Stage Write

One of my favorite annual Indy traditions is back this weekend! The Heartland Actors' Repertory Theatre is presenting The Winter's Tale at White River State Park tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. The shows start at 8 pm, but the pre-show festivities begin at 6 pm.  Every year the Shakespeare on the Canal productions are incredible and so much fun. Professional actors take the stage for only three days during this FREE event. There will be food trucks and Sun King Brewery will be serving. Don't miss it! Visit their website here for more info. Seriously people, Indy is so lucky to have an outdoor Shakespeare event that is free and put on by amazingly talented people. Grab a Sun King brew, bring a picnic or buy food there, whatever you do, just get thee to the park!

Peter Pan was one of the very first shows I saw performed live. I had grown up watching the 1960 TV version starring Mary Martin, but it wasn’t until I saw it at Beef & Boards that it truly came alive for me. Peter Pan is back on stage at the Indianapolis dinner theatre and seeing the Beef & Boards’ production was a sweet reminder of the songs and story I loved so much when I was young.   The adventure-packed show is a wonderful introduction to theatre for young kids. With pirates, Indians, fairies, and flying there’s so much magic happening on stage the youngsters in the audience couldn’t help their occasional exclamations of excitement.   Phebe Taylor, who served as the spirit Ariel in HART ’s “Tempest” last summer, is a Beef & Boards newcomer. She’s perfect as the eternally youthful Peter Pan. Her energetic performance was backed by incredible vocals on numbers like “Neverland” and “Distant Melody”. The villains are over-the-top and cartoonish,...

This year has held some incredible performances and productions throughout the Midwest. Here are my top ten choices for 2012. Keep your eyes on these theatres in the future for more great shows. 1) Les Misérables at Clowes Hall performed by Broadway Across America 2) The House That Jack Built at the Indiana Repertory Theatre 3) August: Osage County at the Phoenix Theatre 4) The Woman in Black at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre 5) The Book Thief at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago 6) Othello at the White River State Park performed by the Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre 7) Twelfth Night at the American Players Theatre in Wisconsin 8) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the Indiana Repertory Theatre 9) Freud's Last Session at the Phoenix Theatre 10) The Wizard of Oz at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre Photos courtesy of the Phoenix, Beef & Boards, Broadway Across America and the IRT

There are few things as magical as watching Shakespeare's work being performed outdoors. Even the Globe Theatre in London was designed to recreate the original roofless Globe, combining the Bard's beautiful words and starry nights. The Heartland Actors' Repertory Theatre presented a weekend of Shakespeare on July 31st and August 1st. The show, "Much Ado About Nothing" was performed on a simple, yet beautiful set in White River State Park. With the river created the perfect backdrop and the performers shared barbs and banter as the sun set. When performed without a sense of humor Shakespeare can feel stale and archaic, especially a comedy like "Much Ado About Nothing." HART's performers took the classic material and brought it alive, embracing the author's wicked wit. The cast included seasoned actors like Charles Goad and Mark Goetzinger, talented HART regulars Ben Tebbe, Michael Shelton and Diane Timmerman, a few newcomers and many others. They ...