Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis)

The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana's only professional contemporary theatre, and has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community since 1983. An Equity house, the Phoenix presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented 94 World Premieres (through the end of the 2014-15 season). The Phoenix operates the 130-seat proscenium Livia and Steve Russell Stage as well as the 75-seat cabaret-style Frank and Katrina Basile Stage at 749 N. Park Avenue near Massachusetts Avenue. It was founded by Bryan D. Fonseca in 1983, initially to perform the three-part (three evening) science fiction play, Warp!. Both venues are housed along with administrative offices in a renovated 1907 church where Jim Jones once preached, a fact that was brought into their production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The Phoenix Theatre is a member of the National New Play Network and the League of Indianapolis Theatres, and is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as local corporate and foundation funders and more than 400 individual donors.

Mission and Vision

The leadership of the Indianapolis-based Phoenix Theatre believes that Indianapolis deserves to be emotionally and intellectually engaged in works that contribute to or comment on the national dialogue, that a diversity of voices and viewpoints is vital to the well-being of the city and all who enter the Phoenix Theatre, and that the welcoming, intimate space provides a safe place where risks can be taken and transformative conversations created. The Phoenix is committed to producing only contemporary theatre, so that through their productions they are inviting a dialogue on current affairs to Indianapolis and are helping to create a more enlightened, aware local community.

The Phoenix produces ten shows every season, including multiple World and/or Regional Premieres, with all of their shows being Indiana Premieres. They mostly produce plays written within the previous five years, and rarely produce shows more than one time (exceptions are Avenue Q and The Zippers of Zoomerville). Fare at the Phoenix is always issue-oriented, hoping to incite conversation along with the entertainment. They have often featured plays dealing with sexuality, homosexuality, women's issues, AIDS, African-American issues (they have done all of August Wilson's plays as they became available for regional theatre use), abuse, and mental disorders. The Phoenix is committed to hiring local artists, and almost all of their talent pool of designers and actors comes from Indianapolis or nearby cities.

Bryan Fonseca

Bryan Fonseca is the founding and current Producing Director of the Phoenix Theatre. He has played a leading role in presenting outstanding contemporary drama in Indianapolis since 1979. Prior to the Phoenix, Bryan served as the Artistic Director for the Broad Ripple Playhouse and developed a short-lived alternative stage at the Indianapolis Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre – Studio C. Bryan has received an Achievement and Service award from the Indiana Theatre Association, two Artist Fellowship awards from the Indiana State Arts Commission and two Creative Renewal Fellowships from the Arts Council of Indianapolis/Lilly Endowment. Over the years, he transferred six Phoenix shows to Chicago including his original concert production, Prine: A Tribute Concert, which was performed at the Viaduct Theatre. The Chicago Sun Times said of the show: “Failed jukebox musicals are many, but Fonseca gets it right! The show is highly recommended.”

A Very Phoenix Xmas

Since 2005, the Phoenix has produced an annual holiday show called A Very Phoenix Xmas, which has become an Indianapolis favorite and tradition for many. Starting in September each year and changing until the last week of rehearsals, the Phoenix Producing Director, Bryan Fonseca, curates an original two act production filled with new plays, sketch comedy, singing, dancing, and various other special acts (even including an aerial silk act).

Brew-Ha-Ha

In 1995, the Phoenix founded the original craft beer festival in Indianapolis, Brew-Ha-Ha, in order to provide a fun and non-traditional fundraiser for the theatre. The festival is now a consistent favorite for beer patrons and brewers alike, with many not realizing that it benefits the Phoenix at all. The outdoor block party takes place just outside the Phoenix on the 700 block of N. Park Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and E. St. Clair Street in the Mass Ave Arts & Theatre District. Patrons enjoy unlimited beer samples from over 50+ of the best local craft breweries and many national brands, live music from local bands, and nosh from local food vendors. The event continues to grow, with the Phoenix capping the number of brewers and patrons in attendance for space reasons.

National New Play Network

The Phoenix is a Core Member of National New Play Network (NNPN), the country’s alliance of non-profit professional theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned 19 playwrights, provided more than 20 MFA graduates with paid residencies, and supported over 150 productions nationwide through its innovative Continued Life of New Plays Fund, which creates “Rolling World Premieres” of new plays. Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts all over the country where NNPN Member Theatres are located. In addition to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NNPN receives support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Network consists of a relatively small group of 29 Core Members, who pioneer and implement collaborative new play strategies, and a growing group of Associate Members, who disseminate the Network’s programs and strategies nationwide. In April 2015, NNPN received the Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership at the annual Helen Hayes Award Celebration. Visit www.nnpn.org.

Plays noted with ** below are NNPN Rolling World Premiere productions the Phoenix has produced as part of the NNPN Continued Life of New Plays Fund.

Production history

(*=world premiere production) (**=NNPN Rolling World Premiere)

1980s

1983-1984

1984-1985

1985-1986

1986-1987

1987-1988

1988-1989

1989-1990

1990s

1990-1991

1991-1992

1992-1993

1993-1994

1994-1995

1995-1996

1996-1997

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

2000s

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002 - 2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010s

2010-2011

2011 - 2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

External links

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