Bloomington Playwrights Project

Ivy Tech-Bloomington to Offer Theater Program

First Posted: 4/9/13 03:27 PM EDT Updated: 4/9/13 03:27 PM EDT
Originally published February/March 2013

BY KELLY KENDALL It all started with Waiting for Lefty, a drama staged in April 2012 about a taxi drivers’ strike. Then came The Rimers of Eldritch, an avant-garde murder mystery produced in November. With two more productions scheduled for this academic year—the Edward Albee classic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Giver, based on the Newbery Medal-winning book by Lois Lowry—Ivy Tech-Bloomington is setting the stage for the school system’s first theater program. The ultimate goal: an associate of fine arts degree program with concentrations available in theater and dance. Ivy Tech-Bloomington recently received permission from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education to create such a program, says John Whikehart, chancellor of the Bloomington campus. Beyond academics, there’s [...]

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Filed Under: Arts/Entertainment Tagged With: Bloomington Playwrights Project, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College, John Waldron Arts Center, John Whikehart, Kelly Kendall, Paul Daily, The Giver, The Rimers of Eldritch, Waiting for Lefty, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BPP Presents ‘The Truman Show’: A Musical Based on the Film

First Posted: 1/28/13 01:47 PM EDT Updated: 1/28/13 01:47 PM EDT
Originally published December 2012/January 2013

BY ADAM KENT-ISAAC A man, Truman Burbank, learns that the idyllic American suburb of Seahaven, where he’s lived his entire life, is actually a gigantic studio set with hidden cameras everywhere. Since birth, his life has been filmed for the amusement of audiences worldwide. All those he thought were his friends and family were merely actors in The Truman Show—starring himself as the unwitting protagonist. That’s the premise of screenwriter Andrew Niccol’s acclaimed 1998 film of the same name, with Jim Carrey in the title role. Now it’s being adapted by the Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP) and is the theater company’s most ambitious production yet: the world premiere of a musical with dynamic sets and a cast of about twenty [...]

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Filed Under: Arts/Entertainment Tagged With: Adam Kent-Isaac, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Chad Rabinovitz

John Whikehart: Song and Dance Man (Video)

First Posted: 11/13/12 12:49 PM EDT Updated: 2/7/13 02:12 PM EDT

John Whikehart, the chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington and an aspiring thespian, saved the day at a recent performance of the play Rx, presented by Bloomington Playwrights Project. In a comic scene, Whikehart, portraying the marketing director of a pharmaceutical company, dances to a recording of the song “9 to 5” performed by Dolly Parton. However, during one performance the audio malfunctioned, forcing Whikehart—always cool in times of crisis—to sing the song himself while at the same time performing his amazing disco moves. “Anything can happen in live theater, so I memorized the words to the song,” explains Whikehart. Is he ready for Dancing With the Stars? You be the judge. Video courtesy of the Bloomington Playwrights Project

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Filed Under: Arts/Entertainment, Web Exclusives Tagged With: Bloomington Playwrights Project, BPP, Ivy Tech Community College, John Whikehart

Jewish Theatre Presents ‘Out of Our Fathers’ House’

First Posted: 10/24/12 01:13 PM EDT Updated: 10/24/12 01:13 PM EDT
Originally published October/November 2012

BY JANET MANDELSTAM The women behind the Jewish Theatre of Bloomington’s new production say the play was “communally chosen.” “We were looking for a show that had good parts for women and fit the theater’s mission,” says Diane Kondrat, one of three actresses in Out of Our Fathers’ House, which opens October 24 at Bloomington Playwrights Project (BPP). The play is based on the lives of six real-life 19th-century women. Their stories are told in a series of monologues. “They are about finding one’s identity,” says the director, Darrell Ann Stone. “All of us can remember the struggle of women to find their identity. We have a responsibility to keep the message going.” Although only one of the six women [...]

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Filed Under: Arts/Entertainment Tagged With: Audrey Heller, Bloomington Playwrights Project, BPP, Darrell Ann Stone, Diane Kondrat, Janet Mandelstam, Jewish Theatre of Bloomington

Gladys DeVane Receives Two Honors in Two Weeks

First Posted: 7/13/12 10:03 AM EDT Updated: 7/13/12 10:03 AM EDT
Originally published April/May 2012

BY LEE ANN SANDWEISS Gladys DeVane’s contributions to Bloomington could fill volumes. Educator, community activist, storyteller, and actress are just a few of the roles she has played during her nearly 50 years here. On February 25, DeVane was honored as the 2012 City of Bloomington Black History Month Living Legend. An equally prestigious award was bestowed upon her on March 12, when the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women presented her with the 2012 Lifetime Contribution Award during Women’s History Month. DeVane arrived in Bloomington in 1963 to pursue a master’s degree in speech and hearing sciences at Indiana University. “I was offered a job upon completion of my degree and somehow I just never left. I love [...]

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Filed Under: Community Tagged With: Beverly Calender-Anderson, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Gladys DeVane, Lee Ann Sandweiss, LifeDesigns, Shalom Community Center, Shannon Zahnle