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The Indiana State Fair Commission announced Wednesday that additional money from the State Fair Relief Fund has been distributed to victims of the stage-collapse tragedy. The commission said an additional $114,301 from the charity fund went to the victims of the Aug. 13 disaster in a third round of payments. So far, about $1.1 million has been contributed to the fund. Estates of the seven deceased victims have so far received a total of $68,241 each from the fund and injured claimants have each received payments of between $6,525 and $48,796. The fund is accepting donations until Oct. 31.

The man charged in the murders of five people in rural Franklin County changed his plea to guilty Tuesday. David Ison, 46, is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole in the case known as the Laurel Five murders. He is charged with killing Roy Napier, 50; Angela Napier, 47; Melissa Napier, 23; Jacob Napier, 18; and Henry Smith, 43. All were shot to death last September after a drug deal went awry, investigators say. Ison will be formally sentenced March 14.
 

Firefighters with the Wayne Township Fire Department are trying to determine what caused a fire to break out in a mobile home Wednesday morning. The blaze, which broke out about 6:15 a.m., destroyed the home in the I-70 Mobile Home Park in southwest Indianapolis. One occupant, along with his three friends who were staying overnight, escaped from the home without injury.
 

Butler Ballet’s annual Midwinter Dance Festival happens at Clowes Hall Feb. 17-18. Details here.   

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents “Legally Blonde” Feb. 17-April 6. Details here.  

Butler University Theatre stages Moliere’s “Tartuffe,” directed by William Fisher Feb. 15-26. Details here.  

The Artsgarden hosts a free Art & Soul show with singers Lee’ A Ro and Tony Styx. Details here.

The Indiana State Museum hosts the ninth annual Indiana Art Fair Feb. 17. Details here.

Storytelling Arts of Indiana presents Donald Davis’ “Childhood Moments” Feb. 17 at the Indiana History Center’s Basile Theatre. Details here.

Bruce Hornsby comes to the Palladium Feb. 17. Details here.

Poet Tasha Jones performs her work at the Artsgarden Feb. 21. Details here.

Haywood Banks brings his stand-up act to Morty’s Comedy Joint Feb. 16-19. Details here.

Van Halen rocks Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Feb. 22. Kool and the Gang opens the show. Details here.

Poet Simon Armitage reads at Butler University Feb. 21. Details here.

Feb. 18

Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington

OK, there’s too much cinematic fun going on in Bloomington on Saturday. It starts at 10 a.m. with a screening of “The Muppet Movie” and reconvenes at 6 p.m. for “Sing-A-Long Sound of Music,” complete with pre-show vocal warm-ups and a costume contest. (The easiest costumes, of course, are a brown paper package tied up with string or a little girl in a pale pink coat, but I’m hoping there will be more creativity exercised by the savvy Hoosiers—Gretl’s hurt finger, perhaps.)

But that’s not all. The evening ends with a 10 p.m. screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with prop bags available. Proceeds will allow schoolchildren to attend Cardinal Stage’s upcoming productions of “Go, Dog, Go!” and “Big River.” Details here.

Feb. 16

The Toby at the IMA

The first half of this concert plays like many other concerts—a collection of pre-determined tunes. The second half, though, is when things are given a twist. In iPod fashion, the works of high-brow composers are mixed with covers of the likes of Radiohead. The man behind the keyboard is Christopher O’Riley, known to NPR listeners as host of “From the Top.” Details here.

Feb. 16-March 11

Phoenix Theatre

Winning Chicago’s Jeff Award for Best New Work and Best New Production in 2007 was just the beginning of the accolades received by Tracy Letts’ “August: Osage County.” The New York production soon landed the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the Tony Award for Best Play.

Can you tell I’m avoiding telling much about the actual play? That’s because I missed both the Chicago and New York productions and want to know as little as possible about it before going to see its local premiere here at the Phoenix Theatre. I do know that the comedy/drama about a dysfunctional family has been cast with a who’s who of strong local actors, including Diane Kondrat, Martha Jacobs, Charles Goad, Matthew Roland and Diane Timmerman. Details here.