Phoenix Theatre's 2024-25 season focuses on civic questions, gender and more
Stories about the Constitution, personal dreams, celebrations and the perils of wealth will arrive at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre for the 2024-25 season from a mix of producers, including the theater itself, its resident companies and guests.
The companies include Naptown African American Theatre Collective, the city's first professional Black-owned equity theater; the women-focused Summit Performance Indianapolis; and American Lives Theatre. What's more, the Phoenix will welcome Halloween Stories from Storytelling Arts of Indiana and podcasts from Latino Film Dreamers, among other events.
The Phoenix also will be one of the hosts for the first "PlayFest Indy," an initiative by the New Harmony Project for which eight American playwrights will develop plays with Indianapolis theater companies. The festival will run Sept. 9 to 15.
New leader for longtime organization: Ronan Marra will lead Storytelling Arts as longtime director Ellen Munds retires
Tickets for the season are on sale at phoenixtheatre.org/buy-tickets or by calling 317-635-PLAY.
2024-25 Phoenix Theatre schedule
Sept. 5-22: "What the Constitution Means to Me" by Heidi Schreck. A one-time teen debate speaker revisits the Constitution as an adult to explore how it shaped the women in her family. Presented by American Lives Theatre and co-produced with Stage Door Productions.
Oct. 18-Nov. 3: "Judy’s Life’s Work" by Loy A. Webb. A new business owner with a difficult past and his sister face challenges while trying to build a legacy. Presented by Naptown African American Theatre Collective (NAATC).
Oct. 25-Nov. 17: "Gender Play." While looking for belonging, a trans actor becomes best friends with the spirit of William Shakespeare and embraces the gender-fluid, cross-dressing roots in the latter's plays. Presented by Indy Shakes.
Nov. 29-Dec. 22: "A Very Phoenix Xmas 16: It's a Wonderful Die-Hard Life Story Actually." The longtime comedy sketch show will take audiences to the movies this year. Presented by Phoenix Theatre.
Dec. 6-22: "Snow Fever: a Karaoke Christmas" by Robert Caisley. Scarce food and a broken toilet won't stop this group from saving a party at a remote Montana bar. Presented by Phoenix Theatre.
Jan. 17-Feb. 2, 2025: "Flex" by Candrice Jones. A small-town Arkansas basketball team endures success on the court and challenges off of it in 1997. Presented by Summit Performance Indianapolis.
Jan. 30-Feb. 16, 2025: "Red Speedo" by Lucas Hnath. Just before the Olympic Swimming Trials, Ray worries about his swim club team's future when he finds performance-enhancing drugs in the locker room refrigerator. Presented by American Lives Theatre.
Feb. 28-March 16, 2025: "The Berlin Diaries" by Andrea Stolowitz. Two actors change characters and locations in a drama that moves between reality and memory as it explores home, fragmented heritage and Jewish diaspora. Presented by Phoenix Theatre.
March 14-30, 2025: "Stew" by Zora Howard. Four Black women work through loss, hope and contending with family traditions in this drama. Presented by NAATC.
April 11-27, 2025: "Ado" by Lavina Jadhwani. A comedy that follows Hero, who's endured infidelity and public shaming in this nod to Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Presented by Indy Shakes.
April 24-May 11, 2025: "The Humans" by Stephen Karam. At a Thanksgiving family reunion, a family must navigate their fears, illness and changes. Presented by American Lives Theatre.
May 23-June 8, 2025: "Oak" by Terry Guest. A child-stealing creek monster with the spirit of a formerly enslaved woman who tried to escape is at the center of this southern gothic horror, which deals with racism and prejudice. Presented by Phoenix Theatre.
June 6-Aug. 10, 2025: Two summer musicals to be announced. Presented by Summer Stock Stage Eclipse.
July 5-20, 2025: "The Magnificent Fall: Folding Napkins, Choosing Forks, and other Death-Defying Feats" by Tom Horan. A manners teacher decides on adventure in Niagara Falls in this story told by her cat. Presented by JoJo Tombilben's Theatricals.
Aug. 14-31, 2025: "Aspen Ideas" by Abe Koogler. An affluent, middle-aged couple and a younger couple with a big theory that explains the world's problems end up having high-minded conversations in the Colorado mountains. Presented by American Lives Theatre.
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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Phoenix Theatre's new season focuses on civic questions, gender, more