Capture the Block: Stories from Ward 15

Join The Wilbury Theatre Group and Ana González for Capture the Block: Stories from Ward 15, part of the Humanities Councils’ Culture is Key initiative. Capture the Block will be live-streamed for free, on The Wilbury Theatre Group’s Facebook and YouTube channels on Sunday, February 21 at 6:00pm.

“When we started this project almost six months ago, the world was in a different place,” says Ana González. “We were hopeful that the pandemic would be over and done with by 2021 and we would be able to have an awesome in-person event with popcorn and hot chocolate, celebrating the streets of Olneyville in the streets of Olneyville. Obviously, we were wrong. This pandemic has taken so much from us. So, Josh and I decided to change the direction of our event to help our communities begin to heal by remembering all that we’ve lost and celebrating all that we’ve gained.”

Josh Short, Artistic Director of The Wilbury Group, adds “The very real and human impact that COVID-19 has had on our neighborhood this year is heartbreaking. As one of the neighborhoods hit hardest our friends and neighbors have seen their lives change drastically over the last 12 months. It’s our hope that Capture the Block provides a forum for remembrance and mourning through storytelling that both helps our community in its healing, while amplifying the Humanities’ Council call for the urgent need for increased civic engagement from all of us.”

Capture the Block is a collaboration between The Wilbury Theatre Group and journalist Ana González of The Public’s Radio and with support from ONE Neighborhood Builders as part of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities’ Culture is Key initiative to understand, test, and evaluate the role of cultural participation on our state’s civic health.

Culture is Key is supported by the Rhode Island Foundation, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.