2019-2020 & 2020–2021 SEASON
WELCOME OUR MISSION Live theatre connects us to meaningful issues in our lives and has the power to shape the human experience. The mission of the Indiana Repertory Theatre is to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that will engage, surprise, challenge, and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, helping us build a vital and vibrant community.
DEAR FRIENDS,
OUR VISION The Indiana Repertory Theatre will be a life-long destination of choice for an ever-expanding audience of all ages and backgrounds seeking enjoyable and meaningful experiences. Using theatre as a springboard for both personal reflection and community discussion, our productions and programs will inspire our neighbors to learn about themselves and others. As an arts leader in the state of Indiana, the IRT’s goal is to make Indiana a dynamic home of cultural expression, economic vitality, and a diverse, informed, and engaged citizenry.
Following a period of closure and assessment in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, the IRT forged ahead with its mission of providing top-quality professional theatre by reinventing its art and shifting to a virtually streamed 2020-2021 Season. This transition, and the ability to keep producing our art, was made possible through the loyalty and generous support of our IRT family—individual donors, season ticket holders, corporate and foundational partners, and government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
YOUR INVESTMENT Because of your support, the IRT has served approximately five million people since 1972. As we look back over 48 seasons of producing professional theatre and arts education programming, we are grateful to count you as partners in all that we do. Your generosity allows us to continue providing our community with world-class art that enlightens and entertains. II
It is our great pleasure to share with you the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Annual Impact Report for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Seasons. It’s unusual for us to combine the publication of two seasons’, however, there is no denying that these have been unusual seasons! IRT’s 2019-2020 Season saw a remarkable amount of artistic and critical success, such as the launch of the INclusion Series, sharing diverse works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) artists, and enormously popular runs of such productions as Morning after Grace, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, and Murder on the Orient Express. And then the world changed.
Your support has enabled the IRT to continue producing world-class theatre through the most turbulent times in our history. As we embrace a joyous and long-awaited return to live productions, we reflect on the challenges and successes of the last two seasons and thank you for your belief and investment in our work. We could not have reached this point without you, and we greatly look forward to seeing you at the Theatre! Sincerely,
Janet Allen Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director
Suzanne Sweeney Managing Director
Front Cover: Gavin Lawrence in the IRT’s 2020 production of Murder on the Orient Express. Emma Rosenthal in the IRT’s 2019 production of A Christmas Carol. DeLanna Studi in the IRT’s 2019 production of And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears. Henry Woronicz in the IRT’s 2021 production of Tuesdays with Morrie. Celeste M. Cooper in the IRT’s 2021 production of Mrs. Harrison. Right: Brian Wilson, Milicent Wright and Xavier Adams in the IRT’s 2020 production of The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963. Photos by Zach Rosing.
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2019–2020 SEASON Season closed early due to Covid-19
Little Choo-Choo
The
Twelve Angry Men
That Thinks She Can by James Still
by Reginald Rose
OCT 9 – 27, 2019 & FEB 18 – MARCH 1, 2020
SEPT 4 – SEPT 29, 2019
And So We Walked
Morning After Grace
An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears created & performed by
by Carey Crim
DeLanna Studi
OCT 15 – NOV 10, 2019
NOV 16 – DEC 26, 2019
JAN 14 – FEB 9, 2020
The
Watsons Go to Birmingham based on the book by
—1963
Christopher Paul Curtis adapted by Cheryl L. West
FEB 1 – MARCH 7, 2020
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Agatha Christie’s
Murder on the Orient Express adapted by
Ken Ludwig
MARCH 3 – MARCH 29, 2020
Part of IRT’s INclusion Series: Celebrating Diverse Storytelling
2020–2021 SEASON Virtual Season
THIS WONDERFUL LIFE by Steve Murray
DEC 1, 2020 – JAN 3, 2021
NO. 6
by T.J. Young
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by based on the book by
Mitch Albom
FEB 8 – FEB 28, 2021
CYRANO based on the book by
Edmond Rostand adapted for the stage by
Jo Roets
MARCH 11 – APRIL 4, 2021
APRIL 15 – MAY 9, 2021
MRS. HARRISON
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
MAY 6 – MAY 30, 2021
MAY 27 – JUNE 20, 2021
a play by R. Eric Thomas
Original artwork yb yleK Ragsdale and aT sha Becwik th
by James Still
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SEASONS AT A GLANCE
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Laura . T Fisher, Henry oW ronicz and Joseph Primes in the IRT’s 2020 prodtuc ion of
Morning After Grace.
The cast of the IRT’s 2021 prodtuc ion of
The House That Jack Built.
Photos yb Zach Rosing.
# of Indiana counties served in the 2019-2020 & 2020-2021 Seasons + streaming in other states
51 LAKE
PORTER
LAPORTE
ST. JOSEPH
ELKHART
MARSHALL
STARKE
LAGRANGE
STEUBEN
NOBLE
DEKALB
WHITLEY PULASKI
WHITE
2020-2021 Season:
WABASH
HUNTINGTON WELLS
CASS
CARROLL
ADAMS
GRANT BLACKFORD JAY
HOWARD
TIPPECANOE WARREN
CLINTON
TIPTON
85,823
ALLEN
FULTON MIAMI
BENTON
2019-2020 Season (COVID shortened season):
KOSCIUSKO
JASPER NEWTON
THEATRE ATTENDANCE
MADISON
29,883 11,953 viewers streams
DELAWARE RANDOLPH
FOUNTAIN
MONTGOMERY
HAMILTON
BOONE
HENRY WAYNE PARKE
HENDRICKS
HANCOCK
MARION
PUTNAM RUSH FAYETTE
SHELBY VIGO
MORGAN
CLAY
UNION
JOHNSON FRANKLIN
OWEN
DECATUR MONROE
BROWN
BARTHOLOMEW
RIPLEY DEARBORN
SULLIVAN GREENE
JENNINGS JACKSON
OHIO
LAWRENCE KNOX
JEFFERSON
MARTIN
SWITZERLAND
DAVIESS SCOTT
WASHINGTON
Students from across the state virtually engaged in an awarded playwriting competition that offered guidance and instruction from IRT artists, including Playwright-in-Residence James Still; a series of videos featuring James was created for the program.
ORANGE CLARK PIKE
DUBOIS
GIBSON
CRAWFORD
WARRICK POSEY
HARRISON
FLOYD
2019-2020 Season
PERRY SPENCER
2020-2021 Season Both Seasons
Videos received more than viewings from over students in 7 counties
1,700 150
GRATEFUL FOR THE LOYALTY OF DONORS & SEASON TICKET HOLDERS % 84 season ticket
renewal rate over the past 2 seasons
% 85 of Repertory Society
Households (giving $1,500+ annually) renewed their gifts
The 10-year average for donor retention for all donors is 57%. 5
ARTISTIC IMPACT – INCLUSION SERIES The Indiana Repertory Theatre seeks to be exactly what its name suggests—a provider of theatrical experiences that will engage, challenge and entertain ALL of Indiana. Our state is comprised of Hoosiers of numerous ethnicities, backgrounds, and cultures with rich histories and dynamic points of view. The IRT has a long history of producing work by writers of color, but the strong audience response of productions such as 2018’s A Raisin in the Sun and Pipeline, which included increasing the diversity of audience served, gave the inspiration for creating a series that would elevate and highlight this work. Intentionally highlighting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) stories provided an opportunity to create dialogue between productions and between different communities. This idea became our INclusion Series, a series of plays meant to welcome new audiences to the Theatre through partnerships with social service and social justice organizations to link the issues of the plays to topics at the heart of national debates. This expanded our post-show discussion program, which had often featured community panels into a Community Conversations model that helped curate discussions around various themes connected to the plays and our community. Launched in the 2019-2020 Season, the INclusion Series brought to Indianapolis audiences some of the rich and moving work being created by a wide range of underrepresented theatre artists. This inaugural season featured And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears, by Cherokee artist and actor DeLanna Studi, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, adapted by Cheryl L. West from the book by Christopher Paul Curtis, a wildly popular Civil Rights era tale which saw its sold-out run extended. The third play was scheduled to be Jessica Huang’s The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin, the searing immigration story of one man during the Chinese Exclusion Act era, which was delayed until the 2021-2022 Season due to the onset of the pandemic. In addition to their artistic merits, these productions provided the IRT the opportunity to build relationships and conduct spirited Community Conversations with such organizations as the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission, the Center for Black Literature and Culture, and Eli Lilly & Company’s Chinese Culture Network.
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As the IRT moved into the virtually streamed 2020-2021 Season, its commitment to the INclusion Series as a vital component of our programming was affirmed. One third of the season was dedicated to the INclusion Series, as T.J. Young’s NO. 6 examined the impact of racial tensions that lead to citywide protests and rioting, and R. Eric Thomas’ Mrs. Harrison asked difficult questions about representation and who possesses the right to share stories and cultural experiences. Each of these productions was accompanied by its own series of Community Conversations, with representatives from the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, Indianapolis Public Schools, Flanner House, Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, and more. The impact of these stories and their accompanying discussions on IRT’s audiences has only served to reinforce the need for the INclusion Series in our programming. Both student and public audiences alike have shared how INclusion Series productions have touched them: “A lot of students connected with DeLanna’s (Studi) story. I think they connected (with the story she shared) to the intersectionality of being only part Cherokee which made her too much Indian for her career but not enough Indian for the Cherokee tribe.” —Teacher, IPS School 60 “Loved The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 play at Indiana Repertory Theatre this afternoon. This powerful play had me laughing and crying. It was a reminder that our stories need to be told and our young people deserve to learn about our history good or bad.” —Kimberly E., IRT Patron The IRT is proud to share these diverse and powerful productions with its Indiana audiences, and to curate the crucial conversations that accompany them. As the INclusion Series moves into its third season, we look forward to continuing this important work and expanding its scope for the most inclusive audience possible.
DeLanna Studi in the IRT’s 2019 prodtuc ion of of The aW tsons Go to Birmingham1– 963.
And So eW aW elk d: An Artist’s Journey Along the rT ail of eT ars. Photos yb Zach Rosing.
Tiaf ny Giliam, Dalila oY der, Bryant Bentley and Brian Wilson in the IRT’s 2020 prodtuc ion
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COMMUNITY IMPACT – IDEA WORK
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LaeK sha oL rene, Miliec nt rW ight and Jamaal McCray in the IRT’s 2021 prodtuc ion of
.NO 6.
Celeste M. Cooper and Mary Wiliamson in the IRT’s 2021 prodtuc ion of
Mrs. Harrison.
Photos yb Zach Rosing.
INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND ACCESS The IRT continues its commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) both on our stages and through extensive IDEA training for the entire staff and Board, incorporating this work into all aspects of institutional culture, from hiring practices to programming to the ways in which we interact with the community. In the 2020-2021 Season, IRT’s IDEA Board committee and a staff IDEA committee began crafting IDEA beliefs and values statements to be incorporated into the IRT’s Strategic Plan. Plans for these statements, along with IRT’s Land and Building Acknowledgment, were made to be shared on the IRT’s website as well as in other public facing spaces. The 2020-2021 Season saw IRT undertake steps to develop and serve its diverse Indiana audience by engaging community ambassadors. Representing the primary community featured in a play, and chosen from such organizations as Eskenazi Health, the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office, and the Urban League. Ambassadors were asked to read the play in advance, provide feedback on how it spoke to them, and propose thoughts on meaningful outreach. This program continues to evolve. Community Conversations have been part of IRT season programming, however, this season’s conversations took place through feedback and guidance from our ambassadors, which created unique synergies to tie Community Conversations panels to the content of the play as well as topics of specific interest within the community. IRT’s production of No. 6 saw panels discussing how to have difficult conversations regarding race and social justice. Panelists included: FACILITATOR: Julian Harrell
| IRT Board Member
PANELISTS
Ahmed Young Chief of Staff/General Counsel, Indianapolis Public Schools Ash Lee Talley Legal Counsel, Anthem
Ryan Danley Compliance & Ethics Coordinator–North American Region for American Honda Motor Co
FACILITATOR:
Detra Mills | IRT Board Member
PANELISTS
Dawn Higgins
Retired IMPD Sergeant David Sklar Assistant Director & Director of Government Affairs, Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council
Dr. Lasana Kazembe Assistant Professor, IUPUI’s School of Education and in the Africana Studies Program Sebeko Jywanza Director of Food Justice, Flanner House and Operating Manager of Cleo’s Bodega & Café
The Community Conversations continued with Mrs. Harrison, focusing on such topics as who has the right to tell whose story and the intersection of race in friendships. Panelists included: FACILITATOR: Rebecca Hutton
| IRT Board Member
PANELISTS
Jennifer Blackmer Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance & Director of Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, Ball State University
Christina Cheeks Service Line Administrator Eskenazi Health
FACILITATOR: Tammara Avant
| IRT Board Member
PANELISTS
Dr. Terri Jett Professor—Political Science and Conflict Studies Department & Faculty Director of the Hub for Black Affairs and Community Engagement and Senior Advisor to the President, Affiliate Faculty—Race, Gender, Sexuality Studies, Butler University
Leslie Bowles Senior Director of Community Engagement & Philanthropy, Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, a CICF Fund Ebony Chappel Program & Communications Director Leadership Indianapolis Allison Barkel Customer Success Manager, LifeOmic IRT Offscript Chair
In 2021, hired minority and woman-owned public relations and marketing firm Herd Strategies to deepen community engagement efforts with BIPOC audiences, reestablish relationships with BIPOC media businesses, and ensure that representation and voice in external marketing is authentic and respectful to audiences.
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2019–2020 FINANCIAL REPORTING INCOME
EXPENSES
DONATED TICKETS (DUE TO EARLY SHUT DOWN): $232,801 (4%) OTHER INCOME: $327,421 (5%) ENDOWMENT TRANSFERS: $837,288 (13%)
BUILDING SERVICES: $387,639 (6%) DEVELOPMENT: $491,534 (7%) ADMINISTRATION: $1,114,170 (17%) MARKETING/FRONT OF HOUSE: $1,276,355 (19%)
TICKET SALES: $2,270,716 (36%)
ARTISTIC: $1,471,604 (23%) ANNUAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS: $2,666,210 (42%)
PRODUCTION: $1,847,990 (28%)
TOTAL CONTRIBUTED INCOME BY CATEGORY INDIVIDUAL: $1,107,168 (42%)
FOUNDATION: $679,250 (25%)
CORPORATE: $307,000 (11%)
FRONT AND CENTER SUPPORT: $200,000 (8%) SPECIAL EVENTS: $203,888 (8%) IN-KIND: $43,804 (2%) 10
PUBLIC: $125,100 (4%)
2020–2021 FINANCIAL REPORTING INCOME
EXPENSES
OTHER INCOME: $103,099 (2%) PANDEMIC SPECIAL FUNDING: $632,107 (13%)
DEVELOPMENT: $274,116 (7%) BUILDING SERVICES: $347,026 (9%)
ENDOWMENT TRANSFERS: $893,021 (18%)
ADMINISTRATION: $632,064 (17%)
TICKET SALES: $885,944 (18%)
MARKETING/FRONT OF HOUSE: $684,014 (19%) ARTISTIC: $797,136 (22%)
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS: $2,372,665 (49%) PRODUCTION: $943,284 (26%)
TOTAL CONTRIBUTED INCOME BY CATEGORY INDIVIDUAL: $981,393 (40%)
FOUNDATION: $594,600 (24%)
FRONT AND CENTER SUPPORT: $250,000 (10%)
CORPORATE: $251,825 (10%)
SPECIAL EVENTS: $179,363 (7%)
IN-KIND: $3,788 (.1%)
PUBLIC: $111,696 (4.5%) PANDEMIC SPECIAL FUNDING (DOES NOT INCLUDE PPP): $87,327 (4.4%) 11
BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Indiana Repertory Theatre is governed by a board of directors comprised of community and business leaders. We are incredibly grateful for this group’s dedicated service and visionary leadership during the past two seasons. OFFICERS CHAIR – 20, 21
SECRETARY – 20, 21
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR – 20, 21
Nadine Givens PNC Wealth Management
Tammara D. Avant American Electric Power
Tom Froehle Faegre Drinker
VICE CHAIR & CHAIR ELECT – 20, 21
TREASURER – 20, 21
Mark Shaffer KPMG LLP
Andrew Michie OneAmerica Financial Partners
DIRECTORS Allison Barkel – 21 LifeOmic IRT Offscript Advisory Council Liaison Gerald Berg - 20 Wells Fargo Advisors Keith A. Bice – 20, 21 Dentons Bingham Greenbaum Heather Brogden – 20 Porch Marketing IRT Offscript Advisory Council Liaison Amy Burke – 20, 21 Butler University Ann Colussi Dee – 20 Duke Realty Gary Denney – 20 Eli Lilly and Company, retired Michael P. Dinius – 20, 21 Noble Consulting Services, Inc. Laurie Dippold – 20, 21 KAR Global, Inc. Daniel C. Emerson* – 20, 21 Indianapolis Colts Troy D. Farmer – 20, 21 BKD CPAs & Advisors
Richard D. Feldman – 20 Franciscan Health Indianapolis
Rebecca Hutton – 20, 21 Leadership Indianapolis
Peter Racher – 20, 21 Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP
James W. Freeman – 20, 21 OneAmerica Financial Partners, retired
Elisha Modisett Kemp – 20, 21 Corteva Agriscience
Peter N. Reist – 20, 21 Oxford Financial Group
Ron Gifford – 21 RDG Strategies LLC
Joy Kleinmaier – 20, 21 American Specialty Health
Susan O. Ringo – 20, 21 Community Volunteer
Bruce Glor – 20, 21 J.P. Morgan
Jill Lacy – 21 The Lacy Foundation
Myra C. Selby – 20, 21 Ice Miller LLP
Christopher Gramling – 20, 21 Eli Lilly and Company
Sarah Lechleiter – 20, 21 Community Volunteer
Mike Simmons – 20, 21 Jupiter Peak, LLC
Ricardo L. Guimarães – 20, 21 Corteva Agriscience, retired
Alan Mills – 20, 21 Barnes & Thornburg
Shelly Smith - 20, 21 Ernst & Young
Julian Harrell – 20, 21 Faegre Drinker
Detra Mills – 20, 21 The Basement
Susan L. Smith – 20, 21 Community Volunteer
Mike Harrington – 21 Eli Lilly and Company, retired
Lawren K. Mills - 20 Ice Miller Strategies LLC, Ice Miller LLP
Amy Waggoner – 20, 21 Salesforce
Michael N. Heaton – 20, 21 Katz Sapper & Miller
Michael Moriarty – 20, 21 Frost Brown Todd
L. Alan Whaley – 20, 21 Ice Miller, LLP, retired
Holt Hedrick – 20, 21 Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P.
Timothy W. Oliver – 20 STAR Bank
David Whitman* - 20 Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP, retired
Brenda Horn – 21 Ice Miller, retired
Brian Payne – 21 Central Indiana Community Foundation
Heather Wilson -20, 21 Frost Brown Todd LLC
Lauren Petersen – 20, 21 TechPoint
EMERITUS Robert Anker* Rollin Dick Berkley Duck* Dale Duncan*
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Margie Herald David Klapper Jane Schlegel* Wayne Schmidt
Jerry Semler* Jack Shaw* William E. Smith III* Eugene R. Tempel*
*Denotes a Past Board Chair
Melisa Pereyra and Ryan Artzberger in the IRT’s 2021 prodtuc ion of
Cyrano . Photo yb Zach Rosing.
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WEB: IRTLIVE.COM | TICKET OFFICE: 317.635.5252 | ADMIN OFFICE: 317.635.5277 ADDRESS: 140 W. WASHINGTON STREET, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46204 Rob Johansen in the IRT’s 2020 production of This Wonderful Life. Photo by Zach Rosing.