When Noah Martinez ’27 starred in his solo show “Echo Chamber” at the Lindemann Performing Arts Center in April, there was a special guest in the audience: Josh Short, the founder and artistic director of the Wilbury Theatre Group.
After Short saw Martinez’s performance, he was impressed — not only by the show itself, but also by how thoughtful Martinez was as an artist, he told The Herald. So when there was an opening for a part in “Same Difference” — a play that grapples with complex and emotional relationships — Short thought of Martinez immediately.
Short, who first met Martinez through the Brown Arts Institute’s Directors Forum, is in charge of artistic direction for the play. “Same Difference” will begin a 12-show run with its world premiere on September 24.
The play is set in 1993 Providence against the backdrop of drug violence and the AIDS epidemic. Originally shot as a film in 1999, the story never reached the silver screen. Instead, it lives on a VHS copy owned by Don Mays, the play’s writer and director. Around 2016, Mays began considering adapting the film into a play, consolidating the narrative into three main settings: an apartment, nightclub and hospice.
Steeped in drama and infused with comedy, the story follows a Black gang leader who flees Harlem for Rhode Island, where he moves into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. There, he meets her roommate, a white drag queen, and the pair connects despite their different backgrounds.
In dealing with themes of drug violence and AIDS in the same production, “Same Difference” hopes to bring “untold stories to the stage,” Short said.
“I’ve never heard of or seen these two communities depicted in the ways that they’re being depicted in this play,” Mays said. “None of the characters are caricatures or archetypes.”
“I think the audience will be moved by the story that we’re telling,” he added. “Even though the characters themselves think of themselves as polar opposites, the audience will see the parallels.”
The play is an extension of the Wilbury Theatre Group’s mission, Short said. “We’re one of few, if not the only, theater companies in Rhode Island that support work by local playwrights on a regular, consistent basis.”
Martinez — who is concentrating in theatre arts and performance studies — is joining the six-person cast as Aaron, a person with AIDS. Although Aaron finds support from characters Brenda (Rosalyn Tavarez) and Stephon (Henry Nwaru), he feels neglected by his romantic partner, Joel (Alex LeBlanc).
Playing Aaron is different from roles Martinez has had before, he said, but he has found the role to be a “really beautiful experience.”
“I’ve been able to resonate with him a lot as I also come from a background of dancing and writing poetry,” he added. “I feel very connected to him.”
After “Same Difference” closes on Oct. 11, Martinez will direct “The Laramie Project” — another play that touches on similar themes of LGBTQ+ resilience — with the TAPS department. The play, which recounts the community response to the death of Matthew Shepard, will run from Dec. 3 to Dec. 6.
Kendra Eastep is an illustration chief and a Senior Staff Writer for Arts & Culture. She is from New York City and concentrates in English and History. While she draws, she likes to drink peach tea and watch video essays.
