A VERY PHOENIX X-MAS 8: ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD WHILE HIGH Opens Today

For the 8th year in a row, Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis will present the World Premiere of arguably Indy's most original and entertaining holiday offering: A Very Phoenix Xmas. This year's subtitle is Angels We Have Heard While High. "I always ask the staff and cast for ideas for the subtitle and we get lots of great ones each year. The winning one this year comes with a great graphic - and we think it represents our edgy approach to the holidays. (click here to see the image.)

Opening the day after Thanksgiving, today, November 29, 2013 on the Livia and Steve Russell Stage at the Phoenix, this holiday show runs through December 22, 2013 and includes Wednesday (7 pm), Thursday (7 pm), Friday (8 pm), Saturday (8 pm), and Sunday (2 pm) performances.

Phoenix Theatre Producing Director Bryan Fonseca is the perpetrator of all this holiday mania. Here are a few facts about his obsession:

Q: How many Christmas CDs do you have?

A: Approximately 500, plus he adds to his collection each year. As a staff member, I can attest that the little square packages start arriving from Amazon as early as August.

Q: Exactly why are you so crazy about Christmas?

A: The ornament didn't fall far from the tree. Bryan's mother, Agnes Fonseca (better known to Phoenix patrons and artists as Miss Aggie) was, according to Bryan, "the queen of Christmas. Santa stayed tied to the chimney all year at our house."

Q: What's your favorite Christmas song?

A: Best Christmas album: "The Roches: We Three Kings - great variety on it - traditional and new age," says Bryan, "followed by World Christmas...and I love generally just hearing new arrangements each season."

Q: How early do you start working on the Xmas show?

A: Bryan's answer is: "October - but we do gather ideas all year and put them in a folder." Again, as a staff member, I can say that Bryan starts listening to Christmas music around the second week in October. It's just a part of the office to us now. Does it get old - hearing it so soon before Christmas? Email me directly if you would like my off-the-record answer.

Q: This is one of the largest-selling shows each year for the Phoenix. How many patrons on average see the show each year?

A: "Just shy of 2000 fellow twisted holiday enthusiasts," states Bryan.

This year, The Phoenix Theatre's Playwright in Residence, Tom Horan (click here for more information on Tom), helped to curate the sketches for the show. We received more than 100 short plays from writers here in Indiana and all over the United States. Tom and Bryan scale down the list to no more than 20 sketches and those are read by the cast during a marathon read-through the Monday night before rehearsals. The optimum number of sketches is 6 to 7 and these are combined with musical numbers, dances, and various other multi-media pieces.

Ensemble:

Scot Greenwell (fifth Xmas show at Phoenix Theatre; past shows include Norway, Next Fall, This)

Paul Hansen (first show at The Phoenix Theatre, but well-known around town)

Eric Olson (first Xmas show, but not his first show at the Phoenix - past shows include Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Next to Normal)

Ryan O'Shea (back again from last year's Xmas show)

Lynn Wilhite (first show at The Phoenix Theatre)

The Fourth Wall:

Hilary Abigana, Greg Jukes, and C. Neil Parsons (all three Fourth Wall members are back from last year's show)

In addition to director Bryan Fonseca, the production staff for A Very Phoenix Xmas 8: Angels We Have Heard While High includes Laura Glover as Lighting Designer, Daniel Uhde as Set Designer, Jeff Martin as Technical Director, Tom Horan as Sound Designer, Ashley Kiefer as Costume Design and Props Master, Veronica Orech as Assistant Director, Ben Dobler as Audio and Electrical Supervisor, and Chelsey Stauffer as Assistant Stage Manager.

Tickets for A Very Phoenix Xmas 8: Angels We Have Heard While High are on sale now. The entire first weekend are CheapSeats performances, so tickets are just $18.00 per person. After the first weekend, all tickets are $28.00 per person. Tickets for A Very Phoenix Xmas 8: Angels We Have Heard While High may be purchased by calling the box office at 317.635.7529 or may be purchased on-line by clicking here.

The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana's only professional Contemporary Theatre, and has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community for 31 years. An Equity house, the Phoenix presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented more than 86 world premieres. The Phoenix operates the 130-seat proscenium Livia and Steve Russell Theatre as well as the 65-seat cabaret-style black box Frank and Katrina Basile Stage. Our bar serves local craft beer, wine, coffee, soft drinks, water, and homemade sweet treats. Patrons are welcome to take all refreshments into either theatre. Both venues are housed along with administrative offices in a renovated 1907 church in downtown Indianapolis' historic Chatham Arch neighborhood, part of the Mass Ave Arts and Theatre District. The Phoenix Theatre is a member of the National New Play Network and the League of Indianapolis Theatres, and is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as local corporate and foundation funders and more than 400 individual donors.

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