Stage Write

  Have we ever needed a return to this cozy tradition more? The familiar landscape of fake snow and glowing lanterns welcomes new and old audiences to the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. There are many new elements in the production this year giving it a fresh feel, full of hope and promise.  IRT regular Rob Johansen takes the reigns as Scrooge for the first time. Ryan Artzberger, who has played Scrooge for the past decade, steps into the role of Scrooge’s beleaguered clerk Bob Cratchit. IRT playwright-in-residence James Still directs Carol for the first time. There is also a more diverse cast than we’ve seen in the past, a great change! Johansen is a perfect fit for Scrooge. He captures the cranky character’s sense of sarcasm and scorn which transforms as the play unfolds. Johansen conveys a sincerity that makes Scrooge’s altered state believable and poignant. The talented cast members all play a slew of characters. Their narration of the show in unison and...

By Melissa Hall   James Still, the playwright-in-residence at the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT), was announced as the 2020 Indiana Authors Awards Drama Winner for his trilogy The Jack Plays. The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award winners receive an award made from Indiana steel and limestone, a $5,000 cash prize, and the opportunity to make a $500 gift to an Indiana public library. The Jack Plays is a series of three plays featuring members of the same family, The Jack Plays travel from a Vermont Thanksgiving dinner, to the canals of Venice, and into a CIA operation in Yemen. Still’s ability to give his characters’ depth in all situations allows audiences to connect with the family and their struggles with grief and identity.   The IRT is the only theatre that has produced all three productions: The House that Jack Built (2012), Miranda (2017), and Appoggiatura (2018). Still has served as their first and only playwright-in-residence for 23 years. He has wri...

All aboard! The Indiana Repertory Theatre's Exploring Stages program is currently producing "The Little Choo - Choo That Thinks She Can", written by James Still, the playwright-in-residence. He's reimagined the classic tale through the eyes of an imaginative brother and sister. Devan Mathias and Isaiah Moore play the enthusiastic duo. They throw themselves into the roles and embody the frustration, joy, and vulnerability of two kids.  Throughout the show Frankie Bolda provides dozens of musical embellishments to each scenes. Kazoos, tambourines, cymbals, and train whistles make up her costume and add to the fun.  As the little train attempts to climb the big hill the children in the audience find themselves cheering her on. The story, by its very nature, is repetitive, but it gives the kids a chance to grasp the idea and works well for the youth audiences it's intended for.  Grab your kiddos, nieces and nephews, or  grandkids  and visit the...

 Music and plot are so closely intertwined in Appoggiatura, that you can't mention one without the other. Even the title reflects this, it means: a grace note performed before a note of the melody and falling on the beat. The play, part of a trilogy written by playwright-in-residence James Still, follows three travelers on a sojourn through lovely Venice. On their journey they wander the canals finding pieces of their hearts as they go. The city feels like one of the main characters in the story. As one actor notes, "Venice is as old and broken as the rest of us.". Like most of Still's work, the show is not driven by plot, but instead it focuses on the characters' interaction and self-discovery. There's Helen (Susan Pellegrino) whose forced optimism hides the tender memories of her own honeymoon in Venice. Helen's granddaughter Sylvie (Andrea San Miguel), for whom the confusing maze of Venice reflects her current feelings about life and lov...

"The middle takes guts. The middle is where you go to sit down with monsters." The Indiana Repertory Theatre's current Upperstage production, The Originalist, explores that middle, introducing us to a fictional relationship between Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and a liberal law clerk. The play is about the absolutely essential nature of debate. Having the freedom to openly discuss political issues is something we often take for granted in our country as we get lost in the fight. We forget that the person you disagree with doesn't have to be the enemy.  The play features two incredibly charismatic leads. Henry Woronicz is Scalia, the conservative judge famous for his love of opera and passionate dissents. Woronicz revels in the role. He is combative and playful, even when the discussion is heated he doesn't lose his wry sense of humor. Ayanna Bria Bakari is his counterpart Cat, whose desire to better understand the other end of the political spectrum open...

  Miranda is a CIA operative working in Yemen in the current upperstage production at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. Written by IRT's playwright-in-residence James Still, the show is the third play in a trilogy he created. The first play, The House that Jack Built premiered at the IRT in 2012. The second play, Appoggiatura, is part of the theatre's 2017/18 season. Each play works as a stand alone, but they deal with a single family and a tragedy that has shaped their lives.  At its heart Miranda is about identity. The titular character is strong-willed and stubborn. The only thing fluid about her is the constant shift in her public persona. She goes by four different names in the short time we have with her. Her identity is shaped by her work and family.When her faith in the identity she's created is shaken, she begins to question everything.  Jennifer Coombs embodies the broken but brash Miranda. Her layered performance captures the troubled spy's inner turm...

On the night of April 4, 1968 Bobby Kennedy was scheduled to give a campaign speech in Indianapolis. Instead, he announced the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. to a stunned crowd. In this world premier play by James Still the audience sees the events of that night unfold through the eyes of one small family.   At the heart of the play is a married couple, John Henry and Addie, transplants from Kentucky, raising their two kids who are Hoosiers by birth. I loved their interactions. From the first moment they made you feel as though they were a family you knew, bickering and teasing in equal measures. Tracy N. Bonner's performance as Addie was particularly moving. She has a complexity, as a mother, wife, neighbor, and a woman, and she conveyed that beautifully. The generational difference of our characters is one of the most interesting parts of the play. This heartbreaking news, along with the impact of the Vietnam war and the racial struggles the country is facing all e...

On Golden Pond is the quiet story of an elderly couple who return to their lake house in Maine to relax for the summer. The Indiana Repertory Theatre is closing its 43rd season with a subtle exploration of the family dynamics between three very different generations.  The play has a sweet, slow rhythm. It's in no hurry to introduce the audience to all the characters or even the main heart of the play. Those who have seen the Oscar-winning movie will recognize all the characters: the cantankerous Norman, about to celebrate his 80th birthday, his patient wife Ethel, and his daughter Chelsea who keeps her distance because of bitter childhood memories. Then there's Chelsea’s boyfriend, a polite dentist and his feisty 13-year-old son who might just be exactly what Norman needs. The set was excellent, with high-arching beams and the view of a lake stretching out in the distance through the windows. Robert M. Koharchik’s beautiful design has a rustic charm and looks comfor...

  When it comes to art, every person who views it can see something different. Even a simple color can mean a variety of things, stirring memories or emotions that bring on diverse reactions. The Indiana Repertory Theatre’s “Red” is a two-man play that explores the topic of art in all of its forms.     Abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko hires a young man to help in his studio in the 1950s. The two very different men give us two distinct viewpoints of the world of art. We see things through the eyes of the seasoned artist who has already found success. Then we see the point of view of his assistant, who shows joy and enthusiasm for everything around him. The old and the new come to a head as Rothko pushes the novice harder and harder, and the conflict leaves them both raw.     The performers themselves bring such power to the show with their portrayal of the two men both tortured in their own ways. Henry Woronicz plays the cantankerous Ma...