Sully Banger is the community curator of Live Pro(v) Wrestling at the Black Box Theater here at As220. Come see the return of Live Pro(v) Wrestling at the Black Box (95 Empire Street, Providence RI) this Sunday November 19th for the last show of 2017. Live entrance music played by Math the Band the Band, doors open at 7pm, $10 at the door.

What is Live Pro(v) Wrestling / What does a Live Pro(v) Wrestling night consist of?

Live Pro(v) Wrestling is an independent wrestling event showcasing local talent. The goal of Live Pro(v) is to make wrestling accessible for a wider audience and share with them the love of wrestling. Fans can get as close as they want to the action as they enjoy beer and live music.

How did Live Pro(v) get its start?

Having been a wrestler going on four years, I wanted to create an event for my friends to attend in an accepting environment. Having a fun atmosphere while promoting a zero tolerance policy for hateful or harmful speech was the goal in achieving a wrestling show that everyone can enjoy.

At what point did you become involved with As220?

I’ve been playing music at As220 since I was 15. Live Pro(v) was my first involvement wrestling here and is just approaching its one year anniversary.

In what aspect do you see your wrestling as art, and how does As220 help showcase this where other venues might not?

Wrestling to me is a means of telling a story. People like to say that wrestling is fake, but I think it has a certain mystic as a performance art. Wrestling allows you to push any type of story that gets an audience involved in the wrestlers. Good wrestling creates characters that an audience can relate to, so they know when to cheer, who to root for and why. As220 has been great to us because they give us free reign creative control. As220 is supportive of our goals and acknowledges that we strive for performance art; that we consider wrestling to be a craft and the wrestlers as trained performers.

Do you have a favorite part to each event or a favorite thing to do when organizing for a night?

During and before a show I am typically busy organizing the acts to go on in the proper order. Over the course of the night as I get to watch the show, I get to see all the ideas and planning behind the event come into fruition. Meeting the audience alongside the performances and interacting with everyone is my favorite part of the production. I hope it inspires them to enjoy wrestling and appreciate it like the rest of us involved.

What are you looking forward to the most in upcoming Live Pro(v) Wrestling events?

We will be taking the month of December off but will be back in January so during that time I plan on meeting with some of the wrestlers to brain storm about new character ideas. I want to take their original ideas for some of the crazier characters and think of new ways to make them a reality. By working with the wrestlers and letting them express their thoughts on what they want to do you really can get the best performances out of them. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Dave Hurley

As220