New professional Black equity theater selects Ben Rose as artistic director
A new professional Black equity theater has announced the hire of its first artistic director. Indianapolis theater veteran Ben Rose will take the reins of the company that will be incubated at the District Theatre.
"I am excited to bring my experience as a creative to the founding artistic director role but also to share the vision through the diversity of relationships I've curated in the community," Rose stated in a news release. "As an artistic director of a funded space specifically for Black Theatre, I can give artists I’ve seen work and grow for many years an opportunity to collaborate and be seen at a professional level."
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Over Rose's 20-year career in the city's art scene, he has tackled progressive roles, fundraised and formulated his own projects — including Indy Filmmakers Bootcamp and the Black and Brown Soulidarity Festival. He also worked closely with the late Bryan Fonseca, a pioneer in the city's theater scene.
The new company is one of two new professional Black equity theaters in the city. Naptown African American Theatre Collective produced its first show in May. Like NAATC, the new company at the District will be an "equity house" — a theater that has a contract with the Actors' Equity Association union for actors and stage managers and typically provides better pay and benefits.
The company will begin to produce shows in the second half of 2024, Rose said.
The new theater has been part of a larger vision for the District Theatre since 2018, according to the release. That year, the Central Indiana Community Foundation took over the 627 Massachusetts Ave. space after Theatre on the Square became financially unstable and created the nonprofit District, which has been hosting a variety of plays, cabaret-style works, concerts and more.
The new equity theater will operate with its own board and independently of the District, according to the release. The latter will provide financial resources for its operational budget, in-kind services and use of the venue at no cost for four years.
The announcement comes after the District launched a training and development hub for Black theater artists earlier this year with director Tijideen Rowley. The program is supported by a three-year, $350,000 grant from the New York-based Mellon Foundation. The grant also is funding productions of six plays by Black Indiana playwrights about Indiana Avenue.
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The search committee to select Rose included Karen Dace, vice chair of the District Theatre board and vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at IUPUI; Keesha Dixon, executive director of the Asante Art Institute; Leslie Etienne, director of Africana Studies at IUPUI; Dawn Batson Borel, executive director of Keep Your Joy and Rise and District Theatre board member; and Patrick Jessee, president and CEO of Enable Solutions and District Theatre board chair.
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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Black equity theater names Ben Rose as artistic director
