Events Archive

July2003

June 12 - July 13

THE PHOENIX THEATRE PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF INTERNET COMEDY

Michael Whistler's phidias8 explores the anonymous, fantasy-based world of online chatrooms

The Phoenix Theatre, the city's premiere venue for provocative contemporary plays, is presenting the world premiere of phidias8, a new play by Michael Whistler, June 12 through July 13 on the Underground Stage. The production runs in repertory with SPAIN, a new comedy Jim Knable. phidias8 is for mature audiences; tickets are $22.50 for adults 25 and over, $10.00 for those 24 and under. Tickets may be purchased with a credit card by calling the Phoenix Theatre box office at 317-635-7529.

Erik is a database systems analyst who has never made a serious attempt to enter the online world. When America Online invites him to join their service absolutely free, the young gay man jumps in (under the screen name of phidias8) and is soon absorbed in the world of online games, bulletin boards and Martha Stewart. Before long old friends are emailing him and sending him instant messages. Then strangers start chatting with him and he warily enters the artificial world of online chatrooms, where no one is who they are and strangers attempt real-world contact in a simulated setting.

Two virtual personalities capture Erik's phidias8's imagination: ROLAND, an older, well-read gentlemen, who is attracted to phidias8's apparent youth and literate, intelligent chatting style, and VIKING, a strong, forceful character who seduces phidias8 during sensual chats of a more erotic nature. But who are the people behind these screen names? And is phidias8 really Erik, or is he reinventing himself to appeal more to his online admirers?

By the time the play delivers its twist ending, phidias8 and the audience have taken a whirlwind journey across the online landscape: they've experienced the virtual lifestyle perfection of Martha Stewart, a crazy scheme to sell pasta online ("Everyone will have their personalized pasta profile!"), and discovered Chicken Soup for every kind of Soul. phidias8 is a funny, sometimes gripping, and always surprising exploration of the role of fantasy in modern life.

Tickets are $22.50 for those 25 and over, $10.00 for those 24 and under. Call 317-635-PLAY for details.

Schedule phidias8 Wednesdays @ 6:00p June 18
Thursdays @ 7:30p June 12, July 3
Fridays @ 8:00p June 13, June 27, July 11
Saturdays @ 5:00p June 21, July 12
Saturdays @ 8:00p June 14, June 28, July 5
Sundays @ 2:00p June 15
Sundays @ 5:00p June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13

About the Phoenix Theatre

"The great state of Indiana is not exactly overburdened with professional theatres specializing in edgy, progressive fare, but the 19-year-old Phoenix Theatre is one of the major cultural attractions in the city of Indianapolis. Local alternative types, yuppies and hipsters all flock to a trendy little theater with a growing subscriber base and a hard-won national reputation for new works and savvy programming." -- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

The Phoenix Theatre has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community for almost twenty years. A professional Equity house, the Theatre presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and off-Broadway plays. The theatre presents a festival of new plays each year with the Frank Basile Festival of Emerging American Theatre, as well as a schedule of adult acting classes. The Phoenix Theatre's regional reputation was enhanced recently by the well-received production of Toni Press-Coffman's Touch at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. The Phoenix Theatre is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis
749 N Park Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202
phone: 317-635-7529
email:
web: www.phoenixtheatre.org

June 20 - July 12

THE PHOENIX THEATRE PRESENTS INDIANA PREMIERE OF WHIMSICAL COMIC FANTASY

Jim Knable's Spain tells the story of a jilted woman dealing with her problems in an unexpected way

The Phoenix Theatre, the city's premiere venue for provocative contemporary plays, is presenting the Indiana premiere of Spain, a new play by Jim Knable, June 19 through July 13 on the Mainstage. The production runs in repertory with phidias8, a new comedy by Michael Whistler. Spain is for audiences high-school age and up; tickets are $22.50 for adults 25 and over, $10.00 for those 24 and under. Tickets may be purchased with a credit card by calling the Phoenix Theatre box office at 317-635-7529.

Barbara is a young escrow agent whose husband has just left her for a "younger woman with a boob job." Having longed to go to Spain for years, she's startled one day to find a Spanish Conquistador, dressed in armour, sitting on her couch, his helmet perched on his lap. After asking him to get his feet off her coffee table, she tries to find out who he is and where he came from. Joining her in the mystery is her best friend and co-worker, Diversion. Diversion doesn't believe Barbara when she tells her about the Conquistador, and believes him to be an hallucination when she actually meets him. Her estranged husband, John, complicates matters by showing up at the wrong time and getting, well, his just desserts.

By the time the police are beating on Barbara's door, she's beginning to wonder what is real and not real. Her Ally McBeal type fantasies takes her to places she's only dreamed of. But are they fantasies? Is she a citizen of her own reality? Or someone else's? Like its companion production, phidias8, playing on the Underground Stage, Spain deals with the pleasures and dangers of fantasy in modern life.

Schedule

Wednesdays @ 6:00p July 2, July 9
Thursdays @ 7:30p June 19(Half price preview), June 26, July 10
Fridays @ 8:00p June 20
Friday @ 6-6:30pm July 4 (Timed to allow audience to cook out and watch fireworks. Details will be announced.)
Saturdays @ 5:00p June 28, July 5
Saturdays @ 8:00p June 21, July 12
Sundays @ 2:00p June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13

July 24 - 27

THE PHOENIX THEATRE OF INDIANAPOLIS PRESENTS HANDLER BY ROBERT SCHENKKAN

The Phoenix Theatre, the city's premiere venue for provocative contemporary plays, is presenting the Indiana premiere of Handler, a play by Robert Schenkkan. Performances begin with a half-price preview on Thursday, July 24 and continue through Sunday, August 24. Curtain times are 7:30pm on Thursday evenings (except August 7 which has a 6:00pm curtain), 8:00pm on Friday and Saturday evenings and 2:00pm on Sunday afternoons. Tickets are $22.50 for those 25 and over, $10 for those 24 and under.

In Handler, Brother Bob leads the Holiness Way Church of the Living God, one of the many Pentecostal congregations scattered around Appalachia. The doctrine of the Holiness Way Church is based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, most notably the following passage from Mark 16: "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." The members of the congregation, in marathon services, work themselves into a musical, spiritual and physical frenzy. As the Holy Ghost enter them, some members speak in unknown languages, others lurch about on the floor, and others handle poisonous snakes that are taken out of pine boxes.

Handler begins as a member of Brother Bob's flock, Geordi, is released from prison. Geordi's wife, Terri, takes him back into their home, wary of his hard-drinking history, and still mourning the loss of their little girl in an accident a few years back. Both in low spirits, Terri and Geordi go to Brother Bob's service where Geordi decides to handle a snake for the first time. The resulting tragedy shakes the congregation to its core, but the miracle which follows a few days later lifts it to heights never before reached. Terri and Brother Bob are thrust into a media circus as news of this miracle spreads.

Robert Schenkkan's Handler is a gorgeous, poetic, musical story of faith, love, forgiveness and redemption. It's life-affirming message is that love brings healing, love brings forgiveness, love brings faith.

SCHEDULE

Handler by Robert Schenkkan

Thursdays at 7:30p: July 24 (Half-price preview), July 31, August 14, August 21
Thursday at 6:00p: August 7
Fridays at 8:00p: July 25, August 1, August 8, August 15, August 22
Saturdays at 8:00p: July 26, August 2, August 9, August 16, August 23
Sundays at 2:00p: July 27, August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24

July 25 - 26

Pops Goes British at Marsh Symphony on the Prairie, presented by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly presenting music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
London's West End comes alive with a tribute to British stage composers Noel Coward, Anthony Newley, and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Highlights include Music Hall comedy numbers and powerful West End/Broadway hits from such shows as Evita, Sunset Boulevard, Oliver!, and Phantom of the Opera. Program includes: "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Evita, "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard, and "Memory" from Cats
Guest stars include: Broadway celebrities, Gwendolyn Jones, Brad Little, Judy McLane, Steve Ross, and Jennifer Shrader For more information, call the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Box Office at (317) 639-4300. Concerts take place at Conner Prairie Amphitheater at 13400 Allisonville Road. See www.indyorch.org.