IF Theatre – the newly rebranded organization steering IndyFringe ventures – has announced its second Spotlight Season, which will feature nearly 60 performances beginning Friday, Nov. 8, and running through May 24.
Theatrical troupes involved in the Spotlight Season include Theatre Unchained, Defiance Comedy, Betty Rage Productions, American Lives Theatre, Cryptid Entertainment and Individual Poetry Champion Gabrielle Patterson.
The Spotlight Season will feature a variety of genres including a holiday themed parody musical, a darkly comic two-hander, a large cast comedy, an adaptation of a cult classic film, and a contemporary reimagining of the modern American musical.
Most known for being the home of the IndyFringe Festival, the Downtown arts organization IF Theatre also plays an essential role in uplifting local talent through partnerships with Indy’s boldest arts organizations that do not have their own brick and mortar theater.
In addition to partnerships with the established companies, the Spotlight Season will for the first time support the work of Patterson, a producer and poet. She will collaborate with IF Theatre on the revitalization of a past OnyxFest offering, The Wizer of Odd. This adaptation of Frank L. Baum’s masterwork intertwines prose and poetry in an exciting reinvention of the modern American musical.
The Spotlight Season also features the work of Defiance Comedy and Cryptid Entertainment, two organizations that began producing as part of the IndyFringe Festival. Now, both companies are able to produce work year-round, providing new creative opportunities for local actors, designers and audience members.
The Spotlight Season will begin with a new dramatic comedy by award-winning playwright Rachel Bublitz that IF Theatre leaders said is as tender and heart-rending as it is sharp, acerbic, and darkly hilarious. In a society where even saying the word “abortion” is a crime, Funny, Like an Abortion is a two-actor dramedy about loyalty, friendship and the value of freedom. In the spirit of partnership, this opening production of the Spotlight Season is also a co-production between Theatre Unchained and American Lives Theatre, demonstrating the importance of teamwork and solidarity in the creation of new, exciting theatre projects in Indianapolis.
THE spotlight season
- Funny, Like an Abortion / A new dramedy by Rachel Bublitz, presented by Theatre Unchained and American Lives Theatre, Nov. 8-24 in the IF Blackbox Theatre (formerly Indy Eleven Theatre).
- The Heist Before Christmas / A holiday parody musical from Defiance Comedy, Dec. 6-21 in the Basile Theatre at IF.
- The JonBenét Game / A new drama by Tori Keenan-Zelt, presented by American Lives Theatre, Jan. 10-26 in The Basile Theatre at IF.
- Sensitive Guys / A comedy that’s no laughing matter by MJ Kaufman, presented by Theatre
- Unchained, Feb. 28 – March 16 in The Basile Theatre at IF.
- Lady Bits Comedy Show / Produced by Betty Rage Productions, Mar. 21 & 22 in The IF Blackbox Theatre.
- The Wizer of Odd / A bold new theatrical experience by Gabrielle Patterson, Mar. 28 – Apr. 13 in The Basile Theatre at IF.
- Reefer Madness / A cult classic musical presented by Cryptid Entertainment, Apr. 25 – May 11 in The Basile Theatre at IF.
- Lady Bits Comedy Show / Produced by Betty Rage Productions, May 23 & 24 in The IF Blackbox Theatre.
