Theatre Department
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The goal of the Department of Theatre at the University of Indianapolis is to develop the skills, crafts, and imaginations of its students within the liberal arts context. The curriculum encompasses the areas of acting, directing, production, scenic design, lighting, dramatic literature, theatre history, and play analysis. This broad preparation at the undergraduate level develops a foundation for any theatre specialization. We strive to help our students acquire and develop the tools they will need in order to succeed in their future pursuits.
2021-22 Theatre Season
2021-22 Season Announcement All Theatre productions are scheduled as Live Performances and will follow all University, County, and State COVID-19 Rules & Guidelines
Tickets are FREE to Students, Faculty & Staff
Tickets are available to the public for a nominal fee.
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE HERE (Advanced Ticket Reservations may only be made online)
Advanced Reservations are highly recommended – especially for all Studio Theatre Performances
MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (TMLMTBGB)
(by Greg Allen)
Dates & Times: september 9. 10, 11, 20, 21; 8 PM
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
*Performances open only to Uiniversity Students, Staff, and Faculty*
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind (TMLMTBGB) is back again for the fourth year running (minus 2020). TMLMTBGB is a set of 24 mini-plays performed in a dizzying 48-minute race against the clock. In this long-running late-night sensation from Chicago, you never know what’s coming next. But you know it features the Neo’s signature performance style with a zany mix of heady and ridiculous subject matter.
The Taming of the Shrew
by William Shakespeare, adapted by Grant Williams
Dates & Times: October 22, 23, 24, & 28, 29, 30, 2021; 8 PM
Ransburg Auditorium
L/P Credit
We turn Shakespeare’s fierce, energetic comedy of gender and materialism on its head to offer a fresh perspective on its portrayal of hierarchy and power.
WORKING A Musical
From the book by Studs Terkel
Adapted by Nina Faso and Stephen Schwartz
With additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg
Songs by Craig Carnelia, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, Micki Grant, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Birkenhead, and Lin-Manuel Miranda
Dates & Times: February 25, 26, & March 3, 4, 5, 2022; 8 PM and February 27, 2022 at 3 PM
Ransburg Auditorium
L/P Credit
WORKING: The Musical, based on the best-selling book by Studs Terkel, is a straightforward and heartfelt observance of everyday workers – those of us simply trying to make a living: teachers, fast-food workers, firefighters, stay-at-home moms, among many others. Working juxtaposes sung and spoken stories, introducing us to an array of unique individuals while weaving them into a large tapestry of how Americans view their work, reflected through their pride, hopes, and dreams. Based on real people, Terkel describes their stories as “The extraordinary dreams of ordinary people”
The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
was originally produced by LAByrinth Theater Company,
Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz, Co-Artistic Directors
and The Public Theater,
Mara Manus, Executive Director; George C. Wolfe, Producer,
February 2005.
Dates & Times: April 22, 23, 24, & 28, 29, 30, 2022; 8 PM
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
L/P Credit
Set in a time-bending, darkly comic world between heaven and hell, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot reexamines the plight and fate of the New Testament’s most infamous and unexplained sinner.
UNDERGROUND THEATRE PRODUCTIONS
Within the Shadows
By Scott Shallenbarger
Directed by Graduating Senior Cora Parker ’22
Dates & Times: November 12, 2021; 8 PM & November 13, 2021; 4pm & 8pm
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
L/P Credit
Synopsis: Steven and Sandra, exceptionally close friends who spent four wonderful years in college together, are seeing one another for the first time in a year. Sean, Steven’s closest friend and Sandra’s fiancé, has taken his life while Steven was in Europe. The play begins with an explosion of comedy as the two celebrate their reunion. But slowly and inevitably, it spirals into deep emotional truths as the two come to terms with their own feelings of guilt and non-understanding of their personal tragedy. Anguished secrets from the past and buried jealousies erupt as the two work to define their friendship without the man who tied them together. A dynamic play which explores the destructive consequences of suppressing emotional truth.
Church and State
By Jason Odell Williams
Directed by Graduating Senior Kyle Jeanor ’22
Dates & Times: December 3, 2021; 8 PM & December 4, 2021 4pm & 8pm
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
L/P Credit
Synopsis: Three days before his bid for reelection, in the wake of a school shooting in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, a Republican U.S. senator makes an off-the-cuff comment to a blogger that gets leaked on “the Twitter,” calling into question the senator’s stance on guns and God. As his devoutly Christian wife and liberal Jewish campaign manager try to contain the damage, this look at how religion influences politics and how politics has become a religion is simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting.
Gruesome Playground Injuries
By Rajiv Joseph
Directed & Designed by Graduating Senior Kristen Newlin ’22
Dates & Times: December 10, 2021; 8 PM & December 11, 2021; 4pm &8pm
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
L/P Credit
Synopsis: Over the course of 30 years, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together
A Rubik’s Cube
A Stand-up Comedy Show
Created and Performed by Graduating Senior Nicholas Finch ’22
Dates & Times: January 28 & 29, 2022; 8 PM
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
L/P Credit
Synopsis: A one-man stand-up performance. Nicholas reflects on the time his ex-girlfriend compared him to a Rubik’s Cube. Apparently, it’s stuck with him for the past seven years. He takes the hour to reflect on this comparison and tell his story about anxiety, self-care, and personal growth. All while keeping a smile on his face, and hopefully putting one on the audience as well.
Title To Be Announced
Written and performed by Graduating Senior Kayla Bell ’22
Dates & Times: February 4 & 5, 2022; 8 PM
Studio Theatre (Basement of Esch under Ransburg Auditorium)
L/P Credit
Synopsis: A play about Social Acceptance and the various perspectives on defining what social acceptance is in the US and how it impacts all people, raising the struggle with granting equality for opportunity and success.
Important Links
Alpha Psi Omega (APO)
currently inactive
Theatre Academics
Department of Theatre Projected Course Sequence
Includes special topics courses
Theatre Handbook
Theatre Student Handbook
Forms & Reports
Student Achievement Form
This form is for students to fill out to keep the department updated on the achievements of the students outside of the university, and outside of the department.
Weekly Schedule TEMPLATE for Crew Call and Audition Forms
Theatre Script Archives List
This document contains multiple tabs of information.