OCP ANNOUNCES REVAMPED 2020/21 SEASON LINEUP, SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Omaha, NE.– The Omaha Community Playhouse has announced a new, revamped 2020/21 season lineup with special precautions in place to protect audiences, volunteers and staff from COVID-19.
A SEASON REIMAGINED
This year, COVID-19 brought the world to its knees, and the performing arts—including live theatre—were hit hard. From London’s West End to Broadway, New York, to right here in Omaha, stages around the world have gone dark.
At OCP, we have worked tirelessly to invent new ways to keep performing art alive during this crisis. From streaming productions online to moving shows outdoors, we have adapted and innovated to keep art in our community.
While we’ve been imagining new ways to stay connected, we’ve also been reimagining what a safe in-theatre experience could look like in the era of COVID. We believe we’ve created a plan that places the health of our community first while creating a safe environment for live theatre to thrive. It begins with our reimagined 2020/21 season lineup.
OCP’s New 2020/21 Season Lineup
Billy McGuigan‘s Pop Rock Orchestra*
Aug. 5 – 23
Storz Parking Lot at OCP
Don’t Stop Me Now! A Celebration of Rock Musicals
Aug. 28 – Sept. 20
Storz Parking Lot at OCP
Grounded
Sept. 25 – Oct. 18
Howard Drew Theatre
Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience*
Oct. 2 – Nov. 1
Hawks Mainstage Theatre
I Am My Own Wife
Oct. 30 – Nov. 15
Howard Drew Theatre
A Christmas Carol*
Nov. 13 – Dec. 23
Hawks Mainstage Theatre
Title To Be Announced
Nov. 27 – Dec. 23
Howard Drew Theatre
The Last 5 Years
Jan. 15 – Feb. 7
Hawks Mainstage Theatre
The Candy Project Presents: Guttenberg! The Musical!*
Feb. 12 –March 14
Howard Drew Theatre
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express
Feb. 26 – March 21
Hawks Mainstage Theatre
In The Heights
April 16 – May 9
Hawks Mainstage Theatre
Clybourne Park
May 7 – 30
Howard Drew Theatre
Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka
May 28 – June 27
Hawks Mainstage Theatre
*Special engagement; Not a regular season production
We reimagined our season lineup.
- We added concert-style drive-in shows to take advantage of our outdoor space as long as possible.
- We removed shows with large cast sizes from our fall and winter time slots. In their place, we have added four wonderful productions with two performers or fewer. The new shows are compelling, entertaining and—most importantly—safe. The small cast sizes will allow our actors to safely rehearse and perform, create plenty of room for our backstage crew to social distance and help protect our patrons by reducing the overall number of people present in the theatre.
- Fan favorite Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience will move to the larger Hawks Mainstage theatre and open in October. The larger stage will allow the band to socially distance and the larger theatre will safely accommodate the show’s many fans.
- The holiday tradition of A Christmas Carol will live on for 2020 in a unique and imaginative small cast format.
- Finally, we shuffled four titles from our original lineup to the end of the season. While these shows do feature more cast members, we are hopeful that these productions will be safe to carry out by next Spring. These four shows were selected based on existing ticket sales (via subscriptions), director availability, and royalties logistics.
We reimagined our performance spaces.
- Patrons attending a show in either theatre will be socially distanced from other guests with all groups at least 6 feet apart.
- In the Howard Drew theatre, a plexiglass barrier will be installed around the perimeter of the stage to provide separation between guests and performers.
- Productions will not incorporate any physical audience participation.
We reimagined our safety precautions.
- All audience, staff and volunteers will be required to wear masks. Masks will be available free of charge and must be worn properly in accordance with CDC guidelines.
- Audience members will be required to self-screen for a fever and symptoms of illness prior to arriving at OCP. Those with fever or other symptoms may exchange their ticket at no cost.
- New arrival and dismissal procedures will help encourage social distancing, including staggered vehicle loading/unloading, assigned will call pick up times and row-by-row dismissal after a show.
- Lobbies, reception areas and lines will be arranged and marked to encourage social distancing.
- Plexiglass barriers will be installed in the box office windows with cash-free payments encouraged, touchless credit card transactions offered and touch-free ticket pickup available.
- Common areas and performance halls will be cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis with both cleanser and electrostatic technology.
- All restrooms will be outfitted with touchless fixtures and will be sanitized daily and throughout performances.
- We will no longer hold post-show meet and greets with the actors in the lobby.
- Concessions and drinks will not be available and public water fountains will be closed.
- For a full list of safety precautions, please visit the Omaha Community Playhouse website at omahaplayhouse.com
OCP will continue to evaluate our processes and procedures to ensure we are constantly creating the safest environment possible for our patrons, artists, volunteers and staff. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website.
The Omaha Community Playhouse has served our community for nearly 100 years. We are confident that with a little (re)imagination, the art will always live on. We hope you enjoy our reimagined 2020/21 season, and we can’t wait to have you back at OCP!
Information for Subscribers:
- Subscribers may select any regular season production from the new lineup above to replace any canceled productions from their original subscription package.
- To select a new show for your package, call the OCP Box Office during the Subscriber Presale to reserve tickets to the new show of your choice.
- New Subscriber Presale dates for all shows will be announced on a rolling basis throughout the season via email and the OCP website.
- For additional information, please contact the OCP Box Office by phone at (402) 553-0800. For Box Office hours please visit the OCP website at omahaplayhouse.com
Chris' Corner 