Indy-based playwright and producer Elesha Storey has waited over a decade to share “Life at the Bar” with audiences.
Storey, who is also the founder and CEO of DASHING Nation, initially wrote “Life at the Bar” as a faith-based TV show about breaking toxic cycles and living in one’s purpose following a car accident she and her then-unborn child survived in 1981. After several years of rewrites, new monologues and sage advice from industry professionals like Tyler Perry, Storey will finally debut her play at Marian University on July 25.
“Life at the bar is the life where you drink, and you’re dancing; you’re getting hookups, running away from your relationship,” Storey said. “There are forces in that bar who want to keep you there, both literally, figuratively and spiritually, and so in this play, I want people to see themselves in our characters because all of us can be at the bar for whatever reason, for whatever time. But … if you’re there, you see yourself, and hopefully get out.”
The play is being produced through DASHING Nation, the Christian lifestyle and social impact multimedia brand Storey founded in 2025. The organization, which aims to “inspire and equip others to find their purpose and live that out in God,” focuses on the “dash” between one’s life and death. DASHING is an acronym that stands for “Dying to Achieve Success and Happiness in God,” and Storey said she works to help people through various mediums, including books, music, films, podcasts and now, live theater.
Despite being inspired and blessed by surviving the crash, Storey didn’t start writing “Life at the Bar” until after her son had grown up and she had time to “do whatever I felt like.” Storey started with acting and shifted toward screenwriting, and eventually, she had a script for a TV show that numerous directors told her would be better suited for the stage.
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In its final iteration as a stage play, “Life at the Bar” follows Ryan, a woman celebrating her 50th birthday at The Syndrome, a bar run by three sisters where time seems to stand still. What Ryan expects to be just another night out with her friends takes a quick turn when she meets a man who “offers her freedom beyond the walls,” Storey said.
But can Ryan really trust this man?
“People go (to the bar) time and time again — either literally or emotionally — or they stay there too long, to the point it’s comfortable, and they never leave, and so they miss their blessing, they miss their joy, they miss just your purpose feeling that way,” Storey said. “Because at this point, some of these people are mad at everybody. They’re mad at God, and they don’t trust anybody. They trust the people and the spirits at the bar, who have kept them comfortable, distracted, distressed and disgusted for so very long.”
There is also a twist in the play that Storey wants audiences to experience for themselves, but said “a lot of plays are meant to transform,” and “Life at the Bar” is unique due to its triple meaning and purpose behind the message.
Throughout the process of producing the play, Storey said there have been many challenges she and the cast have overcome — from finding a new rehearsal space, to re-negotiating contracts. There have even been moments where the cast members have cried in response to the scenes, Storey said.
Though she wishes she had written and produced “Life at the Bar” earlier so her parents and grandparents could have seen what she accomplished, Storey said God’s timing is the best timing, and even if she doesn’t always see it, “He’s opening doors and making a way for this to be a project that makes a difference.”
“We’ve all been through stuff, some worse than others, but I want them to know that there is hope,” Storey added. “There is community outside the community in the bar that’s keeping you dysfunctional, and all you have to do is reach out, look around, and realize that God has been there the whole time. He’s just waiting for you to take His hand.”
“Life at the Bar” is showing at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on July 25 at Marian University, 3200 Cold Spring Road. Tickets are $35. After the performance at Marian University, Storey said “Life at the Bar” will tour.
For more information, visit dashingnation.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
