NAATC to cease operations after four years

The Naptown African American Theatre Collective (NAATC) is closing its doors this year.

After serving the Indianapolis community with live theatre, free educational programming and partnerships over the last four years, the NAATC — Indy’s first Black equity theater organization — announced on June 30 that the organization would be “closing this chapter,” in a statement signed by LaKesha Lorene, Ms. Latrice Young and the NAATC Board.

“As Indy’s first Black-owned theatre registered with the only union for professional actors and stage managers, we accomplished what many Black artists and organizations before us, laid the groundwork for and dreamed of,” the statement said. “NAATC provided paid, equitable, professional theatre opportunities to residents in Indianapolis and across the nation, both on and off the stage. We prayed, we took risks, we failed, we learned, and we grew — faster than we ever imagined, and more than we have the capacity to operate sustainably.”

Founded in 2022, the NAATC established itself as the city’s first and only Black-owned and operated nonprofit theater organization. Led by Lorene, the founding director, and Young, director of community engagement strategy, the organization worked to create equitable opportunities for Black theatre professionals in Indianapolis. 

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Over the last four years, including three operating seasons, the NAATC remained committed to its mission to educate, equip and empower artists and arts professionals through opportunities rooted in training, professional development and community engagement, according to a press release.

“As NAATC closes this chapter, we close it with our heads held high,” the statement said. “We are proud of what we were able to raise to support the hiring of over 70 artists as a brand new organization, with no former funding experience or connections. We will cherish the memories of connecting with our multicultural, intergenerational audiences, and all the amazing things we learned on this journey together making meaningful art.” 

NAATC’S inaugural season, “A Neaux Day,” featured Flanner House’s Artistic Director Austin Dean Ashford’s “Black Book,” Dominique Morriseau’s “Detroit ‘67” and August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The organization’s second season, themed “Cementing Our Legacy,” aimed to push the limits of what audiences think about freedom, featuring Loy A. Webb’s “Judy’s Life’s Work” and Zora Howard’s “Stew.”

The NAATC’s third season featured Darrell Morton Jr.’s “Willa B’s Letter” and “Storytelling Slam” — a partnership with Flanner House Arts. Entitled “Freedom Reimagined,” the third and final season upheld the organization’s mission, vision and values through continued arts education, community partnerships and staged readings, according to a press release.

NAATC’s Education for All Program — which ran from July to December 2024 and August 2025, thanks to a 16 Tech Community Corporation Grant — provided eight classes across six creative disciplines to Hoosier creatives at no cost. Each class was taught by local, regional and nationally recognized creatives and playwrights, including a Tony Award-winning artist.

Lorene and Young said they are proud of the program, “which ultimately helped make dreams come true,” as well as its growth in professional capacity and its challenge to the norm in Indianapolis, according to a press release.

In the statement, Lorene, Young and the NAATC Board also thanked all of their actors on stage, artists behind the scenes, volunteers who joined them on this journey, as well as the sponsors who believed in the organization’s mission, enabling them to raise funds for programs that served a community full of veterans and new artists.

“Indianapolis, Naptown, thank you for an incredible four years to serve you, push you to excellence,” the statement said. “Our hope is that our legacy of celebrating the beauty, power and humanity of Black stories continues on through each and every one of you.”

For more information, visit naatcinc.org. 

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.