The Indiana Repertory Theatre is touting The House That Jack Built as “the next great American play,” and it opened to a packed house for last weekend’s world premiere. The buzz around this latest work by IRT playwright-in-residence James Still is well-founded: It received the 2012 Todd McNerney National New Play Prize, and Still’s poetic depiction of a Thanksgiving get-together in Vermont is sharp, witty, and modern.
Twice in the clip below from today’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Madonna refers to her Indy-based helpers at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show as “villagers.” She appears to use that word when referencing both those who set up her staging in all of eight minutes, and also when speaking to the aid of 150 gladiators she “employed.” (Truth be told, she paid them in the currencies of Panera and Papa John’s, relative pigspittle for the help they gave this self-loving “Cleopatra” with her ballyhooed entrance. But then again, they are peasants, right?)
Going to the movies is one of the best things you can do on a Friday night. Not paying for the movie would only make the night that much better. As part of downtown’s First Friday art walk every month, Heartland Truly Moving Pictures shows uplifting independent films—for free! The next event, tonight from 6 to 10 p.m., is even more special: The lineup will preview this month’s Heartland Film Festival with a screening of an entire short film and select trailers from the upcoming competition.
Designers and fashionistas alike will flock to the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Oct. 11 for Project IMA, a runway couture show and contest featuring local and national talents. This year’s inspiration comes from four legendary designers whose work is currently on display at the museum: Norman Norell, Bill Blass, Roy Halston, and Stephen Sprouse. To get a sneak peek at the show, we caught up with one of this year’s contestants, Indiana native Jessica Wright.
Jeffrey Hatcher has adapted several plays, refashioning Tuesdays with Morrie and The Turn of the Screw, both of which have been performed at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. His latest show there, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was originally commissioned for the Arizona Theatre Company and received a 2009 Edgar Award nomination for Best Play. I caught up with the playwright at his show’s opening night reception at the IRT, and we talked about his vision for it and the novel choice to make Hyde a four-person role.
It seems as though my high school taught me well—when you went to the Indiana Repertory Theatre for a field trip, you dressed nice. And sure enough, a night out at the theater still seems to be quite the occasion here in Indy, with much of the crowd attending Friday’s opening night of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the first show of the 2012-13 season, decked out in blazers, button-ups, and cocktail dresses. (See photos from the show’s opening night soirees at the IRT here.)
In the end, it was the Real American Hero who took home the gold medal, as it were, in the Children’s Museum’s interactive project, “Top 100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood.” Voters cast more than 24,000 nods online, and G.I. Joe was named the No. 1 favorite toy of the past 100 years. It seems children of the 1980s rocked the vote in full force, as Transformers landed in the No. 2 slot, followed by LEGO sets in third place. The iconic Cabbage Patch Kids proved to be underdogs, snagging the seventh spot, and Indiana native Raggedy Ann finished just outside the Top 10 at No. 11. Here’s the full Top 20 roster.
Barbie, G.I. Joe, crayons, and Silly Putty are among the top 20 toys selected in the Children Museum’s current interactive project, Top 100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood. More than 20,000 votes were cast to determine these “best” toys out of the 100 curator selections. Toy lovers now have until Sept. 7 to vote on what toys take home Olympics-inspired gold, silver, and bronze awards. (See IM staffers’ own favorites here.)
He has more than 6.5 million “likes” on Facebook, a testament to his enduring claim to the throne as the King. Yes, today marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s untimely and unsightly death, in 1977 but six weeks after his final concert ever. That show took place at Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis
