Author Archives: adam

If you are a Bright Night Ticket holder, you can get half-price parking at the Rhode Island Convention Center!

Here’s How:

1) Park in the Convention Center sometime before 5:30 pm on Saturday, December 31. Don’t forget to take your time-stamped ticket.

2) Go to the Providence Performing Arts Center (220 Weybosset St) between 12 noon & 10 pm)

3) Ask for your Parking “Chaser Ticket” You must have a Bright Night wristband.

4) Enjoy the festival!

5) Present both of your tickets to the attendant when you leave the garage (which is open 24/7)

6) Pay $4 instead of the normal price of $8.

Not sure where everything is? See a map of the festival

These are changes to the schedule that have occurred after 12/18/2005.

Checking the Accuweather forecast (and hopefully not jinxing it), they’ve said that they expect pretty good weather for New Year’s Eve in Providence.

High of 53!

Third Annual Bright Night Providence Celebration to feature two Fireworks Displays, a WaterFire, Chainsaw Juggling Ballet, & over 140 performers.

PROVIDENCE, RI.,December 19,2005 – Bright Night Providence, the artist-run New Year’s celebration now in its third year, will continue to keep New Year ‘s Eve bright in Providence. This year the festival will feature expanded children’s activities, a WaterFire, and two spectacular display of fireworks to start the New Year with a bang.

I’m very excited about this year,” says Adam Gertsacov, director of the festival, “Each year our festival has been able to grow a little. Being able to provide a family fireworks display, and additional afternoon kids’ activities is great for us, great for our audience, and great for the city.” The dual fireworks display is being sponsored by the Providence Tourism Council, Mohegan Sun, and Bluechip Properties, the developers of One Ten Luxury Residences. Other major sponsors include Sandler Sales Institute (Sales PHD), Open MRI of New England, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and the City of Providence.

“Bright Night Providence is one of the most vibrant arts organizations in the city” says Providence Mayor David Cicilline, “Adam and the artists are doing a great job. We’re happy to do what we can to support their efforts.”

Corporate sponsors are also pleased with the work of the Providence run festival. Says Mitchell Etess, President and CEO of Mohegan Sun, “I commend Bright Night organizers for their continued commitment to making New Year’s Eve fun for everyone young and old. Mohegan Sun is glad to be able to support the artists’ efforts to bring fireworks to the Providence skyllne.” Eamon O’Marah, Managing Partner of BlueChip Properties LLC, the developers of One Ten Luxury Residences in downtown Providence , echoed those sentiments. “BlueChip Properties is proud to be a new sponsor of the Bright Night fireworks, and we applaud the work of the many artists who make Bright Night a world class New Year’s Eve Celebration.”

Activities this year will include performances by Guinness record-holding jugglers The Passing Zone, who will juggle bowling balls, thighmasters, and running chainsaws for three shows at PPAC; a special edition of WaterFire (sponsored by BellaVista restaurant), and performances, art displays, and art workshops by over 140 performers throughout downtown Providence. Some of those artists & performers include Bill Harley, Big Nazo Puppets, the Lucky Band, Fusionworks Dance Company, Joan Merwyn Physical Theatre, the American Story Theatre, East West Black Belt Academy, Val Tutson, the Lucky Band, Michael Bresler, Mark Binder, the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, Davey the Clown, Marvelous Marvin Novogrodski, the Ocean State Children’s Chorus, the Narragansett Bay Chorus, Carolyn Martino, Lon Cerel, Chris Carbone, and scores of others.

Tickets to Bright Night are $10 in advance, $15 day of the event, and available online at https://www.brightnight.org, over the phone at 401-621-6123 (ArtTixRI), and available at all BankRI locations, OOP! stores, and the East Side Marketplace. Day of event tickets will be also sold at Providence Performing Arts Center, ArtTixRI Office, RISD Museum, the Providence Children’s Museum, and several other venues.

About Bright Night

Bright Night was founded in 2003 after Providence’s long-running New Year’s Eve festival, First Night, was cancelled. Organized in less than three months, the event drew over 12,000 people to downtown Providence, making Bright Night the largest New Year’s Eve party in the state. The festival features local artists and performers at venues throughout downtown Providence, and provides a fun, vibrant, and family friendly atmosphere for the people of Rhode Island.

The festival’s director, Adam Gertsacov, is an actor, director, and clown based in Providence, RI. He wears many hats, including that of a flea circus impresario, a local author, the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland, and many others. He became the Festival director of Bright Night Providence in 2003 when a group of local artists (himself included) didn’t want to see the city go dark on New Year’s Eve.

We’ve got Bright Night T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other memorabilia available through cafepress.com Show your support for the festival in style.

Profits from the shirts will be used to support Bright Night Providence artists.

Sensational Jugglers The Passing Zone to Perform
for Bright Night Providence

PROVIDENCE, RI., 12/3/05
This year Bright Night Providence, the artist-run New Year’s Eve Festival now in its third year, will feature two men with rather unusual credentials. Yes, they have 5 Guinness world records between them, have shared the stage with such celebrities as George Carlin, Penn & Teller, Bob Hope, and Tony Bennett, and have been featured on film and television, but their real claim to fame is their remarkable ability to juggle and manipulate three running chain saws. Yes, real, running, gas-powered chain saws.

The men are Owen Morse and Jon Wee, and they have been performing their blend of juggling comedy together as The Passing Zone for over 17 years. “We met at a juggling convention in 1986”, says Wee, “and neither of us wanted to get a real job.” The duo have been juggling together ever since.

“The Passing Zone is one of the top juggling acts in the country” says Adam Gertsacov, director of the festival. “I met them this summer in Boulder Colorado when we were performing at the same festival. They were a big hit in Boulder. What I thought was so amazing about their act is that not only are they phenomenal jugglers, they are also incredibly funny. And when I saw their finale (a chainsaw-juggling ballet), I knew that The Passing Zone was something that would really rock Providence.”

“Their eyes lit up when I told them about our homegrown New Year’s Eve festival,” Gertsacov adds, “They were really excited about the artist-run aspect of Bright Night. “

“We are really looking forward to our shows in Providence,” says Morse. “Bright Night seems like a great way for people to get out and have fun, and our show is perfect for people of all ages.”

The Passing Zone will perform three shows in Providence as part of Bright Night. In addition to the chainsaws, they will also juggle bowling balls, Chia pets, Garden Weasels, Thighmasters, and just about anything else they can throw. The shows will be performed at 6, 8, and 10 pm. Your Bright Night ticket (a Tyvek wristband) will guarantee you admission to one of those performances, plus more than 50 other performances at 17 other venues throughout the day (on a space available basis) For a complete schedule of performances, visit https://www.brightnight.org

Tickets to Bright Night will be available in early December at www.ArtTixRI.com, and available at all BankRI locations. all OOP! stores, and at the EastSide Marketplace . For more information about tickets call 401-621-6123 or visit https://www.brightnight.org
.

To find out more about the Passing Zone, visit http://www.passingzone.com.

Adam Gertsacov, director of Bright Night Providence, will be a featured guest on Radio Disney’s Backyard Show, a local community affair show on Sundays at 7 am.

Unfortunately, it’s not on the internet, so if you want to listen, you’ll have to get up very very early!

It’s 550 AM in the Providence area.

Festival director Adam Gertsacov and Big Nazo director Erminio Pinque will be appearing on Mayor Cicilline’s cable access show The City throughout the month of December.

It’s a very funny program (there’s a surprise entrance that really surprises the Mayor about 9 minutes in! It changes the whole demeanor of the stately talking head show. And the Mayor’s expression is priceless!)
(The picture to the left was taken two years ago at a Press conference…Left to right it features Adam Gertsacov, a Big Nazo chicken character, and Mayor David Cicilline.

If you have Cox Cable, this is the basic schedule….

Program runs December 1—December 30

If you live in Providence:Channel 18 Thursdays at 10 pm & Fridays at 9 am

If you live anywhere in the State: Channel 15 Mondays at 6:30 pm & Wednesdays at 8:30 pm.

So if you live in Providence, you have 4 chances a week to see it!

NEW YEAR’S EVE TO BE BRIGHT AGAIN.
Providence’s New Year’s Eve Festival Will Grow in its Third Year

PROVIDENCE, RI., November 22, 2005 – Bright Night Providence, the artist-run New Year’s celebration now in its third year, will continue this December 31 to keep the New Year bright in Providence. This year the festival will feature expanded children’s activities, more great local artists, and a spectacular display of fireworks to start the New Year with a bang.

Bright Night, led by local performer and festival director Adam Gertsacov, already has a number of events planned for this year. The day will start with children’s events at a number of local venues, including the RISD Museum, the Providence Children’s Museum, Mathewson Street Church, Beneficent Church, and several other venues.. After official opening ceremonies at the Bank of America Skating Rink, a number of venues around downtown will host over one hundred performers, including singers, dancers, musicians, puppeteers, storytellers, and magicians. The evening will be headlined by national juggling sensations The Passing Zone, performing three shows at the Providence Performing Arts Center. A large fireworks display will take place at midnight,

“Our third year will be our best yet,” said Gertsacov. “As an artist myself, I know how important and exciting this event is for area performers, and we’re looking forward to building on our past successes. We have received strong support from the City of Providence, from the state, and from our corporate donors, and we are confident that the business community will play the same part they did last year in making Bright Night a success.”

Tickets to Bright Night will be available in early December from ArtTixRI, and available at all BankRI locations. Anyone interested in sponsoring Bright Night should contact Gertsacov at (401) 351-2596, or visit www.brightnight.org.

About Bright Night

Bright Night was founded in 2003 after Providence’s long-running New Year’s Eve festival, First Night, was cancelled. Organized in less than three months, the event drew over 12,000 people to downtown Providence, making Bright Night the largest New Year’s Eve party in the state. The festival features local artists and performers at venues throughout downtown Providence, and provides a fun, vibrant, and family friendly atmosphere for the people of Rhode Island.

The festival’s director, Adam Gertsacov, is an actor, director, and clown based in Providence, RI. He wears many hats, including that of a flea circus impresario, a local author, the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland, and many others. He became the Festival director of Bright Night Providence in 2003 when a group of local artists (himself included) didn’t want to see the city go dark on New Year’s Eve.

Other members of the artist group include Erminio Pinque, Josh Bell, Chris Turner, Rachel Maloney, Carolyn Martino, Val Tutson, Deb Meunier, Tom Sgouros, and Mark Binder.

###

BRIGHT NIGHT INFORMATION/SIDEBAR

The 2006 Celebration will feature:

• Over 125 Performers in 17 venues throughout downtown Providence.
• Amazing performances by some of the top musicians, storytellers, dancers, puppeteers, acrobats, and actors in town.
• Expanded children and family activities in the afternoon.
• Midnight Fireworks (last year’s display was featured on CNN)
• Sponsorship opportunities for civic-minded & entrepreneurial corporations and individuals.

Tickets for Bright Night Providence 2006 will be available in early December.

Tickets are $10 each, if purchased in advance. On the day of the event (December 31) tickets will be $15 each, or 4 for $50.

Tickets will be available via http://www.ArtTixRI.com and also at the following locations:

All Bank RI Branches
All OOP! Locations (Providence Place Mall & Thayer Street) East Side Marketplace (Pitman Street)
ArtTix Office (Dorrance Street)
Providence Performing Arts Center (Dec. 31 only!)
Other venues– please check our website.

For more information, visit https://www.brightnight.org or call 401-351-2596 (administrative office) or 401-621-6123 (box office)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

PLEASE LIST, POST, OR SEND TO PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED.
Bright Night Providence , Rhode Island’s largest New Year’s Eve Festival, is seeking volunteers!

Bright Night Providence is an artist-run arts oriented New Years Eve Celebration that celebrates and focuses on Rhode Island’s most important cultural asset: its artists. On the night of the event,over 150 of Rhode Island’s best storytellers, actors, musicians, magicians, puppeteers, dancers, acrobats, and clowns will do their thing, strut their stuff, and help families from around the state ring in the New Year in a fun and exciting fashion. The festival this year will feature expanded afternoon children’s activities, a resounding midnight fireworks display, and a whole plethora of entertainment. There’s something fun for everyone!

To help this all run smoothly, we need approximately 150 volunteers on the night of the event. Volunteers perform in a number of capacities.
1) Ticket sellers in several venues throughout the city.
2) Venue ushers and managers– checking wristbands, answering questions, making sure that venues are not over-crowded, counting people, passing out surveys, etc.
3) Delivering additional wristbands, posters, programs, food, etc. to venues around the city.
4) Other jobs that are similar in nature to the above.

Each volunteer shift will be approximately 3-4 hours long (depending on how many volunteers we are able to schedule) (Of course, people are welcome to work longer, if they desire!)
Each volunteer will get a free wristband to enjoy the rest of the festivities, as well as the thanks and appreciation of the more than 150 artists involved in the festival.
All Volunteers will be expected to attend a pre-event training/information session in mid-late December.

If you are interested in volunteering, we need the following information from you. (Please email this information to volunteer@brightnight.org)

1) Contact Name
2) Contact information (telephone numbers, email address)
3) Number of people that would like to volunteer with you
4) A brief description of your previous volunteer experience (if any)
5) Any special skills you might have (stage management, cash register, technical skills, etc.)
6) Anything we should know that might help us match you in the right place.
7) On the day of the event, when are you available? We generally need volunteers from 4pm- 11:30 pm, with a limited amount of slots available earlier in the day.

Thank you for your interest in helping us to ring in the New Year right. We look forward to celebrating New Year’s Eve with you.