BARD FEST 2023
A Thrilling Exploration of Power
This year, Bard Fest begins the process of expanding the canon of Classical Theatre in Indianapolis. With eight exciting projects, mentorship, exploration, and growth are the name of the game this year as the organization takes steps towards becoming more accessible. As artists and audience members you will experience brilliant, enduring stories that dive into questions of power through many lenses. Who has it? Who doesn't? And what will you do to get it?
ANGELS IN AMERICA
Millennium Approaches and Perestroika
by Tony Kushner
The Schrott Center for Performing Arts
June 2 - July 1
This June, join Bard Fest for a Landmark Event. In rotating repertory with the same cast, experience the fantastical history of a generation that was almost lost to a devastating epidemic, fueled by the fires of a rapidly changing political climate. Angels in America is a sweeping epic that takes one of the most frightening periods of American history for LGBTQ+ people, and fills it with life, optimism, and a fire to make the world a better place.
This production is directed by Glenn Dobbs and 10% of all proceed will benefit our partners at Trinity Haven.
This production is generously sponsored by C.H. Douglas & Gray Wealth Management
TROILUS & CRESSIDA
A DARK, NECESSARY ROMANCE
The Cat (Carmel)
October 6 - 15, 2023
This Fall, the festival kicks off with a production of Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare's unsettling look at the horrors of war, the dangers of divisiveness, and the poisonous allure of power, all tied to the romance between a brilliant young woman, and a trojan prince.
Director: Zachariah Stonerock.
Assistant Director: TBD
AS YOU LIKE IT
A "DECEPTIVELY FUNNY" ROMANTIC COMEDY
Mud Creek Playhouse
October 6 - 15, 2023
In our first partnership with Mud Creek Players, Bard Fest and Improbable Fiction bring you a timeless tale of disguise and discovery. Inspired by Commedia Dell'arte, this whirlwind comedic production will celebrate and elevate one of Shakespeare's most beloved romances.
Director: Ryan Shelton
Assistant Director: TBD
A BOLD STROKE FOR A HUSBAND
By Hannah Cowley
A BOLD COMEDY FOR BRIGHT HEROINES
The Shelton Auditorium
October 20 - 29, 2023
We're Expanding the Canon with this 1783 comedy of manners that flipped the genre on its head! Brilliant, bold, and filled with fabulous plots, this charming piece from one of the 18th century's most-produced women playwrights combines the best of Twelfth Night and Taming of the Shrew with the feminist attitudes of a more modern piece.
Director: Max Andrew McCreary
Assistant Director: TBD
MEDEA
By Euripides, adapted by Ruby Blondell
A MOVING DRAMA WITH CHILLING CONSEQUENCES
The IndyFringe Basile Theatre
October 20 - 29, 2023
Euripides celebrated Greek classic has rarely been more present and important than today. This nuanced and thoughtful drama will be presented in alleyway format as you follow Medea in her journey towards the most difficult decisions she could possibly make.
Director: Natalie Fischer
Assistant Director: TBD
TITUS ANDRONICUS
A SHAKESPEAREAN GRAND GUIGNOL
The Indy Eleven Theatre
October 20 - 29, 2023
Absurdly thrilling and hilariously dark, this rarely-produced Shakespearean horror brings out the most unsettling facets of human nature in an exploration of what we do to reclaim our strength. The first "revenge flick," Titus Andronicus is sure to make a splash...
Director: Matt Anderson
Assistant Director: TBD
HEDDA GABLER
A THRILLING DRAMA OF SELF-INTEREST AND IDENTITY
Arts for Lawrence
November 3 - 12, 2023
Ibsen's most notable drama takes centerstage as the coda to our festival. This intense, psychological thriller explores the means by which a woman must take control of her own life. Filled with bureaucratic roadblocks, personal manipulation, and a string of damning secrets, this incredible play paints a stunning portrait of womanhood as relevant now as in 1891.