Theatre Unchained

IndyFringe: Dragons and Dungeons – Squid Game

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This was part of the 20th Anniversary Indy Fringe Theatre Festival in August 2025. Review originally posted on our Facebook page.

By Wendy Carson

Theater Unchained once again brings us a new chapter in their beloved tales of a group of adventurers headquartered out of The Folded Ass Tavern.

It’s their young dragon, Rapture’s “Gotcha Day” and everyone’s gathered to celebrate.

For newer patrons, we have some quick backstory and reintroduction of our gang, by the tavern’s owner. They include his brother, Tink, the Artificer; Fig, the Druid; Seren the Paladin; and Crabitha, the Wizard who’s somehow grown a second mustache.

After a minor mishap, Rapture is magically taken aways and we find that Crabitha is actually the evil Collector, and they must play their twisted “Squid Games” to get Rapture back.

The audience assists our troupe by rolling a giant die but some other members were granted the ability to modify or negate their efforts. Good luck to all.

The characters, challenges, and situations are fun for all but be warned, not everything always ends well. We made some very good rolls at first and though our team won the games, not everyone survived.

I really enjoyed the puppetry throughout plus the fact that the cast & crew were all having as much fun throughout as the audience. The whole hour feels more like a party than a show.

‘Sensitive’ look at campus life

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

“Sensitive Guys” by M.J. Kaufman, presented by Theatre Unchained at IF Theatre, has a vibe like a goofy Fringe-show version of a campus comedy. The laughs come easy as what appear to be feminist and dude-bro archetypes strive to say something important for both the audience and one another.

“What’s the trick to being a good guy?” one asks. It feels naïve, but for someone maybe 20 years old, expected to be an adult while his higher brain functions aren’t yet mature, this is a truly serious question. And circumstances will get quite serious.

Joe Wagner, with wide experience acting in comedy and drama, takes on direction of this comic drama, entrusting five “she” or “they” actors to play all characters including five young women in a sexual assault Survivor Support Group and the five members of the Men’s Peer Education Group at fictional Watson College – a small liberal institution of higher learning that loves to tout its “empowerment” of students.

While the college recites “core principles” that are little more than background noise, for our co-eds the theme is “transformation” – changing both themselves and the world around them for the better.

Anna Himes portrays the newcomers to each group. Will, who asks the question above, is a young man working on his empathy. As Leslie, she finds taking charge of her sexual experiences didn’t shield her from consent being taken from her. Adding to her sense of betrayal, the perpetrator is in the Peer Group.

Gayle Radwick is Katie in the women’s group, and Jordan of the men’s, who is in a relationship with Shanya Nicole as Tracey, the woman who happens to say something that bothers her male role, Tyler. Sheila Raghavendran is Amy with the women, Pete with the men. Monya Wolf is Diana with the women and Danny, the men’s group founder.

Shifts in wardrobe and stance, besides deepening the voice when a dude, make the character transitions easy to follow. Indulging in a bit of caricature also aids the comedy. Seeing gender as not just two aspects of humanity but also two versions of the same faces help unify their experiences as part of the same student body, all seeking guidance and needing a sense of safety.

While attending this college, don’t be surprised that you in the audience get a lesson as well. The facts that will be presented (aside from a fictional paragraph about Watson) will all sadly be true.

An entertaining satire with a healthy dose of awareness, take a seat with “Sensitive Guys,” March 7-9 and 13-15 on the IF Basile Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org, info at theatreunchained.org.

Based on a True Story

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden 

There is funny, “ha-ha;” there is funny, “strange and/or wrong” – and there is a bold combination of these, “Funny, Like an Abortion,” a dangerously dark comic drama by Rachel Bublitz at IF Theatre, home of IndyFringe.

A co-production of Theatre Unchained with American Lives Theatre, this intense movie-length one-act is directed by TU’s Megan Ann Jacobs and ALT founder Chris Saunders. 

Set in the near future, Monroe (Alicia Ana Hernandez-Roulet) is setting up a surprise party for her bestie, Jade (Rachel Kelso), at least that’s what appears on her social app accounts and is known by her household smart device, Butler (voice of Thomas Sebald). However, once she feels free of any eavesdropping, Monroe springs the real surprise – it’s an “abortion party!” To Jade’s astonishment, the numerous gift bags each hold or represent a means of ending Monroe’s unwanted pregnancy. Legal and therefore safe abortion is a thing of the past, so they must choose the least-bad option to be executed that night, before anyone else can catch on.

In this portrayal of how elements of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” could easily come about in today’s high-tech culture, the mood is lightened by laugh-not-to-cry dark humor and moments of game-show presentation, juggling, and a tap-dance break. Hernandez-Roulet and Kelso take on this challenge earnestly as relatable and entertaining characters. Monroe stays upbeat, even manic, to keep ahead of a creeping despair, as Jade feels her way through being both a true friend and an accomplice to a serious felony.

They are also Alicia and Rachel, two actors breaching the Fourth Wall to remind us that while all the methods given in the play are actual abortion tactics (some going back centuries), they are all dangerous and not to be attempted by anyone.

While Bublitz wrote this prior to the Dobbs v Jackson decision that ended the protections of Roe v Wade, the play does anticipate it happening and we do get from the cast a rundown of the various restrictions put in place across America since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling. With the results of recent elections, including the likely enacting of Project 2025 measures in the coming year, something like the events portrayed could soon come to pass.

Enlightening and alarming in what it portends, this show is recommended for those who understand to bring friends who need to know – which, to be honest, is all of us.

“Funny, Like an Abortion” has two more weekends, Nov. 15-17 and 21-23 in the Blackbox (formerly Indy Eleven) stage at IF, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at theatreunchained.org or indyfringe.org.

Theatre Unchained provides pets-eye view of their world

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

For productions of a certain feline-themed musical, actors often engage in “cat school” to convincingly move, speak – act – like Felis catus. So, even Broadway’s elite understand that no matter how much we anthropomorphize our housepets, they still have a unique, fascinating way of engaging with the world, and us.

This is key to the charm of “Herding Cats,” a new comedy by Neil Martin presented in its world premiere by Theatre Unchained, directed by Megan Ann Jacobs. Jacobs also provides costumes, while set designer Kurt Watkins provides appropriately-sized cat toys and furniture, but it is the talented cast who bring this domestic menagerie to life.

Stella (Angela Dill) is a brown and white Domestic Shorthair, energetic but “girly.” She has mastered the booty-shake pounce, and Dill’s feline vocalizations are uncanny.

Her fluffy white brother, Buddha (Julien Lyons), is highly intelligent and posh as only a proper cat can be. His manner, like a cat-version of the Brain combined with Liberace (if he fancied hot female Persians), helps us accept that our companion animals understand far more of our world than we realize. Lyons sells it with ease.

Lupin (Aspen Harnishfeger) is a male orange/black tiger-striped “street cat” who is quite content with the indoor life, fairly smart but prone to malaprops. Harnishfeger plays it smoothly with alley-cat savior fare.

The cats live in a Los Angeles-area apartment with their stressed-out human, Kelly (Jenny Williams), who works in show business. Bad news: Kelly is having serious issues with a toxic coworker. Good news: She plans to foster an additional rescue cat. Worrisome news: The new housemate is actually a dog!

Enter the adorabe, friendly pitbull terrier Charlize (Hannah Hoffman). In contrast to the close-to-the-fur attitude of cat portrayals, Hoffman is wide-eyed and engaging, embracing her inner puppy. True to her species, she feels big feelings, and snaps instantly from snarls to apology, or worry to unbound optimism.

Though Charlize is good with cats, and Buddha and Lupin give her a chance, Stella will have none of this – she has a history with canines, which ties into treasured memories of their deceased patriarch Benjy.

Cat-dog drama and Stella’s waning appetite spur Kelly into action to help them, but soon the pets realize that she needs their help more. Do they dare engage – “the nuclear option”?!

This show is fun and funny throughout. Once you’ve gotten into their eccentric world of the first act, you can fully accept the utter weirdness that unfolds in the second, inspired by their master’s teenage crush. You’ve accepted the talking cats and dog – just go with it. It all pays off in a most charming and heartwarming manner.

Come out and see (wo)man’s best friends save the day. “Herding Cats” has performances Thursday through Saturday, March 28-30, at the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at indyfringe.org or theatreunchained.org.

Divafest: Exploring ‘alchemy’ of true self

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

Once considered a serious science, Alchemy was the pursuit of turning lead and other metals to gold. No doubt in the process a number of ancient wizards lucked upon some useful metallurgy. Through transformation, iron becomes the steel it was always meant to be.

In “Divine Alchemists,” what is forged is the self, a story told by those who understand as nearly all involved – playwright Lucy Fields, director Kaya Dorsch, actors Rowan Apple-Knotts, Kipp Morgan, Wilhelmena Dreyer, Maya Doss, and the characters they play – are trans or non-binary.

At a college’s informal board-game club, trans woman Aerith (Apple-Knotts) officially comes out to her friends, who are overjoyed – they finally get to present her with “Baby Trans Orientation”! 

In this world, you get the mentorship and equipment sorely needed in the real one. Aerith (pronounced “heiress”) is given a Cloak to help her blend in among the cisgender-heterosexual population, the “Misgender Deflection Remote” that acts like a magic wand to correct – or at least remove – uses of wrong gender or name, and access to the Transformation Station, which allows Aerith to dress reflecting her true self. 

College projects include a photography shoot for witchy Wisteria (Dreyer), with Aerith as one of the subjects. In turn, for a paper on the trans/non-binary experience, Aerith interviews non-binary Wisteria, trans man Iggy (Morgan) and non-binary Grayson (Doss).

The whole show has a bit of an afterschool special vibe, but even as every line spoken is part of the lesson it comes out naturally from characters who (as seems to be typical) always have to explain themselves, their experience, and, sadly, their validity. There is plenty of fierce humor as well, with moments including the impromptu game show, “Gender Those Clothes!” But there is also a serious undercurrent that especially reveals itself when one is denounced by the ones they love.

The actors reflect the passion and heart that Fields put into this play and Dorsch draws out; their exuberant performance isn’t just lifelike, it’s their lives.

In the real world, the remote control only mutes the ongoing news of trans people – especially children – being treated as less than themselves, less than human. This show alerts us that instead we need to turn the volume up on true respect and equality. The engine of society needs the mettle of every human alloy.

Presented by Theatre Unchained and IndyFringe for DivaFest 2023, performances of “Divine Alchemists” are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 4-6, at the IndyFringe Indy Eleven Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St. (near Mass Ave.), Indianapolis. Tickets and info at indyfringe.org.

Healthy dose of love and laughter in Lawrence

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

Could love be considered a disorder? Think about it: The irrational behavior, the mood swings, the heart racing, the feeling in the pit of your stomach – nothing about being in love seems healthy!

Consider our case study of several infected individuals in and around the SuperCenter shopping experience in the comedy “Love/Sick,” by John Cariani, presented by Theatre Unchained at Theater at the Fort in Lawrence, directed by Kaya Dorsch.

The highly talented cast of Lucy Fields, Aaron Henze, Kyrsten Lyster, Brittany Magee, and Joe Wagner bring these afflicted souls to life as various characters in nine scenes in this charming hour-plus one-act.

The performance bar is set high by the first scene, in which – due to their disorder – Fields and Wagner have to deliver their exact same lines, with the same energy, at the exact same time. Add in a bit of intimate physical comedy, and they succeed to hilarious effect.

Fields then takes on the role of delivering a most awkward message to Lyster. We also have, among other bits, Henze discovering how literal “deadly boredom” can be, and Magee on a search to “find herself” that many of us can relate to.

The result is a mix of laughter and heartache that any physician would agree are a sure sign of a love outbreak, and for us in the audience the feelings are contagious.

Dorsch took a lot of TLC in growing this specimen, and if it leads to a pandemic of uncertain joy – know there’s no cure.

Remaining performances are Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 19-21, at 8920 Otis Ave. Get info at TheatreUnchained.org and tickets at ArtsForLawrence.org.

Unique ‘Holiday’ story seeks to heal family

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Wendy Carson

As bright and sparkly as they appear to be, for a large number of us the Holidays ramp up our depression and sorrow. Such is the situation with the Abrams clan in “A (Happy) Holiday,” presented by Theatre Unchained.

Grandmother Bunny (Wendy Brown), mother Busy (Jenni White) and daughter Leigh (Wilhelmena Dreyer) are not only dealing with the death of son-in-law/husband/father Owen (Bradley Lowe), but also their lack of connection with each other. Into this mess enters the gloriously anthropomorphized chemical compound, Sarah Tonin (Ariel Laukins) along with the ever-perky duo of Elf 1 (Anja Willis) and Elf 2 (Thomas Sebald) to deliver a present to make their Christmakkah (being a blended family, they have a blended holiday) complete.

Reluctantly the ladies work their way through a giant magical book with 12 chapters of Holiday memories, forcing them to face their past – no matter how good, bad, or ugly. Leigh just wants to move forward and find her true self regardless of what her mom or society demand of her. Busy wants Owen back and will settle for nothing else. Bunny, who just wants everyone to be happy and get along, seems to down a lot of “holiday cheer” to keep her distracted.

This show has numerous parodies of holiday movies and TV shows as well as other pop culture touchstones to keep the laughs coming. However, the story pulls no punches in showing the sadness and sorrow of these women. Each comes to terms with pivotal moments of their past that damaged them, yet taught them to grow and carry on, to be their true selves.

This show is a true ensemble piece, executed with sheer perfection. Each performer being great on their own, together they will move you to tears of sorrow and joy. Speaking of ensemble, this play is a special project of Theatre Unchained, co-written by Karina Cochran, Kaya Dorsch, J.E. Hibbard, and director Max McCreary. They initially set out create a series of distinct holiday scenes, but found they fit together in a single theme, focused on this relatable yet unique family.

As you can tell, this show is not a typical Holiday story. Still, it is moving, touching, endearing, and entirely affirming for all. This should be at the top of your list of shows to see this month, especially since there are only three performances left, this Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 8-10, hosted by Arts for Lawrence at Theater at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave.

Good for teens and older, grab up those members of your family and come together for an uplifting story – maybe start an important dialogue to help make your own holiday complete. Get tickets at ArtsForLawrence.org.

Serving up something darkly unique in Lawrence

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

“It’s fun to cook with someone else.”

That quip by our host Terry becomes an incredibly loaded statement in “Taste,” a co-production of Monument Theatre Company and Theatre Unchained at Arts For Lawrence’s Theater at the Fort.

Based on a bizarre true story, this play by TV writer Benjamin Brand presents a “unique” two-person dinner party. Terry (Austin Hauptstueck) has arranged for Vic (Bradley Allan Lowe) to come to his apartment, where he will kill and eat his guest. This is no ambush; in fact, Vic is eager to be consumed, and even joins Terry in tasting the first piece that is chopped off and cooked.

Needless to say, this is for mature audiences only, and not for anyone squeamish about the subject matter. The stage is a working kitchen, with a bit of (simulated) flesh put on the plate. Discussions are frank, and there is even some audio from adult films.

As director Megan Ann Jacobs notes, this is an opportunity to not only look into the mind of someone who would consume another human, but also into that of one who would agree to be eaten. Once you get past the true-crime premise, seeing this as absurdist metaphor, we get at the relatable issues of loneliness and feelings of self that make a person this desperate for intimacy in any form. Thoughts of sex (in which “eat” is a common euphemism) lie just below the surface. The desire for a “real” experience overrides all other considerations. Issues of trust become vital: Did Vic really tie up loose ends to vanish from his past life? Will Terry keep his word and eat all of Vic, and not discard him like garbage? Who are the recorded videos for?

One mark of how absorbed we get in this weirdness is how much we find ourselves laughing at this dark comedy.

To engage us in the audience, no doubt the actors had to dig deep into perspectives we presume they wouldn’t normally hold, into the darkest aspects of humanity. Hauptstueck presents as an eccentric epicure, not entirely detached like a Hannibal Lecter sociopath. He relishes this experience in his own way, the foodie wanting to get not just the recipe but the whole culinary experience just right. Lowe portrays a lost soul seeking a sort of salvation, a bizarre “communion” in which he can be integrated completely – giving himself to nourish another. Fascinated by anyone’s life but his own, he sees this as his way out of an empty existence.

What less-desperate things have we all done to feel connection, belonging? There may be a place for more of us at this table than we’re willing to admit.

“Taste” is served Friday through Sunday, Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 1 at Theater at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave., Indianapolis. For info and tickets, visit artsforlawrence.org, monumenttheatrecompany.org, or theatreunchained.org.

Traumatic issues taken seriously in new drama

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

Over time, I have gotten to know persons who shared their struggles with Dissociative Identity Disorder, which pop culture gave the misleading label of “multiple personalities.” This mental health condition is complex and usually borne of deep personal trauma. 

Therefore, the Trigger Warnings for “Coping with Autumn,” the new drama written and directed by Megan Ann Jacobs for Theatre Unchained, presented by Arts for Lawrence, should be taken seriously.

Autumn (Kyrsten Lyster) is under observation after her arrest for killing her boyfriend. She decides that if you are going to watch, she will give you a show, telling you the story of how she arrived in this unfurnished cell.

During her narration, we meet the occupants of her mind: Dee (Maresa Eileen Kelly), the eternal child who won’t tell her what happened when alone with her father, appears shortly before her mother (Rachel A. Snyder) divorces and moves them from Wisconsin to Indiana. Joy (Ethany Reeder Michaud), the impulsive, takes over when potential new high school friends invite her to a party, then ensures Autumn has a “good time.” When regrets set in, Vera (Roci Contreras), the confrontational, appears to make sure those classmates never bother her again.

Like many misfits, Autumn feels more at home at a distant college. There, she is befriended by Kasey (Brittany Magee). They bond over poetry and spend a lot of time together, until Kasey invites Autumn to a “small” get-together. Naturally, it’s another wild crowd, and then the bag of drugs comes out.

Before her “friends” emerge, Autumn exits, and meets Steven (Thomas Sebald). He seems so nice, and perfect. He pampers her, gives her fancy meals and nice gifts. Then he starts making demands. Is this what love is like? Must be, she thinks, and does everything she can to please him – until she can’t. Kasey has been shut out, and Steven has charmed Mom. Who can help her? I’ll give you three guesses.

The second act features Autumn’s trial and aftermath. New allies include therapist Dr. Weber (Kelly Keller) and pro bono attorney Alex (Joe Wagner), who feels a personal connection to the case. But Sebald returns to the stage as a prosecuting attorney, the resemblance not lost on Autumn. 

Lyster, who has shown so much range in past roles, is amazing here. Magee, who joined the cast late into the production, is incredible in support. Snyder is superb, and by happy accident has a physical resemblance to her “daughter.” Their portrayals of well-meaning but damaged women never slip into cliche and evoke appropriate emotional responses from the audience and each other.

This ain’t “Inside Out.” The two adolescents and child that represent portions of
Autumn’s psyche are neither cartoonish nor comic relief. The dissociation is handled respectfully in smooth transitions with Lyster so that we easily see the four actors as aspects of the same woman. 

Sebald plays Steven so disarmingly kind (when the monster is hidden away), it’s easy to see how men like this character can charm and trap women who find no one believes them when relationships turn abusive. And when he’s a beast, “evil” is an understatement.

Cast and crew took this sensitive topic seriously. During a post-show talk-back, dramaturg Max Andrew McCreary said he shared his mental health research with them, including that according to one source, it is estimated that nearly half of adults have at one time had a sort of dissociative incident, from a moment feeling outside one’s body, all along the spectrum to rare cases of true DID (fictional Autumn’s condition is on the spectrum). All involved took consent into account throughout the entire process, from the first rehearsal. Sebald, who said he had helped workshop Steven/Prosecutor, said this was especially essential for him to feel comfortable in his role. This atmosphere of trust helped make the action in this drama more raw and natural, which some in the audience noted in their comments.

If you have experience with abuse and/or psychological trauma, be careful about seeing this. But for any who can manage, this is highly recommended. Remaining performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 19-21 (post-show talkbacks on Thursday and Saturday) at Theater at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave., Lawrence (off the north end of Indy’s Post Road). Get info and tickets at TheatreUnchained.org or ArtsForLawrence.org.