That’s the second time this week!

First about our Family Fun Fest, and now about our headlining act!

By Linda Murphy

Herald News Life Editor

Posted Dec 29, 2011 @ 04:49 PM

Providence —

Unlike Harry Potter, Brad Ross doesn’t have a lighting-shaped scar on his forehead and he wasn’t born with the natural ability to conjure up magic, but he knew for certain at a young age that he wanted to become an illusionist.

A magician who performed at his fifth birthday party and made it seem as though the youngster had conjured up a rabbit sparked Ross’ imagination. He started taking magic classes after school and by age 13, he was performing for pay at birthday parties. “The art of magic allows you to take a break from reality and let your imagination take over,” said Ross.

He eventually joined up with Disney Live! Presents Mickey’s Magic Show and the 27-year-old spent six years touring 25 countries and five continents with the Disney show. Along the way, he garnered a Merlin Award in recognition of his work entertaining children and families and he’s been featured on hundreds of television shows including the Rosie O’Donnell show.

Now the young illusionist is taking the next step in his career with his own show, with assistants in tow. A native of New Jersey, Ross said his early inspiration was fellow New Jersey native David Copperfield, but these days, he said he’s also drawing inspiration from “the classics” such as Houdini.

The headliner at Providence’s Bright Night New Year’s Eve festivities, Ross will be performing three shows (6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.) of his signature act, “Illusionary Magic.” “I’ve worked in some new illusions that I’ll be premiering at Bright Night,” said Ross. “It’s a very high energy show. I pride myself on incorporating the audience — whether it’s 100 people or a few thousand like Bright Night — into the show. My goal is to make the audience feel like they’re a part of the show.”

Wristbands to Providence’s Bright Night guarantee admission into one of the shows, which attendees will have to select when they purchase a wristband. Wristbands cost $20 adults; $15 for seniors and kids and are available through www.brightnightprovidence.org or on New Year’s Eve at select Bright Night venues including the Bank of America Skating Center, the Convention Center, the RISD Museum and the Providence Children’s Museum.

Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.

Copyright 2011 The Herald News. Some rights reserved

Today’s Providence Journal features Bright Night Providence!

The article is pretty good and accurate,  although the Family Fun Fair is amazingly in just one room of the Convention Center.  (It’s a pretty big room though!) Oh, and Marvin Novogrodski will be teaching a circus workshop, not performing.  (and yes, later he’ll be stage managing!)

But overall, everything’s right.  Come down and see for yourself!

(AND REMEMBER- tickets are $15 until December 30– they go up to $20 on December 31.
Save yourself $5 and get them today!)

That’s right, Bright Night was a major factor in making Providence one of the top destinations for New Year’s Eve!

See the article and the rest of the cities.

They juggle, they make music, they entertain, and you’ll have a ball laughing at Bambouk (Matthew Duncan and Brian Foley) on Bright Night on Friday at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

By Rick Massimo

Journal Pop Music Writer The New York-based clown duo Bambouk, comprising Brian Foley and Matthew Duncan, are making their first visit to Rhode Island on Friday to headline the Bright Night celebration, but the pair has a lot of miles under their belts.
The red-nosed, bald-headed, formally dressed duo juggle, ride a six-foot unicycle, play the accordion, make music by bouncing balls off bass drums and more, combining the simplicity of wordless movement with impressive showbiz skills.
New York magazine said “This duo will instill a love of the clowning that mostly expired with Buster Keaton,” and a quick look at any of their videos (available on their website, www.bambouk.com, or on YouTube) will confirm that.
Foley and Duncan met in 2003 at a theme park where they were both jugglers, and Foley says, “we both realized that we had skill sets that were complementary. I was a vocalist and he was an instrumentalist. He was a juggler and I was a magician with a few juggling skills as well. And when you put all that together it makes for a pretty good variety show.”
It’s a pretty good variety show that has gone from the Midwest to California, China, Puerto Rico and Alaska, to comedy festivals and theaters, cruise ships and more.
“Everywhere we go,” Foley says, “we learn something different, but we always learn that people love to laugh.”
One reason the duo gets to do so many international shows is their mostly language-free show. Silent comedy (“we like to say we’re a mostly silent show. I tend to have a hard time keeping my big mouth shut”) affords them the opportunity to get around language barriers, but it also has aesthetic advantages.
“That’s what our heroes did,” Foley says, citing influences such as Victor Borge, Bill Irwin and Dick Franco, all of whom had “these tight acts that could play anywhere in the world.
“And when you’re not a slave to the text, you need to key into something that is more at the core of humanity. And that’s something that everyone can relate to. You leave the comedy more open to interpretation, and hopefully everyone can find something that relates to them directly.”
Bright Night runs noon to midnight on Friday at various venues throughout downtown Providence. For a full schedule, map of venues and ticket locations, go to www.brightnight.org or call (401) 621-6123.
rmassimo@projo.com

A preview of the Bright Night Festivities on Channel 10 last night!

Along with Big Nazo’s own Rusty Dawg, Bright Night festival director Adam Gertsacov talks about some of the great events happening in Providence on New Year’s Eve.  Let’s not forget aliens, monkeys, robots, and talking dogs!

Providence preps for Bright Night 2010
Celebrate New Year’s in Providence

Updated: Wednesday, 30 Dec 2009, 7:08 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 30 Dec 2009, 6:09 PM EST

* Reported by Nneka Nwosu

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Providence will usher in the New Year with its annual Bright Night celebration.

Events will take place at 15 different venues, including the Convention Center.

Illusionist David Garrity will put on the headlining performance. The last WaterFire of the year will be lit along the Providence River, and work by local artists will be on display.

About 40,000 people are expected to take part in the festivities, now in their seventh year.

Festival Director, Adam Gertsacov, says, “it’s one of the events of the year that really is about the local performers and celebrating, what I call, Rhode Island’s most important cultural asset, its artists.”

He adds, “the biggest thing about Bright Night is the sense of community. It’s an amazing sense of community for downtown Providence this one night, it’s a big city, but this one night it seems like it’s a small town everybody’s friends everybody’s happy having a great time.”

Tickets cost $15 each, or you can get four for $50.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2009/12/30/go/6691520.txt

The Back Bay Puppeteers Cooperative’s Babe the Blue Ox marches in an earlier First Night Boston Grand Procession. (submitted)

Ah, it’s finally here. Christmas is over (you can tell because Valentine’s Day candy is on store shelves) and it’s the bright dawning of a new decade.

But first, you need to figure out how to say “Good Riddance 2009!” in style and remember that it’s your last night to go crazy before all those pesky resolutions kick in. With the Attleboro area ideally situated between Providence and Boston, deciding where to go can be harder than figuring out what shirt to ring in the new year with.

There has been some chatter that New Year’s Eve isn’t the celebration it used to be. Well, the directors of the two biggest celebrations in New England don’t think so, and have created a lineup that’s jam-packed.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s going down on New Year’s Eve, from Bright Night in Providence to First Night in Boston:

Bright Night

A continuation of First Night Providence, Bright Night was started in 2003 when First Night ended. A group of artists banded together to make sure that New Year’s Eve celebrations weren’t cancelled altogether. This year they came closer than ever to not being able to host the night, especially after the Providence Tourism Council and the City of Providence bailed on funding.

Artists gathered in late November to figure out if they would be able to continue. They decided to go for it, and according to Adam Gertsacov, the festival director of Bright Night, they started a grassroots campaign to raise money. The City Workers Union and the an anonymous donor gave money to not only keep WaterFire lit this year, but the whole night. Forty percent of Bright Night is funded by private donations, and the rest is made of ticket sales.

Gertsacov said they have received a great response from the public, too.

“I don’t think people have lost interest in celebrating New Year’s Eve. Fairs and festivals have done brillantly during the recession. It is harder running them,” Gertsacov said.

Paul Robicheau’s Ice sculptures, above, and fireworks, below, are always a big draw for First Night. (Submitted)

Despite that, Bright Night has enough activities to keep one entertained.

“There’s not much of a difference (this year). It’s not much smaller. There is still the big show at the Convention Center,” Gertsacov said.

That big show is the IllusionQuest, performed by David Garrity. Known for passing things through a person and escaping while suspended upside down over a bed nails, he has wowed audiences all over the world.

Tickets for Bright Night are actually wrist bands. When you buy the band, you also pick the illusion show time you wish to watch (first come, first serve). That will leave you open to pick your events for the rest of the evening.

“I would rather have a festival everybody loves than one that makes a lot of money,” Gertsacov said.

Bright Night will be filled with clowns, puppets, musicians, artists, and Grammy Award-winner Bill Harley will also be among those performing. Harley, a Seekonk resident, is best known for the children’s songs he’s written and performed, and is a contributor to NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

Bright Night takes place throughout the downtown. There will be no fireworks, but WaterFire will be lit at two locations: WaterPlace Basin and Memorial Park. After midnight, WaterFire in Memorial Park will be celebrating it’s 15th birthday. Wrist bands are $15, or $50 for four, and are available at www.brightnight.org or by calling 401-621-6123.

First Night

First Night (which should be more aptly named Last Night, as it’s the last night of the year) has everything one could look for while celebrating the advent of a new year. Fireworks, ice sculptors, dancers, and all that jazz (literally) are scattered around the city in such a way that your can pick and choose your pleasure.

“It’s the start of a new decade, so we are trying to have an exciting night,” said Geri Guardino, executive director of First Night.

The Bright Night grand procession goes through downtown Providence. (submitted photos)

Guardino, like Gertsacov, said she has seen little evidence of a waning interest in New Year’s Eve. In fact, she said Monday that there has been an 18 percent sales increase in Web purchases for the First Night button, and that day was also the start of the heaviest buying period.

With so many choices, Guardino recommended looking at a program guide or the Web site to plan the evening.

“You should plan to go to three or four programs and to mix those with the Grand Procession,” she said. The procession leaves from the Hynes Convention Center at 5:30 p.m.

Guardino said families can enjoy the family festival at the Hynes from 1 to 5 p.m. with time to spare to see the procession. For adults, she recommends coming later in the day and making the procession the first activity before grabbing dinner and catching some performances.

Fireworks will be going off at 7 p.m. over Boston Common and at midnight over Boston Harbor.

As for the ice sculptors, they are scattered around Beantown. Donald Chapelle has carved a breathtaking rendition of Michaelangelo sculpting the Statue of David. You will find that on Boston Common. Eric Fontecchio and Alfred Georgs, meanwhile, have created “Venus” and “Fisherman” in Copley Square. “Penguins,” also carved by Chapelle, will be located outside the New England Aquarium, and a creation from “The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC” exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts will be on display near the Boston Common Frog Pond.

First Night highlights you might want to check out include Kaiju Big Battel, described by Guardino as Japanese wrestling and a monster movie; Anat Cohen for two performances at Berklee Performance Center on Mass. Ave., with the second show aired live on WGBH’s “Toast of the Nation”; and a taste of comedy with Tony V and Jimmy Dunn.

“If you want to get a button and go hide and see films all day, you can do that, too,” Guardino said, referring to the Bombay Cinema event taking place from 12:30 to 11 p.m. at the Hynes Convention Center.

First Night buttons are $18 and be purchased at www.firstnight.org.

If you are worried about getting to, from and around the Hub on New Year’s Eve, public transportation services have been expanded, and starting at 8 p.m., they’re free. The Blue, Orange, and Red Line trains will operate on a weekday schedule and will run until about 2 a.m. Commuter rail service will also operate on a weekday schedule. Outbound train from South Station to Providence, which normally leaves at 11:59 p.m., will depart at 12:45 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. There will also be a 1:45 a.m. departure to Providence from South Station. New Year’s Day service will operate on a Sunday schedule. For more information, go online to www.mbta.com or call 617-222-3200.

Patriot Place

If you prefer to ring in the new year closer to home, Patriot Place in Foxboro will host a variety of events, from CBS Scene to Bar Louie and Showcase. Thirty bucks will get you into Bar Louie for their Totally ’80s NYE 2010. It includes a small buffet, champagne toast, and cover.

CBS’s “Countdown to Midnight” includes DJ Mike Pardi, the band Crossing Country, party favors, a champagne toast, and prize giveaways. Starting at 9 p.m., it costs $20 to get in (before that is free).

Showcase Cinemas De Lux will let you choose a late night movie of your choice, reserved seating, champagne toast, dessert buffet, and watching the ball drop on the big screen, all for only $20.10. Showcase Live, on the other hand, is having a prix fixe dinner for $30 that includes a champagne toast and dessert samplers while the band New York Minute performs.

At Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro there will be a champagne toast, music, dancing, and party favors. Reservations are required.