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Sylvia Ann Soares is a poet, theatre artist, activist and caregiver. In ’65, she toured US Service Men’s Clubs in Germany for the State Department, as an original member of DC’s Garrick Players. In the late 60’s, Sylvia participated in New York ’s Black Theatre Movement. She created the role of “The Madam” in Ed Bullens’ The Gentleman Caller in Woodie King, Jr.’s production of A Black Quartet. She appeared in Black Terror at the Public Theatre and in the NEC Workshop of Sonia Sanchez’ Sister Son/ji. She toured as replacement in the Obie Award play “No Place to Be Somebody” by Charles Gordone, the first African American Pulitzer Prize winner. She later toured nationally with the Negro Ensemble Company in the Tony Award play, “The River Niger. “Her appearances at major regional theatres include LA Shakespeare, LA Mark Taper, NY Public, Cincinnati Playhouse, McCarter, Ford Theatre in DC and Trinity Repertory. Her television appearances include PBS American Playhouse’s Three Sovereigns for Sarah, Kojak, Police Story, Baretta, Good Times, Rookies, Delvecchio, Delancey Street and others.
Returning to Providence in ’81, she worked as a Nurse’s Aide and volunteered for the RI Project AIDS. In the late 80’s, she worked with Providence-Niquinohomo Sister City Project to construct a schoolhouse outside Sandino’s birthplace in Nicaragua, returning to a three-year stint as resident volunteer at the Amos House shelter. She joined the RI Mobilization for Survival, RIDivest opposing investment in South Africa , RI Central American Network and performed for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee.
Resuming her education at Community College of Rhode Island in ‘91, Sylvia became recipient of the RI Martin Luther King Commission Scholarship ‘92 and the Paul Davis Scholarship ‘94. From ‘91-’93 she scripted and produced annual Kwanzaa Celebrations at CCRI. She toured her Mayibuye iAfrika: Come Back Africa, a South African Poetry Show (with history of apartheid) and Native Americans, African Americans and American Quakers: a Quincentennial Celebration of Love. She was also affiliated with BASA Black American Student Association In ’92, Sylvia was a mentor for The Children’s Crusade under the RI Black Heritage Society. She was awarded a full scholarship to Brown in ’93. Once there, she was selected to be a 1993 Starr Fellow and awarded the C.V. Starr National Service Fellowship. Then under the Howard C. Swearer Center for Public Service she tutored Asian immigrants at Southside Ministries. She was also won a Helen Hicks Prize for Academic Achievement in Resumed Undergraduate Education. She reproduced her Kwanzaa Celebration with fellow Brown students of the Third World Organization ‘93. After matriculating Brown,‘95 Sylvia spent an abortive semester at an unmentionable ‘theatre school’ in Chicago , but fortunately also studied with Michael DiMaggio of the Goodman Theatre. Under Chicago Literacy, she tutored Hispanic women in ESL. She left Chicago ‘97 to become live-in caregiver for her Mother who passed from Alzheimer’s early in 2002. In Fall ’02, she joined Brown’s ALANA Mentoring Program. In 2003, Sylvia Ann wrote a series of scenes for a consortium of RI Island Historical Societies called, “Plantation Complex: A Harvesting of Souls.” She has performed locally for the Perishable, Brown's Department of Africana Studies' theatre Rites and Reason, Brown Summer Theatre, Providence Black Rep, Westerly Shakespeare, in Newport and for social cause events. She is seen in the out-takes of the Indie film “Session Nine." The RI Young Professionals cited Sylvia in 2004. In 2005, CCRI gave her the RI Educational Opportunity Center Achievement Award, cited by the State and the Senate. In 2005, she appeared in MA with Boston ’s Huntington Theatre Outreach, New Repertory and Nora Stage. On the Board of the Mt. Hope Learning Center , the support agency for her Providence Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative ‘07 project, Sylvia Ann wrote, produced and directed a show involving youth and local musicians. The show, “Old School, New School ” was inspired by her old neighborhood, nicknamed “Lippit Hill,” when it was redeveloped by the City in the late 60’s. In summer 2008, as Music Productions Director for the RI Rhythm and Blues Preservation Society, Soares initiated the 1st Annual Rhythm & Blues Heritage Festival at Burnside Park for The Greater Kennedy Plaza Working Group. Summer also found Sylvia as a City Senior Temp Aide gardener for the Brown Street Park . On October 4, 2008 , she performed texts from RI slave documents at the Providence Waterfire opening of the RI Council for the Humanities’ Freedom Festival commemorating the Bicentennial of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The title: A Thousand Ships: A Ritual of Remembrance Marking the Bicentennial of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Funded by RI Council for the Humanities she is collecting and transcribing oral histories of certain Longshoremen of ILA Local #1329 of which her father, Arthur S. Soares was President for 16 of his almost 35 year career. She was funded to research the origins of Sheldon Street Church, the First Cape Verdean Protestant Church in America of which her great great uncle Jose D'Andrade/Joseph Andrews was the first deacon. She collected images and created Power Points for both projects. In 2014, she received funding to research Nancy Elizabeth Prophet, the first person of color to graduate RI School of Design--1918, and performs readings of Prophet's diary, available on request. These histories will be disseminated to historical and educational institutions and elsewhere.
