The Indiana Repertory Theatre has announced its 2023-24 season – its first under the leadership of Benjamin Hanna as artistic director after Janet Allen’s retirement. An IRT press release noted that the “new artistic journey features a lineup of beloved classics and uncharted histories, spine-chilling drama and heartwarming comedy, as well as the theater’s first full-scale musical in a decade.”
The season will run from Sept. 20 through May 19, to be opened by a classic thriller in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, followed by the return of the holiday tradition Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with Priscilla Lindsay directing.
The family sitcoms of the 70s will get a contemporary lift in The Folks at Home. Two productions focus on the lives of inspirational and influential women in politics and art, including Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer and Frida … A Self Portrait. The season will go out with a song with the hilarious horticultural horror musical, Little Shop of Horrors.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our audiences back in September as we begin this new chapter,” said Managing Director Suzanne Sweeney. “With our dedicated staff, a welcoming community, supportive patrons, and shows that will spark thought and shared laughter, we are excited to embark on the theater’s next 50 years.”
As she did with long-time artistic director Janet Allen, Sweeney will share leadership duties with Hanna as the transformational and institutional change begins in July. Sweeney said that as director, curator, avid arts educator and IRT’s associate artistic director for the past five years, Hanna’s passion for multigenerational theatre and dedication to equity and access fuels his investment in Indianapolis’ community to generate art for – and with – all.
“I’m honored to serve as IRT’s next artistic leader,” Hanna said. “Using theater’s transformative power to strengthen our cultural community, my first season strives to open the doors to our theater wide, welcoming Hoosiers to call IRT home.”
To learn more about season packages and to purchase, visit irtlive.com.
THE 2023-24 SEASON
- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – Sept. 20 to Oct. 14 on the OneAmerica Mainstage.
- Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol – Nov. 18 to Dec. 24 on the OneAmerica Mainstage.
- Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer – Jan. 9 through Feb. 4 on the
- OneAmerica Mainstage.
- The Folks at Home – Feb. 20 to March 16 on the OneAmerica Mainstage.
- Frida … A Self Portrait – March 12 to April 7 on the Upperstage Theatre.
- Little Shop of Horrors – April 17 through May 9 on the OneAmerica Mainstage.
ARTWORK ABOVE: Once again this year, local artist Kyle Ragsdale has produced paintings to promote the IRT productions.
