ART GROUPS are in the Spotlight. In its early years, the IndyFringe Theatre Festival admitted acts strictly on a first-come basis. Later, a lottery system was imposed. Quality wasn’t at the forefront of decision-making. And during the rest of the year, the space was available to rent for just about anything. Going forward, an attempt will be made to consistently level up what is presented. IF is partnering with established local companies to create the Spotlight Series. American Lives Theatre, Betty Rage Productions, Defiance Comedy, and others have been given favored rental rates and additional marketing support to be part of the series. “These are companies we know we can count on to produce quality work,” says Paul Daily, IF’s executive director. “So we’re taking on more of a financial risk for them.” Upcoming Spotlight Series productions include Cryptid Entertainment’s April’s musical Reefer Madness.
You can expect more variety.
Traditionally, Fringe productions disappeared when the festival ended. But IF has begun supporting encore runs for some of the more popular shows. For instance, Paige Scott’s joyful Titanic spoof, Ship of Dreams, and Matt Kraft’s comedy Somebody That I Used to Know have reached wider audiences with post-festival runs. In addition, Red Curb Comedy, which shuttered its Avon theater in 2024, now has a slot on the first Saturday of each month. IF also works with the music ensemble Forward Motion to present a holiday series with live accompaniment to silent films.
The future holds more opportunities for local theater artists. “We keep hearing that artists here feel like they’ve hit a plateau and think they need to move elsewhere to grow,” says Daily. To stem that tide and create training opportunities, he has plans to transition IF’s smaller, simpler performance space—what is known as a black box theater because it resembles a black box—into a place for classes and workshops. One education initiative already underway is a partnership with the Flanner House community organization. The Flanner Fringe Lab teaches playwriting, with three projects to be selected for development assistance and coveted spots in this year’s festival.
IF will produce its own work. First up: the appropriately named Unknown Forces. Details are hush-hush. All that has been confirmed as of press time is that it will happen at the Factory Arts District (formerly Circle Center Industrial Complex) on April 4. Daily describes it as an “immersive” production that will tap more than 100 theater artists. “I want audience members to be surprised by what they experience,” he says. “In almost 40 years of doing theater, I’ve never seen a performance quite like it.” Daily’s hope is to do one such community production per year. “IF Theatre should inspire different ways of experiencing theater,” he adds.
A sturdier stage is among facility upgrades. Long overdue cosmetic and structural changes are underway. The Basile Theatre, IF’s mainstage, received an interior paint job, and the bathrooms got a makeover (one is now adorned with headshots of artists who have worked at the festival over the years). A new support structure went under the floor of the stage after an engineer found that it wasn’t up to code. Soon, a new front awning will be installed. A push to be more environmentally conscious is also happening. “We’re making additional efforts to be sustainable, financially and environmentally,” says Daily. “This year, the festival is working with the city’s Office of Sustainability as a case study.” An initial step will be adding recycling bins at all festival venues.
The 2025 festival will be on Mass Ave. While acts and venues weren’t locked down at press time, Daily says that in addition to familiar settings like The District Theatre, the festival will use less traditional spaces. Last year’s expanded to Fountain Square, but the board felt strongly about focusing on Mass Ave this time. “We want to go back to being a walkable festival,” explains Daily. He expects to see a return of national and international acts. Many were slow to resume touring after the pandemic. “But we’re seeing our numbers get closer to years past.”
Money is still an object, though. “Nothing we do pays for itself,” admits Daily. “We’re in a tough market. Theater is hard everywhere. Essentially everything we do goes to subsidize the artists. It’s my job to get the corporate and individual contributions so that we can lower rents and hold down entry fees.”
