Onyxfest Returns To IndyFringe Theatre

Tonight is the first of two weekends showcasing the work of Indianapolis area African American playwrights at IndyFringe.

Three diverse plays were selected to be part of this year’s Onyxfest which runs thru May 20.

Ashya Thomas’s play, "Black Lives Matter (Too)" was inspired by the brutal killing of Emmet Till. 

“And so it started out me writing 20 poems about different perspectives of his death and his life and points of view -- from his mother, his killers and everything,” Thomas says.

Angela Jackson-Brown helped Ashya develop her play from a one woman show to a thoughtful multi-dimensional play.

“Regardless of their ethnicity, their gender, to be able to walk away feeling a connection with all of the characters they are exposed to," Jackson-Brown says. "And to realize that although they are seeing experiences of black people they see that the shared thing among us all are the emotions and that is where they will connect with those characters.”

Here's a little more on the three plays. Ticket and show times are also available online at indyfringe.org

• The Quilting, by Mijiza Holiday, is an autobiographical play that depicts the abuse the Holiday’s mother endured, and how her strength had the ability to heal. The play will be in the IndyFringe Basile Theatre Saturday, May 13 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 14 at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, May 20 at 4:30 p.m.
   
• Black Lives Matter (Too), by Ashya Thomas and Angela Jackson-Brown, is described as one part play and one part storypoem exploring the struggles and triumphs of black people from slavery to the present. The play will be in the IndyFringe Basile Theatre Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 13 at 6 p.m. and Friday, May 19 at 9 p.m.
   
• TRUTH - The One Man Show, by Ryan L. Bennett, is the culmination of 152 years of truth coming from the souls of four diverse individuals all fighting for family. The play will be in the Indy Eleven Theatre Sunday, May 14 at 7 p.m.; Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, May 20 at 9 p.m.