Shelterbelt to Hold Auditions & Staged Reading

SHELTERBELT TO HOLD AUDITIONS FOR REVELATION BY SAMUEL BRETT WILLIAMS

Shelterbelt Theatre will hold auditions for the apocalyptic comedy, Revelation, by Samuel Brett Willams on July 12 and 13 at 7pm at the theatre, 3225 California Street. Roles are available for 1 man and 1 woman in their 20-30s and 1 man and 1 woman of any age who play multiple characters. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. The show is directed by Beth Thompson and runs October 7-30. Rehearsals will begin around August 22. For more information: www.shelterbelt.org. To read the script or for questions: artistic@shelterbelt.org

SHELTERBELT THEATRE PRESENTS BEFORE THE BOARDS: THE WINGS BY BEN BECK

Shelterbelt Theatre is pleased to announce their upcoming Before the Boards reading of The Wings by Ben Beck, directed by Susan Baer Collins on Monday, July 18 at 7pm at the theatre, 3225 California St. Tickets are $5, which includes a free beverage. Reservations (recommended) may be made at the theatre’s website: http://www.shelterbelt.org – click Box Office or email boxoffice@shelterbelt.org.

The cast features: Thomas Becker, Jonathan Purcell, Leanne Hill Carlson, Steve Hartman, Liz Kendall Weisser, Jerry Longe, Megan Friend, Delaney Driscoll and Greg Harries.

The stage may be dark, but the stories are never over… The Wings takes the audience backstage to witness the lives and relationships that exist behind the curtain.

“I love how Ben’s play, The Wings, borrows its structure from Schnitzler’s classic play La Ronde, in which characters move from one two-person scene to the next until all the characters are revealed. He’s put a contemporary swing on this classic, circular structure for his examination of human relationships in the theatre,” said director Susan Baer Collins. “It feels like a piece of music to me: a combination of classical and jazz forms, sort of a “Theatre Fugue in Key Minor.” As a result, this reading hopes to honor Ben’s work, and illustrate this circular “musical chairs” game that one plays in the process of a theatrical life.”

Beck has been writing for the stage for several years. He received an Omaha Entertainment Award for Best Premiere of a New Original Script for his play, Crash! Boom! Pow!. He earned a Theatre Arts Guild Award for Best One Act for his play, Chekhov’s Gun, which was part of Shelterbelt’s Shelterskelter series. He has written for Witching Hour pro-ductions, the Stir series with First Christian Church, and the Douglas County Historical Society. Also a performer, Ben most recently appeared in Frost/Nixon at Blue Barn Theatre, Where Madness Lies for Walk the Night Productions, and I Hate Hamlet at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

Collins, who also happens to be the playwright’s mother, continues, “Ben and I haven’t done a project together since he was 22, and we’re having a great time. Plus, I’m thrilled to work with this truly stellar group of actors who all said yes when we asked! What could be better than that?”

As Omaha’s home for new plays, Shelterbelt is pleased to give the audience a chance to be a part of the page to stage experience: hear the reading of a new play, participate in a talkback with the playwright and give written feedback – all providing invaluable information to a playwright creating a new play.

Shelterbelt Theatre is Omaha’s home for new plays.

Blue Barn Announces Auditions for Season Opener

BLUEBARN Theatre Announces Auditions for Season 28 Opener:  The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

The BLUEBARN Theatre is pleased to announce open auditions for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht. Auditions will be held on Saturday, July 2nd from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Saturday, July 9th from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Auditions will be held at the BLUEBARN located at 1106 S. 10th St. (10th & Pacific Streets.)

Performances for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui run September 22 – October 16, 2016 with rehearsals scheduled to begin August 2016.

Company members needed: 12 male, age 17 to 70; 3 female, age 25 to 45. Please wear appropriate attire for movement. The role of Aurturo Ui has been cast.

About The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

Described by Brecht as ‘a gangster play that would recall certain events familiar to us all, Arturo Ui is a witty and savage satire of the rise of Hitler – recast by Brecht into a fictional, small-time Chicago gangster’s takeover of the city’s green grocery trade in the 1930s. The satirical allegory combines Brecht’s Epic style of theatre with black comedy and overt moralism. Using a wide range of parody and spoof – from Al Capone to Shakespeare’s

Richard III and Goethe’s Faust- Brecht’s compelling parable continues to have relevance wherever totalitarianism appears today.

About the Blue Barn Theatre

The BLUEBARN Theatre has been bringing professionally-produced plays to area audiences since 1989. Since its inception, BLUEBARN has produced over 100 plays and has established itself as Omaha’s professional contemporary theatre company. Striving to bring artistically significant scripts and professional production values to Omaha and the surrounding region, BLUEBARN is known for high-quality entertainment and the fearless pursuit of stories that challenge both theatre artists and patrons.

Two Plays & a Place to Stay: Macon, MO & Phillips Place Bed and Breakfast

Summer has arrived which means it was time to answer the call of the road once more.

This time my journeys took me to the small town of Macon, MO where I would be reviewing a pair of shows for the Maples Repertory Theatre and staying at Phillips Place Bed & Breakfast.  And, no, to those of you who may be remembering my misadventures in Arlington, TX, I had no difficulty finding the theatre.  Everything I needed was within walking distance.

I enjoyed a rather pleasant drive through Missouri.  Traffic was light and the foliage was lush.  I pulled off the road in the little burg of Cameron for a bite of lunch at Wendy’s.  I ate a Spicy Chicken sandwich while Ellery Queen puzzled over the murder of Abigail Doorn in The Dutch Shoe Mystery, my latest novel.  After my lunch I noticed a machine that dispensed lottery tickets at the rest stop and bought tickets for Powerball and Mega Millions.  Then I looked for my change and found that the machine did not dispense change.  I then proceeded to buy 2 Monopoly scratch-offs and a Win It All scratch-off.  I won enough money off one of the Monopoly games to offset my forced expenditures.

About 4pm, I arrived in Macon and easily found my way to Phillips Place, owned and operated by Carol Phillips.  I met Carol’s assistant, Michael, and his feisty dog who led me to me to the Turner Suite, my temporary home.

Phillips Place is a rather large Classical Revival home that only has 2 rooms for rent (Turner and Rubey Suites), but they are large and comfortable.  In fact, I consider the Turner Suite to be the most comfortable room I have enjoyed as my three room suite contained a bedroom with a very soft bed, a spacious bathroom, and a rather quaint sitting room.

After I took a quick turn about the place, I met Carol Phillips who brought me a glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon.  Like myself, she was a big theatre buff and would also be attending the production of Of Mice and Men that I was reviewing.  The next day she and a friend, Chuck Koopmann (also a theatre buff and treasurer of Maples Repertory Theatre) were going to head to the Amana Colonies to watch a performance of Million Dollar Quartet featuring some past Maples Rep performers.

After the tea and talk, I took a constitutional around the neighborhood and downtown area to find the theatre and Immaculate Conception Church where I would be attending worship services the next night.  When I returned to the inn, I met Chuck who invited me to share dinner with himself and Carol.

I enjoyed a fine dinner of BBQ ribs, potatoes, salad, and some green beans.  It was a lovely meal with the conversation equally so as we talked theatre, the history of Maples Rep, and my various adventures in travel and theatre.

Upon dinner’s completion, I spruced myself up for the night’s entertainment.  Maples Repertory Theatre is a well hidden jewel in Missouri.  It attracts theatrical talent from all over the country and they put on one terrific production.  You can read my review of the show here.

On opening night, Maples Rep hosts an event called Afterglow where they serve drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and have a little cabaret production.  I watched a little of the cabaret and had a conversation with Brandon McShaffrey who directed the play.  Then I returned to the inn to write the review and sleep soundly through the night.

The next morning, I had breakfast with Carol and Chuck where I enjoyed biscuits basted with butter and sprinkled with brown sugar with sausage gravy, bacon, cheesy eggs, fried potatoes, milk, and orange juice and another great conversation.  Afterwards I returned to my room to do a little work and grab a quick catnap as my sleep the previous night had been sound, but not long due to my being up late to write.

At noon, I settled my bill with Carol due to her leaving for the Amana colonies and I took another walk around the area.  I stopped at a Rexall’s Drugstore which actually had an old-fashioned soda fountain.  I ordered a vanilla ice cream soda which was delicious and then returned to the inn to get out of the heat.  I spent the afternoon writing up this article and watching Lt. Columbo capturing killers.

In the late afternoon, I got dolled up for church and the show.  I attended evening services at Immaculate Conception Church where the service was said by Father Kevin Gormley, a lovable Irishman, now retired, who subs for priests all over the state.  As he says, now he is truly a “Roaming” Catholic.

Immaculate Conception Church

After worship had ended, I walked a few blocks up the road to the Apple Basket Café for dinner.  It’s a quaint little diner and I was very tempted to indulge in the Saturday night special of a 12 oz ribeye steak.  But, with the show starting in less than an hour, I opted for something that could be prepared and eaten a little more quickly.  I had a turkey club sandwich on sourdough with a side of fries and a cup of chili.  It filled the cavity nicely.

Feeling satiated, I returned to Maples Rep for another fantastic production.  You can read my review for Ring of Fire:  The Music of Johnny Cash here.

During intermission, I met Todd Davison, the artistic director for Maples Rep.  I was quite shocked to learn that I was the first critic in the theatre’s 14 year history.  That morning, Chuck had asked for permission to send my first review to the town’s local newspaper, so I hope my words drum up some business.  This theatre is such a fine little jewel that I may send them an audition for next season.

At the show’s end I returned to Phillips Place where I wrote up the review and conked out for the night.

Breakfast was a more subdued, quiet affair this morning.  Carol had prepared a frittata with cheese, eggs, spinach, and yellow peppers along with milk, orange juice, a lemon puff, and a croissant.  Michael had heated up my meal and I ate a quicker meal than normal for me.

And that wraps up this article.  Macon is truly a nice, friendly little town.  It’s the type of town where everybody knows everybody.  You’ll enter a stranger and leave as a friend.  And I would make it a strong recommendation to visit this little town.  You won’t find a better inn than Phillips Place in terms of comfort and hospitality and you’ll do yourself a favor by taking in a night at Maples Repertory.  I guarantee it.

Ring of Fire is Smokin’ Good

“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

That simple, almost shy, introduction launches a night of foot stomping fun in Ring of Fire:  The Music of Johnny Cash by Richard Maltby, Jr. and William Meade and is currently playing at Maples Repertory Theatre.

This is one of the more challenging reviews I’ve taken up due to the unique nature of the show.  If you’re expecting a story, forget it.  If you’re counting on great characterization, it isn’t happening.  If you’re looking for a lot of fun, there’s plenty of that and then some.  This show is a jukebox musical.  There really isn’t much acting.  There are snippets of information about the life of Johnny Cash sandwiched between numerous musical numbers of the Man in Black as a loose story of sorts.  But this show is a great concert, guaranteed to leave you feeling good when the night is done.

The difficulty in mounting a show of this type is that (aside from the need for great performing chops) it really depends on the staging.  To that end, Marc Liby has done sensational work with slick staging that animates all of the musical numbers and showcases the talents of the show’s five performers.

While the entire ensemble was of top quality, I thought the work of Elliot Lane was particularly impressive.  He did the most acting and was the Johnny Cashiest of the bunch with a dead on vocal mimicry of the singer.  Lane really shone in numbers such as a gutbusting rendition of A Boy Named Sue and Flesh and Blood.  Not only was Lane an ace performer, he also proved himself an incredible instrumentalist as he floated between playing guitar, electric mandolin, and just sizzled on the violin.

Andrea Love does double duty as performer and musical director and earns top marks for both.  Her confident musical direction shows in the cast’s effortless performances and her pure soprano melted my heart with tunes such as I Still Miss Someone and If I Were a Carpenter.

Wyatt McCall was the most physically suitable Johnny Cash with his rich bass voice and powerful build.  McCall was also a very skilled bass player and had a wry sense of humor best utilized in Five Feet High and Rising.  But he could turn on the drama just as easily as he proves in Going to Memphis.

Sean Powell was another top performer of the night.  A talented multi-instrumentalist, Powell easily moved from the standup bass to the guitar and, man alive, does he have a fabulous tenor voice.  I thought Powell had the song of the night with a haunting rendition of Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.

Connor Sullivan rounds out the troupe.  I see the makings of a great comedic actor in Sullivan with his awesome facial expressions and his sense of timing best demonstrated in Delia’s Gone.  He does need to work on his projection a bit as I had trouble hearing him at various points.

Johnny Cash is a true icon of music.  While you may not have any great revelations into the life and character of the Man in Black, you certainly will have a high old time enjoying his legendary music.

Ring of Fire:  The Music of Johnny Cash plays at Maples Repertory Theatre through July 24.  Performances are at 2pm on June 26 and July 1, 6, 10, 19, 20, and 24 and at 7:30pm on June 29 and July 22-23.  Tickets cost $27 for the main floor and $24 for the balcony.  For tickets contact the box office at 660-385-2924 or visit the website at www.maplesrep.com.  Maples Repertory Theatre is located at 102 N Rubey St in Macon, MO.

Cursed Are the Meek

It’s a story of friendship and the American dream.  George and Lennie are itinerant workers hoping to save enough of a stake to get a small piece of land to build a small house, plant a vegetable garden, have some pigs, and build some pens for chickens and rabbits.  On the cusp of achieving that dream, a tragedy threatens to end it once and for all.  This is the story of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men currently playing at Maples Repertory Theatre.

Steinbeck’s novel is one of the great classics of American literature touching on numerous themes such as the class system, hope, dreams, perseverance, self-pity, and frustration.  The theatrical world benefited from Steinbeck’s decision to translate the novel into a play as only his unique skill was capable of bringing these themes to life with powerful dialogue and subtle foreshadowing.  The play is indicative of its time due to its talky nature, but Steinbeck’s talents make each monologue a gripper from beginning to end.

In the 20 years I’ve been involved with theatre, this play ranks within the top 5 that I’ve reviewed.  I give hearty congratulations to Brandon McShaffrey and his cast and crew for their sensational work with this show.

McShaffrey’s direction is an awe-inspiring piece of work.  He has probed every tiny nuance of the script and brought it to glorious life through the work of his cast who execute each moment with the precision of a finely tuned military squadron.  Each member of the cast has such presence and stays involved in the action of the play with pieces of business that ring true to their characters.  Even more impressive is the fact that the cast had only 10 days of rehearsal and somehow have polish and pizzazz that surpass shows with a proper rehearsal period.

Every performer shines at one point or another, but particular notice goes out to Tyler Breeding who breathes ugly life into Curly, the violent, bullying son of the ranch owner whose itch to pick a fight at the drop of a hat only increases with his jealous possessiveness of his new wife.  Josh Bernaski, as the tough, but kindly team leader, Slim.  Bernaski does need to slow down his delivery, though his excellent diction still kept him understandable.  Shonn McCloud as Crooks, the bitter, black ranch hand who hides a decent heart.  McCloud’s fine sense of timing led to some of the show’s more humorous moments.

In supporting roles, Dan Coons soars as Candy, the one handed ranch hand looking for some hope.  Coons’ body language show a man who leads a sad and lonely existence, yet is given one last chance for redemption when he is allowed to share in George and Lennie’s dream.  Lisa Egan Woods nails all the right notes as Curly’s unnamed floozy of a wife as she attempts to flirt and seduce the ranch hands to assuage her own loneliness.

Ultimately, this show succeeds or fails based on the work of the actors who play George and Lennie.  McShaffrey’s casting of Kyle Downing and Jeremy Proulx helped to make this show a rousing success.

Downing’s George is the proverbial everyman.  He has nothing more than a dream for a place of his own and a safe haven for Lennie and he pursues it relentlessly.  Downing’s animation is a thing of beauty and he changes emotional beats on the turn of a dime.  Whether he’s gleefully sharing his story of their future home, charmingly ranting about being saddled with Lennie, or steadfastly trying to get Lennie to remember items crucial to their survival, Downing is simply a joy to watch.  His final scene with Lennie bursts with an emotional power guaranteed to haunt you.

Proulx’s talent is a rare one, indeed.  His command of body language and gestures is unlike any I’ve ever seen in his interpretation of the gentle giant.  Lennie is actually the play’s most tragic character.  A childlike innocent who lacks the wisdom to handle his fearsomely strong body.  Proulx well communicates Lennie’s simpleness with subtle hand gestures and a spot on delivery.  Although Proulx’s delivery hits the marks on intention, he does need to be careful not to sacrifice diction for sound as his speech was mushy at several points.  As tragic as Lennie is, he also is the play’s most inspiring character as his good nature brings out the better qualities in those around him.

The play’s technical aspects were also bits of mastery.  Tricia Hobbs’ bunkhouse set has a poignant fragility about it.  Shon Causer’s lighting design was some of the best I’ve seen as the lights subtly and surely showed the passage of time from day to night and back again.  Jacob Kaufman’s sounds immensely aid in the immersion of the audience into the play.

This is what theatre is all about.  Of Mice and Men both entertains and educates.  It may make you rethink a thing or two about your own life and that is the power of a good drama that needs to be seen by one and all.

Of Mice and Men plays at Maples Repertory Theatre through July 17.  Showtimes are 2pm on June 25, 28, 29 and July 3, 9, 12, 17 and 7:30pm on July 2, 8, and 16.  Tickets cost $27 for the main floor and $22 for the balcony.  For tickets, contact the box office at 660-385-2924 or visit the website at www.maplesrep.com.  Parental discretion is advised due to some strong language and a few scenes of violence.  Maples Repertory Theatre is located at 102 N Rubey St in Macon, MO.

Blue Barn Announces Season 28: Identity

BLUEBARN THEATRE introduces Season 28: Identity

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht (September 22 – October 16, 2016)

Described by Brecht as ‘a gangster play that would recall certain events familiar to us all’, Arturo Ui is a witty and savage satire of the rise of Hitler – recast by Brecht into a fictional, small-time Chicago gangster’s takeover of the city’s greengrocery trade in the 1930s. The satirical allegory combines Brecht’s Epic style of theatre with black comedy and overt moralism. Using a wide range of parody and spoof – from Al Capone to Shakespeare’s Richard III and Goethe’s Faust-Brecht’s compelling parable continues to have relevance wherever totalitarianism appears today.

The Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged) by Austin Taylor and Austin Tichenor (November 25-December 19, 2016)

Welcome to the Annual Holiday Variety Show and Christmas Pageant at St. Everybody’s Non-Denominational Universalist Church, where all faiths are welcome because we’ll believe anything. But there’s a problem: none of the acts scheduled to perform have arrived, so three members are pressed into service to perform the entire Variety Show and Christmas Pageant by themselves. An irreverent yet heartwarming trip through the holidays, The Ultimate Christmas Show (Abridged) is festive and funny as these Three Wise Guys send up and celebrate our favorite holiday traditions.

Hir by Taylor Mac (February 2-26, 2017)

Somewhere in the suburbs, Isaac has returned from the wars to help take care of his ailing father, only to discover a household in revolt. The insurgent: his mom. Liberated from an oppressive marriage, with Isaac’s newly out transgender sibling as her ally, she’s on a crusade to dismantle the patriarchy. But in Taylor Mac’s sly, subversive comedy, annihilating the past doesn’t always free you from it.

Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson (March 23-April 15, 2017)

A new play about Henrietta Swan Leavitt and the real women “computers” working at Harvard Observatory at the dawn of modern astronomy. In this exquisite blend of science, history, family ties, and fragile love, a passionate young woman must map her own passage through a society unaccustomed to strong women in a man’s world. A celestial romance and true story of discovery.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert–The Musical by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott (May 19-July 1, 2017)

Based on the smash-hit movie, Priscilla is the heartwarming, uplifting adventure of three friends, Tick, Bernadette, and Adam, a glamorous Sydney-based performing trio who agree to take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. They hop aboard a battered old bus “Priscilla,” searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of.

Featuring a hit parade of dancefloor favorites including “It’s Raining Men,” “I Will Survive,” “Hot Stuff,” “Finally,” “Boogie Wonderland,” “Go West,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and “I Love The Nightlife,” this wildly fresh and funny musical is a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!

OUT OF THE BLUE, a Special Event series:  WALK THE NIGHT: Blue Barn’s immersive theatre event returns for its third installment, with a unique adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Five missing person’s cases (4 decades old, 1 recent); forbidden loves, swallowed by the unknown; secrets answered within a nomadic, mid-night festival. Location to be announced.

About The BLUEBARN Theatre

The BLUEBARN Theatre has been bringing professionally-produced plays to area audiences since 1989. Since its inception, BLUEBARN has produced over 100 plays and has established itself as Omaha’s professional contemporary theatre company. Striving to bring artistically significant scripts and professional production values to Omaha and the surrounding region, BLUEBARN is known for high-quality entertainment and the fearless pursuit of stories that challenge both theatre artists and patrons.

Shelterbelt Shatters the Glass with Season Finale

SHELTERBELT THEATRE PRESENTS SHATTERING THE GLASS:  A CELEBRATION OF OMAHA WOMEN IN THEATRE

Shelterbelt Theatre is pleased to present Shattering the Glass: A Celebration of Omaha Women in Theatre, July 8-31 at 3225 California Street. Performances are Thursday/Friday/Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 6pm (except for the July 31st performance at 2pm.) ($15 general, $12 students/seniors/TAG). Tickets are already on sale at www.shelterbelt.org (click box office), or boxoffice@shelterbelt.org or 402.341.2757. On Saturday, July 9, the theatre will host a post-show talkback with the playwrights and organizer.

This new, collaborative project, lead by Elizabeth Thompson, Shelterbelt Theatre’s Artistic Director, has female playwrights, directors and protagonists + all the originality you expect from Shelterbelt with three brand new one-act plays. Clink by Moira Mangiameli, directed by Sonia Keffer, centers on a couple on the brink of engagement and independence. If walls could talk! In Ladies Room Confidential by Daena Schweiger and Kaitlyn McClincy, directed by Jayma Smay, we’re front and center for drama, trauma and… other events in the women’s room. L’Chaim by Laura Leininger-Campbell and Marie Amthor Schuett, directed by Moira Mangiameli, is the tale of a couple facing their future as they prepare to walk down the aisle. The women in these slice of life stories face their situations with strength, heart, humor and sometimes, a couple shots of whiskey.

“The Shelterbelt board was really excited about contributing to the “solution” of the gender parity discussion versus simply talking about it. We are in a unique position to make a program like this happen and took full advantage of engaging the extremely talented women this city has to offer,” said Thompson.

“According to recent statistics, only 17-22% of plays produced nationally are written by women. That leaves the female voice deeply underrepresented. It’s great to be at a theatre where we can look at that number and say, ‘Not here.’ This is the perfect project to end our season which featured all female playwrights,” said Shelterbelt Executive Director, Roxanne Wach.

The cast features: Shanae Adams, Eli Ami, Pamela Chase, Nichole Hawkins, Heather Holmes, Sarah LaCount, Kathy Longe, Bridget Mueting, and Jon Roberson. Stage Manager: Jayma Smay • Producer/Project Organizer, Properties: Elizabeth Thompson • Set Design, Timothy Mantil • Lighting Design, Joshua J. Mullady • Costume Design: Lora Kaup, Kendra Newby, Mati Phelps • Sound Design, Shannon Smay

“The process happened really organically once I called on the talents, minds and voices of our playwrights. We sat in a room and answered one question; what do we want this to be? Then, we went about answering that together by bounc-ing around ideas and issues we were passionate about covering. They went off to write and came back with some really amazing material,” Thompson continued.

In the gallery, Shelterbelt is also hosting its first collaborative art show featuring all women artists, with work by Randi Hunter, acrylic; Kris Kahn, fabric; Dori Settles, mixed media; Roxanne Wach, mixed media.

“Omaha is blessed with an abundance of women in the arts, and Shelterbelt is pleased to be really highlighting that,” said Wach.

Shelterbelt Theatre is Omaha’s home for new plays. This is the final play in Shelterbelt’s 23rd amazing season featuring scripts all celebrating women playwrights. Shelterbelt Theatre is a 2015 recipient of the international 50/50 Applause Award by the International Centre For Women Playwrights, which applauds theatres that produced a season with an equal or greater number of plays written by female playwrights. (www.womenplaywrights.org/2015-Award) This production is made possible with support from Nebraska Arts Council | Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

A Night of Laughs with Ron White & Josh Blue

COMEDIAN RON “TATER SALAD” WHITE RETURNS TO OMAHA WITH SPECIAL GUEST JOSH BLUE

Saturday, July 9, 2016 Tickets On Sale Now!

Omaha, Neb. (June 20, 2016) – Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White, best known as the cigar smoking, scotch drinking funnyman from the “Blue Collar Comedy” phenomenon returns to Omaha with his new stand-up show, Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 7:00 PM in Slosburg Hall at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St.

Comedian Josh Blue will open for Ron White at this performance. Blue is a winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. His 2011 special “Comedy Central Presents: Josh Blue,” received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. The special was named one of the best for that year on the Comedy Central Network. He has appeared twice on the “Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops” and has been featured on a number of TV shows.

Tickets, starting at $46.75, are currently on sale through Ticket Omaha by phone at 402.345.0606, online at TicketOmaha.com or in-person at the Ticket Omaha office inside the Holland Performing Arts Center at 13th and Douglas Streets. This program is for mature audiences.

Ron White has achieved three Grammy® nominations, a Gold Record, two of the top rated one-hour specials in Comedy Central history, a book that appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, and CD and DVD sales of over 10 million units.

July is a Hot Month for Area Auditions

At the Circle Theatre

Circle Theatre is holding auditions for its Dec 2016 Holiday Production A Charlie Brown Christmas. Performances run weekends December 2-17. Auditions will be held July 5 and 6^th at 7:00p.m. at the  Urban Abby at 1026 Jackson Street in the Old Market.  The production calls for actors ages 8-50 who can sing and dance. Those auditioning will be asked to bring a prepared song to sing.  Auditions are by appointment only. To schedule an audition or for more info please e-mail dashmtheatre@gmail.com

At the Chanticleer Community Theatre

• Elf – The Musical Jr.
• Sunday, July 10 and Monday, July 11 @ 6:00 p.m.
• Production Dates: September 16 – 25, 2016
• Rehearsal Dates: Looking to begin Wednesday, July 13.
• Bring sheet music and come prepared to sing 16 measures. Accompanist provided.  Wear shoes comfortable for dancing.  May be asked to read from script.
• Show Summary: The Chanticleer Children’s Theater presents a modern-day holiday classic that’s sure to make you embrace your “inner elf”. This hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to find his true identity.
• Contact Information: 712-323-9955 or chanticleerthater@gmail.com

• Director and/or Production Team: Denise Putman, Director, Jerry Gray, Musical Director & Ariel Ibsen-Bauer, Choreographer
• Location:  830 Franklin Ave in Council Bluffs, IA

 

At Bellevue Little Theatre

Be a part of a time honored tradition!  Auditions for the Bellevue Little Theater’s production of The Music Man will be held on Sunday, July 10th and Monday, July 11th at 7:00 PM.

D. Laureen Pickle is the stage director with Chris Ebke serving as music director, Kerri Jo Watts as choreographer, and Jamie Jarecki as stage manager. Sandy Thompson, assisted by Kerri Jo Watts, is serving as producer.

Numerous roles are available for youth and adult singers, actors, and dancers, ages 8-108. Please prepare 16-32 measures of music with accompaniment. No acappella, please. An accompanist will be available for auditions. Also, bring clothing and shoes appropriate for dance auditions. Finally, please be prepared to list any conflicts during the rehearsal period. We will begin rehearsing July 17th, with productions on September 16th-October 2nd. Questions? Please email the director at laureen.pickle@cox.net. or call the BLT at 402-291-1554.

The Music Man is set in the small town of River City, Iowa, and follows the adventures of Professor Harold Hill, a fast talking traveling salesman,  as he attempts to convince town members to buy instruments and uniforms for a boy’s band he ‘intends to form’. Of course Hill intends to skip town with all the money and never form the band….a scheme the local librarian, Marian, suspects.

Before the play’s end Marian has transformed Hill and the boy’s band. You will see where it winds up as the Music Man concludes with a heartwarming finale.

Location:  203 W Mission Rd in Bellevue, NE

Elvis Costello ‘Detours’ into Omaha

ELVIS COSTELLO’S SOLO “DETOUR” CONTINUES IN OCTOBER

Legendary Performer Takes the Holland Center Stage with Larkin Poe Tuesday, October 4 – 7:30 p.m.

Tickets on-sale Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m.

OMAHA, Neb. — (Monday, June 13, 2016) — After playing a series of overseas shows, Elvis Costello will continue his solo “Detour” tour in the US with 12 shows across the Midwest and South, including an October 4 concert in Omaha’s Holland Performing Arts Center, 13th and Douglas Streets. Larkin Poe will take the stage with Elvis in Omaha.

Tickets, beginning at $46.25, go on sale on Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased at the Ticket Omaha box office in the Holland Performing Arts Center, 12th and Douglas St., by phone at 402.345.0606 or online at TicketOmaha.com.

Elvis Costello’s “Detour” shows have been Costello’s first performances following the publication of his best-selling 2015 memoir, “Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink” (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Random House). During his October 4th show, expect the same “disarmingly revealing and uproariously funny” (LA Times) performances as Costello plays his best-known songs and selected favorites with just a piano and guitar, all in front of a giant television set projecting family photos, mysteries, mottoes, and other mischief.

Critics are calling Costello’s performance “impressively energetic… and one of the most distinctive in music” (The Telegraph) and “a special night that few besides Costello could create” (Orange County Register).

To learn more about Elvis Costello go to TicketOmaha.com or ElvisCostello.com and Larkin Poe at LarkinPoe.com.