Classic tales provide inspiration for coming Trinity Rep season

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If there were one word to describe the 2018-19 season at Trinity Repertory Company, it would be “epic,” both literally and figuratively.

It starts with the choices Artistic Director Curt Columbus lays out with an air of glee. He’s digging deep into the list he wants to stage at Trinity — as deep as the show (“Macbeth”) that inspired him at age 12 to pursue theater as a career — yet he carefully selected adaptations that make even the most onerous and intimidating of classics (Homer anyone?) feel modern, relevant and, yes, quite epic.

“Part of what’s been happening here is that [Executive Director] Tom [Parrish] encourages me to run after the epic work I love, which is invigorating,” Columbus says. “You’ll find other theaters will produce one epic per season, and we’re doing six.”

The undertaking, he concedes, is made easier by the availability of adaptations that are more accessible to modern audiences and feel applicable given the general sense of angst in society.

“The key is figuring out how a play reflects the world today without being caught in a contemporary retelling,” Columbus says.

The year wraps with Jose Rivera’s “Marisol.” A fantastical, apocalyptic tale of a woman’s attempt to find hope in the ruins of New York City as God and angels war around her, the piece reflects Rivera’s gift for “beautiful storytelling” and the company’s ongoing commitment to working with the Latino community, Columbus says.

“This season as a whole demonstrates our commitment to increasing opportunities for women and people of color in the storytelling process,” he notes.

Season subscriptions are now available at Trinity, 201 Washington St., Providence. For more information, go to www.trinityrep.com or call (401) 351-4242.