Stage Write

  A world premiere, a Hoosier playwright, and a little piece of fascinating but overlooked history. Borrowed Babies has all the makings of a great play. American Lives Theatre’s (ALT) current production is on stage at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre right now. ALT produced playwright Jennifer Blackmer’s Predictor in 2023. That show demonstrated Blackmer could highlight a piece of history while breathing life into it and developing rich characters. Borrowed Babies follows in the same vein. With stellar casting, including veteran actors Jen Johansen and Lauren Briggeman, as well as other supporting cast members, the plot delves into an unbelievably real program in the 1950s where women “borrowed” babies from orphanages and other organizations to practice homemaking skills. To be successful, a show like this has to do more than just relay the history. It has to pull the audience in and get them to care about what is happening. Between Bridget Haight’s direction, Blackmen’s writing...

Six week after giving birth I braved the outside world with my daughter for the first time completely on my own. We went to a breastfeeding support group at a local hospital. I was completely overwhelmed, sleep-deprived and somehow managed to get lost in the winding corridors. The adventure ended with me in tears in an elevator. I don’t often share personal details here, but the Phoenix Theatre’s production of Cry It Out hit close to home for me. Becoming a new parent is one of the most intense things you can experience. It is exhausting and beautiful and it brings you to your knees. It’s full of barely comprehensible paradoxes. You are immediately connected to generations of women who have done this incredible thing before you. You are also isolated as you try to learn how to survive while caring for a helpless newborn. The internet becomes a resource for tips and ideas while also becoming a place full of moms making different choices, ready to tell you how you’ve screwed up. I’ve...

  There's a new theatre company in town and its inaugural production is not to be missed. Summit Performance Indianapolis, co-founded by Lauren Briggeman and Georgeanna Smith Wade, opened Silent Sky at the Phoenix Theatre this past weekend. The play by Lauren Gunderson tells the true story of the astronomer Henrietta Leavitt who worked at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s. It is an astonishing piece of theatre.  Carrie Schlatter plays Henrietta Leavitt, the driving force in the powerful production. With each breath she takes she exudes curiosity and a fierce drive. Her passion for her work is infectious. In her new role Henrietta has two female co-workers. Molly Garner is the no nonsense Annie Cannon. She is the straight woman to Gigi Jennewein's Williamina who fills her scenes, and their small work space, with a delightful sense of levity. Adam Tran is their colleague Peter Shaw, who finds himself just as fascinated with Henrietta as the audience is.  ...

  In a year where election campaigns can leave you feeling little love for your country and state, the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s unique production “Finding Home: Indiana at 200” is a welcome respite. I’ve never felt so misty-eyed about my Hoosier heritage. The play was created to celebrate the state’s bicentennial and is a combination of the work of dozens of artists. It compiles original music, created by Tim Grimm and performed by his family band, with short plays about Indiana’s history.   There are no restrictions on content, except it has to be about Indiana. From Cole Porter to James Dean, Princess Mishawaka to Eli Lilly, the richness of Hoosier history unfolds beautifully.  They touch on the Indy 500 and IU basketball, but the other pieces are thankfully not heavy on sports; even those two focuses on lesser known elements.     Many of the pieces are based on facts familiar to Hoosier, but the writers give those common stories a face and bri...

In a society that thrills at the mention of an Ebola outbreak or questions of vaccinations, few subjects could feel timelier than the story of Typhoid Mary. The infamous Irish cook became famous at the turn of the century for unknowingly spreading Typhoid fever in the homes where she worked as a cook. The Phoenix Theatre’s Playwright-in-Residence Tom Horan’s own “Typhoid Mary” is currently hosting its world premiere at the theatre.   The cast is made up of only three individuals, but each one packs a punch. Lauren Briggeman plays the title character, Mary Mallon. She wowed audiences in last year’s Acting Up Production of Hamlet as the female lead. Though this role is very different, she brings the same feisty passion to the stage. Jolene Mentink Moffatt brought levity to the production with her friendly demeanor, but there was an icy sarcastic edge beneath the surface that I loved. As a female doctor during that time she conveys the difficulty of her position in the male...