Rock E Bassoon is the world’s only electric rock bassoon band. Rock E Bassoon plays classic rock and pop, including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Brittney Spears and Beyonce.
The band is comprised of musicians from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the faculty of the Butler School of Music and some of Indiana’s finest free-lance professional bassoonists.
The production features dramatic readings of the speeches, diaries, and letters of dynamic Americans who advocated and fought for Revolutionary change and social transformation.
In 1950s, Chicago native, Patricia Wilson visits home to share her big news after studying abroad in London. Little did she know her entire world will flip upside down as the beans spill about family secrets.
Can she face the challenges and keep her “new- found self-confidence?”
Ramla is a retired political science and Africana Studies professor.
Actor/singer James Solomon Benn presents his 75-minute cabaret show “Big Beautiful Women of Broadway,” featuring songs sung by or made famous by the women of Broadway.
Benn’s vocal stylings include jazz, pop, gospel, R&B, and the blues. The show is the anticipated followup to James’ comic cabaret “Little Butchie Sings!” James is an Arts Council of Indianapolis / Creative Renewal Artist Fellowship recipient and a member of the Fonseca Theatre Company.
LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER production is a well-crafted 90-minute journey of true stories about motherhood—being a mom, having a mom, losing a mom, finding a mom—as many interpretations on the theme of mothering as you can imagine. From hilarious and heartwarming, to emotionally intense and profound, LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER entertains, energizes, brings community together and leaves everyone feeling a little less alone and a little more understood.
Proceeds from this show benefit Pass The Torch for Women.
This year we are thrilled to see two plays in development. Toilet Talks, a semi-autobiographical play by Liz Thomsen about a mother and daughter, has had a table read, and is now reading for a staged reading. Audiences will get to experience the journey not only of the characters but also of the plays themselves as they move through the development process. Each play considers the life experience and showcase voices not often heard.
This year at DivaFest, we are thrilled to see two plays in development. Fan Me, Lord, a comedy with serious bits, is being written by Ramla Bandele and is at the stage where the playwright needs to hear it all the way through. Audiences will get to experience the journey not only of the characters but also of the plays themselves as they move through the development process. Each play considers the life experience and showcase voices not often heard.
"This original one-woman show features the autobiographical journey of a breast cancer survivor. Facing her own mortality at age 37, Heather Carver found strength in the clowning career she began two decades earlier. The performance shows that comedy and cancer often can and must co-exist as a survival tool."
About the Playwright:
A trilogy of one-woman plays, which started with a devastating diagnosis, led Dr. Heather Carver to understand the power of humor in supporting health.
"I Say Tomato, You Say Cheese" is a funny, bittersweet look at an elderly widower fighting to remain independent as his cognitive abilities are declining. His daughter juggles taking care of him with her job and family, and has to find a solution when a crisis occurs.
About the Playwright:
MaryAnne Mathews has performed her original one-person play "Mrs. President: A Visit With Mary Lincoln" since 2013. She co-wrote "Mother Ireland" with Kate Duffy Sim, produced at the 2016 DivaFest.
