Candlelight Theatre

Current Production

Photographic image of Candlelight Theatre actors

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Performing Arts

Candlelight Theatre

Candlelight Theatre offers exceptional theatre performances on a stage unlike any other. Each season features plays within the 23rd President’s historic mansion, which provides an authentic backdrop.

Creative Director Donna Wing, Resident Playwright James Trofatter and a dedicated company of seasoned actors perform a combination of mysteries, comedies and thrilling historically-inspired tales.

In the fall, a ghostly tale encompasses most of the mansion, with every scene taking a new twist and turn through historic rooms.
Holiday performances feature vignettes of seasonal traditions and favorite yuletide characters.
Spring productions follow a salon theatre format, using the mansion to share intimate one-act mysteries and comedies.
Summer productions are full-length plays performed either in the presidential mansion or at a nearby satellite stage.

After 15 years of partnership, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site and Candlelight Theatre are proud to announce the 2018-2019 theatre season!

2018-2019 Season

2017/2018 SEASON

see past seasons

Meet Candlelight Theatre

Learn about the creative partners behind our productions.

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.

James Trofatter, Resident Playwright

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. He has performed at Theatre on the Square, Edyvean Repertory Theatre, the Irvington Repertory Theatre, the Oaklandon Civic Theatre, and Candlelight Theatre, as well as in various locations during the Indianapolis Fringe Festival. His first three full-length plays based on “Harmony” books of Philip Gulley were produced by the Irvington Repertory Theatre. In addition to play writing and acting, Jim was technical director for Theatre on the Square from 2005-2012.

Candlelight Theatre and the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site have been Jim’s creative home since 2004; he was made Resident Playwright in 2006. He has directed, written and acted in the Ghost Tales series since 2006, has directed and acted in the Spring salon productions since 2004, and has written the ‘Twas the Night Before… series since 2016. As well as having written some of the Spring short plays, Jim 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.