THE WILBURY THEATRE GROUP and WATERFIRE PROVIDENCE present FIRE FLOWERS AND A TIME MACHINE (FLORES DE FUEGO Y UNA MÁQUINA DEL TIEMPO)
Presented October 1-17 outdoors at the WaterFire Arts Center and the nearby American Locomotive Works campus, ‘Fire Flowers’ is a bilingual performance event directed by Shey Rivera Ríos and featuring work from fifteen performance artists on topics from immigration, ancestral inheritance, and our current moment.
THE WILBURY THEATRE GROUP
PROVIDENCE, RI — The Wilbury Theatre Group and WaterFire Providence announce the second performance collaboration between the two arts organizations, FIRE FLOWERS AND A TIME MACHINE (FLORES DE FUEGO Y UNA MÁQUINA DEL TIEMPO), presented October 1-17. Directed by Shey Rivera Ríos, a Resident Artist with the Wilbury Group, FIRE FLOWERS follows health guidelines developed by the Wilbury Group and WaterFire providence in consultation with health experts, and takes audiences on a time-traveling journey through space and time to meet ancestors from long ago.
Directed by Shey Rivera Ríos, the production features work developed and performed by Sussy Santana, Saúl Ramos Espola, Maritza Martell, Becci Davis, April Brown, Lilly E. Manycolors, Laura Lamb Brown-Lavoie, Matt Garza, Gina Rodríguez-Drix, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, Eli Nixon, Janaya Kizzie, and Rachel Hughes.
“In Decameron we saw that audiences were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to experience live theatre again in the time of COVID,” says Wilbury Group Artistic Director Josh Short. “We’re very excited to continue to use this time to grow, develop new work, and find new ways to engage our community in performance and storytelling. With FIRE FLOWERS, audiences can look forward to experiencing a truly bilingual production featuring work from some of the areas most forward-thinking performing artists, and under the vision and guidance of Shey, and with the support of our collaborators at WaterFire, it’s sure to take the format we’ve developed to new heights.”
In this production the audience is divided into four separated, groups of ten to twenty people who will remain properly distanced from each other and the performers. All performances are presented in Spanish and English through the use of translation, projected subtitles, or bilingual performers. All the performances are presented outdoors on 5 stages and performance areas on the spacious grounds of the WaterFire Arts Center and the historic American Locomotive Company building.
Tickets for FIRE FLOWERS AND A TIME MACHINE (FLORES DE FUEGO Y UNA MÁQUINA DEL TIEMPO) are just $20. For more information about the production, visit
thewilburygroup.org/fire-flowers
ABOUT FIRE FLOWERS AND A TIME MACHINE (FLORES DE FUEGO Y UNA MÁQUINA DEL TIEMPO)
A journey through time and space, Fire Flowers and a Time Machine (Flores de Fuego y una Máquina del Tiempo) is a bilingual outdoor production that puts audiences in touch with ancestors from the past, and our future descendants. Together these guides bring forth knowledge and magic through a story that weaves monologues, poetry, dance, and ritual. To share with us the wisdom we will need as we continue the journey through the transformations of our Era.
Directed by Shey Rivera Ríos, FIRE FLOWERS AND A TIME MACHINE is an outdoor production created in collaboration with performing artists Sussy Santana, Saúl Ramos Espola, Maritza Martell, Becci Davis, April Brown, Lilly E. Manycolors, Laura Lamb Brown-Lavoie, Matt Garza, Gina Rodríguez-Drix, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, Eli Nixon, Janaya Kizzie, and Rachel Hughes.
ABOUT SHEY RIVERA RÍOS
SHEY RIVERA RIOS
Shey Rivera Ríos (pronouns: they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist and arts administrator. Their artistic creations explore a variety of themes: from home to capitalism, queerness, magic, and our relationship with technology. Rivera has 10 years of experience in the arts sector. Their trajectory includes 8 years of leadership at AS220, a non profit arts organization and artistic incubator in Providence, RI, and being part of the team of the Community Innovation Lab (MIT CoLab) of the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Rivera majored in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR-Rio Piedras), and has postgraduate studies in Culture and Contemporary Media from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rivera has been living in Providence, RI, for the past 10 years and loves their creative community. They often support the work, creative paths, and projects of other local artists and engage in collaborations that spark the imagination and push the horizons on how art can help us envision better futures.
Rivera serves on the Board of Directors of the Alliance of Artist Communities and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at The Wilbury Theatre Group. Artistic projects include the LUNA LOBA performance series and the FANTASY ISLAND transmedia project. Rivera’s work has been featured in publications such as Hyperallergic and Art Scope New England.
Performances of FIRE FLOWERS AND A TIME MACHINE (FLORES DE FUEGO Y UNA MÁQUINA DEL TIEMPO) are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from October 1-17.
All events are outside, rain or shine (bring an umbrella), face-coverings must be worn at all times, and social distancing guidelines will be strictly enforced. Additional information will be provided by email prior to your performance.
Audience members must purchase a ticket for in advance prior to the performance. Audience members arrive to join their Brigades at 6:00pm to be in place for performances to start promptly at 6:30pm Tuesdays-Saturdays. Advance tickets for all performances are required, and may be reserved at
