Theatre Major Merlin Bell ‘15, now Managing Director of The Fonseca Theatre Company in Indianapolis, says “representation matters in life and it also matters on stage.”
Located in a working-class neighborhood on the city’s west side, the theatre exists to give voice to and celebrate the minority communities of Indianapolis through the prism of purposeful theater and civic engagement. The goal is to bring about social justice through programs that educate, illuminate, and ignite conversations on equity, diversity, and inclusion. “To be able to serve the Black and brown, the Latinx, and the many different faces and colors here in the community, it’s definitely rewarding,” Bell said.
Following numerous theatrical roles at Denison such as Francis Flute/Thisby in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Abendigo/Ben in The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God, Bell went on to do an MA in theatre practice at Fontbonne University (St. Louis, MO) and held positions with St. Louis Story Stitchers and the Missouri History Museum. He even taught in Beijing before taking the position as Managing Director at the Fonseca Theatre.
