I attended my first show at the theatre and it was a very nice experience. The show was excellent and hilarious. The style of the building is also very interesting.

I visited IRT this evening for the first time since recently moving to downtown Indianapolis to watch the current running production of Frankenstein. Previous to this my only experience with the Repertory Theatre was attending the rooftop space years ago when I was in high school. I must say that both the venue itself as well as the production were phenomenal. The Venue:Considering the IRT is a historical building, marveling at the architecture before a show is a worthwhile experience unto itself. After navigating to your seat across from One America Stage, you are treated to an absolutely delightful and intimate viewing experience. I can't say that I am anything beyond a novice theatre attendee, but what I can say is that I have always loved and admired theatre production and the actors and actresses that make it come to life. I have not been to as many as I would have liked at this point, but have made it a point to attend when my schedule has allowed. In all of my experiences, I haven't quite felt as close to the performers or performance as this evening. The seating is not overly abundant and the stage is not starkly gargantuan. The audience is warmly and neatly wrapped around the performers and the performers have a cozy amount of space to interact with each other. The dialogue provided is crisp and clear through well EQ'd microphones and the audio is nicely surround with what seemed like both rear and side speakers. The lighting (which I'm sure varies from production to production) was tastefully crafted and enhanced the narrative without overshadowing it or the performers. Outside of all of this, the venue provided a bar with themed specialty cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages for those such as myself whom choose not to imbibe. The Production:While I know this is meant to be a review of the IRT itself, I would be remiss to not dote on what was an absolutely lovely evening thanks to all of the performers involved with this production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The writing of the production itself was wonderfully unique in that it wasn't a strict reenactment of the author's work, but yet a depiction of Shelley's conceptualization of the story itself during an evening amongst prolific literary company. This provided ample moments for comedic relief from what is otherwise a fairly dark story. The actors and actresses absolutely basked in this spotlight. In what I believe I read to be her IRT debut, Rebecca Marie Hurd was astonishing in her leading role (although all actors and actresses were leads in what was a small ensemble). Her performance was a masterclass in the ebb and flow of excitability, joy, hesitance, agony, dismay, and confidence. The cadence of her multiple-accent shifting dialogue delivery was impeccable. I can't seem to remember a single flummox amidst what was a sea of positive moments. As the author herself, Hurd was tasked with not only performing, but being an anchor of a narrator to a timeless classic. To punctuate the evening, Hurd stoically shrugged off the pervasion of an audience member's unsilenced phone without skipping a beat. I personally cannot wait to see the next production at the IRT she graces us all with. Incredibly beautiful. Incredibly talented. As Victor Frankenstein, Ty Fanning delivered a performance that seemed struck by the very same lightning the titular character wished to harness in making his creation. There were several memorable moments in which Fanning commanded the stage with thunderous emphasis. You could truly feel him lose himself to the characters he portrayed throughout the evening. While the writing of the production lended them the opportunity, Fanning, like the others, did not hold back in delivering a stellarJekyl-and-Hyde-esque performance of drama and comedic punctuation. Nate Santana spent the evening being wrenched to and fro from playing Lord Byron to Frankenstein's Creature. He was marvelous as both. In one particularly memorable moment, Santana finds himself alone on the stage with a simple backdrop, tossing back and forth as a confused monstrosity seeking understanding. Without as many lines as some of the others, Santana more than made up for it with a physical performance that perfectly portrayed the ambivalent innocence of the physically grotesque castoff. The youthful inexperience of The Creature was palpable as Santana's performance crescendoed into the climax of both the production and The Creature's internal dilemma.As was apparent from nearly the first five minutes of the show, Andrea San Miguel made it habit to beckon the spotlight away from the others. In what was in comparison somewhat limited time on stage, Miguel made more than the most of each visit. Several appearances brought about audibly shared laughter amongst the crowd. While there was clearly a comedic element to the show in general, Miguel provided it times two. Although she didn't get as many chances as some of the others in displaying drama, her performance nonetheless felt as if more mature than any of the others. It almost felt as if she served to comfort the others in her presence as someone who has performed enough to simply relax and elicit ease and humor amongst the tension. As Frankenstein's childhood friend, Terry Bell provided spark to the play from the beginning. In what felt like perfectly depicted aloofness, Bell, like Miguel, became a beacon of humor from the moment he turned bowl into helmet as an imaginary crusader of knighthood during the titular character's childhood. Bell showed great range in his portrayals of a multitude of fundamental characters who often served as links to tie together the emotions of the character's on stage at a given time. In conclusion, I was absolutely thrilled by this production and each of it's members. I cannot wait to follow the rest of each of the actor and actresses careers and hope to be able to attend several more performances. In conjunction with the acting, the performance was given in front of an absolutely perfectly simple set design. It was enough to provide a narrative ambiance without being overtly distracting visually. it gave the performers space to emote while also providing elements to enhance the storytelling. At times it gave the performers a chance to rest, and at others it provoked them to embrace their talent in order to maintain the captivity of the audience's attention. I believe the production has a week or more left. I highly, highly recommend the experience if you are in town visiting or live here. The on average $75 tickets are well beyond worth a 2 hour experience in which one might spend twice as much wasted on a status quo evening of standard affair. If you can't make Frankenstein due to short notice, do yourself a favor and find a show in the season's lineup. Even if you don't frequent theatre, visit the IRT, give it a chance, and let yourself be surprised by the intimacy of a live performance. I am confident that at the very least you will enjoy an evening of something starkly different than what can tend to be a coldly robotic rehashing of time spent watching television.

IRT is now requiring proof of vaccination or negative test- even for children ages 4-11. What a shame that masks aren?t enough. Their play ?A Christmas Carol?has always been such a blessing to our family. They are offering performances for vaccinated folks only. Perhaps they could offer some for the unvaccinated as well.

Took 12-yo granddaughter to see Christmas Carol. We sat close to stage and could see very well. She was totally enthralled with acting, singing and choreography. Planning to return in Feb to see The Watsons.

The best I've ever seen in Indianapolis they are the greatest, I will always go to see their dancing, it is the greatest.