By John Cinnamon
Fishers’ recent growth isn’t limited to the new construction on Municipal Drive. The Fishers arts community is growing, as well, with the addition of the Nickel Plate Players. Founded by Fishers residents Sandy Thorne and her husband, Ashton Wolf, the Nickel Plate Players made their Fishers debut this summer with a production of the musical, Beehive, at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater.
“The response was phenomenal,” said Thorne, of the one-time performance which drew a standing ovation from the more than 1,000 people in attendance. It also drew rave reviews from Tony Elliot, Director of Parks and Recreation for Fishers, who said it was an “incredible show and an even bigger impact on the big picture of Amphitheater events. I’m excited for what’s next.”
The Players’ first production as a group wasn’t actually in Fishers, however. “Last year, we produced an original musical Ashton and I wrote called Ten Pin Alli,” said Thorne. “There was no place in Fishers to produce it so we ended up (at Carmel Community Players).” The group was not then known as the Nickel Plate Players. That would come later. After the Carmel production, Thorne and Wolf approached the Fishers Arts Council looking for a local home for their theatrical productions. That led to a meeting with the Fishers Department of Parks and Recreation that offered the Amphitheater as a home – and the Nickel Plate District as a name – for the Nickel Plate Players. “We felt that there was a hole in the area of theater arts in Fishers and we were intent on turning that around,” said Thorne.
What is next for the Nickel Plate Players? First of all, six more performances of Beehive in October; this time at the Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy at 10029 E. 126th St. Tickets are available online at www.NickelPlatePlayers.com. Looking ahead to next year, Thorne said the Players already have a commitment from sponsors to present three shows at the Amphitheater. She said that although the Amphitheater is more conducive to musical theater, they would consider future productions of Shakespeare. “There are other cities that have ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ programs that do well,” said Thorne, “and we could use a similar model to attract an audience.”
