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Indy Press Kit: Performing Arts

Professionals of national and international caliber are at the helm of several major arts organizations in Indianapolis. In addition, many sponsor national or international competitions and several groups have earned top honors in various worldwide competitions. These events and organizations help produce a flourishing performing arts culture in the city and generate $468 million annually for the local economy. Following is a sampling of the city’s major performing arts groups and facilities.

Theatre
Actors Theatre of Indiana
The Actors Theatre of Indiana is a professional equity theatre company presenting musical productions with top-notch Indianapolis and New York talent. Enjoy an evening of song and dance and leave the theatre humming a tune from Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra or the fabulous ‘50s.
American Cabaret Theatre
The American Cabaret Theatre (ACT) relocated to Indianapolis from New York and opened its first season in 1990. This professional theatrical company produces original musical revues and Broadway shows. For its original revues, ACT incorporates a unique blend of music, song, dance and visuals.
Asante Children’s Theatre
The Asante Children’s Theatre is a professional theatre organization committed to preserving the tradition of African and African-American performing arts. Through annual citywide auditions, children ages 12 to 21 are selected as members of the theater troupe. The September through June season includes performances at the Madame Walker Theatre Center and the Indiana Historical Society, as well as several presentations throughout the state.
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is Indianapolis’ only year-round Equity theatre. The 500-seat theater presents seven Broadway shows each season, as well as its annual “A Beef & Boards Christmas” and national concert acts. Beef & Boards produces all of its shows, recruiting actors locally, as well as from Chicago and New York.
Broadway in Indianapolis
Touring Broadway productions come to the city via the Broadway in Indianapolis series, September through May. Exciting new shows and time-honored classics create a memorable theatrical experience. Broadway in Indianapolis productions are held at the Murat Theatre and Clowes Memorial Hall.
Freetown Village
Freetown Village is a living history museum featuring educational programs that portray the lives of African Americans in Indiana in 1870. Programs include first-person character portrayals, theater performances, storytelling, music, craft and heritage workshops, distance learning and special events. Freetown Village hosts An Evening Dinner, which includes authentic foods, parlor games, storytelling and songs. The group also portrays such events as a 1870s wedding and Christmas festival.
Indiana Repertory Theatre
The Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is Indiana’s premier professional, resident and not-for-profit theatre. Established in 1972, the IRT was named the state’s “theatre laureate,” as designated by the General Assembly in 1991. The IRT presents the best in classic and contemporary theatre, comedy and drama during its October through May season. Since 1980, the IRT has been housed in the Indiana Theatre building, an opulent renovated 1927 movie palace that features distinctive Spanish Baroque architecture. The building boasts a three-theater complex — the 607-seat mainstage, the 314-seat upperstage and the 150-seat Cabaret — as well as complete production and administrative facilities.
Indianapolis Civic Theatre
Indianapolis Civic Theatre, the nation’s oldest continuously operating community theatre, has been a vital part of Indianapolis since 1914, providing outstanding entertainment and unmatched opportunities for professional and educational growth. Each season, the Indianapolis Civic Theatre entertains nearly 50,000 patrons during its six mainstage productions, while simultaneously serving as a community resource for local theatre artists, technicians, volunteers and aspiring students of the performing arts.
Mystery Café
At the Mystery Café, each play unfolds in four acts, with a dinner course served after each one. Upon arrival, guests are met at the door by the evening's characters and given their new identity. Members of the audience may participate as much or as little as they like in the mystery, collecting clues along the way. Fifteen to 20 guests have lines to read or songs to sing during the play. At evening's end, a prize is given to the person who best solves the mystery.
Phoenix Theatre
The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana’s premiere contemporary theatre producing 12 cutting-edge, off-Broadway-style shows each season utilizing both the mainstage and Underground Stage venues. The Phoenix Theatre produces issue-oriented contemporary works and strives to challenge audiences with plays that examine individuals’ responsibilities to society.
Theatre on the Square
Theatre on the Square (TOTS) explores popular to lesser-known plays and musicals in an intimate setting, seeking to engage and challenge audiences. Each show is unique in the issues approached and the audience targeted. TOTS rates each program and informs prospective ticket buyers whether it is suitable for families or a mature audience. TOTS produces 13 shows each year.
Music & Dance
Dance Kaleidoscope
Dance Kaleidoscope, Indiana’s premier contemporary dance ensemble, is a nationally-acclaimed company of professional dancers trained in classical ballet and Graham Technique. The company has an internationally renowned artistic staff, headed by Artistic Director David Hochoy, a former Martha Graham Company soloist. From October through April, Dance Kaleidoscope offers four public performances and collaborates with a number of other arts organizations, including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Civic Theatre, American Cabaret Theatre, Indianapolis Men’s Chorus and American Pianists Association.
Indianapolis Children’s Choir
Having grown to a program of more than 1,500 singers in 16 choirs, the Indianapolis Children’s Choir continues to be one of the largest and most accomplished children’s choral programs in the nation. Singers come from 17 counties, which embrace the urban environment of Indianapolis, the suburbs surrounding the city and many small, rural communities. In addition to its own concert series, the choir performs regularly with professional symphony orchestras, including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with The Chieftains and Celine Dion. The Indianapolis Children’s Choir has performed several times at Carnegie Hall and regularly tours both nationally and internationally.
Indianapolis Opera
The Indianapolis Opera is Indiana’s professional, regional opera company. The opera presents four productions each season at Clowes Memorial Hall. All performances feature renowned singers and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra or the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, along with the Indianapolis Opera Chorus. Indianapolis Opera also has a multi-faceted educational program that reaches more than 50,000 students across the Midwest.
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1930, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is firmly established as one of America’s most skilled musical ensembles. The 87-member orchestra is made up of resident artists from all parts of the world and is one of only 18 orchestras that performs a year-round schedule of classical, pop, holiday and summer concerts. The ISO owns and maintains its downtown concert hall, Hilbert Circle Theatre. Built in 1916 as a classic movie palace, Hilbert Circle Theatre was renovated in the early 1980s into an acoustically superb concert hall. The orchestra performs outreach concerts in churches, parks and in communities across Indiana.
Organizations
American Pianists Association
Founded in New York in 1979 as the Beethoven Foundation, the American Pianists Association (APA) relocated to Indianapolis in 1982. It is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support the careers of America’s rising young classical and jazz pianists between the ages of 18 and 30. The APA identifies the “fellows” it supports through annual competitions held in alternate years in classical and jazz. Fellows are supported through cash prizes, engagements and career guidance for two years that is valued at more than $50,000. The American Pianists Association also organizes and presents the annual Indy Jazz Fest.
Arts Council of Indianapolis
Incorporated in 1987, the Arts Council assists the city’s more than 150 arts organizations with grants, programs and technical assistance services. The not-for-profit organization oversees the distribution of federal, state and city funds to artists and arts organizations and serves as a facilitator between arts organizations and the business community. The Arts Council owns and operates the Indianapolis Artsgarden, a glass-domed rotunda that serves as a performance, exhibition and marketing space for the Indianapolis arts community.
Bands of America/Music for All, Inc.
Founded in 1975, Bands of America (BOA) is not-for-profit organization and the nation’s largest producer of educational events for high school music programs. The organization’s mission is to create and provide positive experiences through music for students, teachers, parents and communities. More than 90,000 students participate in BOA events each year, while 270,000 teens, family members and band enthusiasts attend them.
In 2006, Bands of America and its Orchestra America division merged with the Music for All Foundation to create Music for All, Inc., one of the largest and most influential national music education organizations in support of active music making.
International Violin Competition of Indianapolis
The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis produces a quadrennial international violin competition to enhance the great tradition of classical music and to heighten the cultural profile of Indiana internationally. The competition is open to premier violinists ages 16-29 and offers the richest prize package in the musical world: $30,000, a Carnegie Hall debut, a recording contract, dozens of bookings around the world and use of a rare 1683 Stradivarius violin for four years. The seventh quadrennial competition was held in Indianapolis in 2006. The organization also sponsors the Suzuki & Friends and Ronen Chamber Ensemble professional chamber music series, and numerous other events designed to encourage the careers of musical and visual artists.
Venues
Clowes Memorial Hall
Since opening its doors in 1962, Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University has brought the finest international, cultural and artistically diverse entertainment to its patrons. This 2,100-seat venue hosts a performing arts series, the Indianapolis Opera, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and half of the Broadway in Indianapolis series shows. Clowes Hall is also home to many of the Jordan College of Fine Arts performances, including the Butler Ballet, the Butler Symphony Orchestra and the Butler Wind Ensemble.
Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center
The $10.2 million Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center at the University of Indianapolis opened in 1994 and features visiting performing and visual artists. The 59,000-square-foot facility houses an imitation Viennese-style performance hall that hosts an array of performances and art exhibitions for the community.
Indianapolis Artsgarden
The Indianapolis Artsgarden, a glass-domed rotunda suspended over one of downtown’s busiest intersections, serves as a performance, exhibition and marketing space for the local arts community. The Artsgarden presents dance, theatre music and family programming that is always free to the public. In addition, the Artsgarden provides both residents and visitors with city and arts information, maps and event calendars. It is also houses Ticket Central, the city’s centralized ticketing system, selling tickets for more than 30 arts and cultural organizations.
Madame Walker Theatre Center
For decades, the Madame Walker Theatre Center has been the heart of the Indiana Avenue cultural district. The Walker Theatre was constructed in 1927 as the home of Walker Manufacturing, founded by the country’s first female self-made millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker. The 950-seat theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The center now serves as an educational and cultural resource center for the community with particular focus on African‑American culture. The center hosts approximately 150 performances per year.
Murat Centre
Downtown Indianapolis’ historic Murat Centre provides a variety of entertainment options. Originally known as the Murat Shrine Temple, the facility was renamed following an $11 million renovation in 1996. The Murat Centre is now the host facility to the city’s premiere entertainment and special events. The historic beauty and intimate setting of the Murat Theatre is a natural lure to the highest caliber of Broadway shows and today’s finest contemporary entertainers.
Pike Performing Arts Center
The Pike Performing Arts Center houses a 1,449-seat, state-of-the-art auditorium and a 150-seat Studio Theatre. The facility presents a season of professional touring performances including dance, concerts, musical theatre, Shakespeare and one-man shows from Septembe r through April.
Verizon Wireless Music Center
Verizon Wireless Music Center is situated on 228 acres of land and provides a diverse array of music through its many concerts and performances. Between 40 and 60 concerts are held during its May through September season. A covered pavilion seats 6,200 patrons and another 18,000 people can stretch out on the lawn. A high-tech sound system includes a lawn speaker relay delay to assure a clear and echo-free sound, while large video screens provide a close-up view of performances.
Warren Performing Arts Center
The Warren Performing Arts Center represents state-of-the-art theater design and technology. The facility is comprised of a grand stage auditorium which seats more than 1,000 patrons, a 150-seat studio theater, a dance studio and several combination rehearsal/recital halls for choral, band and orchestral groups.