Stage Write

It's no secret that the Phoenix Theatre, which has called Mass Ave home for the past 30 years, is moving into a new space this month. The gorgeous new facility is located at the corner of Illinois and Walnut, right on the Cultural Trail. The building that formerly occupied that space was demolished and the 21,000-square-foot new Phoenix literally rose from its ashes over the past few months. The design of the entire building has been done with the utmost thoughtfulness. The main theatre has maple siding designed by acoustics expert Gavin Haverstick. The gender-neutral bathrooms have two entrances to keep things moving quickly at intermissions. The bar and other areas of the theatre are painted in a brilliant red, perfect for the vibrant atmosphere.  Despite the fancy new digs, not everything is changing for the theatre. It will still focus on cutting edge productions that deal with important issues. The two stages are both intimate settings, so that there is no pressure ...

Vonnegut isn't always associated with sweet stories of love and romance. In fact, most people would assume he never wrote anything near those topics, but the Indiana Repertory Theatre's current Mainstage production features three Vonnegut short stories that are perfect for February lovebirds. Who Am I This Time? celebrates one of Indiana's greatest writers with a sublime collection of his stories reworked as a trilogy of love stories set in a sleepy little Indiana town. Janet Allen directs with her deft hand, taking advantage of the talented musicians in the cast to provide songs as interludes between the scenes. The rollicking songs and tender ballads add a great tone to the production. The first piece is a story titled "Long Walk to Forever" which in classic Vonnegut style was originally called "Hell to Get Along With." It's about a soldier who goes home for a brief visit with his old childhood playmate.   The second title piece was my favo...

Eight stories woven into one show. Seven cast members, each taking on a handful of characters. It all adds up to a wonderful night at the theater and a bittersweet way to honor the death of an incredibly gifted man. ShadowApe Theatre Company is an Indianapolis based theater company that offers a new show each year. This year's selection is "Welcome to the Monkey House," an original adaptation of some short stories by Kurt Vonnegut. The production was created by ShadowApe as part of Indianapolis' "Year of Vonnegut." It is currently at the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre; where many of ShadowApe's members are regular performers. The second patrons enter the theater they see a stage set with a simple blue sky background. Suspended in that sea of clouds are ten shelves covered with books and audience members know they've entered one of Vonnegut's Twilight Zone universes. The show would not work so flawlessly without its talented cast. The four man and...