Ron Spencer remembers playing an old man — when he was 6 years old — in a play called “Rheumatism.” That led to other grade-school roles, including a Jesus character named Billy in “The Little Blue Angel.”

In middle school, while accompanying a pal to an audition, Spencer landed the title role in “Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates” at the Indianapolis Civic Theater. But it wasn’t until after high school that the Indiana native became immersed in local theater.

In 1988, Spencer founded Theatre on the Square in the Fountain Square neighborhood. But in 1993, he moved the theater closer to the city’s center on Massachusetts Avenue, where it has been ever since.

Through it all, Spencer, now 62, has continued to push the limits of theater in Indianapolis.

Among TOTS’ distinctive achievements is a 2001 production of Terrence McNally’s “Corpus Christi,” which drew local protests and national attention, and a “film noir” series that included adaptations of “The Bad Seed,” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” and “Mildred Pierce,” with Spencer playing the roles made famous by Ann Blyth and Bette Davis.

How do you view Theatre on the Square’s progress in its two locations?

The types of shows I’ve always been interested in doing were never mainstream or mass appeal-type offerings. . . . I have this crazy notion that art is about vision, and in order for vision to be relevant, it needs to be of the time it’s happening in or a vision of the future.

At first, we were slightly more mainstream than we are now. Over the years, we’ve transitioned into a theater that produces only world or Midwestern premieres.

I don’t want to simply maintain — I want to evolve, always; art should be leading. (But) I’ve never been so indulgent that I didn’t realize the necessity of paying bills and maintaining your facility.

Don’t be deceived (though) that just because you’re seeing something you consider frivolous, banal or silly that there isn’t a message attached. I always look for a life-affirming message.

Have you responded to public demand as well as following your artistic vision?

Yes, and I’ve done it by giving them (audiences) something unique. It became a trademark for a time to do our “film noir” shows. But I may have retired my dress and wig. It has its time, and then its time is past.

What contributions to local theater from TOTS are you most proud of?

What I’m most proud of is that we’re maintaining our difference. We became “the gay theater” after “Corpus Christi,” but we might do one or two gay plays a year.

We never had an empty seat at “Corpus Christi,” but at a City-County Council meeting, one man wanted this theater removed (from the list of arts-grant recipients) based on the fact we had done “Corpus Christi.”

In all the interviews I did, the media would say, “This play is about Jesus being gay, right?” and I would say, “No, it’s not about Jesus being gay. It’s what-if: What if a young man today who had Jesus’ spiritual beliefs and gifts and was purely about love emerged in Corpus Christi, Texas?” But they left that out.

So, it backfired. We’d seek sponsorships and people would say: “You’re the theater that did the play about Jesus being gay, aren’t you? No, we can’t go there.”

(But) we’ve recovered. We’ve been able to own our own building for five or six years; we’re very fortunate.

You’ve increased your involvement with IndyFringe. Why?

We’ve been with Fringe for all five years; the last two years Fringe shows have used both of our stages.

We had some successful Fringe shows here, so I wrote “America’s Next Top Bottom” (which will be performed this year). Then, I’m in “Mr. Charles, Currently of Palm Beach,” by Paul Rudnick. Playing Mr. Charles, who has to leave New York because he’s “too gay,” is a difficult thing for me. . . . It’s quite a challenge to find the Mr. Charles in me and let him out. I suppressed him for decades.

Is being onstage your first love?

People say to me, “When you are happiest, you are onstage.” I’ve managed to eke out a living in theater, but it isn’t always about me — this isn’t the Ron Spencer Playhouse. The seasons have to fill a need and have to fit together, and sometimes there’s nothing in that season for me.