Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis)


The Phoenix Theatre has presented productions since 1983. An Equity house, the Phoenix presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented 94 World Premieres. In May 2018, Phoenix moved to a newly constructed, 20,000 square foot building at 705 N. Illinois St. in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Previously, the Phoenix operated the 130-seat proscenium Livia and Steve Russell Stage as well as the 75-seat cabaret-style Frank and Katrina Basile Stage at 749 N. Park Avenue near Massachusetts Avenue.
It was founded by Bryan D. Fonseca in 1983, initially to perform the three-part science fiction play, Warp!. Both venues are housed along with administrative offices in a renovated 1907 church where Jim Jones once preached, a fact that was brought into their production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The Phoenix Theatre is a member of the National New Play Network and the League of Indianapolis Theatres, and is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as local corporate and foundation funders and more than 400 individual donors.
The Phoenix produces ten shows every season, with all of their shows being Indiana Premieres. They mostly produce plays written within the previous five years, and rarely produce shows more than one time. Fare at the Phoenix is always issue-oriented, hoping to incite conversation along with the entertainment. They have often featured plays dealing with sexuality, homosexuality, women's issues, AIDS, African-American issues, abuse, and mental disorders. The Phoenix is committed to hiring local artists, and almost all of their talent pool of designers and actors comes from Indianapolis or nearby cities.

Bryan Fonseca

Bryan Fonseca is the founding and former Producing Director of the Phoenix Theatre.. He has played a leading role in presenting outstanding contemporary drama in Indianapolis since 1979. Prior to the Phoenix, Bryan served as the Artistic Director for the Broad Ripple Playhouse and developed a short-lived alternative stage at the Indianapolis Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre – Studio C. Bryan has received an Achievement and Service award from the Indiana Theatre Association, two Artist Fellowship awards from the Indiana State Arts Commission and two Creative Renewal Fellowships from the Arts Council of Indianapolis/Lilly Endowment. Over the years, he transferred six Phoenix shows to Chicago including his original concert production, Prine: A Tribute Concert, which was performed at the Viaduct Theatre.

''A Very Phoenix Xmas''

Since 2005, the Phoenix has produced an annual holiday show called A Very Phoenix Xmas. Starting in September each year and changing until the last week of rehearsals, the Phoenix Producing Director, Bryan Fonseca, curates an original two act production filled with new plays, sketch comedy, singing, dancing, and various other special acts.

Brew-Ha-Ha

In 1995, the Phoenix founded the original craft beer festival in Indianapolis, Brew-Ha-Ha, in order to provide a fun and non-traditional fundraiser for the theatre. The outdoor block party takes place just outside the Phoenix on the 700 block of N. Park Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and E. St. Clair Street in the Mass Ave Arts & Theatre District.

National New Play Network

The Phoenix is a Core Member of National New Play Network, the country’s alliance of non-profit professional theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has commissioned 19 playwrights, provided more than 20 MFA graduates with paid residencies, and supported over 150 productions nationwide through its innovative Continued Life of New Plays Fund, which creates “Rolling World Premieres” of new plays. Hundreds of artists have gained employment through these efforts all over the country where NNPN Member Theatres are located. In addition to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NNPN receives support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Shubert Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Network consists of a relatively small group of 29 Core Members, who pioneer and implement collaborative new play strategies, and a growing group of Associate Members, who disseminate the Network’s programs and strategies nationwide. In April 2015, NNPN received the Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership at the annual Helen Hayes Award Celebration. Visit www.nnpn.org.
Plays noted with ** below are NNPN Rolling World Premiere productions the Phoenix has produced as part of the NNPN Continued Life of New Plays Fund.

Production history

1980s

1983-1984
1984-1985
1985-1986
1986-1987
1987-1988
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002 - 2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011 - 2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016