25 Years Never Sounded Better

As Blackstone River Theater in Cumberland, RI celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026, we talked with Russell Gusetti, executive director, about what makes the theater so distinctive as a musical venue, cultural center and community gathering space. 

How did the Theatre get started and what was your mindset in the early days? 

In July 1996, we took over the former Unity Masonic Lodge at 549 Broad St., Cumberland, a building targeted for demolition, and painstakingly transformed it into what is now one of the brightest spots in the Blackstone Valley. In the beginning, all we could think about was raising enough money and doing the necessary renovations to get up to code so we could finally open. It has been a great example of a Town/nonprofit relationship, and it is especially meaningful to me as I grew up in Cumberland. 

How do you choose the acts you book? 

Our mission has always been to present the very best in regional musicians such as Atwater~- Donnelly and Torrin Ryan, and national acts like RUNA (pictured below) and The Gothard Sisters. It is also gratifying to present some of Celtic music’s biggest names such as Lúnasa, Karan Casey, Cherish the Ladies, Old Blind Dogs, and Dougie MacLean as well as amazing Québécois bands like Le Vent du Nord and Genticorum. And I try my best to keep a finger on the pulse of the next generation of dynamic musicians such as Scottish Fish, Cécilia and Gadan featuring Enda Scahill. 

In addition to Celtic music, we present other traditional genres including Swedish, acoustic blues, bluegrass, and world music, so our audience has the chance to hear different music from all over the world. For example, I’m thrilled to bring back Cajun legends Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet this November and looking forward to the debut of Alash – Masters of Tuvan throat singing (Siberian), next April. 

BRT has evolved by staying true to the live concert format, while adding new educational and cultural assets. 

We offer 40-45 concerts annually, including our new ‘Take It Outside Concert Series,’ held in a space we created behind the theater during the Covid years. Our Harry Martin Heritage Arts Studio offers classes and workshops as a way of providing arts awareness and learning opportunities for the community. Classes take place on three levels of the building, usually five days a week. We have classes on traditional instruments, as well as step dancing for adults, step dancing and clogging workshops, plus Celtic stone carving. We are adamant about providing art gallery space to showcase local visual artists while people are here for the music. 

“Discover the World We Live In” seems like an apt slogan for Blackstone. What is the philosophy behind it? 

We started using the slogan “Discover the World We Live In” because I felt it succinctly says what we do and what audiences can expect if they come to a show. As a Portuguese/Italian teen who fell in love with Irish culture at age 17, it’s been part of my  life’s work to provide an artistic space that simply allows people to “experiment” and try listening to new types of music they would not ordinarily have a chance to hear. 

Because you never know what may trigger a life-long  passion for something until you see or hear it for the first time. 

Thank you, Russell! 

brtri.org