In December, performing arts schedules are packed with nutcrackers, wonderful lives and Christmas carols. But when January rolls around, variety once again reigns on theater stages.
Looking ahead to 2026, I combed through the shows from Indianapolis theater companies to find promising offerings. Some choices are based on my experiences with either the play or the artists involved, and others are inspired by the zest they bring to our cultural mix.
“Best of Second City”
📍 Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St.
📅 8 p.m. Jan. 16
🎟️ $41-98
There’s a popular misconception that Chicago’s storied Second City company is all about improvisation. While much of the material was developed through improv, what’s seen on stage is mostly well-honed sketches more akin to “Saturday Night Live” than ComedySportz. At its Windy City homebase, you can count on up-to-date political skewering and cultural references.
The touring show coming to Shelton Auditorium at Butler University on Jan. 16, however, is a Best of Second City collection, composed of highlights from past reviews plus a bit of on-the-spot comedy creation. Hang onto your program, though, because some cast members may find their way onto the mainstage…or to SNL (as have many Second City alumni).
“St. Sebastian”
📍 IF Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St.
📅 Jan. 23-Feb. 8
🎟️ $22-27
Local playwright Andrew Kramer has two plays on the boards in 2026. The first, “St. Sebastian,” is a dark comedy that explores the way racism can hide behind good intentions. It concerns a white former priest and his younger partner attempting to fix up a house in an historically Black neighborhood. Eric Olson, Jy’lerre Jones and Joe Wagner make up the cast in a production by That Other Theatre Company at IF Theatre (formerly known as IndyFringe) Jan. 23-Feb. 8.
“Bat Boy”
📍 IF Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St.
📅 Feb. 2-March 8
🎟️ $20
As its name suggests, Cryptid Entertainment specializes in producing shows with a weird edge. Its next offering, “Bat Boy,” is no exception. Longtime Indy theatergoers may recall that the off-Broadway hit comedy had its first regional production after New York City at the Phoenix Theatre back in 2002.
The play follows a half-boy, half-bat creature who is found in a cave and undergoes a “My Fair Lady”-like transformation … but proves unable to shake his animal instincts. It’ll hang out at the IF Theatre Feb. 2-March 8.
“Borrowed Babies”
📍 Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N Illinois St.
📅 Feb. 6-22
🎟️ $15-50
American Lives Theatre anchored its reputation with its 2023 production of “Predictor,” Ball State professor Jennifer Blackmer’s play about the woman who developed the first home pregnancy test. To see that play again, you’ll have to head to New York, where it’s getting a production at AMT Theater through Jan. 18.
But much closer to home, you can see a new Blackmer play, “Borrowed Babies,” Feb. 6-22 at the Phoenix Theatre. Once again it’s an American Lives Theatre production, this one based on an actual university study in which students raised … well, you can probably guess from the title.
“Ado”
📍 Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N Illinois St.
📅 Feb. 12-March 1
🎟️ $15-50
William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” is, of course, a classic. But given some problematic moments, it has inspired theater artists to add, subtract or offer alternative takes on the material. That’s the case with “Ado,” the Indy Shakes production at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre Feb. 12-March 1.
The play takes place between Act 4, Scene 1 and Act 5, Scene 4 of the original and focuses on Hero, the bride-to-be whose faithfulness is unfairly challenged. A sad note: The play’s commissioned writer, Chicago playwright and director Lavina Jadhwani, died in September after a battle with cancer.
“The Wiz”
📍 Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave.
📅 March 17-22
🎟️ $45-150
With movie theaters’ focus this season on an alleged wicked witch of the west, let us not forget that “Wicked” was far from the first musical variation on the classic stories of Oz. The playful, tune-packed musical “The Wiz,” a 1970s hit, has been given new life thanks to a recent Broadway revival. The yellow brick road travelers will stop in at Clowes Memorial Hall as part of the Broadway in Indianapolis season.
“Come From Away”
📍 Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St.
📅 April 7-May 10
🎟️ $27-131
For the past few seasons, the IRT has added a musical with wide appeal and minimal dancing to its schedule. Like many regional theaters around the country, this year it’s offering “Come From Away,” April 7-May 10.
When first heard, the premise may seem odd for a musical. The story takes place in Gander, Newfoundland, and concerns interactions between the locals and the thousands of air travelers who were diverted to the remote town after the 9/11 attacks. But the result is a beautiful, moving and surprisingly funny reminder of the possibilities of human connectivity. It will be interesting to see how the IRT sticks to or varies the original, which was filmed during its Broadway run and available on AppleTV.
“Clyde’s”
📍 Fonseca Theatre, 2508 W. Michigan St.
📅 May 1-17
🎟️ $15-20
This one had me at “Lynn Nottage.” If the name isn’t familiar, her list of plays may ring a bell. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer penned “Ruined,” “Sweat,” “Intimate Apparel,” “Crumbs from the Table of Joy” and others that have had scores of regional productions.
Expect to leave hungry when her 2021 play “Clyde’s,” about formerly incarcerated cooks trying to create the perfect sandwich at a Pennsylvania truckstop, gets its local premiere at Fonseca Theatre May 1-17.
“Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apt. 2b”
📍 Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N Illinois St.
📅 May 8-24
🎟️ $17-32
Summit Performance has a reputation for tackling serious issues in serious plays. For this production, though, the women-focused company lightens up with a comedy. Kate Hamill’s “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2b,” as you can no doubt deduce, offers a contemporary take on Sir Arthur Conand Doyle’s famed duo. It’s a mystery, of course, so I won’t say much except that it involves two young women and is set during COVID isolation. It’s on stage at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center May 8-24.
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Lou Harry is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach him at louharrywriter@gmail.com.
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