If you haven't been to the Irving on acoustic night, you're really missing out. Mark Proctor was there for the local community even during COVID thanks to Dale! It truly is gorgeous there and in the winter open stage is going on inside so it's nice and warm. This gem have some other interesting nights like Rocky horror picture show as well as I heard one time Michael Anthony Hall came, and while they played the movie, he would give his stories about his times in the brat pack. My favorite player at the acoustic night is Mansuper! read more

Irving Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I saw an event onYelp's things to do about a performance that was designed after WW2 USO shows It was held in the Irving theatre First the theatre, an historic landmark. It has been completely gutted. Even the ceiling studs are apparent. They have put up clever lighting but it is quite evident the theatre is going through transition. Some old theatre chairs, some church pews, some folding chairs. ( Not for the faint of heart) Upon entering we were greeted my a gentleman in full Army field attire. As I look back he reminded me of a character from MASH, Radar. The show was made up of two very talented singer/dancers. They changed costumes throughout the performance, added historic dialogue and were very entertaining They recognized past Military in the audience with a handshake and a hug They sang songs and acted out various areas of the country representing the whole nation They included the Viet Nam war and had a radio which played news clips of that era. They of course, welcomed all Viet Nam Vets home They ended the presentation with "Proud to be an American". I saw many wipe their eyes As I understand it, they are a fundraising group, supporting entertainment for all branches of the military They play all over the country and recently preformed for "D-Day" in Normandy It was very entertaining and insightful. Glad we went read more

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Historic theater. Reminded me of old school warehouse bars. Exposed brick, exposed beams, church pew and folding chair seating. Fun vibe packing a lot of character into a no frills setting. read more

Irving Theater - Weird science meet n greet - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I have driven by this theatre countless times on my way into Irvington, but never really knew what it was for (or if was even active) till I recently went to a free singer/songwriter showcase show here a few weeks ago. Keep in mind to not have high expectations of the condition or decor of this theatre - it's bare bones basically. I recently came during the winter months and it was freezing inside this theatre. Like, very, very cold as if no heat was turned on. The hot water in the bathroom didn't work either, lol. I know that this theatre is filled with a variety of shows: Rocky Horror Picture Show, live music, and more. The only reason I'm giving them 4 instead of 2/3 stars is because every month they feature 3-4 musicians in their singer/songwriter showcase for FREE, which you can't beat. I'm interested to attend more events here and see how it caters to other types of events. read more

Irving Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This building is being used for ITOWN church services at this time. The set up for the services is great and has wonderful potential; however, I will say I was slightly taken aback by the holes in the walls and stains and areas that looked like mold. I would love to do some DIY in the building to make it something beautiful and more inviting since it's been left alone for a while. There is a stage and a projector screen as well as several seating options once inside. read more

Thursday nights are like Wednesday nights Close but no cigar to the weekend. Where longer days turn into shorter nights, Giving way to the small Oneway street that leads you to the triangle shaped deck with a giant Poplar tree that acts out the role of stage curtain for open mic poetry night. Where countless words are expressed over beats and finger plucks of cherished strings. All under the blush of 24 patio string light bulbs with their soft glow trailing into the silhouette of souls scattered like the last of the Fall Dandelions on the grassy knoll that just don't want to give up on the world yet. Yes.... this is a great place. read more

This old theatre is getting renovated and hosting various events as well. Today it is the location for the "11th Annual Alternative Gift Fair". We have checked out this gift fair in previous years because it is "The Place" to pick out a truly unique gift. I bought a necklace here for my Mom to give her sister in California. She ended up loving it and the little inscription of 'love you to the moon and back'. My wife found these cute little scarves with a zipper pocket for a phone. She got the buy 2 get 1 free deal, 3 gifts at one stop and locally made!!!! They are always hosting something in this space that is worth a look so come in and check it out! read more

Irving Theater - It's really a big space! - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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I've been to the Irving Theater a handful of times over recent years including tonight's show before a solid crowd for the Blue Monkey Sideshow, a show that is actually perfectly suited to an older facility like the Irving. The Irving Theater first opened in 1913 as a 535-seat moviehouse in a Spanish style with an Oriental motif. Strangely enough, it was actually called The Irving Theater in the very beginning. At some point, the Walker family bought it and did a modest renovation including slightly expanding seating and adding some tech improvements. In 1969, the Walker family sold it and it became the Festival Theatre, an adult movie theater and ran that way for about 10 years. In the early 80's, it became the Zenon I Theatre and offered second-run films and occasional live shows. In 1987, it again became the Irving Theater and actually had some success as an arthouse/foreign film theater but closed again in 1994. It laid dormant for quite a while until finally sold in 2007, operating over recent years as a sort of urban entertainment complex that hosts everything from concerts to comedy to festivals and much more. The glory days of the theater are gone, but among the city's older theaters that we always talk about saving it seems to be the one that has had the greatest success. If you require a lot of the usual creature comforts and luxury, then the Irving is now a joint for you. While parking in Irvington is always a bit of a hassle, and there's definitely less of a village vibe here than in Fountain Square, you can typically find either street parking or nearby parking lots. I'm in a wheelchair and I've never had trouble finding acceptable parking, though actual "accessible" parking can be a bit tricky. The front entrance to the Irving is accessible, though going into the actual theater involves a modest incline. My wheelchair also fits through if only one of the theater's sets of doors is open - this is modestly unusual in older theaters as the doorways were historically narrow. As has been noted, seating is kind of odd, but actually quite wheelchair friendly including church pews near the back and folding chairs and/or other chair arrangements toward the front. The Irving advertises a seating capacity of 600 (400 banquet style), though I'll confess I have a bit of trouble imagining 600 people in the space. My guess is that there were a couple hundred for tonight's show and that's about the most packed I've seen the place. However, it's hosting more and more B-list comedy acts and recent shows have definitely attracted bigger crowds. Over the past few years, I also have to say that the owners are clearly improving the place slowly but surely. The audio systems are massively improved over even 5 years ago, while the interior decor has gone from looking like a gutted out theater to more of an industrial feeling. Personally? I love it. If you're a performer, the stage is pretty old school with a pretty deep pit. They do offer green rooms. However, I will note that the stage itself is actually not wheelchair friendly. At all. I'm not sure about the restrooms as I've never used them at the Irving. At tonight's show, they had vendors selling Blue Monkey gear and Flat 12 was there selling beer. Both areas were easily wheelchair friendly. The Irving is also near to a bookstore, a coffeehouse, Black Acre Brewing, Jockamo's and a few other dining options. While a 4-star rating might be a little generous, I give kudos for keeping the ole' spot going and for recent improvements. The staff members are always friendly and it offers a great place for lower-budgeted shows to perform in an actual theater. So, yeah, the Irving has a special place in Indy history and in my heart. read more

What a neat venue! I was invited to a show a little over a year ago, but never made it. I'm SO glad someone took the time to put together an all-ages show so I would be drawn in again. I took my daughters (7 & 15) to see Echomaker, The Breakdown Kings and Kansas City Bible Company (thanks Elvis!). The bands were fun, the sound was great and the dance floor was massive. The seating is ample; and consists of repurposed church pews. They offered Sun King (keg) and soft drinks/water and had a 'picnic' area set up in the back so that you can order from Jockamo's Pizza, Roscoe's Tacos & other local favorites. A friend of mine is having a 'spoken word' battle there tonight and I'm really looking forward to it. I hope that other bands jump on board so that I can continue to share local talent with my kids. read more

You can usually find interesting tidbits about the history of this old theater online: movie house, porn house, vacant, haunted. This latest incarnation, as an art space/concert venue/movie theater seems to be working pretty well. Rocky Horror Picture Show plays fairly regularly at midnight, and on occasion other movies too. Mostly though, this is a place to go to a concert. We went to see Elephant Revival and The New Old Cavalry here. The shows are all ages, no alcohol and no smokes inside. There is a large area for dancing in front of the stage/movie screen. It was somewhat over-run with light up hulahoops the night we went, which was neat for about 5 minutes but then it got annoying. Getting hit in the face by an errant hoop is no ones idea of a good time. Behind the dancing area are old church pews, a few tables, and of course the movie theater seats. Most of the seating is moveable, so be careful. There were also painters with easels set up near the stage. Several large pieces of art are suspended from the exposed rafters. I decided one was a chromosome because I'm nerdy that way, and there was also a monkey riding a donkey. Rad. Tickets were only $10 each, and it was a bargain. The sound guy did a tremendous job that night...good enough that we bought CDs from one of the bands. Thoroughly enjoyable show. Hoosier Fat Daddy food bus was parked outside, and we enjoyed some tasty fries and a couple sodas out on the curb between sets. Only real negative was that the restroom was out of toilet paper AND paper towels both times I went in there. No prob. They're "hidden" behind the piano. read more

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I preface this by saying that I am sure the Irving Theater has a purpose for certain shows/events. I could see it being good for Rocky Horror or a local punk band's CD release party (if those even exist anymore). This past Saturday night, I saw the comedian Gallagher there. Once the lights were out, it wasn't bad. With the lights out, you couldn't notice the roof trusses that looked like they were going to collapse. The Men's room has one urinal and one bowl, but no actual stall. If someone had to use the bowl, there would zero way to do it in this building. I have read some reviews about renovations forthcoming. Both comedians mentioned that a fire would be a good thing to happen to the building. Again, nothing fancy or showy and I guess you don't really go to the Irving for fancy or showy. read more

Oh my.. what to say about the Irving Theatre. It's certainly seen better days with its makeshift seating, scaffolding to house the lighting guys, and rudimentary look, but it's kind of a cool little place. The show: Rocky Horror. Before Halloween. At Midnight. Did the place really have a chance to begin with? Probably not. The place was at (or above) capacity and we were seated on the floor. Awesome seats, but at times the "interactive" became a bit too much as we were literally "on stage" for the show. Go: If you're into the most basic of theaters. Don't go if you want seats. read more

Great sounding room! Good music venue. I've seen many great shows here! And I've played it a few times. I definitely would recommend the Songwriters Circle that happens once a month. Great talent! read more

The Irving is truly a home to the local arts community and a burgeoning new music scene. The management's willingness to work with new artists is hard to find and it leads to some truly unique shows. Most of the acts coming through the venue have never played an Indy stage before and the owner does a lot to make them feel at home. Show goers have an amazing time and across the dozens of shows I've been to at the venue, I've heard very few complaints. Whether it's Transylvanian Lip Treatment's monthly Rocky Horror night or any of the numerous touring acts, people enjoy themselves here off-stage and on. read more

A cool theater with a nice rustic feel that takes you back 50 plus years. Great acoustics that give you the small town community theater feel. The exposed pipes and beams give it that industrial look. Great little venue. read more

Since it was Halloween it only seemed appropriate to check out the midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. My friends and I were super excited. It was something that we had always wanted to do, but nothing could prepare us for our first midnight showing. Seriously, nothing. I'm glad I called the venue because doors opened at 10:30 and not 11 as the FB invite noted. There was a small line to get in, but the wait wasn't too terribly long. Free parking was across the street at Walgreens. Once I got inside I paid my 10 bucks (they do accept credit cards) and 4 bucks for a prop bag which included rice (wedding scene), newspaper (rain scene), toast (birthday scene), etc. Pretty cool concept. The staff was pretty nice. They were all in costume and were super friendly. The set up was traditional with an unusual mix of folding chair and, um, pews. There was a screen. It seemed so tiny. We wondered how we were going to be able to see a thing. The event finally started at Midnight! I think I actually squealed with excitement. Now, we anticipated some of your standard Halloween/Rocky Horror debauchery, but we saw a lot of boobs with pasties and butt cheeks. It was a little overwhelming after an hour. There was a costume contest that resulted in groping Bettlejuice. After 30 minutes, It was just too much. Can we please start the movie? Finally, around 12:30 the movie began. The screen actually wasn't that bad. At this show, crowd participation is a must. Silly me, I thought it was more of a sing-a-long kind of a thing. I didn't realize that when key words or line are stated in the movie then the audience calls out a response. Some of the responses were hilarious while others were so random and odd. One included Donald Trump. Well, allrighty then. I love the moments we could use the props. Throwing things and being rained on. It was pretty awesome! The rain scene was by far my favorite. There are also people acting out scenes, which was pretty hilarious. All and all this is an event I encourage fans of this cult classic movie to attend at least once. I believe the midnight showing is held monthly. It's a bit overwhelming and you will see and hear things you can't unsee or unhear, but it is all in good fun. I DO NOT recommend this for children under 17. It's way too much. The group in front of us with teenagers walked out because it was just too much. The Irving Theater is definitely an interesting place with a lot of character. I would definitely check out other events there. read more

Irving Theater - Happy Halloween! - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This space is so fun! I'd highly recommend it to host an event for you. It's nostalgic and no need to decorate! The family that runs it is wonderfully flexible and let things stay super casual. It's an ideal space for vintage movies. We had a party here a month back and our guests raved about the space. Plus it was very affordable. read more

Irving Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

We went to The Irving to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween Eve and what a great time. It was definitely a DIY affair: pews and fold-out chairs for seats, card tables were for concessions and a giant screen for the movie. And we wouldn't have had it any other way. But the crowd was amazing and everyone was into the spirit of the night (which isn't surprising now is it?). The venue is right next to the Lazy Day Cafe, a little coffee joint I've heard much about and the the theater and the surrounding eclectic shops seem to form a little nieghborhood-y weirdness. Just the kind of thing you'd like when you're looking for an evening that's not at some chain bar establishment. read more

I went to see Repo the genetic opera last night. I have never been so disappointed in a venue/show.. This was a mockery of the original. They literally made it an entire joke. First off they posted the doors open at 11, we weren't allowed in till 11:30 at best. The show was scheduled to start at midnight and it wasn't until 12:30am at the earliest that they started humiliating the show goers that had never been before, similar to Rocky horror.. During our wait a large half dressed woman sat on my 15 year old daughters lap and pressed her breasts in her face and groped my sister.. Irritating and very uncomfortable, but we stayed for that.. Then they finally officially started the show and I was appalled... They literally played the movie on a small screen via projector, and lip synched.. Sort of... To the words, word for word.. They acted out the scene kind of, changing things and poorly executing them. I bought each of us a soda in a can and my sister and my daughter a snack, spent 7 dollars on that and the soda was room temperature.. Not even chilled in a cooler of ice.. I've never been so disappointed in something I was looking forward to in my life, I feel ripped off and I'll never be back.. Sad excuse for a show in our opinion.. And the movie itself was the reason for our desire to see the play, we love the story and movie, this was a mockery, basically sexualizing the story and making fun of it.. read more

Worst concert experience ever! This was one of my favorite performers too - Carrie Newcomer - with other talented musicians that they guilted into performing there for a worthwhile benefit. I would have paid many times over to go to a venue where that was clean, safe and had a sound system conducive to a musical concert. The sound system made even these talented musicians sound tinny and garbled. The seating was the worst, with wooden church pews and metal folding chairs all jammed in such a way that I am sure is a violation of fire marshall regulations. The ceiling looked as though it might cave in at any time and everything was filthy. Never again!! read more

I went for a friend's Halloween musical and started to get worried on the way there while reading some of very few reviews. BUT they have seats now! We sat in the back on the church like pews, but everyone had seats all the way to the stage. We bought tickets online for this show. Parking was hard to find as there was also Ghost tours going on the same night. After our 4th time around we ended up at the dollar store parking lot. We didn't see signs that said we couldn't park there. Next time we will try to go earlier since I wouldn't count on not getting a ticket, but it was raining and their was street construction and were late for the show. I like that we supported a friend and local theater. I think it's great that The Irving is there for the local Indy arts scene. read more

One of the best event spaces in town! Love the atmosphere. Love the diversity in event offerings. And the owner is pretty awesome too. So many awesome stories, just ask! read more

Irving theater totes puts off a rustic artsy vibe. Very cool venue that I feel has a lot of potential for a variety of different kinds of events. I know they have an acoustic open mic night, game nights, there's a fresh wednesday market coming up..etc. I could go on and on. Anyway, definitely go check it out sometime! Worth it! read more

This place is a complete waste. Please please please let someone buy it who has the capital to do what is necessary. It is a shame that it is lef5 to rot by the current ownership. This theater is a blight on the neighborhood but it doesn't need to be. Please put this up for sale and let someone buy it who will do the right thing!!! read more

I have only been here once, in October a few years back to see Charles Band (Director, Writer, Producer of fine films like Evil Bong, Puppet Masters, GHOULIES!) speak about his career, etc. It is a small (I would say cozy) little, old school theater. If I am remembering correctly, exposed rafters, some exposed brick, etc. A place I would gladly go back to see a show (if I hadn't moved out of state). Street parking in the Irvington area (just around the corner from Lazy Daze Cafe). read more

It's a really cool venue, no doubt. I love the off beat shows that are at this theater. The light fixture made from what looks like old newspaper is awesome. I wish there were slightly more comfortable seating options besides church pews and folding chairs, but I'm guessing upgrades would take away from some of the authenticity of the theater. read more

very cool theater that supports a lot of local events. they are particularly active for halloween and the holidays and offer a lot of cool and many free events. read more

Irving Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Absolutely the WORST theater experience we've ever had. First off, the show we attended was way oversold. The place was so crowded with people, hardly anyone could move and none of us could even see the stage over all of the heads in front of us. There was almost no seating for anyone in attendance... only people who bought tickets first and shelled out extra money got seats at the few tables on the floor. The standard tickets we purchased were NOT cheap, so we figured we'd have a seat somewhere in the place, even if it was somewhere in the back of the theater. My husband has major medical problems with his back, so we asked the staff if he could use one of the extra chairs hanging on a rack in plain sight. The staff members said no and didn't give a reason. What a way to treat your paying customers! We later discovered that there were hard, uncomfortable benches along the wall for those who wanted to listen to the show but not see a single thing on stage. Speaking of which, the sound system in this theater is SO atrocious, we couldn't understand what anyone on stage was saying. It was VERY loud at times (so loud I had to dig out my earplugs, and this was a COMEDY show, not a music show), but so muffled that the performers' words were impossible to make out. There was extremely loud and startling feedback coming from the microphone throughout the performance. To make it all worse, the audience was the worst-behaving audience I have ever witnessed. An incredible amount of people were so drunk they could have been charged with public intoxication. Many people were shouting obscenities and stupid jokes at the stage, making it even harder to understand what was going on with the performance. We were unfortunately stuck standing near the bar, where the staff members were yelling loud enough to block out what little we could hear from the stage. And while this is normally not something that bothers me, the theater itself has not been maintained well. Some of the walls looked like they were falling apart and were likely ridden with mold. I am shocked that this theater has received the decent ratings and reviews it has. We were so miserable, we left the theater after 15 minutes and went to Jockamos, where the friendly staff saved our night. I wanted to ask for a refund, but I had no hope of receiving one after witnessing the way the Irving Theater's staff treats its customers. We will absolutely NEVER go back to this venue, no matter who is performing. read more