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Looking ahead to new experiences to anticipate in 2024, the full solar eclipse on April 8 will be something not to miss in Indianapolis.
Technically, land now occupied by the city was in the path of totality for a solar eclipse more than 800 years ago, knocking the event out of “unprecedented” territory.
On the other hand, 2153 will be the next time Indianapolis will be in the path of totality, which is reason enough to include the full solar eclipse on a list of 10 debuts in entertainment and dining for 2024.
Elsewhere on the calendar, the touring editions of three Broadway shows, including “Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,” will be presented here for the first time.
Alamo Drafthouse, a dinner, drinks and movie chain that opened in Austin, Texas, in 1997, will expand to Indianapolis in the new year, and an outdoor music festival focused on celebrating Black artists who were rock ’n’ roll pioneers is scheduled to debut.
Check out 10 attractions we’re designating as local “firsts” in 2024:
1. Three Broadway productions
Live entertainment company Broadway in Indianapolis will bring touring editions of “Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Hadestown” and “Tina—The Tina Turner Musical” to Indianapolis for the first time. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” adapted by Aaron Sorkin and starring Richard Thomas (“The Waltons,” “The Americans” and “Ozark”) in the role of Atticus Finch, will be presented Jan. 23-28 at Clowes Hall. “Hadestown,” a show that collected eight Tony Awards in 2019, will be presented April 2-7 at Clowes Hall. And “Tina,” a show based on the life of late Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tina Turner, will be presented April 30-May 5 at Old National Centre. For more information, visit indianapolis.broadway.com.
2. Solar eclipse events
It’s not necessary to attend an organized gathering to catch the total solar eclipse at 3:06 p.m. on April 8, but those options are available. Visit Indy compiled a list of events planned at White River State Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indiana State Museum, Newfields, Conner Prairie and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. For more information, visit visitindy.com.
3. ‘I Made Rock ’N’ Roll’ festival
With a nod to architects Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard and others, cultural firm GangGang and concert company Forty5 are planning the “I Made Rock ’N’ Roll” Black music festival for May in downtown Indianapolis. The organizers refer to the contributions of Black musicians to the birth of rock ’n’ roll as an American treasure that shouldn’t be buried. This fall, the “I Made Rock ’N’ Roll” initiative presented performances by Victor Wooten, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Macy Gray at Broad Ripple’s Vogue venue. For more information about the upcoming festival, visit imaderocknroll.com.
4. Borage cafe, bakery and market
A 5,000-square-foot L-shaped building has transformed the northeast corner of West 16th Street and Lynhurst Drive in Speedway, where Pam’s Pitstop Pizza and Sam’s Mini Market once served customers. Expected to open in 2024 is Borage cafe, bakery and market, the brainchild of former Milktooth chefs Josh Kline and Zoe Taylor. Borage, which rhymes with “porridge,” is an herb that’s native to the Mediterranean region. To keep up with Borage cafe, bakery and market developments, visit borageeats.com.
5. ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at IRT
When Benjamin Hanna assembled the schedule for his first season as artistic director of the Indiana Repertory Theatre, he placed “Little Shop of Horrors” as the closing production for the organization’s 2023-24 season. The IRT, founded in 1972, has not previously staged “Little Shop of Horrors”—which debuted in New York in 1982 and was adapted for a 1986 film. Perhaps more noteworthy is that “Little Shop of Horrors” is a musical. The IRT last staged a traditional Broadway musical in 2013, when Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” was part of the theater’s lineup. For more information about “Little Shop of Horrors,” scheduled April 17-May 19, visit irtlive.com.
6. Dali at the Lume
The work of surrealist artist Salvador Dali will be showcased at Newfields’ Lume beginning on March 3. In addition to projections of Dali’s signature melting clocks in the 30,000-square-foot digital galleries, the show titled “Dali Alive” will feature four Dali paintings that mostly have been in storage since the Indianapolis Museum of Art acquired the pieces in the 1970s. Opera singer Lorenzo Alvary and his wife gave Dali paintings titled “Apotheosis (Design for the Opera La Dama Spagnola e il Cavaliere Romano),” “Musicians,” “The Elephants (Design for the Opera La Dama Spagnola e il Cavaliere Romano)” and “Tragedy and Comedy” to the museum.
7. Brandi Carlile choreographed
One of the first Dance Kaleidoscope productions overseen by Joshua Blake Carter, hired as artistic director in May 2023, brings together music popularized by modern singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and 20th-century jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald. “Divas A-New,” scheduled Jan. 11-14 at Butler University’s Schrott Center for the Arts, includes choreography by Carter (for songs associated with nine–time Grammy Award winner Carlile) and the revival of choreography by Carter’s predecessor, David Hochoy (for songs associated with 13-time Grammy winner Fitzgerald). For more information, visit dancekal.org.
8. Mandela exhibition
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis will host “Mandela: The Official Exhibition,” an overview of the life of Nelson Mandela that debuted in London in 2019. Mandela (1918-2013) endured 27 years as a political prisoner in South Africa, where he eventually became president. The Mandela exhibition includes galleries devoted to his childhood and his struggle against South Africa’s apartheid regime. The exhibition is scheduled June 22 through Jan. 20, 2025. For more information, visit childrensmuseum.org.
9. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a dine-in theater chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, plans to renovate the former Georgetown 14 Cinema, 3898 Lafayette Road, to open the company’s first Indiana multiplex. Alamo will offer standard concession fare such as popcorn, candy and soft drinks, as well as pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, salads, milkshakes and a full bar. Alamo built a reputation among cinephiles by hosting screenings where directors such as Tim Burton and Paul Thomas Anderson showcased their work. For more information about Alamo’s plans for Indianapolis, visit drafthouse.com.
10. ‘Dead Boyfriends’ preview
Two concert presentations of “The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends,” the latest musical developed by Carmel-based Discovering Broadway, are scheduled for April 20 at the Toby theater at Newfields. “The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends” relates the tale of three teenagers who summon a trio of monster dream dates. Discovering Broadway, founded in 2019 by Carmel High School and Ball State University alum Joel Kirk, brings creative teams and cast members to Indiana to work on musicals that aim for a shot on Broadway. Kirk hosted a local retreat for “The Trouble with Dead Boyfriends” in November. For more information about the April 20 concerts, visit discoveringbroadway.org.
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You missed the grand opening of Hendricks Live! in Plainfield in April and May. This new 600 seat venue at Main and Center streets is going to be a new nexus of fine and performing arts in Hendricks County and Central Indiana!
Thanks for this note!