DivaFest 2023
April 28 - May 6
Nationally, approximately 20% of all produced plays are written by women. While this percentage is significantly higher in the city of Indianapolis, DivaFest celebrates our homegrown women writers creating incredible new plays here in Indianapolis.
The Divine Alchemists by Lucy Fields
You are all the woman you will ever need to be. Right now.
About the Play: What makes you who you are? When a young trans woman named Aerith (Heiress) uncovers her identity, she begins a project to catalog the ways that LGBTQ+ youth create their sense of self from the ground up. As she resiliently learns the art of transformation and presentation, Aerith and her three best friends navigate loss and friendship while challenge the structures that erase their queerness. This moving and hilarious coming-of-age story joyfully guides you through the social alchemy of discovering yourself.
Lucy Fields is an actress, playwright, and all-around theatre-maker from Indianapolis. She holds a B.S. in Theatre with a concentration in performance and directing from the University of Indianapolis.

The Indy Eleven Theatre – 4/28, 4/29, 5/04, 5/05, 5/06 – 7:30PM | 4/30 – 2:00PM
Ballad of the Book Women by J. E. Hibbard
Without libraries and the education they provide and encourage, we simply cannot expect to have a country of educated people. – Eleanor Roosevelt
About the Play: When Eleanor Roosevelt announces that she will be going on tour to support public libraries and the packhorse librarian project, four charming Appalachian librarians and their mule, Nellie, work to bring their little library up to snuff. From fording streams to fending off criminals, these women will do anything to secure a meaningful education for their community, and they’ll do it with a song in their heart. This inspiring historical play with music sings the songs and tells the stories of a community of passionate women who fought for the joy of knowledge and equitable schooling in the hills of depression-era America.
J. E. Hibbard (Sweet Dreams Pillowman, A (Happy) Holiday, Plutonian Grove) is a neurodivergent Playwright, Performer, Singer, and Storyteller who has lived in Indiana their entire life with 30+ years of theatrical experiences. Hibbard’s immersion in the arts has lead them here; writing plays for Women (all women), invisible illnesses, animal rights, often incorporating music into the realm of dark comedy or dramedy.

The IndyFringe Basile Theatre – 4/28, 4/29, 5/04, 5/05, 5/06 – 8:00PM | 4/30 – 2:30PM
Auditions - 3/8 and 3/11
Public auditions are being held for both of these incredible shows at our campus – 719 E. St. Clair Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202. Auditions will consist of actors cold reading sides from the scripts. NO PREPARED MATERIAL IS REQUIRED.
Auditions take place on Wednesday, 3/8 at 7:00pm and Saturday, 3/11 at 12:00PM.
Learn about the available roles and sign up for an audition
Take a look at both of these incredible scripts.
