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Interview: Leslie Broecker on The Official 2024-2025 Broadway in Indianapolis Season Announcement

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Interview: Leslie Broecker on The Official 2024-2025 Broadway in Indianapolis Season Announcement


We have had the privilege over the last few years to speak with Leslie Broecker, President of Broadway Across America Midwest, about her work to bring the best and the brightest of Broadway to the stages of Murat Theatre at Old National Centre downtown and Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University. We once again got the inside word on how this season came to be and what to know about this new lineup. 

Leslie started by sharing how incredibly excited she is about the 2024-2025 season. As she so aptly says it, Indianapolis will “have the hottest most talked about shows on Broadway.” The lineup includes ELF, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, SIX, BEETLEJUICE, and WICKED. The energy following this announcement is palpable. “You get a holiday offering (ELF), and then Wicked with everything that’s going on around it to close out the season, it’s been going crazy!”

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There seemed to be a potential theme this year of shows that started as films or have been made into films. We were curious if this was intentional or purely coincidental. Leslie shares that it seems to be a trend on Broadway in general, but “I think that we have never really seen a film hinder a show, we’ve only seen them make it bigger.” That certainly seems true for WICKED, which has a feature film due for release in November of this year. If you haven’t seen the film before the musical, Leslie recommends that you wait to see it live first. “Wait and be led by the musical because your imagination will be freer than if you’ve seen the movie.”

If there were a theme for this season, it would simply be to bring audiences in Indianapolis the best lineup possible. Leslie works tirelessly to strike a balance by providing “the backbone, making sure you have a few favorites, [and] those wonderful old chestnuts.” She always uses Broadway as her starting point, looking for “what’s on Broadway that’s new and current.” She was able to get WICKED early and lucked out with ELF since holiday shows only work best when they land in the right season. 

Of course we asked for any special insights into some of the individual shows, and we spent the most time on MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, SIX, and WICKED.

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is based on a hit film that samples a lot of modern music to create a vivid and vivacious story set in Bohemian Paris. When we asked what makes the musical production worth the trip, Leslie did not mince words. “It’s a beautiful production, it’s sexy, it’s got all of that heady, steamy [fun to it and] more current music has been incorporated into it.” The mere thought of it had her dancing in her seat.

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SIX is a more recent addition to Broadway and tells the individual stories of the wives of King Henry VIII with some modern twists. Leslie shares that “SIX is just the big new hit from a couple of seasons ago.” Similar to HAMILTON, you “take history and twist it, enhance it, have fun with it. Now people will leave the theater, go investigate, and want to know more about Henry VIII and all his eccentricities.” We wondered if Leslie is a fan of the way Broadway is evolving, and she celebrates it, stating how “so many Broadway shows have that little nugget of surprise” that intrigues and entrances audiences. 

WICKED is another smash hit that has been around since 2003 and came to Indianapolis as recently as 2018. Why bring it back? As Leslie cleverly quips, “it’s ever-green!” 

One significant change for theatergoers to note for this season is that some curtain times have shifted. Subscribers were surveyed to see what times they’d prefer, and the majority ruled. The overwhelming response has times rolling back. Performances Tuesday through Friday will be at 7 PM (previously 7:30 PM), Saturdays will be 2 PM and 7:30 PM (previously 8 PM), and Sundays will remain 1 PM and 6:30 PM. Leslie is thrilled about the change and how universal the response was. “I love the opportunity to make change that the people want.”

Leslie is also hopeful that this season will prove to be a record breaker. As she said of 2023-2024, “The way this season has panned out, everything is selling out.” If subscribers show up again this season even stronger, we can keep this momentum going in Indianapolis for a long time to come. “The key is with these kinds of numbers…I’m able to get the shows faster. Shows want to play cities that are successful. Makes me very happy for the market. It just keeps feeding itself forward.”

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With streaming services everywhere and so much entertainment available at the touch of a button, we asked Leslie one final question: what makes people come back to live theater? Why are we seeing this incredible resurgence? After the impact of the pandemic, Leslie says simply “I just think people’s hearts were for live entertainment, the recognition of that live experience and that live moment,” and in a city like Indianapolis, “I think we’re holding our own with sports and everything else…we’re all speaking to the same group of people” because live entertainment touches a special place in all of our hearts. 

Don’t miss your chance to see this incredible lineup and subscribe to Broadway in Indianapolis! We hope to see you all at curtain time. 



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Indianapolis, IN

State police arrest man in connection with two Monument Circle attacks

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State police arrest man in connection with two Monument Circle attacks


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana State Police have arrested a man in connection with two attacks, including one deadly, near Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis earlier this month.

29-year-old Michael Willis is facing two counts of attempted murder. Police say that the attacks happened on June 19 and June 26, both happening on N Senate Ave. near Monument Circle.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by News 8, on June 19, Willis was walking in the area near Monument Circle around 2 a.m. when he approached a person laying down and repeatedly stomped on them. Police say that this first victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

The first victim died on Sunday due to their injuries sustained from Willis’s attack, documents say.

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Police also say that on June 26, Willis attacked a different person at the same location near Monument Circle. Police believe that the second victim was repeatedly kicked and stomped on while they were lying down as well. This second attack also took place around 2 a.m.

Indiana State Police detectives shared surveillance photos of Willis from the attacks with other police agencies in an attempt to identify him. Police say Willis was identified by a Greensborough Police Sergeant after Willis had asked the sergeant to use his cell phone.

Police then approached Willis and detained him. Police say that when Willis was detained, he was wearing the same clothes that were seen in the surveillance footage of both attacks. Officers also noticed blood on Willis’s socks.

In an interview with detectives about the July 26 attack, Willis at first said that he was only “nudging” the victim. Police say that according to Willis, he was trying to wake the victim up because he was concerned about them.

Later in the interview, Willis admitted to attacking both victims. Willis said that he was frustrated that he had been homeless and unemployed for around the past 6 months. According to police, Willis also said that the people in the area were “mean and rude” to him.

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Police say that Willis told detectives that he was the only person involved in these attacks.

Willis is currently in custody of the Marion County Jail.



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Where to find cooling stations in central Indiana

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Where to find cooling stations in central Indiana


INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s throughout the week.

Many cooling centers will open throughout the state for those that need to find relief from the heat. Hoosiers looking to find cooling centers in their area can contact Indiana 211. To learn more, call 211 or (866) 211-9966.

Avaliable cooling centers can also be found by clicking here.

Marion County

For those living in Indianapolis, Indy Parks has several cooling centers across the city.

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Those Cooling Centers are:

  • Broad Ripple Park Family Center 
  • Brookside Park Family Center
  • Christian Park Family Center
  • Frederick Douglass Park Family Center
  • Garfield Park Burrello Family Center
  • Krannert Park Family Center
  • Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center
  • Pride Park Family Center 
  • Rhodius Park Family Center
  • Riverside Park Family Center
  • Stanley Strader Park Family Center
  • Washington Park Family Center
  • Windsor Park Family Center 
  • Watkins Park Family Center
  • Thatcher Park Family Center

For addresses and hours of operations of these cooling centers, click here.

Beech Grove will also have two cooling Centers for residents starting Monday, June 29. Those hours and locations are:

  • Beech Grove Senior Center, 602 Main St
    • 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
  • Hornet Park Community Center, 5245 Hornet Ave
    • 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday

Other Central Indiana Cooling Centers

For addresses and hour of operations of cooling centers below, click here.

Marion

  • St. Martin Community Center
  • Grant County Family YMCA
  • Grant County Rescue Mission

Kokomo

  • The Kokomo Rescue Mission
  • The Excel Center in Kokomo

Peru

  • Community Resource Center
  • Miami County Courthouse
  • Miami County Health Department
  • Miami County YMCA
  • Peru City Hall
  • Peru Public Library
  • Peru Schools Administration Building



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Heat Advisory and Warning for central Indiana

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Heat Advisory and Warning for central Indiana


INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The National Weather Service out of Indianapolis has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Central Indiana and a High Heat Warning for parts of northern Indiana. The Advisory and Warning will go into effect at 12 PM on Monday and will run through 8 PM Thursday.

WRTV

A Heat Advisory means that temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s, will lead to Heat Index values reaching 106. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.

Stay cool:
Drink plenty of fluids, check up on relatives and neighbors, and stay in an air-conditioned room when possible. If outside for extended periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks in the shade as much as you can.

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