Shelterbelt Theatre is pleased to present the premiere of Neighbors, Lovers and All the Others by Marie Amthor Schuett at 3225 California Street from July 14 to August 6, 2017. The show is directed by Elizabeth Thompson. Performances are Thurs-Sat at 8pm and Sundays at 6pm (except for August 6 which will be at 2pm). Ticket prices are $12 for Thursday shows, $20 for Fri-Sun shows ($15 for students, seniors 65+, TAG members). Tickets are on sale at www.shelterbelt.org (click box office) or boxoffice@shelterbelt.org or 402-341-2757. On Saturday, July 15, the theatre will host a post-show talkback with playwright, Marie Amthor Schuett, and other members of the cast and creative team.
Loyal lives a life of blue kimonos, Judy Garland, and Pavarotti. Facing a serious bout of composer’s block, he finds inspiration in an unlikely source–his handsome neighbor–who seriously needs curtains. When lives intertwine, Loyal finds there is more to his neighbor than the window into his world originally revealed.
The cast features Randall T. Stevens, Connie Lee, Katie Nguyen, and Brandon Williams. Creative staff includes Jayma Smay (Stage Manager), Kevin Goshorn (Assistant Director), Joshua Mullady (Set & Lighting Design), Lora Kaup (Costume Design), Shannon Smay (Sound Design), and Robyn Helwig (Props).
“This play was inspired by the music of the brilliant singer/songwriter, Rufus Wainwright, my lifelong crush on Judy Garland, the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Tennessee Williams, and a summer I spent in the Rocky Mountains a few years ago. It was the epitome of the Gatsbian–self-indulgent, luxurious, and free. I wanted to capture the essence of that summer and experience in a play,” Schuett explained.
She continues, “Neighbors is a very different piece for me. I posed this play as a personal challenge to myself once I realized it had the potential to be different from my other work. What would happen if I altered the play’s physics of time and space to tell the story in a different way?”
“Who doesn’t want a few hours of jazz, opera, romance, drama, lots of laughs, and spritzers on a warm summer’s evening?” adds Thompson. “I am excited for people to se Marie’s versatility in this piece.”
Shelterbelt produced Amthor Schuett’s award-winning play, The Other Sewing Circle, in January 2015 to sold out houses. “For fans of Marie’s work, get ready to see a sexier side of her storytelling. One of Marie’s many talents as a playwright is her ability to establish believable, and juicy, relationships between her characters rather quickly so as an audience we are able to comfortably go on this ride from the start,” Thompson continues.
Thompson, who is also Shelterbelt’s Artistic Director, helped choose the script for production. “It has to begin with the story; is it something that we want to see? What does this story have to say or contribute that feels fresh and different? Do I like or relate to the characters? Neighbors held all of this for me and as we have begun working on it so many other little gems have popped out and been fleshed out by the design and acting team.”
Schuett agrees, “Randall, Connie, Brandon, and Katie are a fearless bunch who bring everything they have to the table every rehearsal. It’s hard not to fall completely in love with them as these characters.”
Jaim Hackbart is the featured artist in the gallery.
Shelterbelt Theatre is Omaha’s home for new plays. The play concludes Shelterbelt’s 24th season, By Local/Buy Local, featuring scripts celebrating our local playwrights. Shelterbelt Theatre is a 2015 and 2016 recipient of the International 50/50 Applause Award by the International Centre For Women Playwrights, which honors theatres that produce a season with an equal or greater number of plays written by female playwrights. (www.womenplaywrights.org)
Chris' Corner 