Nickel Plate Expects to Take Lead in Studying Need for Theater Space

A lack of theater performance space in Noblesville has Nickel Plate Arts organization expecting to lead the process of studying the need and developing a plan.

Aili McGill, Nickel Plate’s executive director, said the organization has plans to  research the economic impact of performing arts assets in the City of Noblesville. She talked about the need during her presentation on Tuesday night of Nickel Plates’ annual report at the Noblesville Common Council meeting at City Hall.

She said theater performances are expected to drive tax and retail revenue, and she expects to ask the City to partner in Nickel Plate’s efforts to “identify what is needed most” in this “exploratory process.”

It’s a project “we think is brewing here in town,” McGill said. She’s been contacted in the past three weeks “by several new theater groups that are looking at this area. So I start to see a potential project forming.”

She said Nickel Plate Arts is in a good position to conduct a study of Noblesville’s performing arts needs.

McGill counted at least 12 groups that are operating as theater groups, but she listed 15 theater groups that have connections to Noblesville. These include The Belfry Theatre (celebrating Hamilton County Theatre Guild’s 58th season), Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission (which presented its 30th Shakespeare in the Park in 2022), Attic Theatre (a 14-year-old theater that started with kids shows), Improbable Fiction Theatre Co. (formed by a group of local actors and its fiscal agent is Nickel Plate Arts), Hyperion Players (started by Ian Hauer of Noblesville), Poet Ape Production (which will have a South Alley performance in the fall of “Our Town,” according to founder James Holbrook), Underdog Theatre (which has had shows featuring and directed by Noblesville High School students and graduates), Page & Stage Theatre (Indiana’s only theater-for-literacy program led by Spike Wilson, a professional director with a Ph.D.), The Brick Room (which opened in June with open-stage comedy acts at 951 Maple Ave., which McGill refers to as the “only one public, professional performing arts space,” which holds about 40 people), Roots School of Theatre (which is based on Parkside Drive in Fishers), Prizm Project (performing arts program for youth now based at Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy in Fishers), Christian Youth Theater (which uses various venues in the area), Gigi’s Playhouse (in north Indy), Onyx Fest (Indy’s theater festival devoted to black playwrights) and Bard Fest (Indy’s actor-focused unique Shakespeare). Wisdom Builders Christian Theater and Stone Soup, also in Noblesville, are other theaters that could be added to Nickel Plate’s growing list. Current local theater venues include The Ivy Tech Auditorium and Noblesville High School Auditorium in Noblesville, Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy in Fishers, Basile Westfield Playhouse in Westfield and The Cat and Booth Tarkington Civic Theater in Carmel.

McGill has been hearing a lot of ideas for private performing arts projects which can address this need. “There is clearly a need in this community for performing arts space,” she said. Fishers Arts Center is going to include a new performing arts space and will open in 2024 but the venue won’t meet the needs for this Noblesville area of the county.

She said Nickel Plate Arts would like to take the lead on a study of this situation, what we need, what would best serve this community, including the economic impact and finding a home for theater in downtown Noblesville. McGill hopes to keep existing and new theater groups involved in the process.

On Wednesday, she elaborated more about what the study would include:

• Surveys and conversations with all of the existing theater groups that are currently producing shows or events in or around Noblesville. “We want this to be as inclusive as possible and will use several methods to spread the word and try to make sure that no one is missed,” McGill said.
• Inclusion of perspectives from community-focused musical groups, such as the Hamilton County Community.
• An analysis of the other Indiana Cultural Districts’ theater and performing arts assets, including how structures were financed and funding sources for operations.
• An analysis of theater and performing arts assets in similarly-sized communities in other parts of the Midwest.
• Work with Hamilton County Tourism and other partners to identify audience trends and needs.
• An analysis of current construction/development projects that currently include or could include performing arts space.

“Our goal would be to share our findings with all of the groups and partners involved, as well as staff and elected officials at the City of Noblesville and Fishers,” McGill said.

The timeline for this project, she said, is two to four months.

“We’ve already had some preliminary conversations with several theater groups and other interested parties and hope to schedule more formal conversations starting in September,” McGill said. “Things will have to go on hold as we gear up for and recover from our fundraiser (gala), but then can resume in early October, with the goal of having a final report to share in late December or January. Our timeline will be dependent upon everyone else’s availability, so it is, of course, subject to change, but it’s something that we want to prioritize and work on as quickly as our inclusive and collaborative process will allow.”

The Nickel Plate Artists 10th anniversary Diamond Gala will celebrate 24 nominees on the evening of Sept. 21 at Conner Prairie in Fishers, an event sponsored by Smith’s Jewelers in downtown Noblesville. McGill is also celebrating 10 years as executive director with Nickel Plate Arts.

In Nickel Plate’s annual report, McGill also offered statistics on the organization’s arts economic impact. According to the Americans for the Arts, in 2021, Nickel Plate Arts generated more than $517,000 in household income, supported 26 full-time equivalent-hour jobs, generated more than $31,000 income for local governments, worked with more than 1,000 artists, had nearly 11,000 visitors to its campus or NobleMade gift shop, and had 122,626 people engaged with Facebook posts, sold more than $37,000 in art, and provided more than $58,000 in resources to other organizations.

In other Nickel Plate news in 2022, the nonprofit relaunched Second Saturdays and Art of Business, are heading up Squirrel Stampede and working with owners of the Lacy Building (former home of Kirk Hardware) to plan new studio spaces. Also, upcoming is Day of the Dead, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 1 working with the local “Mexican community,” McGill said. Also planned are events for Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26, which includes live music, merchant specials and pop-up shops, and Lighting of the Square by the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce at 6 p.m.

For tickets to the Sept. 21 Nickel Plate Arts Gala fundraiser, $125 per person, $1,000 for a table or eight or $1,250 for table of 10, or more information, visit https://nickelplatearts.org/

Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.