Recently part of Indiana Avenue got a new name. It’s now Madam Walker Way, named for Madam CJ Walker, the legendary creator of beauty products and the namesake of the historic Walker Theatre -- now the Madam Walker Legacy Center. The center's leadership also released some big plans for the next few years leading up to its 100th anniversary. WFYI’s Ray Steele recently spoke to Kristian Little Stricklen, the president of the Madam Walker Legacy Center, about those plans.

Other than his friendly rival Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly was perhaps the person most synonymous with the golden age of the movie musical. Most everyone knows about “Singing in the Rain”, but one of Gene’s most technically difficult dance scenes is from another movie, “Summer Stock.” That movie almost did not happen in part because of Gene’s very famous costar. The new book “Come On, Get Happy” is about the making of “Summer Stock.” The authors are film historians David Fantle and Tom Johnson. They spoke to WFYI’s Ray Steele.

Briah Golder is a percussionist from Indy. She recorded her first album at the age of 16. She is performing at Daptoberfest in Indianapolis at the Edna Martin Christian Center this Saturday, October 14. Besides sharing her gift with her fans, she is helping to teach other young people to embrace their own artistic gifts through a nonprofit called BRAVE. Briah Golder spoke to WFYI’s Ray Steel

The stars of the play “Grandmothers Incorporated” are exactly what the title of the play implies. “Grandmothers Incorporated” was written by a pair of local writers; Crystal V. Rhodes and Lily Barnett Evans, and it's about to be performed in Indianapolis for the very first time at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center. Sandra Gay, the director of the play and two of its stars – Betty Meriweather and Larry Keough – joined WFYI’s Ray Steele to talk about it.

For a little over a decade, Time For Three helped redefine the concert experience with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. As the Artists In Residence with the ISO, they created the Happy Hour concert series, melding classical music with hip hop, rock and pop and any other genre you can think of, bringing a party atmosphere to the Hilbert Circle Theatre, while firmly maintaining their classically trained roots. Now, Time For Three is returning to Indianapolis for the first time as Grammy winners, performing this weekend with the ISO. Time For Three is Nick Kendall and Charles Yang on violin and Ranaan Meyer on double bass. They spoke with WFYI’s Ray Steele.

Within the past week, a federal judge in Texas declared that DACA - the program that offers deportation relief and work permits to immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, was itself illegal. It's a ruling that will be appealed. But the people who benefited from the program - known as DREAMers - are also the focus of a play that's now on the stage of the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The name of the play itself is a phrase used as a lightning rod by critics of immigrants. The play is called Sanctuary City, and the main characters of the play are portrayed by actors with connections to Indiana – Seni Tekle and Diego Sanchez-Galvan. They spoke with Ray Steele on Morning Edition.

Opera Season is here in Indianapolis. When you think opera in Indy, most think of the great soprano Angela Brown. She and pianist Joshua Thompson will once again be two of the stars of “Opera in the Park” at Garfield Park on Saturday, September 9th. They spoke to WFYI’s Ray Steele ahead of the season opener for the Indianapolis Opera.

Every time All Elite Wrestling (AEW) brings its larger-than-life show to Indiana, it’s a homecoming for the only Hoosier on their full-time roster. AEW is the company that just ran the biggest pro wrestling show in history, with more than 81,000 paid ticket holders at Wembley Stadium in London just over a week ago. Ruby Soho, a native of Lafayette, Indiana, is one of their biggest stars. She spoke to WFYI’s Ray Steele via Zoom ahead of AEW’s show at the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum.

This weekend is the third edition of the BUTTER art fair in Indianapolis. It showcases the work of Black and Brown artists. One of the featured artists uses many canvases, including one that you usually associate with comfort. But LaShawnda Crowe Storm uses it to make people think hard about this country’s uncomfortable history. She spoke recently to WFYI’s Ray Steele in our studios.

For the first time Indianapolis has a black equity theater company. The Naptown African American Theatre Collective was officially formed earlier this year. It's putting on its first full production this week at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center downtown.