Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Black Theatre Co. names Tijideen Rowley as interim artistic director
Two weeks after Founding Artistic Director Ben Rose resigned his post amid charges related to an alleged domestic violence incident, the Indianapolis Black Theatre Co. has named Tijideen Rowley as interim artistic director, according to the theater.
Rowley is the director of training and development for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant that provides professional theater training at The District Theatre, where IBTC is a resident. The educational hub funded by the grant also offers a platform for developing plays related to Indiana Avenue’s history. Rowley holds a theater degree from Indiana University and an MBA from Boise State University.
Rose resigned March 10 after he was charged with felony strangulation, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury on March 5 by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office after a late February incident in which he allegedly attacked a woman at his home.
An initial hearing for the case is scheduled for April 9.
Rose was selected in 2023 as the first artistic director of the new IBTC, a theater that launched with a $1.9 million investment from groups including the Central Indiana Community Foundation and the Lilly Endowment.
Rowley will begin his leadership tenure at the company by reviewing and restructuring the 2025 season with community input, according to the release. After Rose resigned, IBTC postponed the production of “Ain’t No Mo’,” which will now run from June 27 to July 13. Rowley also will focus on longterm growth and artist and community relationships, the theater said in a Sunday night news release.
“IBTC is focused on telling Black stories that challenge, inspire, and unite audiences. As we move forward, my focus is on strengthening our foundations and deepening our connection to the community,” Rowley stated in the release. “My vision, in line with the board, is to elevate IBTC into a marquee theatre company for Black storytelling—one that sets the standard in Indianapolis and beyond.”
IBTC also announced board changes in another release sent Sunday night. Board members Rich Trotman and Ira Mallory have resigned. New appointments include the Rev. Dr. Shonda Nicole Gladden, the District Theatre board’s vice chair and CEO of Good to the Soul, LLC, and Karen Dace, vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion at IU Indianapolis.
Senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo contributed to this report.
Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Sign up here for the newsletter she curates about things to do and ways to explore Indianapolis. Find her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.
Indianapolis police shoot homicide suspect on South Harding Street
Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a pursuit ended near I-70 on May 28, 2026. The suspect is in stable condition.
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Indianapolis police shot a homicide suspect after a vehicle pursuit that ended west of downtown near Interstate 70.
Just before 8:30 p.m. May 28, 2026 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to a shooting in the first block of North Rural Street. Arriving officers found Patricia Wieber, 65, with gunshot wounds. Wieber was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Witnesses were able to give police information about the shooter and officers tracked the suspect to the 7500 block of Bullock Court on the city’s south side. The suspect, identified by police as Ronald Cross, 75, got into a different vehicle with another man. While tracking that vehicle officers attempted a traffic stop near West Southport and Bluff roads. The driver, who is not implicated in the homicide, got out of the vehicle without incident and was taken into custody.
Police said Cross then slid into the vehicle’s driver seat and fled. Officers used stop sticks and then in the 1000 block of South Harding Street near I-70 a SWAT officer used a vehicle to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the SUV, said Kendale Adams, IMPD deputy chief of criminal investigations.
After the vehicle was stopped officers shot the suspect, Adams said. Cross was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured.
Adams said two firearms were located at the scene.
During a news conference at the scene, Indianapolis police chief Tanya Terry extended her thoughts to the family of Wieber who was killed in what police believe was a domestic violence situation. She also praised her officers’ handling of the situation.
“[Our officers] did exactly what our community expects them do to in situations like this,” Terry said. “Our officers worked with bravery, coordination and precision in their attempts to safely bring the suspect into custody. I’m extremely proud of them for the work that they’ve done.”
The chief added that Cross would be facing charges in the case and police confirmed hours later that Cross was arrested on a murder charge.
The shooting involving police was among a string of shootings across the city, including one downtown roughly two hours before that left a man in critical condition.
“It’s been a difficult night for our city,” Terry said.
The officers involved in shooting Cross have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The Civilian Use of Force Review Board will have a hearing on the shooting and body and dash cameras were activated during the shooting, Adams said.
It is unclear whether Cross fired at officers and what makes and models of firearms were found by police.
Asked those questions by IndyStar, an unnamed IMPD spokesperson did not provide additional information and instead referred to a press release that did not contain the answers.
This is the fourth shooting involving Indianapolis police since the start of the year.
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Get more information of shootings involving Indianapolis police here.
After an IMPD officer-involved shooting, what comes next?
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José Plasencia brings Cuban cuisine to Fountain Square’s Inferno Room
Cuban food never got the opportunity to evolve. Now at the Inferno Room, José Plasencia is giving his homeland cuisine a second chance.
A standout burger can come from unexpected places, as evidenced by one Indianapolis restaurant whose unconventional take on the American classic has earned it a spot on a national USA Today list.
There’s only one burger on the menu at the recently reimagined Inferno Room in Fountain Square, but it’s a good one.
Chef José Plasencia’s rendition of the Cuban frita, a beef-chorizo burger defined by a topping of fried shoestring potatoes, joined heavy hitters from across the country on USA TODAY’s pantheon of patties.
The USA Today list included places like Mr. Bartley’s Burgers, a veritable institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as Jay’s Burgers in Louisville and Sacred Beast in Cincinnati.
Indianapolis’ best-known burger spot, the more than century-old Workingman’s Friend, did not make the national list but appeared alongside the Inferno Room on USA TODAY’s roundup of exemplary Midwest burgers. Both were featured on IndyStar’s list of 10 burgers to try around town.
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