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“Going…Going…Gone” with Wilcher, Harbin and McKinney on March 3

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Bob Harbin and Claire Wilcher eating wieners

Three Indianapolis-area theater veterans will share the gavel for the March performance of “Going…Going…Gone.” Claire Wilcher – a “Going…Going…Gone” fan favorite – will be joined on the IndyFringe Basile Theatre stage by Bob Harbin, founder of BOBDIREX, and Megan McKinney, fresh from her run in A Little Night Music at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

“Going…Going…Gone” creators Lou Harry and John Thomas also have announced the line-up for their April and May performances. The first Sunday in April will feature two “Adults Only” shows, a special collaboration with Angel Burlesque that’s certain to add a little shimmy and shake to Ed’s Auction House. May’s performance will truly be a family show, with the Socey clan – Matt, Lynn and their daughter, Emma – performing together.

After attracting sell-out crowds at the 2012 Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, “Going…Going…Gone” opened in the fall of 2012 as a monthly show at the Indy Fringe Basile Theatre. Created and produced by Two First Name Productions – aka, Lou Harry and John Thomas – “Going…Going…Gone” is featured at 7 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month.

The show also is being performed in Martinsville on March 1, 2 and 3 by the Merry Mac Players.

“Going…Going…Gone” takes place on the final night at Ed’s Auction House. Ed’s dead, and those close to him face the task of selling off his last worldly possessions. How? By having the audience bid using fake money they received when they entered the theatre.

The action unfolds as the actors learn along with the audience what items must be auctioned off – and create the stories behind those items. The best part? Audience members who place winning bids take their purchases home.

Some of Indy’s best and gutsiest talents – including actors you’ve seen at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Indiana and the Phoenix Theatre – have performed in “Going…Going…Gone.” And, as they did at the Fringe Festival, audience members likely will make repeat visits to see how different actors manage the madness. After all, it’s never the same show twice.

Sunday, March 3, and then the first Sunday of every month
IndyFringe Basile Theatre, 719 E St. Clair St., Indianapolis

$15; $12 for students and senior citizens. Tickets available at www.IndyFringe.org.

SuperHappyMelancholyexpialidocious at IndyFringe Theatre

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Following on the coat tails of his award-winning one-man show Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee, one of Jay Gabler’s (of the Twin CIty Daily Planet) top ten plays of 2011, Seth Lepore continues with the second part of his trilogy on the underbelly of the self-help movement.

SuperHappyMelancholyexpialidocious is a stranger-than-fiction satire about the war on thought. The underbelly of the self-help movement is exposed turning the happiness industry on its head. Think you know happiness? Think again!

From Texas megachurches turned motivational hothouses, to the latest testament of self-actualization from Oprah’s Book Club, nothing is safe from Lepore’s scrutinizing looking glass.

When: Saturday, September 15 at 8:00 PM
Where: IndyFringe Basile Theatre 719 E St Clair Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
How Much: $10 general, $8 students. Tickets are available at http://indyfringe.org

The live auction play “Going…Going…Gone” to debut at IndyFringe

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“Going…Going…Gone,” the interactive play featuring different actors, a different story, and a different set of props at each performance, premieres in August at IndyFringe.

It’s the final night at Ed’s Auction House. Ed’s dead, and two people face the task of selling off his last worldly possessions. What can they do but auction the items off to the audience? And what can the audience do but become a part of the show by bidding on the items with the play money they’ve been given as they enter the theatre?

The action unfolds as the actors learn along with the audience what items must be auctioned off – and create the stories behind those items. The best part? Audience members who place winning bids take their purchases home.

Some of Indy’s best acting talent has signed on to perform in this series of one-of-a-kind shows, including talent you’ve seen at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Cardinal Stage, Actors Theatre of Indiana, and the Phoenix Theatre. Created and produced by Two First Name Productions – aka, Lou Harry and John Thomas – “Going…Going…Gone” takes the stage at the IndyFringe Basile Theatre for six performances during the Aug. 17-26, 2012 IndyFringe Festival.

The Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, nicknamed “IndyFringe,” is a 10-day showcase of traditional and non-traditional theatre, dance, music, improvisation and a wide range of other performance and visual arts, performed and created by local, national and international artists.

Tickets are $10. To purchase tickets or learn more about the show and IndyFringe, visit www.IndyFringe.org.

Success Is Not An Option: Indianapolis at Indy Fringe Building on Friday, July 27, 2012

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 Success Is Not An Option: Indianapolis at Indy Fringe Building
Friday, July 27, 2012 at 8:00pm

Mike Schmidt doesn’t want to be “That Guy” but sadly, he might not have a choice.

Every week on his brutally funny podcast, “The 40 Year Old Boy”, Mike fights a war between the man he is and the man he wants to be. Talking at the speed of his head, he tells stories of a life suspended somewhere between cautionary tale and cruel joke.

Now, Mike brings this verbal mosh pit on the road to the IndyFringe Basile Theater in Indianapolis, IN. In a lifetime of bad decisions, let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be his worst.

Tickets start at $20.

Indy Fringe Building
719 E. St. Clair St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Order Tickets

2011 IndyFringe Festival Recap

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If you haven’t made it out to the IndyFringe Festival yet, shame on you! For ten days every August, a huge conglomeration of actors, magic acts, comedians, poets, dancers, singers, and other creative types converge downtown on Mass Ave to perform in approximately 68 different shows.

This year, I chose to serve as a volunteer for the festival. I opted for this in order to see more shows and get the free tickets for my hours served. Fortunately, to date, I have seen 20 (YES, 20!!) different shows and plan to see more before the festival ends this Sunday.

This festival has a show for everyone, literally. I have witnessed some combination of the following things:

…and that only covers about 75% of what I have enjoyed. Literally, something for everyone.

Only one time every year can theatergoers find such a variety of show choices. Performers come from local companies, out of state, and even out of the country just to perform in the festival. From shows that have you rolling with laughter or leaving with a head full of questions, IndyFringe has something to offer you.

In order to attend shows in the festival, patrons must purchase a $5 backer button (a one-time purchase, just bring it with you from show to show!). Tickets will cost a maximum of $10 (cheaper for students with ID) per show and can be purchased with CASH only starting a half hour before show at each venue or at the website until noon on the day of the show.

So go out and support an artist (performers receive 100% of ticket revenue) and see some great entertainment during this final weekend of IndyFringe.

And, on a side note, if you are interested in following my Fringe adventures, I’m tweeting about every show I see! Follow me on Twitter @kelsee422 for my latest show updates!

They Touch in Flood at IndyFringe

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She killed her own kids… but the art lives on. Indianapolis-based performance group paperStrangers is making a triumphant return to local theater during the 2010 IndyFringe Festival after a wildly successful national tour.

Michael Burke’s adaptation of “Medea,” which won awards and sold out shows during IndyFringe 2009, went to Washington, D.C.; Hollywood and Cincinnati, where more sellouts came.

Rave reviews included this: “If you want to know why Greek tragedy is still vital to modern theater, go see paperStrangers Performance Groupʼs adaptation of Medea.” DC THEATRE SCENE Jenn Larson

And the LA Theatre Review honored Medea with “Outstanding Contribution to the Theatre of Los Angeles in an Ensemble Production.”

Medea, of course, is the character created by Euripides who kills her own children after a betrayal. Michael Burke, a recent Butler University graduate, is being called a “wunderkind director” by theatre critics. He serves as co-artistic director of Indianapolis-based company paperStrangers, with Tommy Lewey. Beginning this Friday, paperStrangers brings another emotion-filled production to Indianapolis as part of IndyFringe 2010.

“They Touch in Flood” is an exploration of making love, a distinctly human concept, using performers and multimedia. It might seem strange for the company to move from Greek tragedy to such an ethereal subject. But it ties in flawlessly with the company’s goal, as Burke and Lewey explain: “It is our mission to have our audiences truly feel. Our focus is evocation.”

In “Medea,” paperStrangers took the audience inside the tormented mind of the title role.

In “TTiF,” they want to take you on a reflective journey that begins with heavy emotions. “We are a theatre of feeling−an experience−one that resonates deep within each of us.” What’s next for paperStrangers? The success of “Medea” has the company already in talks to bring it to even more cities for another festival tour next summer. But the immediate plan for the company is to take a breather and enjoy their successes from a whirlwind summer of performances.

“They Touch in Flood” at the IndyFringe Theatre Festival

Venue: Theatre on The Square
• Tuesday August 24. 2010 6:00 PM
• Wednesday August 25, 2010 9:00 PM
• Saturday August 28, 2010 3:00 PM
• Sunday August 29, 2010 10:30 PM

For more info on the IndyFringe Festival or to buy tickets visit indyfringe.org or m.indyfringe.org for mobile.

Grind: The Musical at IndyFringe

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Hi, Indianapolis!

We’re part of the Midwest Fringe Circuit, about to perform in the IndyFringe, and we hope you’ll see our show! Here’s some more information:

Performing at Theater In The Square, 627 Massachusetts Avenue

“Grind” follows the owner of a doomed Minneapolis coffee shop, her aspiring-musician brother, a homeless evangelist, a comic-book writer and a young barista relocated by Katrina as each answers the question “what do I do when ‘home’ can’t be home anymore?” Punctuated by bursts of shadow puppetry done in the style of comic-book art, each character struggles to answer this question set to a soundtrack made from styles varying from rap to indie to jazz to spoken word. And somehow, it’s also hilarious.

See reviews from our Minneapolis performances here: http://www.fringefestival.org/2010/show/?id=1341

IndyFringe performances:

  • Saturday, August 21, 6:00pm
  • Sunday, August 22, 1:30pm
  • Monday, August 23, 6:00pm
  • Friday, August 27, 9:00pm
  • Saturday, August 28, 6:00pm
  • Sunday, August 29, 9:00pm

Tickets at http://indyfringe.org/fringefest/show/grind-the-musical

Want a review before you click “Attending,” or to check out what crazy stuff we’re up to on this tour? http://www.grindthemusical.com/