Making History Contest Readings – June 20-21

Southbank is thrilled to announce an exciting lineup of three staged readings this summer as part of our Making History contest, offering audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at new works in development. This series gives patrons a chance to give feedback and vote for their favorite works.

Each reading will showcase a new play, presented by local actors and directors. One of the three plays will be selected for a full production as the final show of Southbank’s Season 5 in April 2026.

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Reading Series Schedule:

Hell’s Belle by Amalia Howard, directed by Doug Powers
Friday, June 20, 7:30 pm

The unbelievably true tale of Indiana’s first serial killer: Belle Gunness killed more than two dozen men as well as a handful of women and children at the turn of the twentieth century. But did she get away with it? Her story is as ridiculous as it is captivating. Join the infamous black widow of LaPorte, Indiana, her sister Nellie, and the men she loved and killed along the way in this wild ride of a true crime dark comedy.

The Last Days of the Franklinton Historical Village and Shoppe by Ron Burch, directed by Rachel Serago
Saturday, June 21, 2:00 pm
The Last Days of the Franklinton Historical Village and Shoppe is a comedy that focuses on the workers of an historical-recreation village whose benefactor dies. In order to keep the place running, the workers are asked to turn history into more contemporary entertainment. Set in Henry County, Indiana.

Reception
Saturday, June 21, 5:00 pm

Taco Bar and Quesadilla bites by Hoosier Homestyle!

Adobo Chicken
Cilantro Lime Rice
Seasoned Black Beans
Corn Tortillas
Flour Tortillas
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Mild & Hot Salsa
Lettuce
Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese
Quesadilla Bites – Chicken or Cheese

The Brain Thief by Tom Horan, directed by Carrie Schlatter
Saturday, June 21, 7:00 pm

The Brain Thief is (very) loosely based on a real event that happened in Indianapolis in 2013: A young man broke into a medical museum and stole brains to sell on eBay. The Brain Thief explores brains, bodies, and what it means to connect to someone else.

“We’re inviting our audience to be part of the artistic process,” said Marcia Eppich-Harris, Artistic Director of Southbank. “These readings are a space for experimentation and discovery. By the end of the series, we’ll choose one script to bring fully to life with costumes, sets, lights, and sound, based on both artistic merit and community response.”

The selected play will receive a full production in April 2026, rounding out Southbank’s fifth season with a world premiere developed from the ground up.

All readings will take place at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center. Admission is free. Please RSVP on this page. Audience members will have an opportunity to offer feedback following each performance.

Amalia Howard is an Indianapolis-based theatre and visual artist who is breaking into the writing world. She loves history and stories that center women in the narrative, either for good or ill. She graduated from Butler University’s Theatre Program in 2011, before taking a long break from the stage. Since 2023, she’s been back in full force with wide-ranging roles, recently appearing as Elisabeth in Seeking Nietzsche, Regan in King Lear, Gabrielle in The Dinner Party, Paidagogos in Euripedes’s Medea, Maria in Man of La Mancha, and Cressida in Troilus and Cressida: The Musical, among others.

Ron Burch’s full-length and short plays have been produced here and abroad and published in The Best Ten-Minute Plays from Smith & Kraus, The Best of Playground Los Angeles, and Routledge’s One Minute Plays: A Practical Guide to Tiny Theatre. His films include Ferdinand (2017), for which he won the Humanitas Prize; Yours, Mine & Ours (2005); and others. He was an Executive Producer of Dinotrux (Netflix) and has written for Marvel Super Hero Adventures (Marvel Television Animation and Disney Jr.), Hot Wheels City (Mattel), Pretzel and the Puppies (Apple TV+), and many others. His latest novel is JDP (BlazeVOX Books). He is a member of the Indiana Writers Center (Playwrights Circle). www.ronburch.com

Tom Horan is a Writer, Sound Designer, and Educator. Currently, Tom serves as Playwright-in-Residence at The Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, originally through a grant from NNPN. He has premiered four shows at the Phoenix: TYPHOID MARY, which received development help from Stage West Theatre, The Lark Play Development, the 2014 NNPN Showcase; ACID DOLPHIN EXPERIMENT, a kaleidoscopic look at the life of John C. Lilly; LEYENDA, a collaborative creation with Producing Director Bryan Fonseca based off Latino Folk Tales, and STATIC, a looping ghost story developed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington D.C), the Source Festival (Washington D.C.), as well as the University of Texas at Austin, where Tom received his MFA. Other work includes: an adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s MOTHER NIGHT, commissioned by the Vonnegut Museum for the 2017 Indy Fringe (Indianapolis); I’M GOING TO DO THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, a commissioned piece for the University of Indianapolis based off interviews with addicts; his play TYPHOID MARY, which served as the inaugural production at Queen City Theater (Cincinnati); his solo toy theater play, THE KING AND CLOCKMAKER, which received Best-of-Week and Best-of-Fest honors at FronteraFest (Austin) and a subsequent production with Great Small Works (New York City); and 13 DEAD HUSBANDS, which received funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs (Chicago). Tom works as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Playwriting at Ball State University.