KIBBE REILLY, president of Providence-based consulting firm Reilly Consulting Associates Inc., has been elected as Trinity Repertory Company’s new board of trustees chairperson. She has served on the theater group’s board since 2008, most recently as its vice chairperson and chair of the governance committee. Reilly succeeds Louis Giancola as board chair. The former CEO and president of South County Health had been Trinity Rep’s board chair for the last three years, helping the organization navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing theater industry shutdown.
What is your goal for Trinity Rep as the new board chair?
My top priority is to make sure that the board is as actively engaged as possible in its service to Trinity Rep. This means subscribing, donating, attending shows and events, serving on committees, advocating for the theater and supporting the theater in every way possible.
Has the theater bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic, or are there some areas where recovery is still slow?
Like many other arts organizations – both in Rhode Island and in the national theater community at large – we are still behind the subscription numbers we had prior to the pandemic. However, we have achieved great forward motion and are ahead of where we were this time last year. We expect to continue to sell subscriptions to the new season through November 2023.
How have the theater renovations been going? What has been worked on and are the refurbishments close to complete?
We remain in the planning stages of preparing for a renovation of the Chace theater. Our overall goal is to make Trinity Rep more welcoming and accessible to each of the unique communities we serve. It’s important to all of us working on this project that we create a physical space that enhances the work that is performed on our stages and provides an atmosphere of connection for our audiences.
Are there new shows on the horizon that the theater group is working on?
We have exciting new productions on the docket for this coming season, which is our 60th anniversary, including “The Good John Proctor” by Talene Monahon and “Becky Nurse of Salem” by Sarah Ruhl. These two contemporary plays will open the season and run in rotating repertory this fall, an appropriate time of the year to take a new look at the Salem witch trials. “A Christmas Carol” is old … except at Trinity Rep, where the production is new every year. A world premiere, “La Broa (Broad Street),” will help us welcome the new year with a joyful, moving story about the people whose lives are centered around Providence’s Broad Street. We’ll have a new production of August Wilson’s “Fences,” the Pulitzer Prize winner’s first Trinity production in over 30 years. And the season will end with the Tony-winning musical “La Cage Aux Folles.” That’s a lot of new. We’ll also celebrate Trinity’s 60th anniversary with a fundraising event on Oct. 2. It’s a great time to honor the past and look ahead to all the excitement in the years ahead. n
