Stage Write

  The IndyFringe Festival is back and it’s celebrating its 20th Anniversary! Attending for the first time can feel intimidating because there are six venues, 69 unique shows, and almost 250 ticketed performances from Aug. 14 th to the 24 th . But the team at Fringe has made it as user-friendly as possible. To start, there is a preview night TONIGHT! You can get a glimpse of shows and decide which ones interest you the most. Info here: WHAT :  IndyFringe Festival Preview Night WHEN : TONIGHT, Aug. 13,2025, Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Show starts at 6:00 p.m. WHERE : Then Athenaeum Basile Theatre, 401 E Michigan St., Indianapolis COST : Pay-what-you-can tickets can be purchased  online  or at the door.  For the actual festival, here are some helpful facts: Week-night shows typically run between 6:30PM & 10:30PM and weekend shows may run between 11:00AM – 11:00PM. Shows are all 45-60 minutes long and they all start on the same 90-minute intervals a...

  From the moment Matt Anderson takes the stage, his seething and scheming Richard III demands your full attention. It's a role that would be easy to over act, but instead Anderson's portrayal is raw and visceral. He has frequently popped up in supporting roles over the years, but this play gives him a chance to stretch his wings and show what he can do. He is mesmerizing as the simpering villain. Under Glenn Dobbs’ direction, some of the simplest moments are the most powerful. There's a scene where the two ill-fated nephews grasp hands, and that simple gesture conveys so much emotion.   The set is simple, consisting of only a few chairs or benches. The audience surrounds the stage on three sides and the cast makes the most of the intimate space.   Christina Howard’s plays both Lady Anne and Lord Grey, but it’s her performance as the grieving widow that is particularly powerful. She and Allison Clark Reddick (playing Queen Elizabeth) are both beautiful studies o...

Bard Fest wrapped up its second annual events this past weekend. This year’s festival included three different Shakespeare productions, by three companies, in rotation: Twelfth Night from Garfield Shakespeare Co., King Lear from First Folio, and Coriolanus from Catalyst Repertory. One highlights of the festival is that audiences are able to see plays that are rarely produced in Indiana .  I was only able to make it to King Lear, something I hope to remedy next year. The productions obviously have a small budget, but they make the most of what they have. Costumes are simple and the stage is sparse, highlighting the performances over the atmosphere. Carey Shea’s direction wisely focuses on relationships over action sequences. David Mosedale is the titular king. He’s flustered and frustrated by his situation. His brokenness is clear in the second act. Ann Marie Elliott plays both the rejected daughter Cordelia and the Fool. Her performance as the former is emotional and ...

“STELLA!” The infamous line from A Streetcar Named Desire was firmly cemented in the annals of pop culture when Marlon Brando first belted it out decades ago. That is all many people know about the show, but Tennessee Williams’ work has much more to offer. The play delves deep into the complicated lives of the very different DuBois sisters.   Blanche, played with an escalating level of tense cheerfulness by Carrie Schlatter, is a southern belle who has fallen on hard times. Her troubled past has made her leave the family mansion to join her sister, Stella Kowalski in a rowdy neighborhood in New Orleans. Schlatter captures Blanche’s fragile state, vacillating from childish enthusiasm in one moment to snooty disdain in the next. She is in a perpetual state of performing a role, but whether it’s for her or for others is hard to tell. Stella’s husband Stanley, played by Chris Saunders, is coarse and uncouth in Blanche’s eyes and the two immediately butt heads. His raw se...

This past weekend I had the opportunity it participate in something truly incredible. Indianapolis hosted the American Theatre Critics Association Conference (ACTA) and critics from all over the country made their way to our fine city. From San Francisco, CA to New Haven, CT the critics came; many had never been to Indiana before and had no idea that we had such a wide variety of cultural events available. This conference was a chance to widen perceptions about how our city is viewed throughout the country. The driving force behind this event was Indianapolis Business Journal , led by Arts and Entertainment editor Lou Harry. A lot of work went into pitching and organizing this conference. Every detail from the food to the transportation had to be worked out and dozens of schedules had to be juggled to fit in as much as possible, but the result was a smashing success. Attendees enjoyed local food from Yats , Ralston’s Draft House , Shapiro’s and the Rathskeller . They traveled f...

I first read David Sedaris’ The Santaland Diaries a few years back. I remember laughing until my stomach hurt, but seeing a live version of his hilarious tale is somehow even funnier. The production, currently on stage at the IndyFringe Theatre, explores Sedaris’ personal experiences working as an elf at Macy’s. This Christmas show is definitely for adults only, which of course means you know it’s going to be funny. Scot Greenwell plays Crumpet the elf with equal parts impish glee and cynical sass. He makes acidic jokes about controlling parents, delusional Santas and his fellow elves all while learning something about the true meaning of Christmas. Decked out in candy cane tights and a jingle bell hat, Crumpet attempts to hang on to his sanity (and dignity) in the middle of Macy’s hectic Santaland. The intentionally atrocious costume is just one small aspect of the department store’s over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. Oversized candy and fake snow crowd together to help create t...