The first annual edition of “Indy Must Play,” a drama-musical concert, is set to premiere this fall.
Presented by Legacy Playhouse, the performance takes place at 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Pike Performing Arts Center and aims to bring the community together through live performance highlighting African culture.
Yemi Ogunmilade, artistic director of Legacy Playhouse, said the mission of the nonprofit organization is to “reach out to society and preach our culture.” The major themes of “Indy Must Play,” which is an adaptation of a Nigerian play entitled “The Jewels of the Shrine,” aligns closely with the values of the organization.
“The idea of the show came from the fact that I personally, as a thespian, noticed that the idea of stage plays and live performances was dying over the years, especially as it has to do with African culture,” Ogunmilade said. “I felt that it was to be a good idea to bring it back to life and make people watch live performances in a theater that was what gave rise to Indy Must Play.’”
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“Indy Must Play” is an amalgamation of the arts and storytelling through a series of song, dance, drama and comedy and follows the story of a family struggling with issues of entitlement after a sudden loss of wealth due to a death in the family.
“The idea is to illustrate culture and arts, illustrate diversity, equity and inclusion using drama, music, dance and comedy as a tool,” Ogunmilade said. “We’re going to see spoken words, we’re going to see comedy, we’re going to see dance drama, we’re going to see poems and we’re going to see cultural dances all on display at its best.”
“Indy Must Play” takes place at 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 at Pike Performing Arts Center, 6701 Zionsville Road. Tickets start at $50 for adults and $30 for students. There is free parking onsite, and there will be food and drink vendors in the lobby for guests to shop from.
For more information about the performance and discounted tickets for families, visit eventbrite.com or ticketgateway.com and by calling 317-992-8449.
Contact Art & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on x @chloe_mcgowanxx.
