Remember When an Artist Lived in the Providence Place Mall? His Story Inspired a New Musical

Remember that time a group of friends were caught living in the Providence Place Mall?

Well, now it’s a musical.

One Providence Place: A Mall Musical debuted on Thursday at AS220’s black box theater in Providence for a two-weekend run that will bring drama and humor to the odd story of the hidden apartment.

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That Time a Providence Artist Lived in a Secret Apartment in the Mall

During the construction of the Providence Place Mall from 1997 to 1999, Providence-based artist Michael Townsend discovered a 750-square-foot space that was “accidentally created” due to the formation of the other rooms around it.

Townsend and his friends managed to pull the wool over the eyes of security, completely furnish the space, and call it home for four years.

Security eventually discovered the apartment and Townsend was banned from the mall for life.

READ MORE: Secret Apartment at Providence Place Mall Getting Its Own Documentary

One Providence Place: A Mall Musical

According to Go Providence, the 90-minute musical is loosely inspired by Townsend’s experience and expands upon topics of art, grief, family, and “the most carpeted mall in America.”

“The play follows a young artist named Riley who discovers an empty space behind a vending machine in the Providence Place Mall,” said Campbell Loi of the Brown Daily Herald. “She decides to convert it into a small apartment with her friends, seeing the effort as both an art installation and a secret safe haven to escape from the troubles of the outside world.”

The original show was created by Mariah Min, assistant professor in Brown’s English department, as well as Providence-based creatives Ayla Ahlquist and Tina Wolstencroft.

According to Min, this play was years in the making.

Check out One Providence Place: A Mall Musical from Friday, September 27^th through Sunday, September 29^th at AS220.