Introducing Constellation Stage & Screen: Visionary Arts Organization Announces New Name and Inaugural Theatrical Season

Earlier this year, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Cardinal Stage, and Pigasus Institute announced plans for a three-way merger to create a new organization with an innovative blend of theater and film production, arts education, and new work development. Debuting its new name, identity and Cook Group-supported fundraising campaign, Constellation Stage & Screen, will officially begin operations on July 1, 2022

​Bloomington’s newest arts organization, Constellation Stage & Screen, announced its new name, identity, and first theatrical season at The Big Bang, a celebration that took place on April 23, 2022 at the Woolery Mill. The new organization also launched the Cook Group-supported Big Bang Campaign, a 5-year fundraising effort to significantly increase annual, sustainable contributed revenue for Constellation’s enhanced operations.
 
In 2021, Constellation Stage & Screen worked with San Francisco-based naming consultant Marc Weidenbaum to cultivate its new identity. Drawing inspiration from the very origin of storytelling, Constellation’s name focuses on connecting audiences to world-class film and theater. With a nod to the Indiana state flag, the name also evokes a sense of state pride, while pulling in a rich sense of grandeur and vast possibilities. The organization's imaginative new logo, created by graphic designers from SideKick Creative, was inspired by star-filled midwest skies and the aurora borealis.
 
In addition to the organization’s exciting new name, Constellation also announced its inaugural theatrical season, consisting of eight shows, including new plays, established and literary classics, a Family Holiday Musical, and Constellation for Kids series.

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Constellation will be kicking off its Mainstage season with its first “page to stage to screen” pipeline project. The Grown-Ups, a new play written by Skylar Fox and Simon Henriques, will be performed at The Hundredth Hill Artist Retreat and Residency September 14 - October 1 as an immersive outdoor experience. Constellation will continue to develop The Grown-Ups beyond its theatrical run into a full-length feature film, to be produced in the coming years and subsequently released globally. 
 
In October, Constellation will reopen the newly-renovated John Waldron Arts Center with Oscar Wilde’s “trivial comedy for serious people, The Importance of Being Earnest. Directed by Artistic Director Kate Galvin, this classic comedy of errors will be on stage October 13 - 30.
 
To celebrate the holidays, Constellation will bring a contemporary Christmas classic to life on stage! Playing December 15 - 31 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Constellation will present Elf the Musical, a recent hit Broadway musical, fun for the whole family. 
 
Ringing in the 2023 calendar year, Constellation presents Broadway’s longest-running comedic thriller: Deathtrap by American novelist and playwright Ira Levin, on stage January 26 - February 12 at the Ted Jones Playhouse. Directed by Chad Rabinovitz, Constellation’s Artistic Director of New Works, Deathtrap is filled with twists and turns in a series of riveting events that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last moment.
 
As a tribute to Indiana’s most beloved sport, Constellation will present American Fast, a riveting sports drama by Kareem Fahmy, on stage March 23 - April 8 at the Ted Jones Playhouse. In this fascinating new play, college basketball superstar, Khady Salama is forced to grapple with her faith, family, and ambitions when March Madness coincides with Ramadan. 
 
Closing out the Mainstage season is a new musical, The Moon and the Sea, a universal love story, June 8 - 25 at the Waldron Auditorium. Featuring a gorgeous score by Creighton Irons and a book penned by Douglas Lyons (Broadway’s Chicken & Biscuits)–this breathtaking story captures the magic of falling in love and the pain of letting it go.
 
In addition to Constellation’s Mainstage series, the organization will present two shows, specifically geared toward young audiences as part of its Constellation for Kids series. In the fall, Constellation presents a new adaptation of the beloved children’s classic Anne of Green Gables. Families will fall back in love with Anne Shirley in Catherine Bush’s version of this timeless story, on stage November 10 - 27 at the Waldron Auditorium.
 
This spring, Constellation will be bringing a popular Mo Willems book to life on stage with Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus The Musical. On stage April 28 - May 14 at the Waldron Auditorium, this spirited musical production is guaranteed to get everyone’s wings flapping. 
 
Inaugural season ticket packages, including flex passes, subscriptions, and family-friendly packages for both children and adults, will go on sale in May. Package holders will save on single tickets, while receiving priority access seating, free ticket exchanges, and more. Pricing and more information will be announced within the next month. Single tickets for Constellation’s inaugural season will go on sale starting in August.
 
Alongside Constellation’s theatrical and film programming, the organization has made a strong commitment to theater and film arts education. Throughout the year, Constellation Stage & Screen will offer cross-disciplinary classes, workshops, and hands-on training experiences for all ages. Registration for summer camps, running June 6 - July 22 for students ages 5 - 17, is open now. This summer’s offerings include full-day week long camps in theater, musical theater, and film. For more information and to register visit thebaft.org.
 
To build the robust, comprehensive, professional performing arts organization that Bloomington has long deserved, Constellation recently announced its 5-year Big Bang Campaign to increase its service capacity and broaden and diversify its audience, while setting a new standard for arts philanthropy in the region. 
 
Constellation announced that Cook Group has pledged a principal commitment of $300,000/year in unrestricted operating support. Additionally, Cook has issued a challenge to the South Central region to grow and broaden a sustainable base of renewable support by matching all new and renewable annual gifts up to an additional $150,000/year. The Big Bang Campaign will commence in 2022, ushering in a new era of arts philanthropy in Bloomington, with the ultimate goal of securing $250,000 in new, sustainable annual giving by 2027.
 
Constellation Stage & Screen’s operations will officially begin on July 1, 2022. The organization will be led by Co-Artistic Directors Kate Galvin and Chad Rabinovitz and Managing Director Gabe Gloden, with John Armstrong heading up the organization’s fundraising initiative. Constellation will retain all the full-time staff of the three founding organizations and has already begun adding to its team with new employees in administration, theatrical production, and filmmaking. Additional information, including Constellation’s website, box office hours, fall educational programs, and 2022-23 special events will be announced soon.