STATE OF PLAY ROOTS’ SCHOOL OF THEATRE WELCOMES ALL AGES Writer / Trisha Turner Photography Provided
Even as high school sweethearts at Lawrence Central in Indianapolis, Brad and Mindy Root knew they wanted to pursue acting. They did so together, studying the craft at Ball State University and then heading to New York City to work toward their dream. But along the way, they developed another goal together. One day, they decided, they would focus their work on teaching children about theater. That one day came sooner than expected. The couple now owns a theater school for children. Roots’ School of Theatre draws nearly 150 students from Fishers and surrounding areas to learn everything from acting to improv to piano.
“We’ve been really blessed to have the Fishers community to work in,” Mindy says. “Everyone is really supportive.” After graduating from Ball State - Mindy in 2012 and Brad in 2013 - the Roots began careers in New York. They came back to Indianapolis each summer to lead an acting class at Mud Creek Theater, which inspired them to expand their focus on teaching theater to children - a plan they thought they’d pursue well into the future. The couple returned to Indiana in 2016, when Mindy began her master’s degree work. Then a mutual friend introduced them to Michele Shetter, who was looking for someone to buy Michele’s Studio Theater House. With their passion for teaching theater to children in mind, the Roots took the plunge and bought the studio. “It seemed like the right move,” Brad says. 10 / FISHERS MAGAZINE / NOVEMBER 2020 / atFishers.com
“We didn’t think an opportunity like this would come up again.” Roots’ School of Theatre opened in August 2017 near 116th and Lantern Road in Fishers, where Shetter’s business had been. The couple liked the small studio but thought they might eventually outgrow the space. They needed a larger facility within one year and moved to their current
