Indy Theatre Habit

It took me three days to make a directory for the shows I saw in 2008, what with embedding the links and all.  Therefore I am starting my 2009 directory mid-year.  I will update it as I go so that it won’t be a huge job at the end of the year.

I am also wondering how Dan Perry, the man who took the above photo, organizes his theatre programs when he is not spreading them out on a table to take a picture of them.  I bet he doesn’t stack them under a chair in his bedroom.  Hmm.

Anyway, below is a list of the shows that I have seen so far in 2009, grouped by performance company and then alphabetized by show title, with links to the companies and links to my reviews of the shows if I wrote about them here on Indy Theatre Habit.  Performance companies are also labelled according to whether they are:

**  ”professional” (all of the company’s artists and staff are paid)

** “all volunteer,” (none of the company’s artists or staff are paid)

** a “hybrid” (the company has a mixture of paid artists/staff and volunteers)

I will be the first to say that “professional” does not necessarily mean high quality and “all volunteer” does not necessarily mean disappointing quality.   These are just general categories.

The companies are also labeled according to location.  All theatres are in Indiana unless otherwise noted. 

If you see any errors and/or know of an affiliation with which I should have tagged any of these companies, please let me know.  If you would rather remain anonymous, please feel free to email me privately with info about a company rather than leave a public comment.  My email address is amarylliswriter at gmail dot com.

 

ACTORS THEATRE OF INDIANA (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Forbidden Broadway“

BEEF AND BOARDS DINNER THEATRE (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Annie“
• “A Beef and Boards Christmas“
• “Cats“
• “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat“
• “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers“
• “Treasure Island” – I saw this world premiere twice.

BELFRY THEATRE (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Noblesville)

• “The Fantasticks” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Mousetrap” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Picnic” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Producers“

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA (professional Broadway shows on tour at either the Murat Theatre or Clowes Hall; Indianapolis)

• “Chicago“
• “The Color Purple“
• “Jersey Boys Sneak Peek Event”
• “Wicked” – (not a full review because a friend took me instead of my asking for media passes, and it was the weekend of my birthday, and I wanted to remember what it was like to go to a show without my notebook…but I couldn’t resist writing a little something because I loved it!)

BUCK CREEK PLAYERS (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Indianapolis)

• “Dancing at Lughnasa” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Grey Gardens” (judged for Encore – no review)

BUTLER LYRIC THEATRE (Butler University students – volunteer; Indianapolis)

• “Into the Woods“

CARMEL COMMUNITY PLAYERS (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Carmel)

• “Guilty Conscience” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Little Women” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Mystery of Irma Vep” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Rabbit Hole“

CENTER STAGE (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Lebanon)

• “Almost Maine” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Chalk Garden” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “P.S. Your Cat Is Dead” (judged for Encore – no review)

COMEDY SPORTZ (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “ComedySportz” – my first regular weekend match!
• “Headless Horseman, Unscripted: an Adult Ghost Story” – no review because no time, but I enjoyed it.

CURIOUS THEATRE COMPANY (professional – all artists are paid; member National New Play Network; Denver, Colorado)

• “Rabbit Hole“

DANCE KALEIDOSCOPE (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Carmina Burana“
• “Magical Mystery Tour”

EPILOGUE PLAYERS (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Indianapolis)

• “Inherit the Wind” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Other People’s Money“
• “The Shop at Sly Corners” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Taking Leave” (judged for Encore – no review)

FOOTLITE MUSICALS (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Indianapolis)

• “High Society” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “My Fair Lady“
• “Miss Saigon” (judged for Encore – no review)

GARNER GALLERIA THEATRE (professional?  I think the artists are paid, but I’m not sure; Denver, Colorado)

• “Girls Only: The Secret Comedy of Women” – no review: I took the night off from reviewing.

GOING DEEP: THE LONG TRADITIONAL STORYTELLING RETREAT (professional – all artists are paid; Bethlehem)

• Introduction
• “Gilgamesh” by David Novak
• “The Paths of Osun: the West African Yoruba Epic Journey of the Goddess in Heaven and on Earth” told by Marilyn Omifunke Torres
• “The Story of the Grail” told by Liz Warren

HEARTLAND ACTORS REPERTORY THEATRE (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “In a Dark Dark House” – I saw this show twice.
• I also attended a HART fundraising party where there was live entertainment.
• “Much Ado About Nothing” in the White River State Park

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “A Christmas Carol“
• “Crime and Punishment“
• “Crowns“
• “The Giver“
• “The Heavens Are Hung In Black“
• “Interpreting William“
• “The Ladies’ Man“
• “Rabbit Hole“
• “To Kill a Mockingbird“

INDIANAPOLIS CIVIC THEATRE (hybrid – some staff and designers are paid, performers and some crew are volunteers; Indianapolis)

• “The Elephant Man“
• “Enchanted April“
• “Evita“
• “Pump Boys and Dinettes: A Country Western Musical Revue – 20th Anniversary & Farewell Engagement“
• “Twentieth Century“
• “West Side Story“
• “The Wizard of Oz“

INDY FRINGE FESTIVAL - A mixture of professional and “other.”  All proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the performers after each show.  Links below will send you to one of my Fringe review bundle posts, so you may have to scroll down to read about the show that interests you.

• “55 Minutes of Sex, Drugs, and Audience Participation” – Loren Niemi and Howard Lieberman – Tongue Tripping Productions (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• “7(x1) Samurai” – David Gaines (Virginia)
• “Another Classic of Western Literature” – Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre (Indianapolis)
• “Blunder Construction” – Brent McCoy (Greensboro, Vermont)
• “Broken Fragile Mind” – Motus Dance Theatre (Indianapolis) - I saw this on the final day of the Fringe, aka my non-blogging day.
• “The Cast of Amontillado” – Dr. Paul Geraci and company (West Lafayette, Indiana)
• “Crossing the Bridge” – Leonix Movement Theatre Ensemble (Los Angeles, California)
• “A Cynic Tells Love Stories” – Katherine Glover (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• “An Evening of Stories with Kevin Kling and Simone Perrin” (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• “Gone, Gone, Gone” – Monica Rodero & Daniel Schuchart (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• “Groundwork Suites” – Kenyatta’ Dance Company (Indianapolis)
• “The Hefner Monologues” – John Hefner (Washington, D.C.)
• “humanature” – The (Re)Collective Company (Indianapolis)
• “Medea” – FringeNext – Butler University students (Indianapolis) - I saw this on the final day of the Fringe, aka my non-blogging day.
• “Mr. Charles, Currently of Palm Beach” – Ron Spencer (Indianapolis)
• “murder, hope” – Becky Poole – Infinity Live Productions  (New York City, New York)
• New Vaudeville” – Midwest Emerging Artists (Indianapolis)
• “Phi Alpha Gamma” – Dan Bernitt (New York City, New York)
• “Phil the Void: the Great Brain Robbery” – Phil Van Hest (Los Angeles, California) - I paid to see this one a second time.
• “The Rise of General Arthur” – Phillip Andrew Bennet Low  - Maximum Verbosity (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• “Sex/Death” – Bloomington Playwrights Project (Bloomington, Indiana)
• “Sex, Dreams, and Self-Control – Part Two” – Kevin Thornton (Nashville, Tennessee)
• “Spoon River Anthology” – Starrynight Productions (Bloomington, Indiana)
• “The Stetson Manifesto” – Happy Holler Productions (Lebanon, Indiana)
• “Tortillo” – Avenging Orange Productions (Indianapolis)
• “The Tragical Ballad of Black Bonnet” – Black Forest Fancies (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• “True Identity” – Firefall Dance Theatre (Indianapolis) - I saw this on the final day of the Fringe, aka my non-blogging day
• “Waiting for M. Godot” – Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project (Anderson, Indiana)
• “Wanda and Rhonda’s Bitchin’ Bingo Bash!” – Blue Sky Productions (Ann Arbor, Michigan) & Arrowberry Productions (Noblesville, Indiana)
• “Welcome to Blanksville: An Improvised Tribute to Choose Your Own Adventure” – IndyProv (Indianapolis)
• “The Worst Show in the Fringe” – Merely Players, Inc. (Owensboro, Kentucky)

INTERACTION THEATER (professional?  I think all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Durang-o-Rama“

MAIN STREET PRODUCTIONS OF WESTFIELD, INC. (all volunteer; The Westfield Playhouse in Eagletown)

• “Lafferty’s Wake“

MERIDIAN SONG PROJECT (professional? I think the artists are paid, but I don’t know for sure; Indianapolis)

• “All About the B’s“

Miscellaneous

• “Curse of the Starving Class” – at the Indy Fringe Building but independently produced
• “Encore Awards Night“
• “The Pied Piper of Hoboken,” by Lou Harry – a staged reading
• “Spotlight 2009” – a gala of performances to benefit the Indiana AIDS Fund

OUR TOWN PLAYERS (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Franklin)

• “Dangerous Obsessions” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Steel Magnolias” (judged for Encore – no review)

PHOENIX THEATRE (professional – all artists are paid; member National New Play Network; Indianapolis)

• “The Do’s and Don’ts of Time Travel“
• “Love Person“
• “Mauritius“
• “The Most Damaging Wound“
• “Octopus” – and again and again and…
• “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot“
• “The Seafarer“
• “Shipwrecked“
• “A Very Phoenix Xmas 4: Our Stockings Are Stuffed“
• “The Zippers of Zoomerville“

PROGRAMS (hybrid? but no longer operating?  Indianapolis)

• “Edges” – I helped talk this show up, and I saw three of its four performances, but I did not review it: I took the time off from reviewing.

SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS (all-volunteer; member Encore Association; Beech Grove)

• “The Boys Next Door” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Driving Miss Daisy” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Sorry, Wrong Number” (judged for Encore – no review)

STAGEWORTHY PRODUCTIONS (all-volunteer; member Encore Association; Indianapolis)

• “Autobahn” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” (judged for Encore – no review)

STORYTELLING ARTS OF INDIANA (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Disquieting, Disturbing, Dreadful Tales“
• “The Dog Says How,” told by Kevin Kling – no review because part of the Talk of the Town Annual Benefit for Storytelling Arts: I took the night off from reviewing.
• “The Flame of Love: the Legend of Tristan and Iseult,” told by Patrick Ball and the Medieval Beasts
• “Jazz Orpheus and More,” told by David Gonzalez – no review because I arrived late
• “Helen’s Troy,” told by Megan Wells
• “Tales of Now and Zen” told by Motoko

TELLIN’ TALES THEATRE (not sure – Chicago)

• “In Your Facebook” – a collection of four original monologues presented at the Prop Theatre - no review because I was on a blog vacation.

THEATRE ON THE SQUARE (hybrid – some staff and performers are paid, others volunteer; Indianapolis)

• “Does This Show Make My Butt Look Fat?”
• “Dog Sees God“
• “In Bed with Chuck and Lois“
• “Jewtopia” – I saw this twice, first with Patrick Koenig, then with Christopher Hansen playing Adam Lipshitz.
• “Mafia Daughter“
• “The Marriage of Marcus Tyler“
• “A Night in Vegas” – I saw this show twice.
• “Ug: the Musical” – I had no time to write a fourth review that weekend, but I had time to see the show, so I did, just for fun.

THREE DOLLAR BILL COMEDY COMPANY (professional – all artists are paid, I think; Indianapolis)

• “Face Tweet” – no review because it was my birthday weekend and I was taking a break from reviewing
• “Face Tweet Finale“
• “Fiddle Shticks“ 

Wayne Township Community Theatre (all volunteer)

• “Hello Dolly” – (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Tick, Tick…Boom!” (judged for Encore – no review)

 

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com