Established in 2011, OnxyFest is striving to become, in the words of the late playwright, August Wilson, a festival that “informs its viewers of the human condition and its power to heal.” OnyxFest is determined to be the vehicle to promote and expose avid theatre goers to the voices and talent of new and emerging African American playwrights.
Indy’s first and only theatre festival dedicated to the stories of Black playwrights. For the past decade, OnyxFest created a stage to celebrate and articulate Black life, issues and culture.
Pictured from left to right: Nicole Kearney, Dr. Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha, Pauline Moffat, and Vernon A. Williams.
Nicole Kearney is a playwright, director, and entrepreneur. She founded OnyxFest in 2011 as a joint-venture with IndyFringe Theatre. She is also the founder and owner of the award-winning company Sip & Share Wines. As her industries vary and her resume continues to blossom, Nicole has made it her mission to create community and culture-based experiences that break down barriers for both new majority and women and generate artistic expression of the finest magnitude.
OnyxFest is determined to be the vehicle to promote and expose avid theatre goers to the voices and talent of new and emerging African American playwrights.
IndyFringe developed OnyxFest in response to the lack of diversity both on stage and in audiences of Indianapolis’ theatres. IndyFringe actively embraces diversity in the Indianapolis theatre scene and began working with African American playwrights to change the Indianapolis theatrical landscape.
The Africana Repertory Theatre of IU Indianapolis (ARTI) participated for the first time in OnyxFest in 2019 on the leadership of founding ARTI member Dr. Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha. On returning to California the following year, Dr. Murtadha and former IndyFringe CEO Pauline Moffat asked Vernon A. Williams to assume leadership in 2020. Moffat, who recently retired from IndyFringe, proposed that ARTI assume total management of the event beginning in 2021 – a proposal to which ARTI agreed.
The importance of OnyxFest: Develop and present voices not often heard and showcase the work of established voices. Engage new and established audiences in the art and craft of production. Bring new excitement to theatre and grow OnyxFest as a center for African American playwrights.
OnyxFest 2022
This season was the most successful in the 12-year history of this powerful and unique festival featuring the works of Black playwrights.
OnyxFest 2021
A Soulful Mosaic of Black Life on Stage! Featured award-winning playwrights, Theatre Directors and more!
OnyxFest 2020
In 2020, the messages of Black playwrights resonated with unprecedented urgency. OnyxFest 2020 featured six one-act productions by local Black playwrights. For the first time, all OnyxFest performances were recorded by WFYI-TV for broadcast.
Starting February 1 through February 28, 2021, all six productions of OnyxFest 2020 are available to watch for free.
OnyxFest 2019
The first involvement of the Africana Repertory Theatre of IU Indianapolis in OnyxFest came in 2019. That was the year that all three plays emanated from the Downtown Indianapolis urban university campus family.
IUPUI graduate RaeVen Rigdell wrote and directed Bethel. Africana Studies associate professor Dr. Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha produced “The People Speak.” Vernon A. Williams of the Office of Community Engagement wrote and produced “The Price of Progress: The Indiana Avenue/IUPUI Story.”
That 2019 introduction encouraged ARTI to partner with IndyFringe in sponsoring Onyxfest 2020 before assuming full responsibility for staging the 2021 version of the state’s first and only theater festival for Black playwrights which took place in October 2020.