Indy’s first and only theater festival dedicated to the stories of Black playwrights.
Presented by the Africana Repertory Theatre of IUPUI (A.R.T.I.), IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, IU School of Education at IUPUI, and IUPUI Office of Community Engagement
OnyxFest 2020 Season
The Price of Progress : The Indiana Avenue/IUPUI Story
November 4, 5, and 6, 2021
The Price of Progress: The Indiana Avenue/IUPUI Story is a two act play about the rich history of Black culture & the evolution of an urban university in the same Indianapolis community. Escape into yesteryear with a multimedia journey from a time before television in to the new millennium. Enjoy live music and vocals spanning generations and experience colorful styles of past times – accented by exhilarating choreography to tunes ranging from be-bop to hip-hop.
Thank you to all who contributed and supported OnyxFest 2021! Stay tuned for more
“1200 Miles From Jerome” 
“1200 Miles From Jerome” 
“1200 Miles From Jerome” 
“1200 Miles From Jerome” 
“1200 Miles From Jerome” 
“1200 Miles From Jerome” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“Ransom Place” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“That Day in February” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“This Bitter Cup” 
“1200 Miles From Jerome” Written by Crystal V. Rhodes & Directed by Deborah Asante 
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear” Written & Directed by Ms. Latrice P. Young 
“Ransom Place” Written by Jameel Amir Martin & Directed by Shandrea Funnye 
“That Day in February” Written by Janice Morris Neal & Directed by Dena Toler 
“This Bitter Cup” Written & Directed by Charla Booth
THANK YOU!
A round of applause goes to each sponsor, playwright, director, cast, crew, committee member, audience, and friend! There would be no OnyxFest without you. Stay tuned…more events to come!
OnyxFest 2021 Plays
The following are the five plays of OnyxFest 2021:
“1200 Miles From Jerome”
Written by Crystal V. Rhodes
Directed by Deborah Asante
In the 1940s during World War II, a mother, her two daughters, a young school teacher and a fourteen- year-old Japanese American fugitive from an internment camp are forced to leave the town of Jerome, Arkansas and flee over 1200 miles to New York City. The journey is filled with danger, one that could prove to be a daunting experience, in which “driving while black” could mean the difference between life and death.
“Fly Blackbird Fly/Voices We Can’t Unhear”
Written & Directed by Ms. Latrice P. Young
A choreopoem recounting traumatic experiences of several Black women. Each woman is at her breaking point and desperately wants to escape the cages they’re in, but this can only happen if they’re willing to relax, relate, and release.
“Ransom Place”
Written by Jameel Amir Martin
Directed by Shandrea Funnye
Two unlikely companions holding on to a precious thing, reluctant to leave a special place, must contend with forces that would spur their belated departure.
“That Day in February”
Written by Janice Morris Neal
Directed by Dena Toler
That Day in February explores what happens when adult children frozen by childhood trauma are faced with a life altering decision.
“This Bitter Cup”
Written & Directed by Charla Booth
A Black family in the rural south in the 1950’s struggle to find balance in their lives. A son who wants an education to rise above the limitations of the old south and a daughter whose dreams are thwarted by being Black and a woman and loved by the wrong man. A complicated entanglement that leaves us wondering if this family can find peace.
OnyxFest production was featured in the 2021 IndyFringe Festival
October 10, 2020, IndyFringe Theatre Hosts OnyxFest 2020 Presented by IUPUI ARTI, 719 E St. Clair Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202 
October 10, 2020, IndyFringe Theatre Hosts OnyxFest 2020 Presented by IUPUI ARTI, 719 E St. Clair Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202 
October 10, 2020, IndyFringe Theatre Hosts OnyxFest 2020 Presented by IUPUI ARTI, 719 E St. Clair Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202 
October 10, 2020, IndyFringe Theatre Hosts OnyxFest 2020 Presented by IUPUI ARTI, 719 E St. Clair Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202
A play from OnyxFest 2020 was invited to participate in the 2021 IndyFringe Festival.
Being Black, by Vernon A. Williams, ran August 19 – September 5, 2021.
Thank you to all who came out to support!
WFYI Documentary “OnyxFest 2020: written in Black”
On February 25, 2021, WFYI (TV) aired a 60-minute documentary featuring the making of OnyxFest, Indiana’s only Black theater festival. In addition to excerpts from OnyxFest 2020 plays, “OnyxFest 2020: Written in Black” featured interviews with playwrights, actors, and more.
This documentary produced by WFYI chronicled how OnyxFest sponsors–Indyfringe and Africana Repertory Theatre of IUPUI (IUPUI)–overcame overwhelming obstacles to keep Black performing arts alive and thriving.
More about the Documentary:
In the throes of a global pandemic, the fate of the only Indiana theater festival showcasing African American playwrights was in peril. While auditions and rehearsals proceeded virtually, organizers pondered how the event could be salvaged.
Right on cue, WFYI entered center stage with an offer to videotape all plays as well as provide professional post-production editing. That offer assured that important stories depicting Black life and culture would definitely have an audience through internet streaming.
Confident in the production quality of WFYI, Butler University Arts and Events Center then offered its significant platform – which reaches 300,000 patrons annually – for streaming of all six OnyxFest plays during Black History Month February 2021.
WFYI produced a 60-minute documentary special chronicling how OnyxFest sponsors – IndyFringe and Africana Repertory Theatre of IUPUI – overcame overwhelming obstacles to keep Black performing arts alive and thriving! That broadcast aired at 9:00 p.m. over television station WFYI.
In addition to excerpts from OnyxFest 2020 plays, the documentary featured interviews with playwrights, directors, actors, longtime IndyFringe CEO & President Pauline Moffat as well as A.R.T.I. spokespersons Dr. Regina Turner and Dr. Khaula Murtadha.
OnyxFest
Indy’s first and only theater festival dedicated to the stories of Black playwrights.
OnyxFest | Cavanaugh Hall, 425 University Blvd., Room 327, Indianapolis, IN 46202 | 317-274-8710 | contact@onyxfest.com
A thank you to our sponsors:
