They Call Me Genêt by Playwright D.Paul Thomas, starring Jen Johansen
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“They Call Me Genêt”
A Tribute to Janet Flanner and her “Letter from Paris” written for The New Yorker.
Performance Dates:
July 16-19 & July 23-26, 2026
Step into the smoky salons and Left Bank cafés of 1920s Paris.
Celebrate one of the Midwest’s most extraordinary women
Janet Flanner, aka “Genêt,” the legendary Paris correspondent for The New Yorker.
For over fifty years, Flanner's sharp, poetic dispatches captured the heartbeat of Paris — its revolutions, romances, artists, and exiles. From Hemingway and Picasso to Gertrude Stein and Cocteau, Flanner observed and chronicled the rise of modernism from her perch in the city’s intellectual epicenter.
Written and directed by D. Paul Thomas, and starring Jen Johansen,“THEY CALL ME GENET” offers a front-row seat to Flanner’s remarkable life between the wars — and beyond. This intimate one-woman show is as rich and layered as the city she adored.
Step into Janet Flanner’s world.
"In Paris, the most interesting stories were often told before the evening truly began.” Janet Flanner
A VIP ticket brings you into the Genêt Salon, open 60 minutes before showtime: enjoy a complimentary drink, a pre-show gathering and conversation inspired by the cafés and salons of Paris and priority Mainstage seating.
Janet Flanner's Indiana origins are rarely part of the public story.
Recognizing Flanner in Indianapolis is not simply an act of local pride. It is an opportunity to acknowledge that one of the most cosmopolitan and influential voices in American cultural journalism began her journey in this city.
The new stage work “They Call Me Genêt” offers Indianapolis the chance to reconnect with that remarkable legacy and to celebrate a writer whose words helped Americans understand the wider world.
Among these writers, Janet Flanner stands out for the international reach and longevity of her work.
Janet Flanner – Indianapolis, Indiana
Flanner left Indianapolis in the 1920s and moved to Paris, where she began writing for The New Yorker under the name “Genêt.” For more than five decades she reported on European politics, art, and society. Her work introduced American readers to modernist artists, writers, and cultural movements. Few journalists maintained such influence for so long.
Ernie Pyle – Dana, Indiana
Pyle became one of America’s most beloved World War II correspondents. His reporting focused not on generals or strategy but on the everyday lives of soldiers, bringing humanity and immediacy to war journalism.
Gwendolyn Brooks – Chicago, Illinois
Pulitzer Prize–winning poet whose work captured the experiences of Black Americans in urban life. Brooks helped elevate Midwestern voices in American literature and cultural commentary.
Studs Terkel – Chicago, Illinois
Journalist and oral historian who recorded the voices of everyday Americans in books such as 'Working.' His work demonstrated that cultural history could be told through ordinary lives.
James Thurber – Columbus, Ohio
Writer and cartoonist whose essays for The New Yorker became classics of American humor and social observation.
Kurt Vonnegut – Indianapolis, Indiana
Novelist and essayist whose satirical voice captured the anxieties and contradictions of modern American life.
A Tribute to Janet Flanner and her “Letter from Paris” written for The New Yorker.
Performance Dates:
July 16-19 & July 23-26, 2026
Step into the smoky salons and Left Bank cafés of 1920s Paris.
Celebrate one of the Midwest’s most extraordinary women
Janet Flanner, aka “Genêt,” the legendary Paris correspondent for The New Yorker.
For over fifty years, Flanner's sharp, poetic dispatches captured the heartbeat of Paris — its revolutions, romances, artists, and exiles. From Hemingway and Picasso to Gertrude Stein and Cocteau, Flanner observed and chronicled the rise of modernism from her perch in the city’s intellectual epicenter.
Written and directed by D. Paul Thomas, and starring Jen Johansen,“THEY CALL ME GENET” offers a front-row seat to Flanner’s remarkable life between the wars — and beyond. This intimate one-woman show is as rich and layered as the city she adored.
Step into Janet Flanner’s world.
"In Paris, the most interesting stories were often told before the evening truly began.” Janet Flanner
A VIP ticket brings you into the Genêt Salon, open 60 minutes before showtime: enjoy a complimentary drink, a pre-show gathering and conversation inspired by the cafés and salons of Paris and priority Mainstage seating.
Janet Flanner's Indiana origins are rarely part of the public story.
Recognizing Flanner in Indianapolis is not simply an act of local pride. It is an opportunity to acknowledge that one of the most cosmopolitan and influential voices in American cultural journalism began her journey in this city.
The new stage work “They Call Me Genêt” offers Indianapolis the chance to reconnect with that remarkable legacy and to celebrate a writer whose words helped Americans understand the wider world.
Among these writers, Janet Flanner stands out for the international reach and longevity of her work.
Janet Flanner – Indianapolis, Indiana
Flanner left Indianapolis in the 1920s and moved to Paris, where she began writing for The New Yorker under the name “Genêt.” For more than five decades she reported on European politics, art, and society. Her work introduced American readers to modernist artists, writers, and cultural movements. Few journalists maintained such influence for so long.
Ernie Pyle – Dana, Indiana
Pyle became one of America’s most beloved World War II correspondents. His reporting focused not on generals or strategy but on the everyday lives of soldiers, bringing humanity and immediacy to war journalism.
Gwendolyn Brooks – Chicago, Illinois
Pulitzer Prize–winning poet whose work captured the experiences of Black Americans in urban life. Brooks helped elevate Midwestern voices in American literature and cultural commentary.
Studs Terkel – Chicago, Illinois
Journalist and oral historian who recorded the voices of everyday Americans in books such as 'Working.' His work demonstrated that cultural history could be told through ordinary lives.
James Thurber – Columbus, Ohio
Writer and cartoonist whose essays for The New Yorker became classics of American humor and social observation.
Kurt Vonnegut – Indianapolis, Indiana
Novelist and essayist whose satirical voice captured the anxieties and contradictions of modern American life.
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Where is it happening?
627 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN, United States, Indiana 46204
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherThe District Theatre
