Phoenix Theatre Breaks Ground for New Building

Phoenix Theatre announces the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the construction of its new, state-of-the-art facility. Details for the ceremony will follow at a later date.

Construction will begin in May of 2017 at the northwest corner of Illinois and Walnut Streets-directly on the Glick Peace Walk of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail-in downtown Indianapolis.

"We are so grateful for the support that has seen our attendance grow more than 70% in the past seven years, but that also means we need a bigger facility, and we are excited to be adding classroom space," said Phoenix Producing Director Bryan Fonseca. "We have seen tremendous enthusiasm for our capital campaign and are humbled by the generosity of our supporters."

In January 2016 the theatre purchased property at the northeast corner of Illinois and Walnut Streets, where the Glick Peace Walk of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail crosses Illinois Street. In addition to the two parcels of land where the new theater will be built, the Phoenix acquired a 48-space parking lot directly across Illinois Street. RATIO Architects has been chosen to design the building.

To date, the theatre has raised almost $7.3 million toward a goal of $9 million. Major donors to date include:

• Livia and the late Steve Russell
• Lilly Endowment, Inc.
• The Glick Fund
• The Lumina Foundation
• Frank and Katrina Basile
• Christel DeHaan and the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation
• Nancy & Bill Hunt
• Dorit & Gerald Paul
• Michael & Janie Maurer
• Janet & Bill Taylor and the Taylor Family Foundation

"Our proposed new home will allow us to present plays concurrently, resulting in the employment of more actors, directors, stage managers, choreographers and designers. The new facility also will allow us to offer more training classes to develop the next generation of talent locally to help stem the tide of young theatre artists leaving to seek training and employment elsewhere. We also are excited about the role our new home will play in anchoring and boosting another neighborhood in transition, increasing arts tourism opportunities, and creating a new and unique destination in our core downtown," Fonseca said.

There are still several naming opportunities left for major donors. For information, contact Bill Simmons, capital campaign manager, (317) 847-0198, or bsimmons@phoenixtheatre.org.

For more information on the Phoenix Theatre visit: www.phoenixtheater.org.