Indiana Repertory Theatre facts for kids

The Indiana Repertory Theatre

The Indiana Repertory Theatre, often called IRT, is a special place in Indianapolis, Indiana, where professional actors perform plays. It started in 1972 as a "repertory theatre," meaning its actors would perform in several different plays at the same time. Now, it's known as a "regional theatre" and is part of the League of Resident Theatres, a group of important theatres across the United States.

Each year, the IRT usually puts on about nine or ten plays. These shows happen on two different stages. At least two plays are chosen especially for students, and one of these is often a play by William Shakespeare. Many of their shows, including a popular holiday play like Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, are performed on the OneAmerica Stage.

The theatre company has been in two different buildings. It first opened in 1972 at The Athenaeum. Then, in 1980, the IRT moved to its current home. This building is called The Indiana Theatre. It was built in 1927 as a movie theater and was later changed to fit the needs of the IRT. You can find it at 140 West Washington Street.

Famous Actors and Plays

Many talented actors have performed at the Indiana Repertory Theatre over the years. Some well-known names include Priscilla Lindsay, who was once an Assistant Artistic Director, and Scott Wentworth, who helped start the theatre. John Henry Redwood was another actor who performed a special one-man show called Looking Over the President's Shoulder. This play was about the true story of Alonzo Fields, who worked as a butler for three United States presidents.

The IRT also works with playwrights, who are people who write plays. James Still is a playwright who has written many plays for the IRT. Another playwright, Charles Smith, wrote plays like Les Trois Dumas and Gospel According to James for the theatre.

You might recognize Johnny Lee Davenport, an actor who played Deputy Marshal Henry in the movies The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals. He also played the main character in Shakespeare's Othello at the IRT. Tim Grimm is another actor who often appears in their shows, often playing characters from rural areas.

A Christmas Carol Production

The theatre is very famous in Indiana for its yearly production of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. This version was adapted by Tom Haas, who used to be an artistic director at the IRT. It's a special kind of play that keeps many of the story's darker parts, like the scene with "Want and Ignorance." Dickens himself thought this scene was very important, but it's often left out in other versions.

Musicals and Unique Shows

For a while in the 1990s, the theatre mostly stopped doing musicals. However, they did put on a brand-new musical called Captive Heart: The Frances Slocum Story in 1999. This musical was about Maconaquah, whose story is part of Indiana's history lessons. They also performed Enter the Guardsman, a musical based on a play by Ferenc Molnár.

More recently, the IRT has performed musicals like Crowns, The Fantasticks, and Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, which starred the famous singer Sylvia McNair.

The IRT was also the first theatre to cast an actor with autism, Mickey Rowe, in the main role of the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This was a big step for including more diverse actors in theatre.

Young Playwrights Competition

The theatre also supports young writers through a competition called "Young Playwrights in Process." This competition is for middle and high school students in Indiana who want to write their own plays. It helps encourage the next generation of theatre artists.

Recent Seasons

The Indiana Repertory Theatre has had many exciting seasons. Here are some of the plays they performed in recent years:

2016-2017 Season

• The Three Musketeers
• Finding Home: Indiana at 200
• A Christmas Carol
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
• The Cay (for students and families)
• Stuart Little (for young children)
• Boeing Boeing
• Miranda
• Dial “M” for Murder

2015-2016 Season

• The Great Gatsby
• April 4, 1968: Before We Forgot How to Dream
• A Christmas Carol
• Peter Rabbit and Me (for young children)
• The Mystery of Irma Vep
• To Kill a Mockingbird (for students and families)
• Fences
• Bridge & Tunnel
• The Mousetrap

2014-2015 Season

• The Two Gentlemen of Verona
• Red
• A Christmas Carol
• The Velveteen Rabbit (for young children)
• Good People
• The Giver (for students and families)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• What I Learned in Paris
• On Golden Pond