downtown

“It’s bittersweet to share that we’ve made the difficult decision to close the Hoagies & Hops Fletcher Place location. Our last day operating the kitchen in Fletcher Place will be Friday, Dec. 31 and we will be closing at 7 p.m. for a private party. We are extremely grateful for the experience we had serving our amazing downtown customers.

Moving forward, we will be taking time to focus on our Butler-Tarkington location partnering with Chilly Water Brewery Tap Room while getting our food truck rolling so we can serve Hoagies & Hops to our customers anywhere! Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at our Butler-Tarkington location and at our food truck stops.”

~ Kristina Mazza, owner of Hoagies & Hops

Spirit & Place Festival’s Opening Features Award-Winning Hoosier Artists, French Composer

October 27, 2012 by Mel McMahon

The opening weekend of the annual Spirit & Place Festival is kicking off with five events reflecting on this year’s theme of “play.” The weekend will feature French musician and composer Pierre Bastien, singer-songwriters Carrie Newcomer and Krista Detor, Emmy Award winner Philip Gulley, and Scott Russell Sanders, accomplished author and national winner of the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award. The city’s largest 10-day collaborative festival takes place Friday, November 2 through Sunday, November 11, 2012.

Celebrating its 17th year, the Spirit & Place Festival is an extensive civic celebration engaging upwards of 20,000 people throughout central Indiana in dozens of programs presented by more than 100 organizations. A project of The Polis Center at the IU School of Liberal Arts-IUPUI, its mission is to stimulate conversation, community building, and civic action through creative collaborations among arts, religion, and humanities.

Playing in the Streets
Friday, Nov. 2, 6-9 p.m.
Harrison Center for the Arts – 1505 N. Delaware St.
Free

Celebrate playful place-making on First Friday with artists, musicians, performance artists, and students from Butler University as they express the particularity and creativity of Indy’s urban neighborhoods with original creations. See exhibits, including featured work by Harrison Center Curator Kyle Ragsdale; hear local singer-songwriters; celebrate the 20th anniversary of LISC (Local Initiatives Service Corporation); and visit dozens of booths showcasing upcoming Spirit & Place Festival programs.

Musical Machinery Workshop with Pierre Bastien
Saturday, Nov. 3, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Big Car Service Center – 3819 Lafayette Rd.
Free

Learn how to create your own mechanical instruments and orchestral contraptions in a hands-on workshop with French composer and sound installation artist Pierre Bastien. In 1986, Bastien built a mechanical orchestra activated by electro-motors that play on acoustic instruments from all over the world. Today, he and his musical machines collaborate with dance companies, circuses, video artists, fashion designers, and musicians globally. Bastien will be showcased in an afternoon performance.

Our Lives as Sacred Story with Carrie Newcomer
Saturday, Nov. 3, Noon–2 p.m.
Christian Theological Seminary, Room 166 – 1000 W. 42nd Street
Free; on-line pre-registration encouraged

Conversation, exploratory writing, and individual and group experiences surround the playful beauty and sacred meaning of life in a hands-on workshop led by Indiana singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer. Newcomer has been described as “a soaring songstress” by Billboard, a “prairie mystic” by the Boston Globe, and Rolling Stone has said that she “asks all the right questions.” Writers, songwriters, and “creatives” of all types and skill levels are welcome.

Musical Machinery Performance with Pierre Bastien
Saturday, Nov. 3, 3-5 p.m.
The Indianapolis Public Library, Central Library – 40 E. Saint. Clair St.
Free

Music and mechanics collide when experimental instrument builder and sound installation artist Pierre Bastien presents a unique performance that blends live trumpet sounds with screen projections of on-site, mechanical sound sculptures he has constructed. His work is described as “a timeless sounding orchestra, conjuring ancient traditions in its surprisingly sensuous music.” Bastien will also lead a morning workshop on building mechanical instruments.

Miracles, Myths, Lyrics & Lies
Saturday, Nov. 3, 6:30-8 p.m.
Christian Theological Seminary – 1000 W. 42nd St.
$20 adults; $15 students/seniors (cts.edu/events or at the door)

Singer-songwriters Carrie Newcomer and Krista Detor and writers Phil Gulley and Scott Russell Sanders will weave story and song together in a harmony that explores the playful side of spirituality. These four award-winning Hoosier artists will share humorous essays, tall tales and tender songs that blend whimsy and wonder with mystery and merriment in a performance that is by turns romantic, spiritual, and hilarious. Call 317-931-4224 for more information.

For more information on Spirit & Place programs and events, visit www.spiritandplace.org.

BOBDIREX presents “SILVER BELLS / SILVER SCREEN”

November 24, 2010 by Kelsee Hankins

SILVER BELLS / SILVER SCREEN
Athenaeum Theatre
December 3 – 17, 2010

Indianapolis, IN – A few years back, Bob Harbin and John Austin Butsch produced original musical holiday productions that became landmarks for the Athenaeum Theatre. After a year hiatus, they are bringing back the holidays to the historic theatre in the form of “Silver Bells / Silver Screen,” a grand mixture of favorite holiday songs combined with familiar songs from the movies—including many Academy Award nominations and Oscar winners.

“By Thanksgiving, many of us feel a bit inundated with Christmas music from the radio, malls, and elevators—-and need a little break,” says Bob Harbin, director and executive producer of BOBDIREX, the show’s production company. “So we keep some December favorites and mix them with another form of vocal entertainment.” In years past the men have “mixed in” the Big Band sound, Country Western and this year it’s movie music. John Austin Butsch, Music Director, chimes in with “we love doing these special shows and the Athenaeum with its tables and chairs makes it a comfortable place to see them.”

There will be lots of singing, some dancing, some comedy and some of Indianapolis’s best vocal talents. That’s a wonderful feature of the production—-the mixture of talent. There will be Athenaeum favorites, Tim Spradlin, Karlton D. Turner, Diane Tsao Boehm and Da’Keisha Bryant, mixed with soon-to-become favorites, Erin Cohenour, Claire Cassidy, Kelsee Hankin, Tobin Strader, Bryan Padgett and Andrew Elliott. And perennial Phoenix Theatre star, Phebe Taylor, will be coming in from New York City to round out the cast.

“Silver Bells / Silver Screen” is a true family event appropriate for all ages. This show follows the first two BOBDIREX productions, “Classic Soul” and “A Funny Thing Happpened on the Way to the Forum,” both reviewed with great critical success.

The production will run for three consecutive weekends, December 3-4, December 9-12 and December 16-17. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. with December 12 being the exception—-a Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m. All seats are reserved and a wallet friendly $20. Discounts are available for seniors and groups over 20.

Tickets are on sale now through the BOBDIREX website: http://www.bobdirex.com or by calling the ticket line (317) 280-0825 (no fee) or at the door an hour before performance. Tickets cannot be ordered through the Athenaeum.

Once again the Athenaeum Docent Society will help sponsor the program. The Athenaeum Theatre is located at 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Cocktails are available before and during the performance at the theatre bar. Dinner and cocktails are available before and after performances at the famous Rathskeller restaurant located in the building’s basement. Parking near the Athenaeum is free at parking meters on the street after 6pm and on weekends. There are several other parking options within one or two blocks.

What’s next for BOBDIREX? Coming next summer will be Disney’s “CAMP ROCK.” The two popular Disney television movies have been combined into one big live theatrical experience featuring the best of INDY’s local young people. Auditions will be announced soon on http://www.bobdirex.com. Tell all of the young people you know to start getting prepared for “CAMP ROCK”!

For more information, contact Bob Harbin by phone: (317) 280 – 0825, email: bobdirex@aol.com, and follow BOBDIREX on Twitter @bobdirex!

Photo courtesy of Zach Rosing

Pictured from left, front row: Kelsee B. Hankins, Da’Keisha Bryant, Diane Tsao Boehm, Erin Cohenour, Karlton D. Turner. From left, back row: Andrew Elliott, Tobin Strader, Bryan Padgett, Tim Spradlin