IRT Announces 2020-2021 Lineup
The Indiana Repertory Theatre‘s 49th season will take audiences on a journey from astonishing thrills to heartfelt laughter and from shared yesterdays to unknown tomorrows. The season continues IRT’s commitment to literary and multigenerational stories, celebrates the city’s Bicentennial, and centers on the importance of community and change. See you at the Theatre!
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
adapted by David Catlin
electrifying look at a classic thriller
Join a memorable gathering of literary giants on a dark and eerie evening as Mary Shelley stitches together her grisly gothic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his terrifying creation. This galvanic adaptation of the classic novel thrills and enthralls as it experiments with love, grief, horror, and the power to create—or destroy—life. There’s a little monster in all of us.
September 9 – October 4, 2020
Indianapolis at 200: Finding Home
a collaboration by writers across the city
with songs by Tim Grimm & Bill Myers
exploring Indy’s shared history
Delve into beloved icons and hidden gems, the famous and the forgotten, with an Indianapolis Bicentennial collection created by a diverse group of writers from all around the city. Featuring songs by Hoosier singer-songwriter Tim Grimm and Indianapolis jazz icon Bill Myers, this multifaceted look at our city’s story mixes music and history, comedy and drama, fact and fable.
October 6 – November 8, 2020
*Part of IRT‘s INclusion Series: Celebrating
Diverse Storytelling
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
adapted by Tom Haas
Indy’s holiday tradition
As the weather turns cold, warm your heart with Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and spirits of the past, present, and future. A Christmas Carol shines a light on the power of kindness and love in this uplifting tale of one man’s journey to redemption. Come celebrate the joy of the season with our annual holiday treasure infused with music and song.
November 14 – December 26, 2020
Native Gardens
by Karen Zacarías
hot-button comedy
You can’t choose your neighbors. In this thorny new comedy, cultures and gardens clash when a Latinx couple, Pablo and Tania, move in next to Frank and Virginia, a white couple with a prize-worthy English garden. The neighbors, each rooted in their views on race, taste, class, and privilege, get into a border dispute over a long-standing fence line—pushing both couples to surprising and hilarious extremes.
January 13 – February 6, 2021
*Part of IRT‘s INclusion Series: Celebrating
Diverse Storytelling
Dr. Suess’s The Cat in the Hat
based on the book by Dr. Seuss
play originally produced by the National Theatre
of Great Britain
adapted and originally directed by Katie Mitchell
the best playdate ever
Everyone’s favorite cat comes to life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that the Cat in the Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and the craziest of ideas, he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will Mom find when she comes home? Introduce your children to the joyful experience of live theatre and the creativity of play.
January 30 – February 28, 2021
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451
adapted by Tobias Andersen
timeless sci-fi tale
In a dystopian future where the written word is forbidden, firemen are paid to burn books instead of fight fires. But when Montag starts to read the books he is supposed to burn, he begins to question the life he leads. Now he must choose between continuing his regimented existence or risking everything for the right to think. Published in 1953, this science fiction classic is even more relevant today.
February 5 – March 6, 2021
Thurgood
by George Stevens, Jr.
champion of equality
As a young Civil Rights lawyer, Thurgood Marshall risked his life to guarantee equal education opportunities for all children. Eventually, he took the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case all the way to the highest court in the land—and won. Later, as the first African American Supreme Court Justice, he fought for liberty and justice for all of us. This Broadway hit is an eye-opening, uplifting, and surprisingly humorous portrait of an American hero.
March 2 – 28, 2021
*Part of IRT‘s INclusion Series: Celebrating
Diverse Storytelling
The Widow Lincoln
by James Still
tragic and triumphant
Fascinating, frustrating, and misunderstood, Mary Lincoln was one of the most criticized and maligned First Ladies in American history. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, she locked herself in a room in the White House and didn’t come out for 40 days and 40 nights. Commissioned by Ford’s Theatre, James Still’s hauntingly theatrical play weaves together the past and the present into the fever dreams of a woman trying to grieve, trying to imagine a suddenly unknown future, and trying to do it on her own terms.
March 31 – April 25, 2021
Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
strong and sassy
Before it was a movie, this pop culture favorite was an off-Broadway hit. With sharp, witty banter and memorable one-liners, six women from all walks of life celebrate the everyday joys and tears of small-town living while gathered at their favorite hair salon. But when tragedy strikes, the play reveals the steely bonds of compassion and love that hold true friends together.
April 13 – May 9, 2021
Tickets and information
Visit https://www.irtlive.com/plays-and-events/2020-2021-season-packages or call the box office at (317)-635-5252.