Former soccer star turned theater standout earns Gamm Theater Fellowship for 2022–23
September 19, 2022
Warwick, RI – Community College of Rhode Island Class of 2022 graduate and Pawtucket,
RI, native Ednilson “Eddy” Tavares is one of three theater students joining the 2022–23
Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theater’s Gamm Fellowship Program, created to provide on-the-job
training and educational opportunities for emerging artists of color.
The Gamm Fellowship is a paid, 10-month program in which fellows work alongside theater
professionals engage in all areas of creative, administrative, and educational theater-making.
Each fellow is also paired with an advanced career mentor, who will provide guidance
on how to succeed in the theater industry.
“I’m excited for this opportunity and thankful for all the help CCRI’s Theater Department
has given me,” Tavares said. “From the guidance to the script work, they were tremendous.
I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t come to CCRI.”
Tavares, 21, attended Shea High School for three years before transferring to the
Jacqueline Walsh School for the Arts as a senior to begin focusing on theater. He
also interned at The Gamm as part of the theater’s Gamm Summer Intensive (GSI) program,
a summer session for young actors to sharpen their skills, which gave him his first
opportunity to perform in front of a live audience.
Theater, however, was still a hobby for Tavares when he enrolled at CCRI. He dreamt
of playing professional soccer, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled CCRI’s 2020 season,
so, at the behest of the college’s Theater Program Director Ted Clement (who later
nominated him for the Gamm Fellowship), joined CCRI’s student-run theater group, The
Players. Tavares rediscovered his passion as a performer, starring in Detroit ’67, I And You, Water by the Spoonful, Three Years From Thirty, and Othello.
Within the past year, he was a semifinalist for the Region 1 Kennedy Center American
College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship, performed in the
staged reading of the National Playwriting Program’s award-winning play Closing Costs on 6101 Nyanza Park Drive APT D6 Flushing, NY 11351, and played his first and only season for CCRI’s soccer team as the starting goalkeeper.
Tavares credits his limited time on the field with keeping him disciplined, which,
he says, “I bring with me to theater.” During the Players’ production of I And You in October, Tavares stopped eight shots in the soccer team’s 5-1 win over Bristol
Community College on a Saturday and then four nights later hit the stage for the show’s
premiere. As pressure mounted from both sides, Tavares decided to pursue Theater as
a career and graduated from CCRI last spring with an Associate Degree in General Studies
and a Theater/Acting concentration.
“Once I started taking theater more seriously, I noticed a lot of opportunities were
coming to me more naturally,” Tavares said. “I thought to myself, ‘Why would I love
it as a hobby instead of making it a career path?’ I started to do my research, read
books, read plays, and just began studying different methods.”
Tavares will be mentored during his fellowship by Sophia Blum, a stage and film actress,
teaching artist for both The Gamm and Moses Brown School, and independent monologue
coach.
“I’m looking forward to helping in any way I can and absorbing as much information
as possible,” Tavares said. “I want to study script analysis, specifically how to
dissect a script and approach my dialogue in a certain way. There’s no better place
to learn than The Gamm.”
Share this story
Latest News
New Introduction to Table Games Dealer Training course comes to CCRI in August
July 22, 2024
As part of new gaming-focused curriculum sponsored by Bally’s, CCRI is launching Introduction to Table Games Dealer Training in August at its Lincoln Campus, a free, 96-hour course that will offer participants the opportunity to learn to deal Blackjack and novelty games.
Read More
Summer Rep returns to CCRI with Players' adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
July 17, 2024
The Community College of Rhode Island Players begin their 2024 Summer Repertory theater season tomorrow night at the Warwick Campus’ Bobby Hackett Theatre with a performance of one of William Shakespeare’s most revered works.
Read More
RI-INBRE collaborative continues to help CCRI students, faculty meet research goals
July 16, 2024
Thanks to a $21 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to continue funding Rhode Island’s premier biomedical research collaborative, the Community College of Rhode Island remains part of an exclusive network of colleges working to develop the next generation of biotechnology experts.
Read More
Employee Spotlight: Leslie Filippelli-DiManna, DBA
July 12, 2024
Meet Leslie Filippelli-DiManna, DBA, CCRI's Interim Dean of Business, Science, Technology and Mathematics (BSTM), who's utilizing her knowledge in higher education and academia to bring new ideas to the college and help create a unique learning experience for students.
Read More
CCRI to host Building Bridges: Connecting Education and Industry to Workforce Development on Aquidneck Island
July 10, 2024
The July 17 "Building Bridges" summit at CCRI's Newport County Campus will unite key industry players and employers from Aquidneck Island to address the current labor market and workforce training needs.
Read More
Financial Aid team earns prestigious national awards for service in higher education
July 01, 2024
CCRI earned two prestigious awards this year from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) at its annual National Conference for its work in the financial aid profession and higher education community.
Read More
CCRI, Partnership for Rhode Island join forces to launch innovative work-based learning program
June 27, 2024
The college is collaborating with the Partnership for Rhode Island to join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Employer Provided Innovation Challenges (EPIC) Network, allowing students in communications and business programs to get hands-on experience working with statewide industry partners.
Read More
Class of 2022 alum's "hunger" for success helps launch a new wellness movement
June 26, 2024
East Providence, RI, native and Class of 2022 graduate Eddy Vieira is the brains behind brains behind Hunger Breeds Success and Success Loves Consistency, the motto of his recently-launched apparel brand and lifestyle movement that is making waves on social media.
Read More
Theater professor Clement premiers next installment of his semi-autobiographical trilogy
June 26, 2024
More than a year after launching his first original play, Theater professor and director Ted Clement is back with the second installment of his semi-autobiographical trilogy, The Other, written by Clement and directed by longtime colleague and CCRI alumnus David Valentin.
Read More
Employee Spotlight: Maya Geraldo
June 19, 2024
With a nomination from Interim President Rosemary Costigan, Maya was recently honored as one of Providence Business News’ 40 Under Forty for 2024, an annual awards program that recognizes young leaders based on their career success and involvement within their communities.
Read More
Spring 2024 Dean's List
June 03, 2024
Students enrolled in a degree program who have completed 12 credits with a grade point average of 3.25 or higher this semester with no grade lower than “C” are eligible for this scholastic honor.
Read More
CCRI among Rhode Island schools supported by Ørsted's proposed $5.5M Starboard Wind project
May 31, 2024
Rhode Island’s offshore wind leader Ørsted announced higher education grant commitments totaling $5.5 million as part of its proposed Starboard Wind project, including a proposed $2 million to the Community College of Rhode Island.
Read More
CCRI launches its first Cannabis Training Program to meet workforce demands in fast-growing industry
May 29, 2024
With jobs in the cannabis industry nearly doubling in Rhode Island between 2022 and 2023, the Community College of Rhode Island is launching its eight-week Cannabis Training Program through the Division of Workforce Partnerships.
Read More
Torsiello's 'beautiful life' leads her to the commencement stage as CCRI's 2024 student speaker
May 15, 2024
Meet Marissa Torsiello, a 30-year-old West Hartford, CT, native and Providence, RI, resident, who will deliver this year's address to the Class of 2024 following a near-decade long journey through healthcare providers and hospitals while battling a rare genetic disorder that left her unable to pursue her college education.
Read More
CCRI Foundation and Alumni Association elects two new members to its Board of Trustees
April 26, 2024
The CCRI Foundation and Alumni Association have elected Sergio Sousa, Regional Vice President of Marketing for Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort and Bally’s Tiverton Casino & Hotel to the Alumni Association Assembly, and Rhode Island attorney, Rebecca E. Dupras, Esq., of Dupras Law, to the Board of Trustees.
Read More
Upcoming Events
Mar.
18
March 18, 2024 All Day
Flanagan Campus
May.
7
May 7, 2024 All Day
Jul.
9
July 9, 2024 8:00 AM - August 29, 2024 8:30 AM
Jul.
26
July 26, 2024 All Day
Jul.
29
July 29, 2024 All Day
Jul.
31
July 31, 2024 All Day
Jul.
31
July 31, 2024 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Flanagan Campus
Aug.
1
August 1, 2024 All Day
Liston Campus
Aug.
1
August 1, 2024 All Day
Aug.
2
August 2, 2024 All Day