
Indianapolis weekend events: Stand-up, Indy Ignite, winter beer fest and more
The funny starts when Rachel Feinstein, one of Variety's " 10 Comics To Watch" of 2024, performs at Helium Comedy Club. Shows are 8pm Thursday; 7:30 and 10pm on Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $20.
Actor, comedian and writer Chris Munch performs at Helium, 5pm Friday. Tickets start at $27.
Mike Baldwin, winner of Indy's Trial By Laughter, plays Crackers Comedy Club, 8pm Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $35.
Jourdain Fisher performs Upstairs at Helium, 8pm and 10:30pm Saturday, and 7:30pm Sunday. Tickets start at $25.
Celebrated funnyman Ron "Tater Salad" White brings his Texas storytelling style to the Old National Centre stage, 7pm Saturday. Tickets start at $47.
Headlining comedian and podcaster Sebastian Maniscalco wraps the weekend's comedy calendar with a Gainbridge Fieldhouse show, 8pm Sunday. Tickets start at $39.50.
Not looking for a laugh? Check out the rest of our picks for the weekend.
🏐 See the Indy Ignite continue their inaugural season when they take on the San Diego Mojo at Fishers Event Center, 7pm Thursday.
Tickets start at $30.
🏒 Catch some action on the ice when the Indy Fuel play a pair of games against the Florida Everblades at Fishers Event Center, 7pm Friday and Saturday.
Tickets start at $24.
💡 Celebrate National Engineers Week by seeing the next generation go hands-on during Engineers Day at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 10am-3pm Saturday.
Museum admission is $28 for adults and $23 for kids.
🎸 Relive the iconic 1968 Johnny Cash live album " At Folsom Prison" during a tribute concert at The Palladium in Carmel, 8pm Saturday.
Tickets start at $25.
🍺 Crack open a cold one during the 8th Annual Frigid Digits Winter Beer Festival at Centerpoint Brewing Company, 1-5pm Saturday.
Tickets start at $40.
♥️ Join Tuggle's and other Fountain Square businesses to celebrate love, friendship and fun with neighborhood-wide events during Gals in the Square, 12-4pm Saturday.
RSVP for free.
🎨 Experience an evening of cultural entertainment and celebrate the work of local Black artists during the Meet the Artists XXXVII opening reception at Central Library, 5:30pm Saturday.
The event is free.
🎵 Honor Black History Month at Lift Every Voice, a special concert recognizing the contributions of Black composers and musicians, 4pm Sunday at The Palladium in Carmel.
Tickets start at $22.
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Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
IndyFringe is celebrating 20 years this month. Here's a guide to the festivities
When IndyFringe launched in 2005, organizers intended for the theater festival to grow the city's economy and champion Massachusetts Avenue's creativity. In the 20 years since, the event has brought more than 217,000 people to the district to see more than 7,200 artists perform cutting-edge theater, magic, puppetry and other experimental shows. Now the festival is the state's largest performing arts experience, said Paul Daily, executive director of IF Theatre. The festival returns from Aug. 14 to 24, and it's celebrating its anniversary by paying homage to its roots. All of the show venues are within walking distance of each other in the Mass Ave area. Buskers will perform for the first time since before the pandemic, extending the festivities. The street entertainment will include hand-pan music, breakdancing and performer Sarah Beth Nelson, who will create custom blessings and curses on handmade paper for patrons, Daily said. "It creates that festival feel," he said. "Whenever you're in one of the venues, you feel like you're at a festival. And then you step out on the street, and if there's not reminders of that feel around you, it quickly disappears. So we want the whole avenue to feel like a festival the whole time." The event will continue to highlight stories by artists who are Black, Indigenous and of color with the new Flanner Fringe Lab, a collaboration between Flanner House and IF Theatre. The former promotes quality of life on the northwest side by offering educational, economic and social resources to residents. The latter runs IndyFringe and provides separate year-round programming. The lab, which was developed over the past year, began when Daily and Austin Dean Ashford, director of the Flanner House Arts Stage Academy, discussed how IndyFringe's opportunities could spread to more areas of Indianapolis. "What would happen if we took (Fringe) to other parts and helped drive the economy of other communities in the city?" Daily said. "So in that conversation, it seemed like all the pieces fit together to do everything we wanted to do." So far, 12 artists have gone through the lab and developed plays, he said. Six of the students and Ashford will appear in this year's IndyFringe. Their shows are marked in the program. Fair food recommendations: We tried 12 wild Indiana State Fair dishes and ranked them from worst to best This year's festival comprises 69 shows and 245 performances. Of the 515 artists 61% are from Indiana, 36% are national acts and 3% are international acts, according to IndyFringe's news release. Here are a few highlights below. Additionally, "Fringe-a-palooza!", which celebrates the festival's 20th anniversary, will run from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 17. Find the full schedule and showtimes at Shows will take place in the venues listed below. This year, the festival is returning to the Athenaeum's Basile Theatre and adding VisionLoft Events, where IndyFringe has built a custom stage. Find listings by venue at Tickets are $22 for adults and $16 for children, students and ages 65 and up. Some shows have a pay-what-you-can option, which has a $10 minimum and will add $2 in fees. Six-ticket flex passes are $99, and those who buy one will be given an additional flex pass to give to someone who hasn't received one before. To buy tickets, visit or call 317-210-4639. This Indy newsletter has the best shows, art and eats


Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Danielle Spencer's Cause of Death Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Danielle Spencer, the former child actor best known for playing Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom What's Happening!!, died on Monday at the age of 60. The actress' death was due to gastric cancer and cardiac arrest, family friend and spokesperson Sandra Jones confirmed to ABC News. The Context Spencer starred in 65 episodes of What's Happening!! (1976–1979) and reprised her role in the sequel What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988). The shows were among the early American television programs to follow the lives of Black teenagers. She later earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993 and practiced in the Richmond, Virginia, area after relocating there from California in 2014, according to ABC News. (L) Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show "What's Happening!!" poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Danielle Spencer, circa 1988. (L) Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show "What's Happening!!" poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Danielle Spencer, circa 1988. Michael; Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer What To Know Spencer died on August 11 at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond. Prior to her death, the sitcom star had a history of health issues. In 1977, Spencer was involved in a car accident that killed her stepfather and manager, Tim Pelt, her website bio states. She was in a coma for three weeks and had broken bones in her arm, leg and pelvis. Decades later, the injuries she endured left her wheelchair-bound, and she underwent physical therapy to learn how to walk again. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in 2018, she had emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in the brain. Spencer was inducted into the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, marking the first time a child star received the honor. "I still can't believe it," she told in 2014. "That's something people can look at for years to come, long after I'm gone." What People Are Saying Sandra Jones told ABC News on Tuesday: "This untimely death is really hard to process right now. She is a sweet and gentle soul and she is going to be missed very, very much." Jeremy Pelt, Spencer's brother and jazz musician, penned a lengthy message to his sister via Instagram: "August 11, 2025 will forever be a reminder of the day that I lost a big part of myself. After many years, my big sister, Dr. Danielle Louise Spencer lost her battle with cancer." "Many of you knew her as 'Dee,' but she was more than a child actress. She was a friend, an auntie to my three children who adored her, she was a daughter- and in many ways, my mother's best friend, she was a veterinarian, she was someone who always remained positive even during her darkest days fighting this disease. And she was MY sister and protector." "My immediate family, of which there were only three of us had an unusual knack for always being connected even if we weren't always in contact with each other. Dani and I- our bond got stronger the older I (in particular) got. She's 11 years older than me. I used to relish our texts back and forth using unfiltered 'real' talk." "She positively LOVED Milo, Charlie and Amma and constantly dreamed of a time they'd all be visiting her and 'Mimi' (grandmother). The times they made it down south, she was always so encouraging. Always so uplifting. I'm rambling...I'm so fucking fucking gutted... I watched her take her last breath... I'm thankful for that." "I love you, forever." Haywood Nelson, Spencer's What's Happening!! co-star, wrote on Instagram: "Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them and we all have this family's - Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 - August 11, 2025)." "Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body. We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer." "We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, What's Happening cast member, veterinarian animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced." What Happens Next Spencer is survived by her brother, Jeremy Pelt, and mother, Cheryl Pelt. At the time of writing, no public memorial or funeral plans have been announced.


Axios
4 hours ago
- Axios
IndyFringe returns for year 20
The IndyFringe Festival returns this week to celebrate 20 years of daring to be different. Why it matters: The homegrown theater fest that has helped bring niche art forms and marginalized creators to a wider audience since the mid-aughts is flipping the script in 2025 with fresh efforts focused on sustainability and equity. This summer's festival is also the first since a fall rebrand to IF Theatre. Driving the news: IndyFringe 2025 begins Thursday with 69 unique acts and 245 performances across six stages. 515 artists are contributing to the event, with 61% from Indiana, 36% national artists and 3% international acts. The 10-day festival features performance genres like puppetry, ballet, immersive theatre, stand-up comedy, Bollywood dance, clowning, magic and more. What they're saying:"As the state's largest performing arts event, the festival can feel daunting for new audience members, but the heart of the experience is all about shrugging off expectations and daring to try something new," IF Theatre executive director Paul Daily said. "Our staff, volunteers, and artists are all dedicated to making sure that everyone who comes to the festival has an excellent time, no matter what shows they see." Fun fact: Support from Everwise Credit Union allows IndyFringe to return 70% of all box office revenue to the creators. Since the first festival in 2005, IndyFringe has brought more than 217,000 guests to the Mass Ave Cultural Arts Distrct and returned more than $2.5 million to over 7,200 participating artists. By the numbers: Daily said presenting a festival that better represents the Indy community was a priority this year. 48% of the acts at IndyFringe 2025 are produced by women, compared to a local population that is 51% women. 18% are produced by artists 30 and younger. Indy's percentage of people aged 20-29 is 15%. 37% are produced by artists who are Black, Indigenous Americans or people of color. The latest census data puts the nonwhite population in Marion County at about 39%. Between the lines: This is also the greenest festival in IndyFringe history. Working with the city's Office of Sustainability, organizers have made a number of changes to reduce waste and increase energy efficiency. The festival will serve as a case study for ecologically responsible festival practices in Indy. Upgrades include recycling bins at all venues, free coolers to refill water bottles and reusing programs or marketing materials to cut down on paper waste. LED stage lighting donated from the Phoenix Cultural Center will also replace energy-hungry incandescent lighting fixtures. If you go: IndyFringe 2025 runs through Aug. 24.