INDIANAPOLIS — Although she is performing at IndyFringe, Greenfield’s Kayla Lee already has a running list of shows she can’t wait to check out. Her eclectic list includes: “Jollyship the Whiz-bang,” “Act IV, Scene 1: Shakespeare and Zombies” and “Walking While Black in Moscow.”
The IndyFringe Festival is an 11-day festival of performance in and around the Mass Ave Arts District in downtown Indianapolis. This year’s festival hosts 64 groups — a half-and-half mix of local and out-of-town performers — across eight performance venues hosting more than 380 individual performances.
The uncensored, unjuried festival typically features new works, artsy or “fringey” shows not usually seen in the standard theater season line-up, said Casey Ross, founder and artistic director Catalyst Repertory, a 10-year veteran of Indy Fringe.
Ross’ current Fringe offering, “Arcadefire! The Redemption of Billy Mitchell,” features Lee and another local actor, Jim Banta. The musical, written by Ross with music by Christopher McNeely, was inspired by a documentary about the world record holder in the video game Donkey Kong. Addressed in the recent documentary, “King of Kong: Fist Full of Quarters,” champion high-scorer Billy Mitchell faces accusations of cheating. “Arcadefire!” follows Billy as he maintains his innocence and attempts to clear his name.
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Lee, a Greenfield-Central graduate plays the discontented wife of Billy’s self-proclaimed nemesis Steve Wiebe (Anthony Nathan). Banta, a graduate of New Palestine High School, plays Billy’s kid sidekick, Brian Kuh.
Greenfield resident Jon Burroughs contributed to this year’s Indy Fringe Festival in the form a collaborative script. Borroughs, a writer and former teacher, meets monthly with a mystery writers group at the northside-Indianapolis Barnes & Noble. Burroughs, along with members of the Speed City chapter of the national mystery writers group Sisters in Crime, collaborated on a play.
As Burroughs explains it: “A group of us started coming in an hour early to the meeting, throwing ideas around and writing dialogue.”
One member of the group had experience in playwriting; another knew how to apply for admission to IndyFringe; and still another had connections to Indianapolis storyteller, director and founder of Asante Children’s Theatre, Deborah Asante.
Their project, “Deadbeat,” explores what happens when a deadbeat’s murdered body is discovered by his long-suffering wife and her oldest friend. The women face a dilemma as they deal with the underpinnings of their relationship as each woman suspects the other is the killer.
Burroughs enjoyed being part of the writing process and looks forward to seeing the finished product.
“Writers were asked not to attend rehearsals,” Burroughs admitted.
New Palestine resident Adam Allen plays a double-role in “God Bless Phyllis Schlafley,” another new work that concerns three art enthusiasts fighting to preserve the house of a local female artist.
Allen comments on the irony of the title: “Whereas Schlafly herself was actually a staunch conservative who successfully campaigned against the Equal Rights Amendment, the play focuses on promoting feminism and fighting for gender parity.”
The three main characters discuss art, history and feminism as they work to find a way to save the house.
All three productions, along with 60 others, perform several times at different times of the day during the run of the festival. Check out indyfringe.org and click on the program calendar for a complete listing of shows, show times and ticket prices.
