Everything is there to make it an even better experience than before.”

Marsha Riccardi

The word “little” often carries a negative connotation, but bigger isn’t always better. The town of Little Compton, sometimes called the “hidden gem” of Rhode Island, is about to unveil another gem — its theater.   

Amy Mooney, director of the community center in Little Compton, emphasized, “Three years ago, there was a resounding outcry from the community to bring back the theater.” Marsha Riccardi, a retiree who is collaborating with Mooney to bring theater back to Little Compton added, “Everything is there to make it an even better experience than before.”

Several groups are coming together with Mooney and Riccardi to create a consistent program of entertainment for everyone in Little Compton and beyond — welcoming all to join the experience. 

A social media post from just over a year ago, created by Julia Tripp, the program manager at the community center, stated, “We are looking for a theater company.” This caught the attention of Watermelon Alligator Theatre Company, a professional theater company based in New England. Landing a partnership with Garrett Olson and Jess Wilson of Watermelon Alligator has made theater in Little Compton possible again.

With the first annual production of “A Christmas Carol” showing this past year on a fully functional stage, Watermelon Alligator is helping create a consistent lineup of theater performances. “A Christmas Carol” will be the first annual show everyone can look forward to year after year.  

Another partnership is with Sakonnet Vineyard. Marissa Stashenko, the director of operations and Cassie Lavigne who works in marketing and events for the vineyard has teamed up with all interested parties to establish another annual “performance.” This performance will be more of an interactive experience where the audience becomes the actors. It’s a murder mystery event that will take place this July at the vineyard, with hopes that it will become an annual event thereafter.  

The collaboration to bring the arts back to Little Compton also includes Sue Rousseau, the director at Brownell Library. In collaboration with Watermelon Alligator she will present some “short attention span” Shakespeare scenes outside at the Pavilion in May. And it was just announced that the first full-scale production is scheduled to run from Jul. 31 to Aug. 1 on the stage at the community center, made possible by the collaboration of all organizations invested in bringing the theater back to Little Compton.

A backstage pass  
There are two ways to get to the stage at Little Compton’s Community Center. Climbing up two flights of creaky wooden stairs leads directly to the theater, but — shockingly — there is also an elevator. Mooney rhetorically asked, “Who knew a 125-year-old building would have a fully functional elevator?”  

This elevator became of great importance when the collaborators decided to partner with Watermelon Alligator to bring theater back to Little Compton. The theater company does much more than just hire actors. They facilitate full productions, offer community classes, provide improv workshops, serve as a teaching hub, offer film classes, and they provide advocacy training.  

Part of their advocacy is to ensure everyone has access to the arts. The elevator makes that a possibility, as it makes the theater performances accessible to all. Mooney, who also believes accessibility to the arts is of great importance gives a “suggested ticket price.” She said, “This is a way to make the arts approachable for everyone.”  

There is another set of stairs that can be climbed within the theater. These stairs lead to the control room, where someone will perform the behind-the-scenes work for the performances.

The history of this room gives even more meaning to the “inclusivity” mentality that is shared by everyone in collaboration to bring back the theater. Mooney explained, “This is known to be where the women were allowed to sit during theater performances.” She went on to say, “I guess women were not allowed to access the ‘prime seating’ in front of the stage.”   

The room is currently filled with bins of Halloween and other seasonal decorations, typically stored in an attic until the next year. However, hidden beneath a protective cloth is the control board that Watermelon Alligator will revive for its full performance in July. In the closet, large stage lights and other equipment, which have been dormant for years, will be brought back to life for a shared theater experience for all.