The Phoenix
The Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre is a nonprofit and home to a performance collective that includes seven professional theatre companies, each their own non-profit entity. Among them is the Phoenix Theatre, a union theatre dedicated to nurturing new plays and emerging playwrights. The Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre's mission includes growing the community’s reputation as an arts destination and serving as a hub to showcase local artists, host events, and help its neighborhood thrive.
Always different. Always Entertaining.
The Early Years
After the closing of the Broad Ripple Playhouse, the Phoenix was founded by Bryan Fonseca in 1983 in order to perform the three-part science fiction play Warp! in the historic Ambassador Hotel at 9th & Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1988, the Phoenix moved to a church at the corner of St. Clair and Park. The church was a gift from Scott Keller and it was our home for 30 years.
Our Mission
The Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre champions new play development with its own productions, nurtures the visions of its resident companies, and uplifts social and cultural organizations by providing a community hub that celebrates diversity, creates equity, insists on inclusion, and provides accessibility to all.
Vision Statement
We seek to create and nurture world class theatre; diverse in story, mission, and form. We seek to create an environment where social and cultural organizations can move beyond shared space and discover shared visions. We seek to provide a destination in Indianapolis where everyone feels safe, welcome and challenged. We envision a multidisciplinary arts building where artists are properly compensated, fairly and equally, and accessibility is always a top priority. We envision a future where each day at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural brings multiple opportunities for Indianapolis to learn, engage, commune, and enjoy. Through listening, collaboration, and empathy, we see a future where art and progress are the natural result of humanity at its finest.
The Land
We acknowledge and honor the Indigenous communities native to this region, and recognize that the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre is built on the unceded territory of the Delaware, Kickapoo, Miami, Shawnee, Peoria, and Potawatomi people.
Equity and Inclusion
We are practicing anti-racism through conscious decision-making that centers equity, advocacy, continual learning, and accountability. We are committed to dismantling systems of oppression in our organization, our field and our culture. We aspire to build a more inclusive society—across race, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic background, religion and political viewpoints—and recognize the pivotal role of Theatre in that effort.