The more performance art I experience, the more I realize how personal that experience is.  I love that it is personal.  I love that it is ephemeral, too.  It is impossible to sustain or even to reproduce exactly, because it is live.  The only way to truly experience a live theatre piece is to be present for it, open to it.

If you are a regular reader of Indy Theatre Habit, you know that I took a long step back in 2011.  I needed a break for a number of reasons.  One was that I was having an existential, “what am I doing here?!?” kind of crisis.  I still haven’t found satisfying answers to the many layers in that question, but I am making good progress.  And in the meantime, I have found that I miss writing publicly about my experiences at the theatres.  Maybe it’s an ego thing.  Maybe there’s more to it than that.  But in any case, I miss it.

So…I have decided to blog about theatre again in 2012, but this time doing it more…personally?  More authentically?  Anyway, more mindfully and selectively, and just see where it takes me.  As I say, I’m still figuring this out as I go along.

But first, a look back at 2011:

I experienced 91 live performance art shows in 2011.  I missed that many and more just around my home in the Indianapolis, Indiana area, so I really shouldn’t use the words “most” or “best” or whatever in this post.  Still, 91 is 91.  Here are a few end-of-the-year thoughts:

The Best Shows Artistically from 2011

Looking back over all of the shows I saw in 2011, there happen to be six shows that stand out to me now for their artistic quality.  In each of these shows, the many elements – script, acting, directing, set design, costumes, sound, lights, and more – came together in an exceptionally satisfying way.  I’m sorry I can’t list every person that contributed to making each of these shows a special treat but I appreciate them all. The six shows, in the order I saw them, are:

• “I Hate Hamlet” – written by Paul Rudnick; directed by Lori Raffel for the Carmel Community Players. (I saw this one twice.)
• “Avenue Q: The Musical” – music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; directed by Bryan Fonseca for the Phoenix Theatre. (I saw this one twice, too, and am delighted that the Phoenix is bringing it back for a second run in 2012.)
• “The Drowsy Chaperone” – book by Bob Martin and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison; directed for the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre by Ron Morgan at the new Center for the Performing Arts.
• “Lost: a Memoir” – written by Cathy Ostlere and Dennis Garnhum; directed for the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s “Going Solo” series.  It starred Constance Macy.
• “Night of the Living Dead,” adapted by R. Brian Noffke from the George A. Romero cult-classic film, directed by R. Brian Noffke for Acting Up Productions, presented at the Indy Fringe Theatre. (I saw this one twice.)
• “The Student” a short play written by Matt Hoverman; directed by Bryan Fonseca and presented as part of the Phoenix Theatre’s “Our Goose Is Cooked: A Very Phoenix Xmas 6.”  It starred Scot Greenwell and Charles Goad.

The Most Personally Powerful Shows in 2011

Looking back over all of the shows I saw in 2011, there also happen to be four shows that resonated with me on very personal levels, beyond the artistry and content of the shows themselves, if that makes sense. I mean, I admired the artistry in them, but I treasure my experiences of them because each one caused a strong healing or teaching or something else extra within me.  I’m not going to take a lot of space to try to explain what I mean here because it’s personal.  I’ll just list the four shows in the order I saw them and add a brief comment:

• “Paul Strickland: Any Title That Works” written and performed by comedian Paul Strickland at the Indy Fringe Festival.  This autobiographical one-man show included letters to his future self, which intrigued me and got me thinking about my own future self and what I might say to her. But also, I was at a point in my life right then when I desperately needed to meet an honorable man in order to remember they exist.  This show did that for me.
• “Beer Can Raft,” written by Lou Harry, directed by Karen Irwin for the Indy Fringe Festival.  This piece consisted of four related vignettes that on one level spoke to me joyfully and mischievously about the capriciousness of life in general but which on another level made me realize what an idiot I had been about a few things in my own life.  The wake-up call made me cry, but I appreciated getting it.
• “I Love to Eat,” written and directed by James Still for the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s “Going Solo” series, starring Robert Neal.  I hated that the IRT had hired a slim actor and put him in a fat suit to portray TV cooking show host James Beard.  Were there no fat actors skilled enough, deserving enough, to play this juicy role?  Seriously? You couldn’t have paid me to watch an actor in a fat suit.  On the other hand…it was a play written and directed by James Still. I love James Still’s work. Love won over hate, but just barely, and I dragged myself kicking and fuming to see this show.  I even experimented with being “skinny and mean” (James Beard’s expression) or rather, cold and closed off as an audience member, and for a while during the show this made me feel powerful.  But then…James Still’s words broke me open.  I can’t explain it any better than that.  And then I just didn’t care any more about who has the right to carry what baggage.  Robert Neal did a great job of bringing James’ words to life, and I left the theatre feeling wracked, but also as if I had spent the afternoon with two complex, fully human people: James Beard and myself. It wasn’t all sweetness and light, but it was good.
•  “The Student” a short play written by Matt Hoverman; directed by Bryan Fonseca and presented as part of the Phoenix Theatre’s “Our Goose Is Cooked: A Very Phoenix Xmas 6,” which was a collection of short plays, songs, etc.  “The Student” starred Scot Greenwell and Charles Goad.  Right after I saw the Phoenix’ Xmas show, I wrote in the comments on Lou Harry’s Arts & Entertainment blog on IBJ.com that “My favorite piece was called ‘The Teacher’…” (I had the title wrong) “…I was surprised to find myself weeping during it.  I guess it just pushed (in a good way) a lot of my buttons related to storytelling, writing, and teaching.”  But later I came to realize that I loved it even more because it was about the complexity and poignancy of self-acceptance. This little two-hander is on both of my “best of 2011” lists.

The Other

I also treasure the one or two theatre experiences that were almost a complete waste of my time in 2011.  I don’t want more than three of those per year and I am not interested in naming them publicly but when I go to a show and there comes a moment in which I think, “Hey, I am actually pretty bored here! I wish I had not chosen this show today over all the other possibilities!” it makes the moments at other shows in which I suddenly hug myself and think, “Oh, I am so glad I’m here!” all the more satisfying. 

In other words, experiencing a bad show now and then makes the sweet risk of theatre-going all the sweeter when I find myself at a great show.   It makes the pay-off for risk-taking all the more gratifying.

Thank you, everyone that helped to make my theatre-going adventures in 2011 so very sweet and rich.

Hope Baugh – Indy Theatre Habit

(Photo above was taken by me with my trusty iPhone.  I bid highest for this snowpeople basket in the Phoenix Theatre’s holiday auction a few years ago so now it is mine.)

(Last updated 2-5-12)

It’s that time again: time to set up my Directory of Shows Seen for the year.  By a quick count, I saw 91 live theatre shows in 2011, 120 in 2010, 134 in 2009, and 144 in 2008.  I guess I’m “slowing down,” although I prefer to think of it as becoming more selective about honoring my passion, or at least leading a more balanced life.

Anyway, as in previous years, I will add to this Directory every time I see a show, and I will enjoy looking back over it at the end of the year and in years to come.  If you are curious about what I’ve been seeing, feel free to check back here any time.

There are two parts: 1) shows organized alphabetically by performance company and 2) shows in the chronological order in which I saw them, like a diary or log.

I will also try to keep labeling the companies as either “professional” (all of the company’s artists and staff are paid for their work), “all volunteer” (none of the company’s artists or staff are paid), or “hybrid” (the company has a mixture of paid artists/staff and volunteers.)  However, as I’m sure you know, “professional” does not necessarily mean high quality and “all volunteer” does not necessarily mean disappointing quality.  Also, in the Indianapolis area, there are very, very few theatres that pay their artists a living wage, so in some ways these labels are meaningless.

If I write about a show, I will link to the post here, too.

Shows I’ve seen in 2012 in order by performance company:

Acting Up Productions professional; Greenfield (but many performances are in Indianapolis)

• “Two Rooms”

Carmel Community Players all-volunteer: Carmel

• “Company”

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis – Lilly Theater professional; Indianapolis

• “Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz”

Epilogue Players all volunteer – member Encore Association; Indianapolis

• “Remember Your Hit Parade”

Phoenix Theatre professional; Indianapolis

• “Current Economic Conditions” – twice!

Theatre on the Square hybrid; Indianapolis

• “Debbie Does Dallas”

Shows I’ve seen in 2012 in chronological order:

Saturday, January 7 – “Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz” – Lilly Theatre at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis – Directed by Ty Stover.

Sunday, January 8 – “Remember Your Hit Parade” – Epilogue Players – Original script and concept by Susan Page Freeman.  Directed by William Andrews with musical direction by Jen Bolejack.

Sunday, January 15 – “Two Rooms” – Acting Up Productions at Theatre on the Square – Written by Lee Blessing, directed by R. Brian Noffke.

Saturday, January 21 – “Current Economic Conditions” at the Phoenix Theatre – Written by Don Zolidis, directed by Bryan Fonseca.

Sunday, January 28 – “Current Economic Conditions” at the Phoenix Theatre a second time.

Sunday, January 28 – “Debbie Does Dallas” at Theatre on the Square – Book by Susan L. Schwartz, music composed by Andrew Sherman with additional music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Jonathan Callicut, directed by Andrew Ranck with musical direction by Roger Smith.

Friday, February 3 – “Company” by the Carmel Community Players at the Carmel Community Playhouse – Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth, directed by Willie Wood, music/vocal directed by Bernie Hirsch.

‘See you at the theatres!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

(Photo above taken with my trusty iPhone of a box of yummy, hand-crafted truffles from the Best Chocolate in Town on Massachusetts Avenue in downtown Indianpolis.)

(Last updated:  January 2, 2012. Note: I stopped blogging for a while for a number of reasons beginning in May, 2011 .  I will probably start back up again eventually but in the meantime I continue to see shows for the pleasure of it.  (Of course!) That is why so many shows in this year’s directory are without links: I didn’t/couldn’t write reviews for them.) 

********** 

Happy New Year!  It is time for me to set up my 2011 Indy Theatre Habit directory.

This year, for the first time, the directory has two parts. 

The first part below has the same structure as the directories that I kept for 2008, 2009, and 2010.  It is a list of the shows that I have seen so far this year, grouped by performance company and then alphabetized by show title, with links to the companies and links to my posts about the shows.  This year I am going to at least post “who did what” for every show I see, even if I don’t have time to write a full review, so that I can easily find that information later if I want it.

Performance companies are also labeled 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 is 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.  And in late 2009 my friend Greg also raised my consciousness over dinner one night by saying that really, the only professional theatre is one that offers its actors enough performances per week to make a living wage.  By that definition, only the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Beef-and-Boards Dinner Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Indiana are professional around here, other than touring companies.  That makes sense, but I am sticking with my general categories for now.

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

This list lets me check at a glance whether or not I am seeing shows from a variety of theatres.

The second part is a list of the shows I saw this year in the order that I saw them.  This makes reminiscing more fun and also helps me check that I have added everything I’ve seen to the first part of the directory.  It also serves as reminer to myself of which shows I still need to write about!

If you see any errors or omissions in terms of how I have categorized any of these companies, please let me know, either in a public comment below or by emailing me at amarylliswriter at gmail dot com.

Shows In Order By Theatre

ACTORS THEATRE OF INDIANA  professional; a resident company at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana but also occasionally performs in a few other venues in Indianapolis.

• “Chicago“

BEEF AND BOARDS DINNER THEATRE - professional; Indianapolis

• “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee“
• “Cinderella”
• “Annie Get Your Gun“
• “Hairspray“

BOOTH TARKINGTON CIVIC THEATRE (formerly known as the Indianapolis Civic Theatre) – hybrid (designers and staff are paid, performers are volunteers); Indianapolis in early 2011, moved to the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana later in 2011.

• “Cabaret“
• “The Drowsy Chaperone”
• “The Last Night in Ballyhoo“

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA - professional, touring; Clowes Hall and the Murat Theatre, Indianapolis

• “9 to 5: the Musical” (twice)
• “Rock of Ages”

BUCK CREEK PLAYERS - all-volunteer; Indianapolis

• “Auntie Mame“
• “Frankenstein the Musical”

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICO’S THEATRE DEPARTMENT  (university students; Chico, California)

• “Little Shop of Horrors”

CARDINAL STAGE COMPANY (professional; Bloomington, Indiana)

• “Frog and Toad”

CARMEL COMMUNITY PLAYERS - all-volunteer; Carmel

• “Almost, Maine”
• “I Hate Hamlet“
• “Lights! Camera! Cabaret!”

THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS LILLY THEATER - professional; Indianapolis

• The Frog Prince
• Snoopy!!! The Musical

COMEDY SPORTZ INDIANAPOLIS - professional improv company, all artists are paid; Indianapolis

• 2011 World Comedy Sportz Championship – 4-day event held this year in Indianapolis with CSz teams from all around the USA and even from Manchester, England.  I attended 4 matches: 2 on the opening Wednesday night and 2 on the Friday night.  SO MUCH FUN!

EPILOGUE PLAYERS - all-volunteer; Indianapolis

• “To Kill a Mockingbird”

FOOTLITE MUSICALS - all volunteer; Indianapolis

• “Batboy the Musical”
• “Curtains”
• “The Pajama Game”

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE - professional; Indianapolis

• “The 39 Steps“
• “Dracula”
• “The Gospel According to James,” by Charles Smith.
• “Lost: a Memoir,” by Cathy Ostlere.

INDIANAPOLIS CIVIC THEATRE - see Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre

INDIANAPOLIS OPERA - professional; Indianapolis

• “La Tragedie de Carmen“

INDY FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL - 56 shows from all over the United States and a few other countries, 7 venues; Indianapolis

• “Antigone with a Shotgun: the Musical” – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “Around the World with Cinderella” – Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage
• “Beer Can Raft and Other Plays” – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “Box Full of Darkness” – Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage
• “The Day I Ate Wombat” – ComedySportz
• “How to Kill” – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “I Love You, We’re F*cked” – ComedySportz
• “The Impressario” – Cook Theater at the Indiana Landmarks Center
• “The Lesson” – Cook Theater at the Indiana Landmarks Center
• “Like Fire Shut Up In My Bones” – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “Little Red Riding Hood” – Theatre on the Square Main Stage
• “Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee” - Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage
• “Lou Ann Homan-Saylor: I Was A Virgin Nudist” – Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage
• “Lou Sanz: Not Suitable For Children” – Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage
• “ONEymoon (A Honeymood for One)” – Indy Fringe Theatre
• “Paul Strickland: Any Title That Works” – Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage (I saw this show twice)
• “Phil the Void: Motherbanking Bankholes” – ComedySportz
• Preview Cabaret
• “Red Couch” – Theatre on the Square Main Stage
• “Satan LIVE!” – Indy Fringe Theatre
• “Scuba Mission” – ComedySportz
• “School House Wrong” – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “Strike! the Musical” – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “A Sword and a Kiss” – ComedySportz

INDY FRINGE THEATRE - a variety of companies use this space throughout the year when the Indy Fringe Festival is not going one; Indianapolis

• “Diaspora” – a Half/Black production
• “Funny: A Trunk Show”
• “Welcome to Afghanistan” – solo performance by Matt Panesh
• “Welcome to the UK” – solo performance by Matt Panesh, aka Monkey Poet

Miscellaneous

• “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” at Creekside Middle School in Carmel, Indiana – no review or blog post because I almost never blog about student shows, but just between you and me, this show was funny and a lot of fun!
• “Annie, Jr.” at Clay Middle School in Carmel, Indiana - no review or log post because I almost never blog about student shows, but just between you and me, this show was charming and a lot of fun!

OFF MAIN STREET PLAYERS - all-volunteer; Zionsville

• “Steel Magnolias”

PHOENIX THEATRE - professional; Indianapolis

• “Avenue Q” – twice
• “Goldie, Max and Milk”
• “Norway“
• “The Storytelling Ability of a Boy“
• “This“
• “With a Bang”

Q ARTISTRY - hybrid (actors and some others are paid, depending on the show); Indianapolis

• “Bunny Spectacular“  

SPOTLIGHT 2011 - This annual gala to benefit the Indiana AIDS Fund features a variety show to which a wonderful mix of local performance arts group contribute.

STORYTELLING ARTS OF INDIANA - professional; Indianapolis

• “Dracula” by Megan Wells
• Jim May, filling in for Antonio Rocha
• “The Next Best Thing” told by Antonio Sacre
• “Open Casket” told by Minton Sparks
• “Steamboat Tales: A Rollicking, First-Person Storytelling, Musical Look at Life Along the Ohio River” told by Kevin Stonerock

STUDIO THEATRE - a variety of companies use this space, which opened in February, 2011 as part of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana.  See also Actors Theatre of Indiana, for example.

• Joanna Smith

WAYNE TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY THEATRE - all volunteer; Indianapolis at Ben Davis High School

• “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown“

Shows In Order By Date Seen

Tuesday, January 11 – “9 to 5: the Musical” – Broadway Across America at Clowes Hall

Friday, January 14 – “Norway” – Phoenix Theatre

Friday, January 21 – “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” – Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre

Saturday, January 22 – Storyteller Jim May – Storytelling Arts of Indiana at the Indiana History Center

Sunday, January 23 – “9 to 5: the Musical” a second time!

Saturday, January 29 – “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” – Wayne Township Community Theatre at Ben Davis High School

Sunday, January 30 – “Steamboat Tales: A Rollicking, First-Person Storytelling, Musical Look at Life Along the Ohio River” told by Kevin Stonerock – Storytelling Arts of Indiana and the Indiana Historical Society at the Indiana History Center

Thursday, February 10 – “Hairspray” at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre

Thursday, February 17 – “Goldie, Max and Milk” at the Phoenix Theatre

Saturday, February 19 – “Open Casket” told by Minton Sparks -Storytelling Arts of Indiana at the Indiana History Center.

Friday, February 25 – Joanna Smith – Emerging Artists series - Studio Theatre – The Performing Arts Center in Carmel, Indiana.

Saturday, February 26 – “Diaspora” – Half/Black Productions at the Indy Fringe Theatre.

Thursday, March 3, 2011 – “The Storytelling Ability of a Boy” – Phoenix Theatre.

Friday, March 4, 2011 – “To Kill a Mockingbird” – Epilogue Players.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 – “La Tragedie de Carmen” – final dress rehearsal – Indianapolis Opera at the Frank and Katrina Basile Opera Center.

Friday, March 11, 2011 – “Annie, Jr.” – Clay Middle School.

Friday, March 11, 2011 – “Welcome to Afghanistan” – Matt Panesh – Indy Fringe Theatre.

Friday, March 11, 2011 – “Welcome to the UK” – Matt Panesh, aka Monkey Poet – Indy Fringe Theatre.

Saturday, March 12, 2011 – “The Next Best Thing” told by Antonio Sacre – produced by Storytelling Arts of Indiana at the Indiana History Center.

Sunday, March 13, 2011 – “Cabaret” – Indianapolis Civic Theatre

Friday, March 18, 2011 – “The Pajama Game” – Footlite Musicals

Friday, March 25, 2011 – “The Gospel According to James” – Indiana Repertory Theatre

Saturday, March 26, 2011 – “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” – Creekside Middle School

Saturday, March 26, 2011 – “Funny: A Trunk Show” at the Indy Fringe Theatre

Thursday, March 31, 2011 – “This” at the Phoenix Theatre.

Friday, April 1, 2011 – “Bunny Spectacular” by Q Artistry

Saturday, April 2, 2011 – “Auntie Mame” by the Buck Creek Players.

Sunday, April 3, 2011 – “I Hate Hamlet” by the Carmel Community Players.

Sunday, April 3, 2011 – “Annie Get Your Gun” at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre

Thursday, April 7, 2011 – “I Hate Hamlet” by the Carmel Community Players – a second time!

Saturday, April 9, 2011 – “The Kids Left! The Dog Died! Now what?” at Theatre on the Square.

Sunday, April 10, 2011 – “The Frog Prince” at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

Thursday, April 14, 2011 – “Rock of Ages” by Broadway Across America at Clowes Hall.

Saturday, April 23, 2011 – “The 39 Steps” at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Saturday, April 30, 2011 – “Chicago” by Actors Theatre of Indiana at The Studio Theater in the Center for the Performing Arts.

Monday, May 2, 2011 – “Spotlight” at Clowes Hall.

Friday, May 13, 2011 – “Frog and Toad” by the Cardinal Stage Company in Bloomington, Indiana.

Saturday, May 14, 2011 – “Cinderella” at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre.

Saturday, June 18, 2011 – “Frankenstein the Musical” by the Buck Creek Players at Buck Creek Playhouse.

Sunday, June 19, 2011 – “Avenue Q” at the Phoenix Theatre.  I saw the 2pm show and loved it so much that I went back to see the 6pm show, too.  I was lucky I did!  This show had an extended run and shortly after this weekend sold out completely.

Saturday, July 9, 2011 – “Batboy the Musical” at Footlite.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – “2011 ComedySportz World Championship” at the Athenaeum.  Opening night, two matches:  Manchester vs. Indianapolis, Chicago vs. Milwaukee.

Thursday, July 21, 2011 – “With a Bang,” by Pete McElligott, at the Phoenix Theatre.

Friday, July 22, 2011 – “2011 ComedySportz World Championship” at the Athenaeum.  9:30 set of two matches: New York vs. Portland, Los Angeles vs. Indianapolis.

July 30, 2011 – “The Eel Catchers,” world premier writtenby Bennett Ayres.  Directed by James Tillett.  Starred Erin Cohenour, Doug Johnson, Craig Reasoner, and Ben Tebbe.  Shown at at Theatre on the Square but not a TOTS production.  I still haven’t added this to add this to theatre section, above, because I can’t remember the name of the production company.

August 7, 2011 – “Snoopy!!! The Musical” at the Lilly Theater in the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.  Scot Greenberg played the title role.  The show also starred Jeremy Grimmer, Patrick Mullen, Maria Souza-Eglen, Julie Mauri, Kayla Bennett, and…. (someone cute and talented as Schroeder on the piano.)  Directed by Ty Stover.  Sound design by Bill Book. Choreography by Kenny Shepard.  That’s all I remember.  There was no program, only a poster outside the theatre.  I wish I had copied it all down!  Drat.

August 11 and 12, 2011 – Blog Indiana 2011 conference.  When I asked Noah Coffey, co-founder, about registering for only one of the two days because I had limited funds, he gave me a free ticket to the whole thing because I am someone ”who has supported us from the beginning.” Was that sweet or what?!  So I asked off for a second day from my day job and attended the whole thing.  And it was WONDERFUL.  I am logging it here because a) there was a fair amount of “show business” to it and b) I got a lot of good ideas for retooling my blog when I return to writing it.

August 13, 2011 – “Lights! Camera! Cabaret” – Carmel Community Players.  I went to this to hear a Twitter buddy, Scott Semester (@sssemester) sing, but I enjoyed several of the other performers as well.  This was a fun collection of community talent of all ages.

Unfortunately, when I came out of that show, I learned that the outdoor stage at the Indiana State Fair had collapsed in unexpectedly high winds, killing at least four people – including one of the stagehands – and injuring many more.  We say “anything can happen in live theatre” all the time, but we don’t usually mean dead stagehands. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this accident.

August 18, 2011 – 2011 Indy Fringe Theatre Festival Preview Cabaret

August 19, 2011 – Indy Fringe shows:

• “Satan LIVE!” written and performed by Ben Asaykwee at the Indy Fringe Theatre.
• “Paul Strickland: Any Title That Works” written and performed by Paul Strickland, produced by Beth Marshall Presents - Phoenix Theatre’s Basile Stage sponsored by Storytelling Arts of Indiana.

August 20, 2011 – Indy Fringe shows:

• “Around the World with Cinderella” written and performed by Mary Hamilton on the Phoenix Theatre’s Basile Stage sponsored by Storytelling Arts of Indiana
• “How to Kill” written by Gabe Gloden, produced by Healthy Living Productions on the Phoenix Theatre’s Main Stage.
• “Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee” written and performed by Seth LePore on the Phoenix Theatre’s Basile Stage sponsored by Storytelling Arts of Indiana.
• “Lou Ann Homan-Saylor: I Was A Virgin Nudist” written and performed by Lou Ann Homan-Saylor on the Phoenix Theatre’s Basile Stage sponsored by Storyelling Arts of Indiana.
• “School House Wrong” by Three Dollar Bill Comedy - Phoenix Theatre Main Stage.
• “Box Full of Darkness” written and performed by Mary Armstrong-Smith – Phoenix Theatre’s Basile Stage sponsored by Storytelling Arts of Indiana.
• “Strike! The Musical” written and produced by Ben Asaykwee and QArtistry – Phoenix Theatre’s Main Stage.

August 21, 2011 – Indy Fringe shows:

• “Little Red Riding Hood” produced by Noexit Performance Company - Theatre on the Square Main Stage
• “Paul Strickland: Any Title That Works” (2nd time) – Phoenix Theatre’s Basile Stage
• “A Sword and a Kiss” directed by Ennis Adams, produced by Asante Progressive Hip Hop – ComedySportz
• “ONEymoon (A Honeymoon for One)” written and performed by Christel Barteise, produced by Dutch Girl Productions – Indy Fringe Theatre
• “Beer Can Raft and Other Plays,” written by Lou Harry, directed by Karen Irwin, produced by both of them – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage

August 23, 2011 – Indy Fringe show:

• “Red Couch” – produced by Paperstrangers Performance Company - Theatre on the Square Main Stage

August 24, 2011 – Indy Fringe shows:

• “Scuba Mission” – performed and produced by Shawn Bowers and Colin Hogan – ComedySportz
• “Antigone with a Shotgun: The Musical – produced by Lindsey Brown and Kevin Burgun – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage

August 25, 2011 – Indy Fringe shows:

• “Lou Sanz: Not Suitable for Children” – written, performed, and produced by Lou Sanz – Phoenix Theatre Basile Stage
• “The Day I Ate Wombat” written, performed, and produced by David Quirk - ComedySportz

August 27, 2011 – Indy Fringe shows:

• “The Impressario” – a story with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed and produced by the Intimate Opera of Indianapolis - Cook Theater at the Landmark Center
• “The Lesson” – written by Eugene Ionesco, performed and produced by Carmel High School - Cook Theatre at the Landmark Center
• “I Love You, We’re F*cked” written, performed, and produced by Kevin J. Thornton  - ComedySportz
• “Like Fire Shut Up In My Bones” – produced by Kim McCann and Sarsparilla Shook Productions – Phoenix Theatre Main Stage
• “Phil the Void: Motherbanking Bankholes” – ComedySportz

September 15, 2011 – “Almost, Maine,” written by John Cariani, directed by Ken Klingenmeier, and produced by Lori Raffel at the Carmel Community Playhouse for the Carmel Community Players.  Cast:  Ericka Barker, Joshua Ramsey, Gavin Rulon, Tamara Rulon, Carrie Schlatter, Daniel Shock.

Friday, September 16, 2011 – “Steel Magnolias,” written by Robert Harling, directed by Marcus Waye for the Off-Main Street Players in Zionsville.

Sunday, September 18, 2011 – “Dracula,” adapted by Steven Dietz, Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Thursday, September 22, 2011 – “The Drowsy Chaperone” – Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.  This was my first time at the new Tarkington Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.  Splendid show, splendid experience!

Friday, September 23, 2011 – “Curtains” – Footlite Musicals.

Saturday, September 24, 2011 – “Dracula” – solo storytelling based on the classic by Bram Stoker, adapted and told by storyteller Megan Wells via Storytelling Arts of Indiana at the Indiana History Center.

Thursday, October 14, 2011 – “Little Shop of Horrors,” music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, directed for California State University, Chico’s Department of Theatre by Joel P. Rogers, conducted by Kyle Wiley Pickett in the Harlen Adams Theatre on campus.  My godmother took me to see this while I was visiting her in Chico.  On our way into the theatre, we happened to meet the Audrey II giant plant puppet operator for Act One: Zachary Burch.  He was a cutie and fun to talk with in person, and he did a great job of making that giant plant come alive on stage!

Saturday, October 15, 2011 – “Lost: a Memoir,” adapted for the stage by Cathy Ostlere and Dennis Garnhum, based on the nonfiction book by Cathy Ostlere.  This beautiful one-woman show starring Constance Macy was part of the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s 3rd annual “Going Solo” festival.  Directed by Jennifer Blackmer.  Scenic designer: Robert M. Koharchik.  Costume designer: Beth Bennett.  Lighting designer: Ryan Koharchik.  Sound designer: Jen Groseth.  Dramaturg: Richard J. Roberts.  Stage managers: Amy K. Denkmann and Joel Grynheim.  The world premiere of “Lost” was presented by Theatre Calgary in Canada, directed by Dennis Garnhum.  The IRT’s production is the USAmerican premiere.

Friday, October 22, 2011 – “The Night of the Living Dead, Part 1″ directed by R. Brian Noffke, produced by Acting Up Productions, presented at the Indy Fringe Theatre.  I loved the 9:30 p.m. performance so much that I hung around in my car tweeting for a while and then went back inside for the midnight show!

(I still need to record this show above under its theatre company.)

Saturday, October 22, 2011 – “I Love to Eat,” written and directed by James Still for the Indiana Repertory Theatre.  Starred Robert Neal.  Part of the 3rd Going Solo festival.

(I still need to record this show above.)

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 – “Spring Awakening” at the Phoenix Theatre.

(I still need to record this show above and add credits here.)

Friday, November 4, 2011 – “Jericho” at the Phoenix Theatre.

(I still need to record this show above and add credits here.)

Thursday, November 10, 2011 – “Amadeus” at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

(I still need to record this show above and add credits here.)

Saturday, November 12, 2011 – “Lying in State” by the Epilogue Players, followed by the 10pm match at ComedySportz.

(I still need to record these shows above and add credits here.)

Saturday, November 19, 2011 – “Six Degrees of Separation” by the Carmel Community Players.

(I still need to record this show above and add credits here.)

Saturday, November 26, 2011 – “Happy Dranksgiving” by Three Dollar Bill Comedy at the White Rabbit.

(I still need to record this show above and add credits here.)

Thursday, December 1, 2011 – “Boogie Woogie Holidays” by BobDirex at the Athenaeum – Twitter Preview Night.

(I still need to record this show above and add credits.)

Sunday, December 11, 2011 – “Our Goose Is Cooked: A Very Phoenix Xmas 6″ – Phoenix Theatre

(I still need to record this show above and add credits.)

Saturday, December 17, 2011 – “There’s No Bizness Like Snow Bizness” – Christine Pedi at the Cabaret at the Columbia Club.

(I still need to record this above, too.)

Thursday, December 29, 2011 – “Willy Wonka” at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

(I still need to record this above, too.)

*****   

 ‘See you at the theatres!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

P.S. – I found the photo above in the Creative Commons area of Flickr.com when I put the word ”assortment” into the search box.  It is called “Valentine’s Day Chocolate Assortment” and was taken by little blue hen (Stacey.)

It will do, but it made me wish I had a photo of an assortment of chocolate truffles from The Best Chocolate in Town store on Massachusetts Avenure here in Indianapolis.  Oh, my goodness, they are delicious!  And beautiful!  And fun!  If I ever figure out how to offer advertising space to local companies here on Indy Theatre Habit, Best Chocolate in Town will be one of the first companies I approach.

By the way, my second choice of photo for this directory was this:

This photo is also from the Creative Commons area of Flickr.com.  It is called “Assortment of Theatre Masks” and was taken by virtusincertus at the National Archeological Museum of Naples.    I am putting it here at the end of the directory just because I like it.

H. Baugh

I have a love-hate relationship with “best of the year” lists.  I think Americans (and probably many other people) are obsessed to the point of disease over making comparisons.

The added problem with a “best of the year” theatre list is that, unlike with a list of books or movies, you usually can not go and experience the “best” shows for yourself.  Not those exact productions anyway.  So it’s not as if people can consult the list when they seek recommendations.

Also, a problem with one person making a “best theatre of the year” list is that it is physically impossible for one person to have seen every live theatre show produced in the Indianapolis area in 2010.  There were just too many of them.

On the other hand, one person’s list of favorites at the end of a year can be an enjoyable reminder for other people of shared past pleasures and/or a gentle creative prompt for doing their own remembering. 

It can be a way of noticing and appreciating, of thanking God for the color purple or whatever.

In any case, I just enjoy making and reading lists in general.

So…I have created a new list:  “Hope’s Top Three – Plus Three – Live, Indianapolis-Area Theatre Shows of 2010.” 

(I’ll work on the title, maybe, for 2011.) 

The top three shows on my list are shows that made me say “WOW!” when I saw them and which still jump out in my mind as core-shakers without my having to look over my directory of what I saw in 2010.  They are the three that continue to resonate with me most strongly, both artistically and personally, here at the end of the year.  If I had a time machine and could only see three shows in 2010, these are the three I would pick.

But thank goodness I was not limited to just three shows in 2010!  I am grateful to have seen many enjoyable shows this year.  In fact, I was fortunate enough to see a total of 119 (no, wait, I saw one more last night) 120 shows at more than 35 theatres in Indiana in 2010.   I missed a lot of shows, unfortunately, especially community theatre shows, but still…120 is 120.

(I also saw two excellent shows at two different professional theatres in Washington, D.C. but I am not considering them for my “best of Indy” list.)

So…I would also like to recognize three more shows that jumped out at me as especially satisfying artistically when I looked over my 2010 directory this morning. 

Drumroll please…

My top three shows from 2010, in the order I saw them, are:

“Becky’s New Car” by Steven Dietz – Indiana Repertory Theatre

This story about a woman figuring out what it means to be loyal to herself and to her loved ones was hilarious and touching.  I saw it three times and wished I could have seen every single performance.  Constance Macy was brilliant as the title character, but the whole cast gave delightfully nuanced performances under James Still’s gentle, empowering direction.

“How I Learned to Drive” by Paula Vogel – Carmel Community Players

I saw this while I was on sabbatical, so I didn’t write about it at the time, but it was a powerful, powerful show about a dysfunctional family.  Angela Steele Bowers and Dan Scharbrough gave complex and heart-breaking performances as a damaged woman looking back on her childhood experiences with the truly loving uncle that sexually abused her.  The supporting cast and the design team were equally strong under the passionate direction of Brian G. Hartz.

“Cabaret Poe 2010” – Q Artistry

Lovingly composed, directed, and choreographed by Ben Asaykwee, and performed by him and a handful of other talented performance artists, this musical literary anthology theatre piece was deeply respectful of the stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe while bringing them to life with fresh creativity.  Dark, sexy, funny, beautiful…this show put this relatively new company on the Indy theatre map for me.

My three “artistic honorable mentions” are, in random order:

“The Grapes of Wrath” – Cardinal Theatre Company, Bloomington

This jewel was an exquisite example of the multi-faceted possibilities unique to live theatre art.  From the clever staging to the excellent ensemble acting to the costumes to the musicianship and more, Director Randy White and his team of designers and performers brought this “dusty” American classic to life in a rich, vivid way.  

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” by Tennessee Williams – Carmel Community Players

R. Brian Noffke directed an all-volunteer cast in this award-winning script about toxic family dynamics and human yearning.  The actors’ performances were so extraordinary that I truly forgot that I was at the theatre.  (That almost never happens to me, especially at an all-volunteer community theatre piece.)  Coming out of this show was like waking from a dream.

“A Christmas Carol Unscripted,” by Ed Trout and Michael Davis – ComedySportz

I went to this late-night, for-adults-only, improvisational comedy, music, and storytelling show on a whim one weekend just for fun, so I only tweeted about it at the time.  However, as I look back over my show directory for 2010, I remember that the CZ comics at this particular performance were “in the zone” in an exceptionally fearless and admirable way.  The man who played Scrooge (I think his name was Jeff Clawson) was especially adroit at both managing the energy of the sex-starved, blood-thirsty crowd and coming up with truly funny, in-the-moment responses, but everyone in the cast was in mojo mode that night.

**********

So there’s my list.  Three top shows and three honorable mentions.  I recommend that you create your own list, especially if you disagree with mine.

By the way, I have never made a year’s end “best of theatre” list before, but I did participate in a rich thread on IndianaAuditions.com back in December of 2007 on “the state of Indianapolis theatre.”  Here is a direct link to the beginning of that thread.  What I wrote comes in towards the end, on page 7, I think, but the whole thread is worth reading.  Make yourself a fresh cup of tea and settle in for a good read, and leave a comment there yourself if you want.  Whether you write something or not, if you are at all involved with the Indianapolis theatre community, I bet that thread will trigger some thoughts about where we are now, just three years later.

Also by the way, and while I am in comparison-making mode, I would like to award the following five gold stars: 

• Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre offers me the most consistently comfortable,  enjoyable theatre.
• Broadway Across America offers me the most consistently dazzling theatre.
• The Indianapolis Civic Theatre offers me the most consistently high-quality design elements (sets, costumes, lighting, sound, etc.)
• The Phoenix Theatre offers me the most consistently thought-provoking and enjoyably cathartic theatre.
• Storytelling Arts of Indiana offers me the most variety in terms of emotionally satisfying, professional, performance/oral tradition storytelling.

These five organizations also happen to be the five that make life easiest and fun for me as a part-time, volunteer theatre writer, so I hope their CEOs will also give gold stars to each of their media relations people as well.

To everyone:  please accept my sincere and very best wishes for 2011.  Thank you very much for reading Indy Theatre Habit in 2010.  ‘See you here and at the theatres in 2011!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com 

(P.S. – The photo above is called “Green Heart (And the Green Grass Grows All Around, All Around.”  It was taken by David Goehring and shared in the Creative Commons area of Flickr.com.)

(Last updated 3-1-11)

Here it is February already, and I am only now posting my 2010 directory of shows I have seen.  Ah, well.  Each year I improve my organizational skills a teeny bit.  In 2009, I didn’t get my directory started until mid-year, and I didn’t even start my 2008 directory until 2009!

This post will quickly get pushed down by newer posts, but it will be easy to find again through the category “Annual Directories of My Reviews” – see link at left.  I will add to it as I go through the year.  I know from experience that in some ways it will be much more useful than the search box that came with this WordPress template.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know the drill:  

Below is a list of the shows that I have seen so far in 2010, 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.  And in late 2009 my friend Greg also raised my consciousness over dinner one night by saying that really, the only professional theatre is one that offers its actors enough performances per week to make a living wage.  By that definition, only the Indiana Repertory Theatre and Beef-and-Boards Dinner Theatre are professional around here, other than touring companies.  That makes sense, but I am sticking with my general categories for now.

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; Carmel

• “Nunsense“
• “Rounding Third“
• “Tuning Concert” at the Palladium – not for review, although I did tweet about it a little that night

BEEF AND BOARDS DINNER THEATRE - professional; Indianapolis

• “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee“
• “Always…Patsy Cline“
• “Camelot“
• “Footloose“
• “The Foreigner“
• “Hello, Dolly!”
• “White Christmas“

BOBDIREX – hybrid?  Indianapolis (Athenaeum Theatre)

• “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” – no review, on sabbatical

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA - professional, touring; Clowes Hall and the Murat Theatre, Indianapolis

• “The 101 Dalmatians Musical“
• “A Chorus Line“
• “The Color Purple“
• “Dreamgirls“
• “Jersey Boys” – no review, on sabbatical
• “Mary Poppins” – no review, saw with my father on vacation

BUCK CREEK PLAYERS - all volunteer, Indianapolis

• “Ghosts”-  no review, on sabbatical

CABARET AT THE COLUMBIA CLUB - regular shows – professional, open mic nights – hybrid; Indianapolis

• “That’s Brentertainment!” – open mic night hosted by Brent Marty and featuring Su Ours; brief comments only

CARDINAL STAGE COMPANY - professional; Bloomington

• “The Grapes of Wrath“
• “The Santaland Diaries“

CARMEL COMMUNITY PLAYERS - all volunteer; Carmel

• “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof“
• “Crimes of the Heart” – no time for a review, but a cast photo and quick mention is here.”
• “Dead Man’s Cell Phone“
• “An Evening with Ben Vereen” – fundraiser for CCP – no review but I live-tweeted this event from a hiding place on the balcony at the Carmel High School auditorium.
• “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some)” – no time to write a review; I just enjoyed it and tweeted about it a teeny bit that night.
• “How I Learned to Drive” – no review, on sabbatical

CARMEL REPERTORY THEATRE - all-volunteer; Carmel, Indiana

• “The Pirates of Penzance” – no review, on sabbatical

COMEDY SPORTZ - professional improv company, all artists are paid; Indianapolis

• “A Christmas Carol Unscripted” – no time to write a review; I just enjoyed it and tweeted a bit about it that night.
• “Oz Unscripted: An Adult Trip” – no review, on sabbatical

DANCE KALEIDOSCOPE - professional dance company; Indianapolis

• “Love Is…”

FOOTLITE MUSICALS - all volunteer; Indianapolis

• “Oklahoma” – I enjoyed this show but I didn’t make time to write  a review because a co-worker from my day job was in it and it is just too weird to blog about co-workers.
• “The Producers” – no review, saw with my father on vacation
• “Tony Awards Viewing Party” – no review, on sabbatical (and anyway, it was a party, not a show)

2010 ENCORE ASSOCIATION AWARDS CEREMONY

FRANKLIN COLLEGE THEATRE - students/professors/college staff/townspeople; Franklin

• “Three Sisters“

HEARTLAND ACTORS’ REPERTORY THEATRE (HART) – professional, various venues around Indianapolis

• “Two Gentlemen of Verona” – White River State Park – no review, on sabbatical

HENDRICKS CIVIC THEATRE - all volunteer; Longstreet Playhouse in Danville plus other locations in Hendricks County

• “Grace & Glorie“

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE - professional; Indianapolis

• “Around the World in 80 Days“
• “Becky’s New Car” – I saw this one three times!
• “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol“
• “Holes“
• “Mary’s Wedding” – no time to write a review
• “Romeo and Juliet“

INDIANAPOLIS CIVIC THEATRE  - hybrid (designers and staff are paid, performers are volunteers); Indianapolis; also known as the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

• “Annie” – not a full review, but partial comments here
• “The Belle of Amherst“
• “Bus Stop“
• “Carousel“

INDIANAPOLIS SENIOR CENTER - hybrid: paid director (center staff), the rest volunteers; Indianapolis

• “Harvey” – no time for a full review, but a brief mention is here.

INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - professional; Indianapolis

• “Generations of Rock” with Michael Cavanaugh – no review, on sabbatical

INDY FRINGE FESTIVAL (August 19-29, 2010) – hybrid, Indianapolis

• Tweet Highlights - summary of my first responses to all of the IndyFringe shows I saw this year, whether I had time to write full reviews of them or not.
• “Andrea Merlyn’s Book of Magic“
• “Another 55 Minutes with Loren and Howard”
• “Archy and Mehitabel”
• “Before Tomorrow”
• “Bill & Erin: One-Night Standards“
• “Blizzard Rewind“
• “The Boy in the Basement” – Also saw and wrote about the longer version at the White Rabbit a few days later.
• “A Brighter Shade of Blue“
• “Deep in Love/For Adults Only“
• “The Four Food Groups“
• “Gilgamesh“
• “Grind: the Musical“
• “Lot o’ Shakespeare”
• “Madwomen’s Late-Night Cabaret” – This was my second time seeing this show.  I wrote about the first time, at the IndyFringe Theatre during Diva Fest, here.
• “Not a Peep“
• “Ophelia’s Revenge“
•  ”Phil the Void: Spontaneous Dumbustion“
• “Please Don’t Use My Flannel for That: a Memoir“
• “Queue”
• “The Screw You Revue“
• “Swan Balloon” – no written review, but a short video conversation with the performer is here.
• “The Tale of Mephisto”
• “Teen Jesus“
• “They Touch in Flood”

INDY FRINGE THEATRE - hybrid; Indianapolis

• “Jabberwocky – Once Upon a Time” – co-produced by Storytelling Arts of Indiana and Indy Fringe
• “Jabberwocky – One Book” – co-produced by Storytelling Arts of Indiana and Indy Fringe – no review, on sabbatical
• “Jabberwocky – Stories of Writer’s Block“ - co-produced by Storytelling Arts of Indiana and Indy Fringe
• “Madwomen’s Late Nite Cabaret” – DivaFest winner
• “Moby Dick Tonight“
• “The Santaland Diaries” – see” Cardinal Stage Company”, above
• “Thirty Dash Thirty” – DivaFest winner

MERRY MAC PLAYERS - all volunteer; Martinsville

• “Those Crazy Ladies in the House at the Corner” – no review, on sabbatical

NORTHWOOD CHRISTIAN CHURCH – all volunteer; Indianapolis

• “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” – no review, church fundraiser

OAKLANDON CIVIC THEATRE - all volunteer; Indianapolis

• “I Take This Man“
• “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940″ – no time to write a review; I just enjoyed it.

OFF-MAIN STREET PLAYERS - all volunteer; Zionsville

• “The Odd Couple” – I enjoyed this show, especially since I had never seen this play produced before, but I didn’t make time to write  a review because a co-worker from my day job was in it and it is just too weird to blog about co-workers.

PHOENIX THEATRE - professional; Indianapolis

• “Call Me Boricua!”
• “The Housewives of Mannheim“
• “In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play“
• “My Name is Asher Lev“
• “Pure Prine: The Music of John Prine“
• “Reasons to Be Pretty” – saw twice, no review, on sabbaical
• “Speech and Debate” – no review, on sabbatical
• “Sunlight” – brief comments only; I went on a whim with no time to write a full review
• “A Very Phoenix Xmas 5: Regifted“
• “Yankee Tavern” -I saw this twice!

Q ARTISTRY - hybrid (actors and some others are paid, depending on the show); Indianapolis

• “Cabaret Poe” – I saw this one twice! (only reviewd once though)
• “A Christmas Qarol Cabaret” – no time to write a review; I just enjoyed this and tweeted about it a bit that night.
• “Perry Haughter and the Magical Musical“
• “USO: Songs of War” – no review, on sabbatical

RICKS-WEIL THEATRE COMPANY - all volunteer; Greenfield, IN

• “Hello, Dolly!” – no review, on sabbatical

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY - professional; Washington, DC

• “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” – no review, on sabbatical

SPOTLIGHT 2010 - This annual gala to benefit the Indiana AIDS Fund features a variety show to which a wonderful mix of local performance arts group contribute.

SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS - all volunteer; Indianapolis (Beech Grove)

• “Parallel Lives” – no review, on sabbatical

STORYTELLING ARTS OF INDIANA - professional; Indianapolis

• “A Feast for the Eyes,” told by Peter Cook
• “Disquieting, Disturbing, and Dreadful Tales” – five Indiana tellers
• “Basile Emerging Stories 2010: Jennie Kiffmeyer and Celestine Bloomfield“
•  Bil Lepp’s family concert, filling in for Niall de Burca in December - no time to write a review; I just enjoyed it.
• “Jabberwocky – Once Upon a Time” – see “Indy Fringe Theatre”
• “Jabberwocky – One Book – see “Indy Fringe Theatre”
• “Jabberwocky – Stories of Writer’s Block” – see “Indy Fringe Theatre”
• “Nepantla: Between Worlds,” told by Olga Loya
• “Root Doctors, Midwives, and Fried-Mice Pie: Medicine in Early Indiana,” told by Susan Grizzell

STUDIO THEATRE - professional; Washington, DC.

• “American Buffalo” – no review, on sabbatical

THEATRE ON THE SQUARE - hybrid; Indianapolis.

• “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” – no review, on sabbatical
• “Spring Cleaning” – Eight plays by Indiana Playmakers

THE THEATRE WITHIN - all volunteer; Indianapolis

• “The Twilight of the Golds“

THREE DOLLAR BILL COMEDY COMPANY - professional; Indianpolis, usually at ComedySportz.

• “Pre-Existing Conditions” – I enjoyed this set of sketches but just went on a whim and did not have time to write a review.

VICTORIAN THEATRE BY CANDLELIGHT - all volunteer; Indianapolis at the President Benjamin Harrison Home

• “Murder and Mystery in the Mansion“

WAYNE TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY THEATRE – all volunteer; Indianapolis at Ben Davis High School

• “Man of La Mancha” – no review, on sabbatical
• “Once Upon a Mattress” – no review, on sabbatical

WHITE RABBIT CABARET - hybrid; Indianapolis

• “The Boy in the Basement“
• “Grand Opening Performance” featuring the house group, Hassenpfeffer – I tweeted about this eclectic show a little bit that night, but did not have time to write a full review.

‘See you at the theatres!

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com

Follow @IndyTheatre on Twitter.com, too!

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

Tonight I am indulging my inner librarian, who is often frustrated by the imprecision of the Search box that came with this WordPress theme. 

Below is a list of the shows that I saw in 2008, 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 directly 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)

• “Frog and Toad“
• “Perfect Wedding“
• “The World Goes Round“

ALL ALIKE PRODUCTIONS (hybrid? no longer operating; Indianapolis)

• “bare: the musical“

ALLEY THEATER (hybrid? no longer operating; Indianapolis)

• “Unmerciful Good Fortune“

AMERICAN CABARET THEATRE (under new management and in a new location in 2009, but in 2008 ACT was a hybrid, I think, of paid artists and volunteers; Indianapolis)

• “Swing!”
• “Victor Victoria“
• “The Wiz“

ARTBOX PRODUCTIONS (all volunteer, I think; Greenwood)

• “Dracula“

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

• “A Beef and Boards Christmas 2008“
• “Peter Pan“
• “The Producers“
• “Run for Your Wife“
• “Smoke on the Mountain: Homecoming“
• “The Sound of Music“
• “West Side Story“

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

• “It’s a Wonderful Life (Radio Play)” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Lost in Yonkers” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Two Orphans“

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

• “A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Honk“
• “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” (judged for Encore – no review)

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

• “Art” – I saw this twice in Carmel and a third time “on tour” as a Shared Stage Production at the Wayne Township Community Theatre
• “Blithe Spirit” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Foreigner“

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

• “Cake Walk” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner“

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

• “A Christmas Carol Unscripted“

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

• “The Odd Couple: Female Version” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Pen is Deadlier” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Three Belles of Eden“
• “Praise the Lord and Pass the Peanut Butter“

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

• “Bye Bye Birdie” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Crazy for You” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Jane Eyre“

THE GARFIELD SHAKESPEARE COMPANY (all volunteer; Indianapolis)

• “Romeo and Juliet” – no review because I arrived late.

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

• 2008 Introduction
• “The Aztec Creation” by Olga Loya
• “Helen’s Troy” by Megan Wells
• “Queen Berta and King Pippin” by Priscilla Howe

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

• “Midwestern Hemisphere” – I saw this a second time, too, plus the three workshop readings that I went to before the world premiere.
• “The Merchant of Venice“

HENDRICKS CIVIC THEATRE (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Hendricks County various locations)

• “Fracas at Jitter Junction” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Joseph“

INDIANA HISTORY CENTER (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “You Are There“

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

• “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol“
• “Doubt” – no review
• “The Fantasticks“
• “Iron Kisses“
• “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder“
• “Macbeth“
• “The Piano Lesson“
• “The Power of One“
• “Sherlock Holmes: the Final Adventure“
• “This Wonderful Life“

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

• “Golda’s Balcony“
• “Little Shop of Horrors“
• “My Way“
• “Thoroughly Modern Millie“

INDIANAPOLIS FRINGE FESTIVAL (hybrid – some staff and performers are paid, others are volunteers; Indianapolis)

• “Adventures in Mating“
• “Alone and Testifying” – twice
• “And He Ran Screaming“
• “And I Am Not Making This Up“
• “Andrea Merlin’s Magic Show: Glamour Redux“
• “Assholes and Aureoles“
• “The Best of the Blizzard“
• “The Birdmann” – twice
• “The Caverns“
• “Christmas in Bakersfield“
• “Clown at Work” – twice
• “Common Humanity“
• “The Cool Table“
• “The Honeymoon Suite“
• “Improscaping” – twice
• “In Rehearsal“
• “Jealous Sky“
• “The Magic of Jared Sherlock“
• “Meet the Rock“
• “Monkey Poet: the Big Brown Number Two“
• “My Friend Hitler“
• “On the Rag: Heavy Flow“
• “Phil the Void: Comedy Over Quality” – twice
• “Potpourri Potluck Kitchen Sink Meatloaf“
• “The Slip-Knot: a One-Person Show“
• “Speaking Without Words“
• “Squashamole! The True Cost of Things“
• “Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana“
• “Stripped“
• “Tastes Funny“
• “The Time Machine“
• “Wicked Dreams Pleasant Nightmares“

INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Guys and Dolls“
• “Yuletide Celebration“

MERRY MAC PLAYERS (all-volunteer? Martinsville)

• “Dearly Departed“

Miscellaneous

• “Fiddler on the Roof” presented by Clay Middle School’s Drama Club – no review
• “Holiday Melodies” – a concert to benefit the Danville High School Band Department in Danville, Indiana.
• “The Vagina Monologues” – organized by Kelly Thomas to benefit the Julian Center; presented at the Wheeler Arts Community building in Indianapolis

MORRIS BUTLER HOUSE (hybrid? Indianapolis)

• “From Dark Pages“

MYERS DINNER THEATRE (professional – all artists are paid; Hillsboro)

• “South Pacific“

MYSTERY CAFÉ (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Pizza Driver“

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

• “Apartment 3A“
• “I Hate Hamlet” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Zombie Prom“

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

• “Black Gold“
• “End Days” – four times, pre-blog (IndianaAuditions.com thread here)
• “June 8, 1968″/”Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?”
• “The Lieutenant of Inishmore“
• “Murderers“
• “November“
• “On Thin Ice: a Very Phoenix Xmas 3“
• “Our Dad Is In Atlantis/Papa Esta En La Atlantida” – I saw both the English and Spanish versions
• “Some Men“
• “Well” - I saw this twice

RED BARN SUMMER THEATRE (hybrid? Frankfort)

• “Mind Over Matt“

SAPPHIRE THEATRE COMPANY (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Lysistrata“

SHADOWAPE THEATRE COMPANY (professional – all artists are paid; Indianapolis)

• “Transformations“

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

• “Daddy’s Dyin’…Who’s Got the Will?” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “The Dastardly Ficus“
• “Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grill“
• “Ordinary People“
• “Twelve Angry Men” (judged for Encore – no review)
• “Voices from the High School“

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

• “Six Degrees of Separation“

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

• Beth Horner - 2008 Hoosier Storytelling Festival
• Brenda Wong Aoki- 2008 Hoosier Storytelling Festival
• Charlotte Blake Alston – 2008 Hoosier Storytelling Festival
• Gene Tagaban at the Eiteljorg Museum as part of the 2008 Hoosier Storytelling Festival
• Kevin Kling - 2008 Hoosier Storytelling Festival
• “Love, Work, Mistakes, and Miracles: a Night of Song and Story” by Bill Harley and Carrie Newcomer
• “More Alike Than Not: Stories of Three Americans – Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim”
• “Punching the Lard: True Stories and Tall Tales” by Bil Lepp
• “Safe and Sound. Letter to Follow” by Stephanie Holman
• “Swingin’ with Duke Ellington” by Bobbie Norfolk
• “Travel Scenes” by Heather Forest
• “What Folks Told Me and What They Didn’t” by Lyn Ford

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

• “Christmas Belles” – no review
• “Evil Dead: the Musical“
• “Five Course Love” – I saw this twice
• “Kitty! Kitty! Kitty!”
• “Proof“
• “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant“

VICTORIAN THEATRE BY CANDLELIGHT (all volunteer? Indianapolis)

• “Cold-Blooded“

WAYNE TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY THEATRE (all volunteer; member Encore Association; Indianapolis)

• “Pippin” – I saw this show twice.

WESTFIELD PLAYHOUSE (all volunteer; Eagletown)

• “A Few Good Men“

 Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com