Phoenix Theatre & IRT Host Playwright Steven Dietz in Discussion, 3/28

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis and Indiana Repertory Theatre are bringing playwright Steven Dietz to Indianapolis for a One-on-One discussion on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 1:00 pm. The event will be moderated by Lou Harry, Arts & Entertainment Writer for Indianapolis Business Journal and take place on The Phoenix Theatre Mainstage. This one-on-one is being held in conjunction with both theatres producing plays by Dietz this spring. Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is producing Becky's New Car from March 23 through April 11, 2010 and Phoenix Theatre is producing Yankee Tavern from April 8 through May 1, 2010.

This event is free to the public and will consist of approximately 45 minutes of one-on-one with Lou Harry and Steven Dietz, then approximately 15 minutes set aside for a question-and-answer time with the audience. Following the event, refreshments will be provided in the Phoenix lobby. No tickets or reservations are required, but feel free to call 317.635.PLAY (7529) for directions or additional information.

Dietz, whose plays range from the whimsical (More Fun Than Bowling) to the dramatic (God's Country), is a master of smart dialogue and wily storytelling. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Dietz graduated in 1980 with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Northern Colorado, after which he moved to Minneapolis and began his career as a director of new plays at The Playwrights' Center and other local theaters. During these years he also formed a small theatre company (Quicksilver Stage) and began to write plays of his own. Yankee Tavern was published in 2007, followed by Becky's New Car in 2008. Dietz now divides his time between Seattle and Austin, Texas where he teaches playwriting and screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin.
Bryan Fonseca, Producing Director at the Phoenix, is directing The Edge-of-your-seat thriller Yankee Tavern and is excited about this collaboration with IRT. "It just seems like a natural fit for us to come together in support of a contemporary playwright like Steven Dietz. In this struggling economy, it is important to raise awareness of theatre in general as well as talented current playwrights." Fonseca went on to say that it is not often that a playwright is produced by two theatres in the same town at the same time, so it seemed fitting for IRT and the Phoenix to work together to bring not only two of Dietz's most well-known plays to life, but to bring the playwright to the public as well.

"We've always enjoyed the collaborations we've done with the Phoenix, whether its bringing a playwright to town, or co-hosting an arts community discussion," said IRT artistic director, Janet Allen. "Our plan to do two Steven Dietz plays sprang from a conversation Bryan and I had over a year ago, and it was such fun to imagine a little Steven Dietz festival between our two theatres."
This collaboration is also great for patrons. Through a package dubbed the Doubled Dietz Deal, the IRT and Phoenix Theatres are offering both plays for only $50. Call the IRT box office at 317.635.5252 for more details on this great offer; it is not available online.

First up to be produced is Becky's New Car, March 23-April 11, 2010 at IRT. IRT's own Playwright in Residence James Still is directing this comedy, which was described as "...a smooth, sharp and enjoyable ride..." by the Seattle Times. Becky's job at the car dealership, and her middle class lifestyle are, well, "fine.". But her 26 year-old freeloading son is living in her basement, and her 28-year marriage to Joe leave her with a nagging suspicion that she's missing out on something in her life. That "something" turns out to be a widower millionaire who falls for Becky at first sight. Does this mean that Becky has a chance to test drive another kind of life that could lead her to happiness?

Up next, Bryan Fonseca directs Yankee Tavern on the Phoenix Mainstage, April 8-May1, 2010. Alfred Hitchcock meets Oliver Stone in this fascinating and funny play set in a dusty old New York City bar. The young owner just wants to pour beer, marry his fiancée and live happily ever after. When a stranger walks in and orders a drink for himself and his invisible buddy, a thriller is set into motion that grips you until the very last word.

Lou Harry is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, Lou has written for Variety, Dramatics, TheatreWeek and more than 50 other publications. His play Midwestern Hemisphere premiered in Indianapolis in 2008 and versions of his The Pied Piper of Hoboken have been seen in four states. The author of more than 20 books--including Creative Block, Kid Culture, and The High-Impact Infidelity Diet: A Novel-he happily serves as Arts & Entertainment Editor for the Indianapolis Business Journal, where he reviews, previews, and blogs on the arts at www.ibj.com/arts. Twitter: LouHarry and IBJarts.

The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana's only professional contemporary theatre, and has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community for 26 years. An Equity house, the Theatre presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented more than 70 world premieres in its quarter century. The Phoenix operates the 130-seat proscenium Mainstage as well as the 75-seat cabaret-style black box Frank & Katrina Basile (buh-SEAL) Theatre. The Phoenix Pub, located in the Basile Theatre, serves beer, wine, coffee, soft drinks, water, and treats, and patrons may 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 & 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 500 individual donors.

Since the Indiana Repertory Theatre was founded in 1972, it has grown into one of the leading regional theatres in the country, as well as one of the top-flight cultural institutions in the city and state. In 1991 Indiana's General Assembly designated the IRT as "Theatre Laureate" of the state of Indiana. The IRT's national reputation has been confirmed by prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Theatre Communications Group-Pew Charitable Trusts, the Shubert Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, and by a Joyce Award from the Joyce Foundation.

The IRT remains the leading professional resident not-for-profit theatre in the state, providing 120,000 live professional theatre experiences for its audience last season. These experiences included 45,000 students and teachers from 62 of Indiana's 92 counties, making the IRT one of the most youth-oriented professional theatres in the country. A staff of more than 100 seasonal and year-round employees creates eight productions exclusively for Indiana audiences. Actors, directors, and designers are members of professional stage unions.

The IRT's history has been enacted in two historic downtown theatres. The Athenaeum Turners Building housed the company's first eight seasons. Since 1980 the IRT has occupied the 1927 Indiana Theatre, which was renovated to contain three performance spaces (Mainstage, Upperstage, and Cabaret) and work spaces, reviving this historic downtown entertainment site.

To keep ticket prices and services affordable for the entire community, the IRT operates as a not-for-profit organization, deriving more than one third of its operating income from contributions. The theatre is generously supported by foundations, corporations, and individuals, an investment which recognizes the IRT's mission-based commitment to serving Central Indiana with top-quality theatrical fare.

For tickets and more information, visit www.phoenixtheatre.org.

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