Ben Asaykwee News

The latest standings as of Monday, December 5th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Indianapolis Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

Actor, Playwright, and Musician Ben Asaykwee brings his beloved and misunderstood ProZack the Sad Elf to the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre from Dec. 2 - 23.

It's the holly jolliest time of the year as the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre and the Indianapolis Public Library will present Season's Readings, a ten-book children's storytelling series that highlights a diversity of families, cultures and celebrations.

A classic has come to the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre stage as the Pyramid Players present a one-hour musical version of Sleeping Beauty. Based on the favorite childhood fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, this production opens the 2020 Live Theatre for Kids Series is now on stage through Feb. 29.

Murder! Mischief! Comedy! Original music highlights this hilarious and terrifying tale of America's first serial killer and an infamous murder at the 1893 World's Fair. It's Ben Asaykwee. it's Amanda Hummer, it's gruesome, it's thrilling, it's hysterical, and has an Indianapolis connection! What more could you ask for?

WHITE CITY MURDER is playing at Phoenix Theatre from June 14 to July 7, 2019.

It's the 13th season for this annual holiday tradition! A Very Phoenix Xmas 13: Merry Superstitious is a marvelous mix of music, sketch comedy, and dance that celebrates of all the holidays. Ben Asaykwee, artistic director of Q Artistry, brings his prodigious talents as a director to this year's production. Phoenix Playwright-in-residence Tom Horan curated the 60 to 70 script submissions for the coveted seven or eight sketch slots in the two-act, two-hour production.

As one might be able to guess from the title, The Mutilated is not a holly jolly Christmas story. The Tennessee Williams play is set in New Orleans and follows two frenemies who cross paths on Christmas Eve. The pair, Trinket and Celeste, are both broken souls with their own secrets. Gigi Jennewein plays Trinket, a wealthy woman with an unknown mutilation. She's fragile and desperate for affection. Celeste is her polar opposite. Played by Beverly Roche, the shoplifting alcoholic is brash and constantly angling to manipulate those around her.

Cabaret Poe opened this weekend with a daunting success at the box office. With almost the entire weekend sold out, the Phoenix Theatre expects this show to be a Halloween hit. Cabaret Poe celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Coincidentally, opening night was Cabaret Poe's 100th performance. 

Bright Star is a bluegrass musical with a big heart. Written by banjo-playing renaissance man Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the show is set in the hills of North Carolina in the 1940s with flashbacks in the 1920s. It is at times playful and at others steeped in nostalgia. There's a large ensemble cast with a full bluegrass band onstage providing live music. The set is simple, with movable pieces on wheels and straightforward staging. The result is an absolutely delightful show.

Indianapolis has Ben Asaykwee living in its community. As longtime artistic director of Q Artistry, Asaykwee has shared his stunning talents through his original musical creations including The Donner Party Opera, Zirkus Grimm, Al in Boogie Wunderland and the fantastic and visually captivating Cabaret Poe, celebrating its 10th anniversary. For the Halloween season, the Phoenix brings Asaykwee's fabulous Cabaret Poe, an homage to the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, to the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage.

Indianapolis has Ben Asaykwee living in its community. As longtime artistic director of Q Artistry, Asaykwee has shared his stunning talents through his original musical creations including The Donner Party Opera, Zirkus Grimm, Al in Boogie Wunderland and the fantastic and visually captivating Cabaret Poe, celebrating its 10th anniversary. For the Halloween season, the Phoenix brings Asaykwee's fabulous Cabaret Poe, an homage to the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, to the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage.

When the Theatre on the Square closed its doors earlier this year, the perennial fall favorite Cabaret Poe needed to find a new home. The show settled into the fourth floor of Circle Centre Mall. It's an unexpected choice, but they make it work. All the best elements are still there, macabre humor, a trio of cynical performers who share the lead, and a delightful selection of Edgar Allan Poe's work. The result is a production that will apparently work in any performance space.

And they're off! The 2014 IndyFringe Festival favorite is back in a full-length format. The Great Bike Race tells the store of the second running of the Tour de France in the most hilarious way possible. It was vicious, with cyclist cheating their way to the finish line, willing to sabotage anyone who crossed their path.

No witnesses. No evidence. All that remains are the chilling photographs of the victims. How do you root out a killer?

No witnesses. No evidence. All that remains are the chilling photographs of the victims. How do you root out a killer?

Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the World Premiere production of Typhoid Mary opening tonight, April 30, 2015 on the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage. This production runs through May 24, 2015, with Bill Simmons serving as director. Tom Horan wrote Typhoid Mary in 2013 during his first season as the Phoenix Theatre's Playwright-in-Residence.

Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the World Premiere production of Typhoid Mary opening April 30, 2015 on the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage. This production runs through May 24, 2015, with Bill Simmons serving as director. Tom Horan wrote Typhoid Mary in 2013 during his first season as the Phoenix Theatre's Playwright-in-Residence.

- This holiday season, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents the 20th Anniversary production of its popular one-hour version of A Christmas Carol. Enhanced with traditional carols, this classic Charles Dickens tale is on stage for just 10 performances from Dec. 6-22.

The Pyramid Players are proud to present a fun-filled musical featuring that silly old bear with Winnie-The-Pooh this fall at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. This fun show opens Oct. 11 for kids of all ages. Check out a first look below!