Gargoyles, fairies on call at TEN31 Productions Inc.

Denise Perreault

12/04/2010

OBJECT OF AFFECTION: Members of the TEN31 Production Inc. in costume as Greek gods, a gargoyle and a few muses. TEN31 founders Joe Pari and Eric Auger are second from left and second from right, respectively. /

It all started on impulse with a wacky idea that grew into a business that’s a lot more successful than the two owners ever could have imagined.
TEN31 Productions Inc. owners Eric Auger and Joe Pari, along with their living statues, have performed for President Barack Obama at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in Shanghai, Bermuda, and Canada, at parties and celebrations all over the U.S. from Palm Beach, Fla., to Rhode Island’s own WaterFire.
WaterFire, in fact, is their favorite place because that’s where their business began, more than a decade ago.
Burrillville natives and friends since high school, Auger, 41, and Pari, 38, were inspired by living statues they had seen in Montreal, so on a summer evening in 2000 they decided as kind of a lark to put together costumes as best they could and see if they could reproduce the living statues for a WaterFire performance. “We made up gargoyle costumes,” Auger recalled.
At the time, Auger was working in merchandise display and luckily had saved a pair or two of discarded angels’ wings. He and Pari found masks at a local store, spray-painted their clothes and footwear gray, smeared gray makeup over their faces and arms, and, equipped with wings, proceeded to WaterFire.
Without seeking permission, they set themselves up at Waterplace Park as stationary gargoyles. “We both were amazed at the response of the people,” Auger said, recalling how people clustered around them, oohing and aahing and, perhaps best of all, leaving tips in a little jar set aside for that purpose.
“It was the best of all worlds,” Auger said. “We were having fun, we had an audience –everyone loves to get attention – and we were making money.”
It did not take long for Barnaby Evans, the well-known creator of WaterFire, to spot the uninvited gargoyles. “Barnaby Evans took notice and he loved it,” Auger said. “He wanted to find a different place for us to stand because we were causing pedestrian traffic jams in the park.”
The two ended up stationed as gargoyles near the World War II Memorial across from the courthouse on South Main Street. And that’s where the two have been every time WaterFire was offered in the last decade, and where they plan to be for future firings. “We have never missed a WaterFire,” Auger told Providence Business News, “and we will continue to be there.” While they’ve come to feel at home at WaterFire, the popular downtown event has come to rely on them as well.
“They play an integral role in WaterFire. They are part of what we do,” said Bronwyn Dannenfelser, director of development. “They add such a beautiful aspect to the evening.” She recounted that children and adults are “fascinated” by the gray gargoyles, and she praised Auger and Pari for giving donations to WaterFire.
Auger and Pari perfected their craft on a part-time basis while both held full-time jobs to support themselves. They started working weekends at Faneuil Hall in Boston, home of a street-performers association, and at other gigs, such as King Richard’s Faire in Carver, Mass.
In 2004, when they formed and incorporated TEN31 Productions Inc., “we got really serious,” Auger said. Neither had the foggiest idea of how to run a business, but they learned by doing. “We had to define the market we wanted to address, we needed a price plan,” Auger recounted, “and we made the decision to make our own costumes. I can safely say that will never change because we offer things no one else has.”
On the Internet, they thoroughly research their costumes, down to the tiniest detail, Auger said. The two now have a stable of about 100 costumed characters, based mainly on ancient history, mythology and fantasy, including living statues that stay stationary as well as others that move about a gathering to meet and greet, such as fairies, butterflies and minstrels.
Historical figures are a popular part of the TEN31 repertoire, including former presidents Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington. Performers are on call and many, like Auger and Pari, are Rhode Island College graduates.
Their business growth is all the more amazing to them considering Auger and Pari never planned to run a performance company.
“I like to say the universe gently nudged us along,” Auger said, explaining that ideas for new characters and costumes came almost naturally from their audience. “People kept asking us, ‘what else can you do?’” Auger said. “So then we’d design a new costume, keep it in our inventory and, as our collection grew, then our business grew because we had more to offer.” •

COMPANY PROFILE
TEN31 Productions Inc.
OWNERS: Eric Auger and Joe Pari
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Specialize in living art for special events
LOCATION: 250 Esten Ave., Pawtucket
EMPLOYEES: 2, with 35 to 40 performers on call
YEAR FOUNDED: 2000
ANNUAL SALES: WND