Indy Theatre Habit

For most of this last day of 2008 I have been reading a fascinating book from my public library called Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness, by Joshua Wolf Shenk (Houghton Mifflin Company 2005.) It is not a self-help book, but it reminds me a little of Thomas Moore’s Care [...]

“Edges: A Song Cycle,” with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and directed by Matthew Cunningham, opens next weekend at Theatre on the Square.  It is not a TOTS show, however.  The newly-formed Programs theatre company will present it.  There will only be four performances. The production – and Programs’ marketing of [...]

Last Friday night I rounded off my month-long celebration of Christmas by treating myself to two interpretations of Charles Dickens’ classic story.  First I drove downtown to West Washington Street to see the family-friendly “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,” adapted by Tom Haas and directed by Priscilla Lindsay, at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.  It closes [...]

Last Monday afternoon I recorded my first (I think) radio show and my second podcast. Being in a radio studio felt familiar, even comfortable, but I can’t remember any specific details from actually being in one before, so maybe it is a memory from a previous life.  That, or an effect of watching “The Truth [...]

Last Saturday afternoon I went to see Robert and Willie Reale’s “A Year with Frog and Toad” as presented by Actors Theatre of Indiana at the Pike Performing Arts Center.  It was directed by Judy Fitzgerald.  It closed the next day, so this review won’t help you decide whether or not to see it this [...]

  I’ve been thinking about why I value live theatre.

  Last Wednesday I visited the Indiana History Center.  Senior archivist Barbara Quigley encouraged me to visit the IHC’s special “You Are There” exhibit.  I am going to use the word “exhibit” to talk about it in this post, but really it is a visitor-led experience, and a wonderful form of interactive theatre/storytelling.  It is [...]

This past weekend I drove south to a little town called Bethlehem on the Indiana side of the Ohio River.  Storyteller Cynthia Changeris runs a bed-and-breakfast there called “The Storyteller’s Riverhouse.” I have been there twice for the “Going Deep” long stories festival/retreat, and several times for WOW weekends.  It was very, very good for [...]

I will be offline beginning this afternoon and not back online until Sunday night so that I can retreat from the world with three of my storytelling colleagues.  We are going to take turns giving each other feedback on our respective storytelling projects. I, of course, will ask for help with my Lincoln piece.  It [...]

Last Thursday night I went to the final dress rehearsal of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s 2008 “Yuletide Celebration.”  It was Media Night but it was also the night for performers’ family members to see the show and to help their loved ones get used to performing with audience reactions.  There were a lot of people [...]