Wait.
What?
Only 10?
Anyone who has attended theater productions in Indy knows that there’s a wealth of talent on local stages. So much talent, in fact, that offering a list of 10 actors to watch requires some judicious trimming.
To avoid conflict of interest — or the impression of conflict of interest — I crossed off those actors whose homes I’ve been invited to for social occasions. Friends, I call them, not just acquaintances. You know who you are.
Out, too, go actors who have appeared in my own plays and Indy-connected actors now primarily working out of the region.
Next went actors that have for years populated shows at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Indiana, Beef & Boards and other long-running professional theaters. Since their credentials and reputations are well established, I opted to clear space for others here.
And so while this is not a complete “Who’s Who” of the actors you should be keeping an eye out for, it is a list of people whose work conjures up outstanding theatrical memories for me — and one’s who guarantee a level of quality in any production they are involved in.
So, in no particular order, meet:
1. Daniel Martin
If you’ve only seen Martin leading the joyfully funny Act A Foo Improv Crew or caught him in wacky TV commercials for Citizens Energy Group and Hamilton County Recycling, you might not know that the man has deep acting chops. But those of us lucky enough to have seen him on stage and on fire in Summit Performance’s “Skeleton Crew,” and Phoenix Theatre’s “The Magnolia Ballet” know the man excels at more than comedy.
2. Morgan Morton
Boldly tackling some of the heaviest roles in theater, Morton has gone from the conflicted sister in Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” to the intense right winger in “Heroes of the Fourth Turning“ to the title role in “Hedda Gabler” to the stern sister in “Doubt,” making each of her roles a distinct, fascinating and complex human being.
3. Devan Mathias
Currently on stage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Mathias proves that you can get all the laughs in a show and deliver your songs beautifully without upstaging the leads.
With a resume that includes the title role in Paige Scott’s musical “J. Eyre,” a supporting part in Summit’s “Silent Sky,” and the diva TV star in Betty Rage Productions’ “Anton in Show Business,” Mathias carries an air of sophistication that she deftly uses for comedic or dramatic or musical effect (or a combo of all three) as the play demands.
4. Claire Wilcher
For a while, Wilcher was Indy’s reigning musical leading lady, with star turns in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Spamalot,”and “Cabaret” for BobDirex as well as many more shows elsewhere.
She also was a improvisation and sketch comedy legend here through her work with ComedySportz and Three Dollar Bill Comedy. When she went off to grad school, we thought we had lost her talents to other towns. Luckily, she returned, now with chops as a director as well as an actor.
Soon after wrapping up her role in the IRT’s “The Folks at Home,” she’ll be singing in a concert version of “South Pacific” with the Indianapolis Symphony then reviving “White City Murder” with Ben Asaykwee.
5. LaKesha Lorene
Through Indy Shakes’ “Hamlet, the Phoenix Theatre’s “Barbecue,” the IRT’s “Flyin’ West,” and a lot more, Lorraine built a reputation of stage strength. In Naptown African American Theatre Collective’s “Detroit ‘67,” she not only anchored the play in a lead role, but also anchors the company as its CEO, founder and producing director. Here’s hoping her administrative role still allows time for on-stage work.
6. Matt Kraft
When playwright/producer Casey Ross decided to expand her Indy Fringe play “Bat in the Wind (or a Recent Study on Depression and Addiction)” to full length for its March 2024 staging, she wisely held onto Kraft, who has been best known for strong supporting work in Catalyst’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” and Bard Fest’s “Hedda Gabler.”
7. Kelsey VanVoorst
I don’t think I’ve laughed harder in an Indianapolis theater than when seeing VanVorst play a reindeer trying to do secretarial work in Defiance Comedy’s holiday show “The North Wing.” VanVoorst has since appeared in more serious roles in “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.
8. Bridget Haight
With the one-two gut punch of Summit Performance’s “Mary Jane” in 2019 and American Lives Theatre “Gloria” in 2020, it looked like Haight was ready to tackle every difficult title role in contemporary theater. During the COVID-19 lockdown, her talents shifted to voiceover work before she returned with a strong performance in American Lives Theatre’s “Admissions” and also directing that company’s hit “Predictor.”
9. Chandra Lynch
One of the busiest artists in the city, Lynch serves as marketing director for Fonseca Theatre Company, handles portrait photography, brand management and more for her company, Ankh Productions, and still takes lead roles in area stages. She helped ease Indy out of lockdown and back to theater in Fonseca Theatre’s outdoor “Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry (You, too, August Wilson)” and, as I write this, is opening at the Fonseca in Idris Goodwin’s “Blackademics.”
10. Carrie Schlatter
Schlatter’s stunning performance in 2018’s “Silent Sky” helped put the show’s producer, the fledgling Summit Performance Indianapolis, on the must-see map. She’s had a string of strong performances before and after that landmark, recently in American Lives Theatre’s “Natural Affection,” Storefront Theatre of Indianapolis’ “Black Hat Duncan,” and going solo in Southbank Theatre Company’s “Natural Shocks.”
Lou Harry is a playwright, director, journalist, and editor of Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. He co-produces Indy Actors’ Playground, a free play reading series that will be relaunching at Fountain Square’s Indy Reads bookstore in April.
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