Millions See Broadway. few Experience It First.
MISSION
Discovering Broadway gives Hoosier audiences the exclusive first look at musicals in development.
EDUCATE
INCUBATE
ELEVATE
OUR PROGRAM
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
During an intensive two-week process, New York professionals workshop their new musical in Central Indiana. Through the creative process, the musical's composer, lyricist, bookwriter, and director explore the artistic potential of the show and bring the story to exhilarating first life.
WHAT IS PRESENTED?
This creative process culminates with the show being presented with scripts in hand to its first audience, thus further preparing the show for its debut and providing the exclusive first look to Central Indiana audiences.
EDUCATION
Discovering Broadway interviews Broadway's top talent to provide inside industry knowledge to Hoosiers and emerging artists.
Erika Henningsen (Meangirls, Les Miserables)
Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Rent, Next to Normal)
Megan Hilty (Smash, Wicked, 9 to 5, Noises Off)
Phillipa Soo (Hamilton, Amélie)
Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman)
Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge!, Fiddler On the Roof)
Jerry Zaks (4-Time Tony Award Winning Director)
Scott Ellis (Modern Family, 30 Rock, She Loves Me)
Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar Live!)
NEWS
CREATING CULTURE TOGETHER
WHAT IT GIVES
Improves Quality of Life
Access to Broadway's Creative Process
Educational Opportunities
WHAT IT SOLVES
Promotes Economic Impact
Raises the Artistic National Profile of the State
Brings Broadway to Indiana First, not Last
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WHAT IT GIVES
Quality Resources: Time, Space, Artists
Reduces Expenses for Developing Broadway
Building Commercial Theatre Privately
WHAT IT SOLVES
Hires Artists in NYC & Central Indiana
Raises the Artistic Potential of the Show
Brings Financial Resources to Development
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HOW OUR PROGRAM WORKS
Our Team
Joel Kirk
Artistic Director & Founder
Joel Kirk is a New York City theatre director and producer who specializes in the development of new plays and musicals. He has worked with New World Stages, Playwrights Horizons, NYMF, The Lark, New Dramatists, Sheen Center, Hudson Guild Theatre, Wide Eyed Productions, WorkShop Theatre, to name a few. Recently he worked with Tony Award Winner Reed Birney and Tony Award Nominee Sydney Lucas on the play Changeover. He has guest directed for NYU'S Grad Playwriting Program, Ball State University, Juilliard, and Fordham University's Playwriting Program. He is the Chairman/CEO of Joel Kirk Productions: a company that produces commercial theatre.
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Before launching Discovering Broadway, Joel joined NewYorkRep as their first Associate Artistic Director. He proposed and launched the company's education fellowship. He worked alongside Artistic Director Markus Potter and Executive Director Gayle Waxenberg.
As a filmmaker, his documentary Race Across America: Gears to a Cure premiered at Flix Brewhouse in Indianapolis. His work for IWDC was featured at the Indianapolis Roof Ballroom. In 2012, his short film Rotating Clock won Heartland Film Festival. He directed, produced, and co-authored the film Of What Remains which won Best Screenplay and Best Editing from C.H.S Film Festival.
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As a writer, he co-authored the new musical If You Don’t Outdie Me in association with the Virginia B. Ball Center Commission and the Brown County Playhouse. He wrote the play The Authority which was a semifinalist for the Dennis and Victoria Ross Foundation. Joel is a two-time finalist for the Drama League Directing Fellowships. He is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union Observership Class of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. Joel graduated Ball State University in three years with a degree in Theatrical Directing. You can learn more at joelkirk.org or follow him on Instagram at joeltkirk.
Volunteer Launch Team
Victoria Glascock
Nick Wangler
Korey Clements
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APPRENTICE PROGRAM
Mary Kate Temple
University of Notre Dame
Maggie Bittinger
Loyola University Chicago
Blake Elliott
University of Evansville
Kelly DeLisle
Ball State University
Grace Hill
Ball State University
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Chair
Bruce Blumberg
Sr. V.P. - Investments - Wells Fargo Advisors
Secretary
Jill Zaniker
Manages Jeff Zaniker Memorial Foundation for the Arts
Board Member At Large
David Owens
Corporate Marketing Analyst - Salesforce
ADVISORY BOARD
Chair
Frank Basile
Senior Vice President - Gene B. Glick Company, Retired
Rollie Dick
Retired
Joanna Taft
Executive Director - Harrison Center
Brian Payne
CEO/President - CICF
Stan Hurt
Indiana Supply Corporation, Retired
Terry Anker
Chairman- Anker Consulting Group
Leah McGrath
Deputy Mayor - Fishers
Don Woodley
Principal - Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management
Mo Merhoff
President - OneZone Chamber of Commerce
Lawren K. Mills
Partner, Ice Miller LLP
Doug Wilson
Chairman - Monon Capital LLC
Dave Neff
CRO - Prolific
Jill Gilmer
Director of Operations - BrightStar Care
Kelly Butler Smith
Community Leader
MEMBERS
Albert John "A.J." Allen MD, PhD
Senior Medical Fellow, Eli Lilly and Company
David A. Temple
Partner- Drewry Simmons Vornehm, LLP
Jill Reese
Attorney - Wagner Reese
Stephen Wagner
Partner - Wagner/Reese
Lezlie Morgan Heath
Non-Profit Leader
Laura Campbell
V.P. - Carmel City Council
Jay Feller
Principal - Somerset CPAs
Anthony Lazzara
President - LRG Restaurants LLC
Anthony's Chophouse and 3UP
Dean Glascock
Sr. Residential Broker - F.C. Tucker
Sam Arce
V.P. - F.C. Tucker
Brian Bondus
Director - ALO Property Group
Karen Barnes
Volunteer
Lisa Miller
Volunteer
June McCarty Clair
Volunteer
Phil Kirk
Realtor - Platt Collective
Owner - IndyRustic LLC
Lynda Goeke
Owner of Goeke Group/Chaos Catering
Randy Sorrell
SURROUNDINGS by NatureWorks
PLATINUM CONTRIBUTORS
Sajan and Rayvey George
Founder & CEO at Polk Capital
Cathryn Deal
Volunteer
Zakir Khan
CEO, Founder at Carmel Investment Group
Marianne Glick
Chairman - Eugene and Marilyn Glick Family Foundation
Stan and Sandy Hurt
Indiana Supply Corporation
Don Knebel
Volunteer
Julie Goodman
President & CEO - Arts Council of Indianapolis
Laurie Siler
Senior Vice President - PEDCOR
Brian and Carol Urbanski
CFO - Allied Solutions
Estridge Family Foundation
PARTNERS
CENTRAL INDIANA
The Crossroads of America
Indianapolis
'Indy' is home to a multitude of cultural hubs, tourist attractions, and fun for the whole family.
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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world's largest spectator sporting facility, with more than 250,000 permanent seats and the home of the Indy 500.
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The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick is an 8-mile world class urban bike and pedestrian path in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana that seamlessly connects neighborhoods, cultural districts and entertainment amenities while serving as the downtown hub for central Indiana’s vast greenway system.
The Indianapolis Children's Museum is the largest children's museum in the world. Located just minutes from downtown, The Children’s Museum features five floors of fun and interactive learning across the arts, world cultures, sciences, and humanities.
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The Indianapolis Zoo is a 64-acre accredited zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden with more than 1 million annual visitors.
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Indianapolis is also home to the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis, District Theatre, Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, and Indy Fringe Festival, to name a few.
Carmel, Indiana: Ranked #1 Best Place to Live in America by CNN Money Magazine in 2012
CARMEL, INDIANA
Carmel, Indiana is experimental. The progressive community values fostering new talent and new ideas. With a dedication to the arts, the city invested $180 million in a beautiful Center for the Performing Arts with a 1,600-seat Palladium concert hall; 500-seat proscenium Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre; 200-seat black box Studio Theatre; and the home of Grammy Award nominee Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook Initiative.
Carmel is Convenient for Guest Artists. The Center for the Performing Arts is housed next to the City Center: a complex with fine dining, retail outlets, luxury housing, and bars. Downtown Carmel is located directly west of the Palladium. The Arts & Design District spans several city blocks and includes art galleries, wineries, and local artisan shops, along with the Indiana Design Center.