New IndyFringe leader wants to add to energy on Mass Ave

IndyFringe established its headquarters at 719 E. St. Clair St. in 2009. (Google Maps image)

Hired this week as executive director of IndyFringe, Jennifer Cooper said she’s eager to see Mass Ave packed with performers and spectators when her organization’s festival takes over the cultural district across three weekends this summer.

Cooper, who spent her early years in the United Kingdom before moving to Canada as a teenager, is a past attendee of the Fringe festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, the event that influenced the founding of IndyFringe in 2005.

Edinburg remains the site of the world’s largest gathering of actors, dancers, comedians, magicians, buskers and other performance artists. The Scottish festival spans nearly a month, featuring thousands of shows at hundreds of venues.

The numbers in Indianapolis are more modest. In 2022, more than 400 artists performed on six stages—two each at IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St.; the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave.; and the Athenaeum, 401 W. Michigan St.

The 2023 edition of the Indianapolis festival is scheduled Aug. 17 to Sept. 3, with performances staged Thursdays through Sundays.

“I love the spirit of IndyFringe,” Cooper said. “It’s ‘anything goes,’ and it supports artists who may not have another avenue for performance.”

Cooper previously served as executive director of the Montana International Choral Festival in Missoula, Montana. The former flute professor earned a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Bob DeVoss, IndyFringe board president, said Cooper brings a mix of business and artistic expertise to her new role.

“Jennifer has that unique combination we were hoping to find,” DeVoss said in a written statement. “She understands the nature of artistic festivals, has the skills and talent needed to grow our audience base and our talent base, and clearly envisions the performing arts as a critical aspect of a community’s character.”

Beyond the annual IndyFringe festival, IndyFringe Theatre hosts performances throughout the year. Cooper devoted one of her first nights in Indianapolis to attending “A Streetcar Named Desire,” produced by Catalyst Repertory and Magic Thread Cabaret, at the venue near the intersection of Massachusetts and College avenues.

Cooper is the third executive director in IndyFringe’s 18-year history, following Pauline Moffat, the leader from 2005 to 2020, and Justin Brady. In January, Brady exited IndyFringe to become director of development for the Berkshire Theatre Group in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

IndyFringe is the fifth Indianapolis cultural organization to name a new leader since June 2022. Cooper follows Constance Macy, artistic director of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre; Colette Pierce Burnette, CEO of Newfields; Benjamin Hanna, artistic director of Indiana Repertory Theatre; and Kathryn Haigh, CEO of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

The leadership changes represent a chance for growth, Cooper said.

“Whenever there’s an opportunity to bring different perspectives to something that’s already great, I think you can make it even better,” she said. “I’m excited to be a part of that.”