Candlelight Theatre

Murder at Millfields

photo of two comedies of error actors. a woman is standing on the left, holding a human skull and holding a hand above a seated man's head while he has a curious expression on his face.

Be Entertained

Performing Arts

Candlelight Theatre

Welcome to Candlelight Theatre – a boutique theatre experience unlike any other in Indianapolis.

For more than 20 years, audiences have gathered at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site to experience live theatre inside the historic home of America’s 23rd President. Inspired by parlor style performances hosted by the Harrison’s during their tie in residence, Candlelight Theatre transforms the house’s historic rooms into intimate stages where audiences and actors share the same environment.

Here, there is no distant back row. Seating is intentionally limited, allowing every performance to feel personal and intimate. Whether the production is dramatic, mysterious, or lighthearted, guests experience theatre in a way that can’t be replicated – up close, thoughtfully curated, and surrounded by the character of a National Historic Landmark.

2026-2027 Season

UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS

BUY TICKETS

Meet Candlelight Theatre

Learn about the creative partners behind our productions.

Portrait of Donna Wing. An older woman with red hair, green eyes, red lipstick, and a gold necklace.

Donna Wing, Creative Director

Donna spent her childhood and teen years in both New York City and Tulsa, Oklahoma where she was a young dancer, actress and TV model for a local teen scene show. After a hiatus from theater, she returned to the boards after moving to Indianapolis in 2000. In 2003, with the support of Phyllis Geeslin, she founded the Candlelight Theatre Company. She holds a doctorate in education from the University of Tulsa in conjunction with the University of London, England. In 2012, she was a partner fellow in the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Her project focused on creating innovative art delivery paradigms of which Candlelight Theatre is a prototype.

Portrait of James Trofatter. He is an elderly man with blown back white hair, cleanly shaved. He wears a slight grin.

James Trofatter, Playwright in Residence

Jim was born and raised in north-central New Jersey. He holds a B.S. in Zoology from Duke University, an M.S. in Differential and Developmental Cell Biology from Rutgers, The State University, and a Ph.D. in Medical and Molecular Genetics from Indiana University. In 2003, Jim retired from academia to fully focus his efforts on writing plays and acting. Candlelight Theatre has been Jim’s creative home since 2004. He assumed the role of Resident Playwright in 2006. Since then, he has directed, written the Ghost Tales series, the winter Holiday series, and some of the Spring short plays. He has written numerous versions of plays based on the real-life murders attributed to Nancy Clem, who was tried by Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis in 1868. Even though Jim has moved back to his home state of New Jersey, he continues to write for Candlelight Theatre.