekly gathering inside Burnside Park to celebrate culture, community and the city. Featuring music DJ's with the AfroSonic Collective and resident drummers as presented by The Black Repertory Company.

Tuesday, September 2, 11am - 3:30pm, Public Square Tuesday Come on down to find out what volunteer opportunities local non-profit agencies have to offer and grab a Del's lemonade while you're there! This week: AIDS Care Ocean State, All Children's Theatre, Providence Black Repertory Company, Boys Town New England, Caritas, Center for Preventive Medicine, Community Congress/ Feinstein Institute, DARE-Direct Action for Rights and Equality, Green Party of RI, Make-A-Wish Foundation of RI, Ovations for the Cure, Pregnacy and Child Health Studies-The Miriam Hospital, Providence Animal Rescue League, Rhode Island Housing, RI HUD Tenant Project, RI Foster Parents Association.

For more information on all the great things going on in Kennedy Plaza please click here.

Providence Latin American Film Festival Fundraiser

September 17, 6pm - 8pm, Conleys Wharf, 200 Allens Avenue, 4th Floor, Tickets Are $60. Get a taste of hot, cool and hip wines from all over South America. The wine expert for the evening is Michael Green from Gourmet Magazine and the appetizers will be prepared by David Reynoso from Al Forno Resturant. For more information please call 401-383-3688.

Call To Galleries And Fine Art Stores. The City of Providence's Department of Art, Culture + Tourism is in the process of revamping their web site. One of the key new features is the addition of an interactive Gallery/Fine Art guide. If you have a gallery, fine art store, art supply store, etc that is not currently listed on their web site, please click here to email Michael Christofaro with the name, location, contact info, brief description and high resolution photograph (300dpi) of your business.

Craftland 2008 Call For Artists. The Craftland 2008 application is now available online and they are hoping you and/or your crafty friends will apply! Craftland is a holiday craft show in a unique consignment store format in downtown Providence. Craftland 2008 will be open seven days a week, from December 5-24th. For more information and to download an application please click here.

Call To Artists: Fine Furnishings Show. Artists working in all media are invited to apply to exhibit and sell their work at the 2008 Fine Furnishings & Fine Craft Shows taking place at the RI Convention Center on October 24 - 26. A small selection of booths is still available, including the popular and affordable half booth size. Applications to exhibit can be downloaded by clicking here.

RISCA Call For Art. The Rhode Island State Council On the Arts is pleased to announce a new call for public art for all visual artists at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in downtown Providence. The deadline for entries is September 26. Interested parties may learn more about the project by clicking here.

PPSRI Walking Tour Leaders Needed. The Providence Preservation Society is looking for individuals interested in leading walking tours for elementary and middle school students. Upon completing a 2.5 day training provided by PPS, docents are asked to make a one-year commitment to the program. This year's training will take place September 23-25 and will concentrate on the College Hill and Fox Point neighborhoods. For more information please contact Kathleen McAreavey at 401-831-440 X 103 or click here.

RI Civic Chorale and Orchestra Auditions, September 3 @ 7:30pm & September 6 @ 10:30am, Rhode Island College, Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Room 198. All those interested in singing with this critically acclaimed chorus are encouraged to contact the RI Civic Chorale and Orchestra either via phone at 521-5670 or via email at info@ricco.org.

Open Call To Child Actors. Trinity Repertory Company will be holding an open call for child actors on Saturday, September 27, from 9am to 1pm at Cardi's Furniture Superstore (Route 1A, South Attleboro, MA) for its 32nd annual production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, directed by Liesl Tommy. Children ages 8-12 are welcome to audition, although children who turn 13 before December 31, 2008, are not eligible. No appointment is necessary for the auditions but you must click here to download an audition packet.

All Children's Theatre Fall Class Enrollment. The classes, which are open to all children from the ages of 2-14 are mainly held at ACT's performance venue at the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School on the East Side of Providence. Acting classes introduce children to the world of theatre. Classes bring out a student's creativity, self confidence and increase their reading and public speaking skills. For more information please click here.

Perishable Theatre Classes Now Enrolling. After a summer of fixing up its dance studio and carefully listening to student needs, Perishable Theatre Arts School is ready for new and returning students to join its fall classes. All classes meet at Perishable Theatre 95 Empire Street, Downtown Providence. For more information call Perishable Theatre Arts School, 401-331-2695 ext. 102. For full class descriptions and course tuition please click here.

Become An Artist Mentor At New Urban Arts. Arts mentoring at New Urban Arts is a wonderful opportunity for artists and educators to learn how to effectively work with high school students in a community setting. Artist Mentors are nurturing, resourceful, flexible, open to taking risks, willing to learn, and able to commit 6 hours per week from October 2008 - May 2009. The dealine to apply is September 12. To download an application please click here.