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WaterFire, Bright Night to Light Up New Year’s Eve
Two Providence arts organizations come together to ring in 2010 with circles of fire at Waterplace Basin, a Venetian masquerade, and a full-stage magic show

Watch on
 

 

Mayor David N. Cicilline joined WaterFire Director Barnaby Evans, Bright Night Providence Director Adam Gerstacov, and members of the Big Nazo Puppets this past Tuesday to announce the line up for Bright Night Providence, the Creative Capital’s New Year’s Eve celebration.  Also at the announcement were Business Manager of Local 1033, Donald S. Iannazzi and Vicki Virgilio, President of Local 1033.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous WaterFire donor, Providence will enjoy another brightly lit and spectacular New Year’s Eve on the 15th Anniversary of WaterFire.   

“As we prepare to ring in the New Year we are optimistic about the future and thankful for life's many blessings,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “Providence is especially thankful for the generosity exhibited by a long-time WaterFire donor, and the contributions of Local 1033, in coming together to support this very important event for the city.  This is the kind of partnership between the arts and community that makes the Creative Capital such a unique and wonderful place.”
Executive Director of WaterFire Providence Barnaby Evans said, “Like every other arts group we are struggling financially, but our mission is to use the arts to enliven the City of Providence.  We felt we had to keep the fires burning to make it a bright New Year’s Eve.  I am delighted our staff, volunteers, and donors have stepped forward to make a lighting on our 15th anniversary possible.  And we are tremendously pleased we could help Bright Night and its wonderful artists as well.”
"We're so thrilled to be working with WaterFire on their fifteenth anniversary celebration" said Adam Gertsacov, Festival Director of Bright Night Providence, "and of course immensely grateful for this donation.  This has been a tough year. It's really making a big difference for us to ensure that this New Year's Eve remains Bright."

WaterFire to light Waterplace Basin and Memorial Park
The circle of fires in Waterplace Basin will burn from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. and the 12 fires in Memorial Park will burn until after midnight.  Please join us in Memorial Park for the stroke of midnight and a group singing of Auld Lange Syne and Happy Birthday to WaterFire, to start off the New Year!   

Eyes Wide Open Masquerade celebrates WaterFire’s 15th Anniversary
Also on New Year’s Eve, WaterFire will host a Venetian Masquerade Gala, Eyes Wide Open, celebrating fifteen years of WaterFire.  This fundraising gala hosted by Barrett Bready and the WaterFire Board of Directors is going to be a sensational event in the historic Old Stone Bank Building on South Main Street. The evening will include a performance by Quixotic Fusion, a Kansas-City based ensemble of inventive, avant-garde musicians, dancers, aerialists and composers, some of whom will perform mid-air, while suspended from the Gold Dome.  The event will also feature world renowned tenor Nathan Granner, one of the Three American Tenors, who will present a range of wonderful offerings.  For more information please visit www.waterfire.org/newyears.  

Bright Night announces headliners
This year's Bright Night Providence will feature over 150 performers in 15 venues throughout downtown Providence.  Highlights include IllusionQuest, a full-stage magic and illusion spectacular featuring master illusionist David Garrity, local legends Big Nazo Puppets, Grammy-winner Bill Harley, Jazz saxophonist Greg Abate, the RI Children's Chorus, blues band Black and White and a host of other performers.

 

Tickets for Bright Night Providence are $10 if purchased before 12/24/09, $15 beginning December 25. Schedules, tickets, and more information are available online at www.brightnight.org or by calling 401-621-6123.

Press Release: WaterFire To Help Bright Night

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
DECEMBER 15, 2009
PRESS CONTACT: 
John Crisafulli
(401) 255-3739
john@waterfire.org

Updates for New Year’s Eve 2009

• WaterFire to light Waterplace Basin and Memorial Park
• Bright Night announces headliners
• Eyes Wide Open Masquerade celebrates WaterFire’s 15^th Anniversary

PROVIDENCE – The fires will burn brightly this New Year’s Eve thanks to a generous gift from a longtime donor to WaterFire.  WaterFire was first lit on New Year’s Eve in Waterplace Basin exactly fifteen years ago, so when WaterFire heard that Bright Night Providence was struggling and that the city might be dark on New Year’s Eve, they asked a long-time donor to help both WaterFire and Bright Night.  WaterFire is pleased to join with Bright Night and Mayor David N. Cicilline to announce they will share this anonymous gift with Bright Night Providence to ensure that the Capital City is alive with light, art, and community this New Year’s Eve.  Join WaterFire in Waterplace Basin at Waterplace Park at 5:30 p.m. on December 31^st to kick off the evenings’ events!  Enjoy the fires and then explore all the great performances that Bright Night is offering.

WaterFire to light Waterplace Basin and Memorial Park
The circle of fires in Waterplace Basin will burn from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. and the 12 fires in Memorial Park will burn until after midnight.  Please join us in Memorial Park for the stroke of midnight and a group singing of Auld Lange Syne and Happy Birthday to WaterFire, to start off the New Year!  

Executive Director of WaterFire Providence Barnaby Evans said, “Like every other arts group we are struggling financially, but our mission is to use the arts to enliven the City of Providence.  We felt we had to keep the fires burning to make it a bright New Year’s Eve.  I am delighted our staff, volunteers, and donors have stepped forward to make a lighting on our 15^th anniversary possible.  And we are tremendously pleased we could help Bright Night and its wonderful artists as well.”


Bright Night announces headliners
"We're so thrilled to be working with WaterFire on their fifteenth anniversary celebration" said Adam Gertsacov, Festival Director of Bright Night Providence, "and of course immensely grateful for this donation.  This has been a tough year. It's really making a big difference for us to ensure that this New Year's Eve remains Bright."
Bright Night Providence is Rhode Island's Largest New Year's Eve Celebration.  Begun in 2003 when First Night Providence announced it could not go forward, this artist-run festival creates a family-friendly and fun atmosphere to ring in the New Year, with a focus on showcasing local artists and performers.  

This year's festival will feature over 150 performers in 15 venues throughout downtown Providence.  Highlights include IllusionQuest, a full-stage magic and illusion spectacular featuring master illusionist David Garrity, local legends Big Nazo Puppets, Grammy-winner Bill Harley, Jazz saxophonist Greg Abate, the RI Children's Chorus, blues band Black and White and a host of other performers.

Tickets for Bright Night Providence are $10 if purchased before 12/24/09, $15 beginning December 25. Schedules, tickets, and more information are available online at http://www.brightnight.org or by calling 401-621-6123.

“Providence is fortunate to have two great arts organizations--Bright Night and WaterFire--that will join together on New Year's Eve to light up the city,” said Mayor David N. Cicilline. “Grammy Award-winning musicians, illusionists, Big Nazo puppets and many more exciting entertainers will contribute to in the inimitable energy and joy shared by our community on Bright Night.”

Eyes Wide Open Masquerade celebrates WaterFire’s 15^th Anniversary
Also on New Year’s Eve, WaterFire will host a Venetian Masquerade Gala, Eyes Wide Open, celebrating fifteen years of WaterFire.  This fundraising gala hosted by Barrett Bready and the WaterFire Board of Directors is going to be a sensational event in the historic Old Stone Bank Building on South Main Street. The evening will include a performance by Quixotic Fusion, a Kansas-City based ensemble of inventive, avant-garde musicians, dancers, aerialists and composers, some of whom will perform mid-air, while suspended from the Gold Dome.  The event will also feature world renowned tenor Nathan Granner, one of the Three American Tenors, who will present a range of wonderful offerings.  For more information please visit www.waterfire.org/newyears.

BRIGHT NIGHT ANNOUNCES HEADLINING ACT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLEASE POST OR PRINT
KILL DATE 12/31/09
MEDIA CONTACT:  ADAM GERTSACOV, 401-351-2596 adam@brightnight.org
PRESS PHOTOS AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL.

BRIGHT NIGHT 2010 PROMISES TO BE MAGICAL
Master Illusionist David Garrity will headline the seventh year of Bright Night Providence.

December 9, 2009, Providence, RI 
This year, New Year’s Eve in Providence promises to be a magical evening. That’s because the headlining act for this year’s artist-run celebration Bright Night Providence will be master illusionist David Garrity in a show called IllusionQuest.

IllusionQuest is an exciting, full-stage, magic and illusion spectacular. Illusionist Garrity and his team magically appear, vanish, pass through solid objects and even float people from the audience.

Highlights from the performance include a comical illusion where David's assistant ends up all twisted up; David also teaches a volunteer from the audience how to cut his assistant in half; and the finale features a breathtaking escape where David is chained to a table with 32 steel spikes suspended above him and he must escape before the spikes fall.

“We’re really excited to be presenting IllusionQuest this year,” says Adam Gertsacov, Festival Director of Bright Night Providence. “David is one of the top performers in his field, and he’s been wowing people in a variety of places, from Six Flags to Sweden, and lots of places in between. We’re happy to bring him to Providence. It’s the kind of family friendly show that's got something for everybody. I really think he’s going to make more than a few people’s jaws drop in amazement.”

IllusionQuest will perform three shows in Providence as part of Bright Night. The shows will be performed at 6, 8, and 10 pm at the RI Convention Center. Your Bright Night ticket (a Tyvek wristband) will guarantee you admission to one of those three performances, plus more than 50 other performances at 12 other venues throughout the day and evening (on a space available basis).

Other artists on the Bright Night bill include local legends Big Nazo Puppets, bebop great Greg Abate, Grammy-winning storyteller/singer Bill Harley, a blues swing/dance party featuring the Black and White Blues Band, mentalist Rory Raven, storyteller Mark Binder, a special Bright Night Poetry Slam, and a host of other artists and events. A full schedule will be available in mid-December on the Bright Night website, http://www.brightnight.org.

Tickets to Bright Night are available online at www.ArtTixRI.com, and in person at all BankRI locations, all OOP! stores, and at the EastSide Marketplace.

For more information about tickets call 401-621-6123 or visit http://www.brightnight.org


Tickets are $10 each if purchased on or before December 24. Starting December 25, tickets are $15 each or a family fourpack for $50. There are a limited amount of tickets, so purchase early to insure getting your choice of times for the IllusionQuest show.

Donation and corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. To donate to Bright Night's GIVE $20, TELL 10 campaign, visit http://donate.brightnight.org

To find out more about Bright Night Providence, visit http://www.brightnight.org.

To find out more about David Garrity’s IllusionQuest, visit http://www.magicalartist.com.

###

PROJO COVERAGE: Bright Night Has been a Bright Spot on City Scene

FROM THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Ed Fitzpatrick: Bright Night has been a bright spot on city scene

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 8, 2009

If we’re looking for low-cost options for this year’s Bright Night Providence, I’ll bet the White House party crashers, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, would make an appearance. (Though they might be more likely to come if they’re not invited.)
I’m guessing Sarah Palin would come to “Rogue Island” for the state’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration if we give her a chance to peddle her new book, “Going Rogue.” (My favorite part is when she misattributes a quote from American Indian activist John Wooden Legs to former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.)
And if we can work something out with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, perhaps disbarred Providence lawyer John M. Cicilline, the imprisoned brother of Mayor David N. Cicilline, could sit on a stool, play the ukulele and set off sparklers. (Sentenced to 18 months after pleading guilty to conspiring to shake down drug-dealer clients, he is scheduled to be released to a halfway house on Dec. 29, so maybe his performance could count as community service.)
Of course, I’m joking. (Everyone knows Cicilline can’t play the ukulele.)
I’m actually a big fan of Bright Night. We brought our kids downtown last year despite frigid temperatures, 8 inches of snow and 25-mph winds, and since so many people stayed home, we had great seats at the Providence College/St. John’s basketball game. We wandered over to the Convention Center to see the Nerveless Nocks Daredevil Thrill Show. And later, we saw a performer that we referred to as the “existential clown.” (She had a trombone and talked about the apocalypse.)
So I was sorry to hear that Bright Night Providence is slashing expenses and making an emergency appeal for donations. The city usually provides Bright Night with $20,000, but amid this year’s fiscal crisis, the city has committed to providing just $5,000 in city services and no cash. The festival has applied for a grant from the Providence Tourism Council, which in the past has provided $25,000 for a fireworks display. But since the festival won’t have fireworks this year, it’s unclear if it can get the grant.
I understand why the city is cutting its contribution. The state unemployment rate stands at 12.9 percent (the third-highest rate in the country). And this year the city raised property taxes even as it slashed millions of dollars from the city budget, froze wages and axed jobs.
You’d have to be an existential clown to spend $20,000 in taxpayer money on New Year’s Eve fun. Still, Bright Night does provide a civic beacon, a magnet that draws thousands of families together to see musicians, magicians, actors, dancers, singers, acrobats, clowns, puppeteers and storytellers.
So I hope businesses and everyday residents heed the call of festival director Adam G. Gertsacov, who hopes 2,010 people will donate $20 and pass on the appeal to 10 other people. (Go to www.brightnight.org.)
Gertsacov noted that local artists launched Bright Night Providence seven years ago after First Night Providence faltered. He said the event boosts the local economy, bringing up to 20,000 people downtown, and 90 percent of the performers come from the Rhode Island area. Most importantly, the event offers a chance to “come out and celebrate the New Year in a family-friendly way and celebrate Rhode Island’s most important cultural asset, which is its artists,” he said.
“We make people happy,” Gertsacov said. “And we don’t want the city to go dark on New Year’s Eve.”
efitzpat@projo.com

PROJO BLOG Coverage

With funding cut, Bright Night looks for donations

1:08 PM Thu, Dec 03, 2009 | Permalink
Philip Marcelo 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Bright Night Providence, an arts-oriented festival that is billed as the state's largest New Year's Eve celebration, is cutting expenses and making emergency appeals for major donations after losing city funding, according to Festival Director Adam G. Gertsacov.
The city normally covers about one-third of the festival's $120,000 to $125,000 budget, said Gertsacov. But city Director of Art, Culture and Tourism Lynne McCormack has told Gertsacov that the city will be unable to come up with its $20,000 allocation for the festival.
The Providence Tourism Council, a city board that is financed by proceeds from the hotel tax, normally contributes an additional $25,000, but the festival's request for funding has not yet been approved, said Gertsacov.
"The mayor has been one of strongest supporters to date," Gertsacov said Thursday. "But this year the state budget crisis has affected the city, and it is unable to provide the support it has given us in previous years. This has put the festival in peril."
Gertsacov says the festival is still moving forward, but "cutting costs like crazy."
It has launched a grass roots campaign to get 2,010 people to give $20 and pass on the appeal to ten other people. Gertsacov says that artists have agreed to take a pay cut in order to assure that the festival has the same number of performers as in year's past. He says he is also making "emergency proposals to corporate donors."
Started in 2003 by a group of local artists and performers, Bright Night Providence was the successor to the city's long-running First Night Providence event.
Last year, it featured 150 performers at 22 downtown venues from noon to midnight, including poetry, magic, music, skating, storytelling and dancing.