Indiana Repertory Theatre, frequently abbreviated IRT, is a professional regional theatre in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

that began as a genuine

repertory theatre A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

with its casts performing in multiple shows at once. It has subsequently become a regional theatre and a member of the League of Resident Theatres. A standard season typically consists of nine or ten plays on two different stages (with at least two selected especially although not exclusively for student audiences, one of which is often a Shakespeare play) and the bulk of its season (including a holiday show, usually

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'') performed on the ''OneAmerica Stage''. The theatre company has history in two theatre buildings. It began in 1972 in The Athenaeum. In 1980, the IRT moved to its current home, The Indiana Theatre, a former Paramount Pictures Publix Theatre at 140 West Washington Street, built in 1927 and converted from a movie theater for IRT's use.IRT History
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Past Actors and Productions

Among the better-known actors that have performed multiple times at the theatre are Priscilla Lindsay, former Assistant Artistic Director,

Scott Wentworth Scott Wentworth (born 1955) is an American actor and director who immigrated to Canada in 1986. Early life Wentworth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1955. Career After starting his career in New York City, he began a long association wit ...

, a founding member, and John Henry Redwood, who would later pass away when touring a one-man show, he premiered in 2001 at Indiana Repertory. This show, ''Looking Over the President's Shoulder'', was commissioned by James Still (playwright), the IRT's Playwright in Residence. This play is the true story of Alonzo Fields, who served as a butler to three presidents of the United States. Another playwright who has written works on IRT commissions is Charles Smith, including ''Les Trois Dumas'' and ''

Sister Carrie ''Sister Carrie'' is a 1900 novel by Theodore Dreiser (1871–1945) about a young woman who moves to the big city where she starts realizing her own American Dream. She first becomes a mistress to men that she perceives as superior, but later ...

'', and last season's ''Gospel According to James''. Another actor, Johnny Lee Davenport played Deputy Marshal Henry in '' The Fugitive'' and '' U.S. Marshals'', as well as playing the title character in

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

. Tim Grimm makes regular appearances in the theatre, often, but not always, as a rural sort of character. The theatre is well known in the state for their production of

's ''

'' as adapted by Tom Haas, a late IRT artistic director/member of the former repertory company. It is a chamber theatre production modeled on David Edgar's ''

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'', or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', is the third novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. The character of Nickleby is a young man who must support his ...

'', that retains many of the story's darkest elements, such as the scene featuring Want and Ignorance that Dickens himself considered its heart but is often omitted. For the most part, the theatre stopped doing musicals in the 1990s; however, the IRT did produce the world premiere musical ''Captive Heart: The Frances Slocum Story'' (1999), by Jeff Hooper (book) and Bob Lucas (music and lyrics). This musical is based on the story of Maconaquah, which is part of the standard history curriculum in Indiana, and an Indiana premiere of a musical with a book by Wentworth, ''

Enter the Guardsman ''Enter the Guardsman ''is a musical based on Ferenc Molnár's play ''The Guardsman'', with music by Craig Bohmler, lyrics by Marion Adler, and a book by Scott Wentworth. The story concerns an actor who tests his actress wife's love by sending her ...

'', based on the

Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; January 12, 1878April 1, 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarians, Hungarian-born author, stage director, dramatist, and poet. He is widely regarded as Hungary's most celebrated and c ...

play, ''

The Guardsman ''The Guardsman'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film based on the play '' Testőr'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Roland Young and ZaSu Pitts. It opens with a stage re-enactment of the final scene of Maxwell Anderson's ...

'', with music by

Craig Bohmler Craig Bohmler (born April 7, 1956)Hansen, Niels-Henning."En tilgang til den klassiske Musik" NielsHenning.dk. p. 145. Retrieved August 12, 2019. is an American composer who specializes in opera and musical theater. His musicals include ''Gunmetal B ...

and lyrics by Marion Adler. The IRT has done more recent productions of ''Crowns'' (

Regina Taylor Regina Taylor (born August 22, 1960) is an American actress and playwright. She has won several awards throughout her career, including a Golden Globe Award and NAACP Image Award. In July 2017, Taylor was announced as the new Denzel Washington En ...

), ''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two ne ...

'' (

Harvey Schmidt Harvey Lester Schmidt (September 12, 1929 – February 28, 2018) was an American composer for musical theatre and illustrator. He was best known for composing the music for the longest running musical in history, ''The Fantasticks'', which ran off ...

and

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

), and

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

's ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' starring

Sylvia McNair Sylvia McNair (born June 23, 1956) is an American opera singer and classical recitalist who has also achieved notable success in the Broadway and cabaret genres. McNair, a soprano, has made several critically acclaimed recordings and has won t ...

. IRT was the first theatre to cast an autistic actor Mickey Rowe as the lead character in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The theatre sponsors an Indiana playwriting competition for middle and high school aged writers, Young Playwrights in Process, funded in part by a gift from the late Robert and Margot Eccles.

Past Seasons

2016-2017

#The Three Musketeers (m) 09/20/16 Dumas/Bush Woronicz, Henry #Finding Home: Indiana at 200 * (u) 10/18/16 multiple writers & Grimm Amster, Peter #A Christmas Carol (m – holiday) 11/19/16 Dickens/Haas Allen, Janet #Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (m) 01/10/17 Rose/Kreidler Greer, Skip #The Cay (u – students & families) 01/28/17 Taylor/Cornelison Roberts, Richard #Stuart Little (cab – young children) 02/25/17 White/Robinette Walters, Lori #Boeing Boeing (m) 03/07/17 Camoletti/Cross & Evans Gordon, Laura #Miranda (u) 03/28/17 Still, James Godinez, Henry #Dial “M” for Murder (m) 04/25/17 Knott, Frederick Still, James

2015-2016

#The Great Gatsby (m) 10/01/15 Fitzgerald/Levy Amster, Peter #April 4, 1968: 10/21/15 Still, James Sale, Courtney #Before We Forgot How to Dream # (u) #A Christmas Carol (m – holiday) 11/11/15 Dickens/Haas Sale, Courtney #Peter Rabbit and Me (cab – young children) 11/17/15 Potter/Harris Bable, Wendy #The Mystery of Irma Vep (u) 01/12/16 Ludlum, Charles Still, James #To Kill a Mockingbird (m – students & families) 01/26/16 Lee/Sergel Allen, Janet #Fences (m) 03/09/16 Wilson, August Bellamy, Lou #Bridge & Tunnel (u) 03/29/16 Jones, Sarah Roberts, Richard #The Mousetrap (m) 04/26/16 Christie, Agatha Sale, Courtney

2014-2015

#The Two Gentlemen of Verona (m) 09/16/14 Shakespeare, William Ocel, Tim #Red (u) 10/14/14 Logan, John Still, James #A Christmas Carol (m – holiday) 11/13/14 Dickens/Haas Sale, Courtney #The Velveteen Rabbit (cab – young children) 11/18/14 Still, James/Williams North, Carol #Good People (m) 01/07/15 Lindsay-Abaire, David Allen, Janet #The Giver (u – students & families) 01/23/15 Lowry/Coble Sale, Courtney #The Hound of the Baskervilles (m) 02/18/15 Wright/Pichette Amster, Peter #What I Learned in Paris (u) 03/17/15 Cleage, Pearle Bellamy, Lou #On Golden Pond (m) 04/14/15 Thompson, Ernest Allen, Janet

2013–2014 season

# ''The Crucible'' -

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

# ''An Iliad'' - by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare adapted from

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

translated by Robert Fagles # ''A Christmas Carol'' -

# ''and then they came for me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank'' - James Still # ''Kurt Vonnegut's Who am I this Time?(& other conundrums of love)'' - Aaron Posner # ''Other Desert Cities'' - Jon Robin Baitz # ''The Mountaintop'' - Katori Hall # '' Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot''

2012–2013 season

# ''Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde -

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher # ''The Night Watcher'' -

Charlayne Woodard Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. She was a series regular on the hit FX TV series '' Pose''. She pl ...

# ''The Syringa Tree'' - Pamela Gien # ''The House That Jack Built'' - James Still # ''Jackie and Me'' -

Dan Gutman Dan Gutman (born October 19, 1955) is an American writer, primarily of children's fiction. His works include the '' Baseball Card Adventures'' children's book series that began with '' Honus & Me'', ''The Genius Files'' series'','' and '' My Wei ...

, adapted by

Steven Dietz Steven Dietz (born June 23, 1958) is an American playwright, theatre director, and teacher. Called "the most ubiquitous American playwright whose name you may never have heard", Dietz has long been one of America's most prolific and widely prod ...

# ''A Little Night Music'' - music and lyrics by

, book by

Hugh Wheeler Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 – 26 July 1987) was a British-American novelist, screenwriter, librettist, poet and translator. Born in London, he moved to the United States as a young man, and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He h ...

# ''The Whipping Man'' - Matthew Lopez # ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' -

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

2011–2012 season

# ''Dracula'' -

# ''I Love to Eat'' - James Still # ''Lost: A Memoir'' - Cathy Ostlere and Dennis Garnhum # ''Nobody Don't Like Yogi'' - Tom Lysaght # ''Julius Caesar'' -

# ''A Christmas Carol'' -

, adapted by Tom Haas # ''Radio Golf'' -

August Wilson August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called '' ...

# ''God of Carnage'' -

Yasmina Reza Yasmina Reza (; born 1 May 1959) is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her plays ''Art (play), 'Art and ''God of Carnage''. Many of her brief satiric plays have reflected on contemporary middle-class issues. ...

# ''Fallen Angels'' -

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

# ''The Miracle Worker'' -

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

2010–2011 season

# ''Holes'' -

Louis Sachar Louis Sachar ( ; born March 20, 1954) is an American young-adult mystery-comedy author. He is best known for the ''Wayside School (book series), Wayside School'' series and the novel ''Holes (novel), Holes''. ''Holes'' won the 1998 U.S. Nationa ...

# ''Mary's Wedding'' -

Stephen Massicotte Stephen Massicotte (born April 18, 1969 in Trenton, Ontario) is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and actor from Calgary, Alberta. Personal life Massicotte is an atheist."I thought the world would be colder when I became an atheist, but after ...

# ''A Christmas Carol'' -

, adapted by Tom Haas # ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' -

Frances Goodrich Frances Goodrich (December 21, 1890 – January 29, 1984) was an American actress, dramatist, and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her hu ...

and

Albert Hackett Albert Maurice Hackett (February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995) was an American actor, dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich. Their film work includes the first three instalments in ...

, newly adapted by

Wendy Kesselman Wendy Kesselman is an American playwright. Life Wendy Kesselman joined the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1980. She lives in Wellfleet, Massachusetts Wellfleet is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable Co ...

# ''Neat'' -

# ''Fire in the Garden'' - Ken Weitzman # ''In Acting Shakespeare'' -

James DeVita James "Jim" DeVita (born 1960) is an American actor, director, and author. Since 1995, he is a member of the core acting company at American Players Theatre, a classical amphitheater located in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Biography Devita is from ...

# ''The Gospel According to James'' - Charles Smith - World Premiere # ''The 39 Steps'' - adapted by

Patrick Barlow Evan George Patrick Barlow (born 18 March 1947) is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, ''Desmond Olivier Dingle'', is the founder, artistic director and chief executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, whic ...

, original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, based on the novel by

James Buchan James Buchan (born 11 June 1954) is a Scottish novelist and historian. Biography Buchan is a son of the late William Buchan, 3rd Baron Tweedsmuir, and grandson of John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, the Scottish novelist and diplomat. He has se ...

2009–2010 season

# ''Love Letters'' - A.R. Gurney # ''Romeo and Juliet'' -

# ''A Christmas Carol'' -

# ''Pretty Fire'' -

# ''The Year of Magical Thinking'' -

Joan Didion Joan Didion (; December 5, 1934 – December 23, 2021) was an American writer and journalist. She is considered one of the pioneers of New Journalism, along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. Didio ...

# ''After Paul McCartney'' - David Hoppe # ''Becky's New Car'' -

# ''Around the World in 80 Days'' -

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, adapted by Mark Brown # ''The Heavens are Hung In Black'' - James Still # ''The Giver'' - book by

Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; born March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of many books for children and young adults, including '' The Giver Quartet'', '' Number the Stars'', the Anastasia series, and '' Rabble Starkey''. ...

, adapted by Eric Coble

2009–2008 season

# ''Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure'' - adapted by

, based on the original 1899 play by

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

# ''Macbeth'' -

# ''A Christmas Carol'' -

, adapted by Tom Haas # ''This Wonderful Life'' - written by Steve Murray, conceived by Mark Setlock # ''To Kill A Mockingbird'' -

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American novelist whose 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. She assisted her close friend Truman ...

, adapted by Christopher Sergel # ''Crime and Punishment'' -

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influent ...

, adapted by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus # ''The Ladies Man'' -

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

# ''Crowns'' -

, adapted from the book by

Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham (born November 6, 1952) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his 1998 novel '' The Hours'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. Cunningham is Professor in th ...

and Craig Marberry # ''Rabbit Hole'' -

David Lindsay-Abaire David Lindsay-Abaire (né Abaire; born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007 for his play '' Rabbit Hole'', which also earned several Tony Award nominations. Lin ...

# ''Interpreting William'' - James Still

References

External links

Indiana Repertory Theatre official site
{{authority control League of Resident Theatres Theatres in Indiana Buildings and structures in Indianapolis Tourist attractions in Indianapolis

Past Actors and Productions

Past Seasons

2016-2017

2015-2016

2014-2015

2013–2014 season

2012–2013 season

2011–2012 season

2010–2011 season

2009–2010 season

2009–2008 season

See also

References

External links