After Two Years, SNAP! is Back with “The Last Supper”

Omaha, NE– The second event in the “SNAP! @ Large” Series is the stage version of the 1995 film The Last Supper. Adapted for the stage by the screenwriter himself, Dan Rosen, this play will have its Omaha premiere and will mark the first full production for SNAP! in two years.

The Last Supper is a dark and fiercely witty comedy set in a small Iowa town. The story follows a group of liberal grad students and their well meaning descent into murder.

Would you play God if you could? It’s 1921. You’re in a bar. In Vienna, Austria. You’re sitting across from a young man, his name is Adolf Hitler. He hasn’t done anything inherently evil. . . yet. But he will. You know he will. He might even start a world war, one day. So… Do you kill him? Do you kill him because you know you can save all those millions of innocent people? Do you kill him because, deep in your soul, you know you’re doing the right thing? It’s a question that has been posed by many, but what would happen if you and a group of friends actually decided to take a conviction so far that the lines of right and wrong get blurred? Would you play God if you could?

Directed by Todd Brooks and boasting a cast of veteran actors: Christopher T. Scott, Kerron Stark, Ethan Dragon, Roz Parr, Breanna Mack, Adam Bassing, Dennis Stessman, Randy Wallace, Kaitlin Maher, Jared Dominguez, JJ Davis, Mary Beth Slater, Don Harris and Chloé Irwin. The Last Supper is a funny and fascinating look at human nature, conviction, creative gardening, politics and hypocrisy of the highest sort. The production staff includes Brian Callaghan (Stage Manager), Sarah Kolcke (Set Design), Connie Lee (Costume Design), Daena Schweiger (Audio – Visual Design / Producer), Joey Lorincz (Lighting Design), Joey Hartshorn (Property Design), Gary Planck (Food Wrangler) and Seth Maisel (Fight Choreographer). The Last Supper will run for three weeks, from July 8 – 24, 2022 at Bellevue Little Theater located at 203 W. Misison Street. Ticket prices are $35 with discounts for students, military and seniors. Curtain times are 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday; 2:00 pm on Sundays. The theater opens a half hour before showtime. For tickets or more information, the public is invited to visit www.SnapProductions.com.

J’accuse la Divinite

A group of Auschwitz prisoners, waiting for their potential call to death, decide to put God on Trial to determine if He is guilty of breaking His covenant with His chosen people.  The show is playing at First Central Congregational Church under the auspices of the Brigit St Brigit Theatre Company.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s script doesn’t just tug at your heartstrings.  It drives a knife into your chest and gouges a hole in your heart.  It paints a brutally realistic picture of life in a death camp as the prisoners look starved and beaten and you can feel them desperately clinging to their last thread of self-control as they constantly dread the summons to the gas chamber that hangs over their heads like the Sword of Damocles.  Cottrell-Boyce’s taut and crisp dialogue really sells the trial as the prisoners argue over all facets of God.  Does He exist?  Is He just and loving?  Is He not all powerful?  Why would He allow His chosen people to suffer such an abomination?  Is He no longer on their side?  This show is really going to make you think and the utter silence I heard at the play’s end is the best tribute to its power which I can conceive.

Murphy Scott Wulfgar provides an immersive piece of direction.  The staging will make you feel like a fellow prisoner as the actors weave between audience members and perform inches from your face.  The coaching is sterling.  His performers shine in a series of monologues that will leave you feeling raw and wrung out.  The reactions of the prisoners are precise and exact.  In fact, one of the play’s strongest scenes is a moment of about two minutes of silence except for the sounds of a new group of prisoners being indoctrinated into Auschwitz (courtesy of Eric Griffith’s soundscape work).  The far-off sounds of heads being sheared combined with the fearful and haunted looks of the prisoners make it one of the best ensemble scenes of the season.

This play totally eschews the typical form for a show as there is no leading character.  Nearly everyone gets a moment to shine and provide a vital piece of the puzzle.  Some of the sensational performances you see come from Jack Zerbe who sizzles as Kuhn, a man who retains his childlike faith even in these dire circumstances and understands the true meaning of sacrifice.  Jeremy Earl gives the most honest and gut-wrenching performance of his career as Jacques, a French Jew whose use of logic leads him to a dark and hopeless place.  Michael Lyon stirs as the judge for the trial who hides a secret of his own.  Thomas Lowe pulverizes your soul as a father who watched his children taken away from him by the Nazis.

Scott Working is thoroughly believable as Schmidt, a rabbi who assumes the role of God’s defense counselor.  Always maintaining his calm, Working’s Schmidt elucidates the history of God with His chosen people and points out how serious blows to the Jewish people led to greater good for them and this period could simply be a test for them or even a purification ushering in the arrival of the longed for Messiah.  His defense of God centers around His mysterious nature and how His ways are not our ways and man’s misuse of free will.

On the other side of the table is the prosecutor, Mordechai, as essayed by Murphy Scott Wulfgar.  What I liked best about Wulfgar’s portrayal was that he ignored the obvious choice of anger.  Instead, he infuses Mordechai with an interesting blend of frustration, weariness, and logical induction.  Unlike Schmidt, Mordechai doesn’t use scripture to back his arguments.  Rather he uses the defense’s own words and examples and inverts them to prove that God is callous and doesn’t care for His special people.

Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek is spellbinding as Akiba.  Silent for most of the show, his one extended monologue manages to fuse the arguments of Mordechai and Schmidt into one combined entity.  A rabbi himself, Akiba is able to use scripture just as easily as Schmidt, but his arguments based off those scriptures support Mordechai as he argues God was never good, just merely on the side of the Jewish people.  Now, he argues, God is merely with someone else and they are suffering the fates of the Egyptians, the Amalekites, the Kenites, and others decimated by God.

Courtney Sidzyik’s simple set of wooden bunks and benches combined with a low, almost moonish, light bring a depressing reality to Auschwitz.  Charleen Willoughby’s costumes excel with the ill-fitting prison uniforms and cheaply made Star of Davids identifying the Jews and the green triangles signifying the criminals.

The church is not sound acoustically.  As such it was difficult to make out dialogue at certain points as the walls just sucked up the sound so the actors are really going to need to belt it in order to be understood, even with the audience so close.

This show is going to smack you across the face with its level of complexity.  It asks very difficult questions whose answers may be easy or hard depending on where you are on the spectrum of faith as well as shining a light on man’s hideous cruelty to his fellow man.  Yet even in all the evil and hardship, there is still the kernel of hope.  אנחנו עדיין כאן (We are still here).

God on Trial plays at First Central Congregational Church through April 17.  Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets start at $35 and can be obtained by visiting www.bsbtheatre.com or calling 402-502-4910.  First Central Congregational Church is located at 421 S 36^th St in Omaha, NE.

Lofte Community Theatre Announces 2022 Season

Harvey by Mary Chase

Performances: April 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10
Auditions: February 15 & 16 @ 7 PM

This Pulitzer Prize winning play has been adapted many times for film
and television, most notably a 1950 film starring James Stewart.

The Story: Elwood P. Dowd insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. Trouble is, Harvey is an imaginary six-and a-half-foot-tall rabbit. To avoid future embarrassment for her family, Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. The search is on for Elwood, who eventually arrives at the sanitarium of his own volition, and it seems that Elwood and his invisible companion have had a strange influence on many people…and you will be one of them. Don’t miss this theatrical classic!

Visiting Mr. Green by Jeff Baron

Performances: May 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15
Auditions: February 22 & 23 @ 7 PM

Mr. Green, an elderly, retired dry cleaner, wanders into New York traffic and is almost hit by a car driven by Ross Gardiner, a 29-year-old corporate executive. The young man is given a community service of helping the recent widower once a week for six months. This is a moving and often funny story about two men who do not want to be in the same room together. As they get to know each other and come to care about each other they open old wounds they’ve been hiding and nursing for years. We suggest PG-13.

Legally Blonde by Heather Hach with Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin

Performances: July 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31
Auditions: May 24, 25 @ 7 PM

This fabulously fun award-winning musical is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn Mayer motion picture. Elle Woods appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there she struggles, but with the support of some new friends she quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world. Exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances – this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal!

The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman

September 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11
Auditions: July 25 & 26 @ 7PM

In this transcendently powerful adaptation Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination. An impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, The Diary of Anne Frank captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief.

Noises Off! by Michael Frayn

October 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30
Auditions: September 4 & 5 @ 7PM

Called “the funniest farce ever written,” Noises Off presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called Nothing’s On. Doors slamming, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) by Michael Carleton, James Fitzgerald, and John K. Alvarez

December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18
Auditions: October 24 & 25 @ 7PM

Instead of performing Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told — plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season!

P.S. I Love You

Josh Peyton and Sarah Schrader star in “Dear Jack, Dear Louise”

During World War II, Cpt. Jacob “Jack” Ludwig, an Army surgeon, began a correspondence with aspiring actress, Louise Rabiner.  Over the course of 3 years, their trading of messages blossomed into true love.  Follow the evolution and the ups and downs of their relationship in Dear Jack, Dear Louise currently playing at the Omaha Playhouse.

Ken Ludwig called this show a love letter to his parents as it is based on the true story of their courtship.  I don’t know if he used the actual letters written by his parents, but if he didn’t, he certainly managed to replicate the feel of a mail correspondence.  The dialogue of the letters perfectly captures that initial spark of interest, the getting to know each other, even the difficulties and squabbles every relationship undergoes, and the glow of real love.  It is also laced with the trademark wit and humor of Ludwig, but also shows his skills as a dramatic writer as he features some heavy moments that have all the subtlety of kissing a runaway freight train.

Susie Baer-Collins provides an outstanding piece of direction with the production, possibly one of her very best and that is saying something.  Her sure hand deftly handles this variation on the duologue and the conversations always snap and sparkle with realism and vitality.  I absolutely loved the staging with one character always slightly in front of another to show that they were in two different places.  Baer-Collins also pulled an extraordinary pair of performances from her two thespians.  If the quality of this show is an indicator of the rest of the season, it’s going to be an amazing ride at the Playhouse this year.

Over the past few seasons, Josh Peyton has established himself as one of the most believable actors in Omaha.  There is an extemporaneousness and naturalness to his performances that makes it seem like he is never acting, just being.  And this show is certainly no exception.  Peyton is sensational in the role of Jack Ludwig.  He reminded me of my own pop (who courted my mother through letters and tapes during the Vietnam War) with his quiet nature and dry wit.  His timidity in his early letters is so sweet and it was a joy to watch his confidence grow in proportion to his burgeoning love for Louise.  Peyton’s reactions are always just right and equal parts hilarious and haunting when the moment calls for them.  He also has a superb physicality which not only strengthen those expressions and reactions, but tells stories of their own such as dodging bullets and bombs and crawling through the dirt during hellish battles of the war.

I see great things in store for Sarah Schrader’s theatrical future after her phenomenal debut in this show. She is an absolute dynamo as Louise Rabiner and just seemed to quiver with energy.  Schrader was a perfect blend of sweet and tart as she could write very sensitive letters and then drop an epithet or pitch a mild fit in the blink of an eye.  Her animation blew out the scale and was always appropriate for the high energy actress with an obvious joie de vivre.  Schrader was equally impressive in the show’s heavier moments as she deals with the heartaches and fears of courting a soldier.

John Gibilisco’s usage of sound was some of the best I’ve heard in a show especially with the explosion of bombs and the belching of gunfire.  Jim Othuse created a simple set of tables, wardrobe, and shelves that provide the audience an opportunity to fill in the rest of the details with their own imaginations.  Othuse’s lights were remarkable with the flashing lights of rockets, the solo spotlights of sadder moments, and the lighting up of the theatre for VE Day.  Lindsay Pape’s costumes were spot on with Ludwig’s period military uniform and fatigues and the elegant 40s style dresses for Louise.

This was one of the most personally satisfying shows I’ve seen in recent years and, though the season be young, I think Peyton & Schrader have set an awfully high bar in terms of performances.  Get a ticket and you’ll see what I mean.

Dear Jack, Dear Louise runs at the Playhouse through Sept 19.  Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets stat at $36 and can be purchased at the OCP Box Office, by calling 402-553-0800, or visiting www.omahaplayhouse.com.  The Omaha Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass St in Omaha, NE.

OCP Announces Auditions for Season Premiere, “Dear Jack, Dear Louise”

Omaha Community Playhouse Announces Auditions for:

Dear Jack, Dear Louise

by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Susan Baer Collins

Rehearsals Begin: Sunday July 11, 2021

Production Dates: August 20 – September 19, 2021
Performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. in the Howard Drew Theatre. Actors are called to the theatre one hour before curtain.

Auditions:
Saturday, June 12, 11:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Revive Center Omaha 2402 Lizzie Robinson Ave., Omaha, NE 68111

Sunday, June 13, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St., Omaha, NE, 68132

Monday, June 14, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St., Omaha, NE 68132

Callbacks: Wednesday, June 16, 6:30 p.m.

For those auditioning at Revive Center Omaha: Auditioners may enter through the glass doors on the south side of the building along Lizzie Robinson Ave. Parking is available in the parking lot west of the building, adjacent to the Family Housing Advisory Services building. Face masks are required while inside the building.

For those auditioning at Omaha Community Playhouse: Please enter through the Stage Door entrance on the West side of the building.

Please contact Becky to schedule an audition appointment and request audition paperwork and sides.

The Story: U.S. Army Captain Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, begins writing to Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress in New York City, hoping to meet her someday if the war will allow. But as the war continues, it threatens to end their relationship, before it even starts. Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig tells the joyous, heartwarming story of his parents’ courtship during World War II and the results are anything but expected.

Characters:

Jack Ludwig – Male identifying, early to mid-thirties, all ethnicities. An Army medical officer serving in the Second World War, stationed in Portland, OR. A bit reserved.

Louise Rabiner – Female identifying, mid-twenties to early thirties, all ethnicities. An aspiring actress from Brooklyn, living in New York City. Outgoing and stylish.

Please bring all contact information, personal schedules, a list of rehearsal conflicts and resume if available. To expedite the check-in process, please bring a recent photo if you have one available. Please note, photos will not be returned.

Face masks are required for all auditioners, staff and volunteers while indoors during the audition process. All masks must be worn properly in accordance with CDC guidelines, covering both the nose and mouth. All performers are required to be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination will be required upon casting.

For more information, please contact Becky Deiber. 
____________________________________________

‘The Drawer Boy’ Set to Open at OCP

Omaha, NE– The Omaha Community Playhouse (OCP) production of The Drawer Boy will open Friday, April 9, 2021. The show will run through Sunday, May 2, Wednesdays through Thursdays in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre at OCP. Tickets are on sale now starting at $36 with prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, 6915 Cass St., Omaha, NE 68132, by phone at (402) 553-0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

Seeking inspiration for her new play, Miles, a young actress from Toronto, moves in with Angus and Morgan, two aging bachelor farmers, in rural Ontario. Angus, who suffered a brain injury during World War II, finds joy and solace hearing Morgan retell stories from days gone by. But when Miles includes one of these stories in her play, she sets off a chain of events that will leave all three of them forever changed. Witty and touching, The Drawer Boy is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling.

STREAMING INFORMATION

The Drawer Boy will be available to rent for at-home viewing beginning Friday, April 16 on the ShowTix4U platform. To view all OCP streaming events on ShowTix4U, visit https://www.showtix4u.com/events/ocp.

Directed By: Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek

Cast

Olivia Howard as Miles

Erik Quam as Angus

Mark Thornburg as Morgan

OCP Announces Auditions for ‘The Drawer Boy’

Omaha Community Playhouse Proudly Announces Auditions for:

The Drawer Boy
By: Michael Healy

Directed by: Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek

Production Dates: April 9–May 2, 2021 | Hawks Mainstage Theatre (6915 Cass St, Omaha, NE)

Callbacks: Saturday, Jan. 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Audition In-Person

Sunday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. By appointment only. Enter through the stage door on the west side of the building.

Audition via Zoom
Monday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. By appointment only. A link will be sent to those who choose this option.

Details & Instructions
–All those auditioning must schedule an appointment in advance. To schedule an audition and to request paperwork, please email Becky Deiber at bdeiber@omahaplayhouse.com

–Auditioners must fill out paperwork in advance, not at the audition. They can return completed paperwork by email or bring it with them. Specific time slots will be set in advance for each auditioner. In-person auditions will be in groups of no more than 10. Auditioners will be required to wear a face-mask. Provided seating will be plastic or metal chairs only, no fabric upholstery. The audition space will be sanitized between groups. When arriving to audition, please enter through the stage door on the west side of the building.

–All auditioners are encouraged to select one of The Drawer Boy sides or another piece of literature that speaks to them to prepare for the virtual general auditions. Alternate pieces of literature could originate from fiction, poetry, music, film or any other source. Actors may choose to read or memorize their selection. Actors should demonstrate their ability to make strong character choices and maintain realism in performance. Actors are encouraged to keep the total time of the general audition selection to four minutes or less.

Show Synopsis
Seeking inspiration for his new play, Miles, a young actor from Toronto, moves in with Angus and Morgan, two aging bachelor farmers, in rural Ontario. Angus, who suffered a brain injury during World War II, finds joy and solace hearing Morgan retell stories from days gone by. But when Miles includes one of these stories in his play, he sets off a chain of events that will leave all three of the men forever changed. Witty and touching, The Drawer Boy is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling.

Characters/Roles
We are seeking diverse representation in casting. Actors of all abilities, races, gender identities, sexual orientation, shapes, countries of origin, and experiences are encouraged to audition. Age noted in the script and character descriptions will not be determining factor in casting. Actors of all ages are encouraged to audition. To read character descriptions, visit https://www.omahaplayhouse.com/…/view/season-productions/. All those auditioning must schedule an appointment in advance. To schedule an audition and to request paperwork, please email Becky Deiber at bdeiber@omahaplayhouse.com

MORE INFO: https://www.omahaplayhouse.com/…/view/season-productions/

A Story of Survival

Living as a transgender woman during the nightmarish regimes of the Third Reich and the Soviets who ruled East Germany after World War II should have doomed Charlotte von Mahlsdorf to a tragic, possibly even short, life.  But she managed to not only survive, but thrive as an antiquarian with an amazing life story to tell.  But was her story simply a story to cover a more tragic reality?  Judge for yourself by watching I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright and playing at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

Doug Wright has not written a biographical play.  This is a spoken biography with snatches of an autobiography tossed in as Wright, himself, is one of the 35 characters in the production.  Wright has a phenomenal gift for voice.  The conversations and monologues all sound completely natural and believable.  Unsurprising, as a great deal of them were culled from actual interviews he conducted with von Mahlsdorf.  But there’s a richness and power to the words that go beyond a mere interview and they suck the viewer in as von Mahlsdorf shares her fascinating life story.

Kimberly Faith Hickman provides yet another top of the line piece of direction with this play.  In the hands of a less capable director, the biographical nature of the show could cause it to become a little dry and draggy, but Faith Hickman keeps the pace brisk and knows how to strike the beats so the interviews and anecdotes pop and burst with a vibrant life of their own.  Her guidance of the play’s sole performer is entrancing as each character played by the actress is unique and well defined and helps pull the audience deeper into the tale.

I was particularly excited to see this show as I always relish the opportunity to see a new talent on the stage.  That being said, Natalie Weiss makes an epic debut at the Playhouse and does it, not with a bang, but with a whisper.

Weiss brings a quiet energy to her performance which is crucial for the primary character of von Mahlsdorf.  As von Mahlsdorf, Weiss is soft-spoken and unassuming, almost mesmeric.  Listening to von Mahlsdorf is like listening to your own grandmother as she has a warm and welcoming presence that can’t help but hook you in as she shares the story of her survival during one of history’s most horrific periods.  So closely do you identify with von Mahlsdorf that a lump may appear in your throat when the possibility that parts, perhaps all, of von Mahlsdorf’s life story could be works of fiction when official evidence from the Soviet regime of East Germany contradicts some of her personal story.

But Weiss’ skill isn’t limited to her handling of von Mahlsdorf.  Weiss proves herself a performer of great range and versatility as she assumes another 34 characters throughout the night.  Her changes are achieved effortlessly and subtly and accomplished through slight changes in posture, vocal timbre, accent, and energy focus.  The changes are also quite fluid as one character flows naturally into the next without smacking the audience over the head with the changeover.

Some of my favorite characters in Weiss’ repertoire were an intense Nazi commander who managed to retain a degree of humanity and spared von Mahlsdorf’s life from an execution squad; her depiction of von Mahlsdorf’s brutish father; her calm, no-nonsense aunt; Wright, himself, with a youthful exuberance and excitement at turning von Mahlsdorf’s life into a play; Wright’s very Southern friend, John; and a gregarious German TV talk show host who interviewed von Mahlsdorf when the controversy of her cooperation with East Germany’s Russian regime was national news.

Jim Othuse’s lights add so much to this play.  He utilizes an almost sepia effect with the lights so that one feels he or she is looking at a living, old time photograph, though he also achieves a nice disco effect when von Mahlsdorf visits a homosexual nightclub and achieves a TV studio lighting effect for the talk show scene.  Darin Kuehler’s properties accentuate the production with the period correct, antique models, pictures, and phonograph that make up von Mahlsdorf’s museum.  Amanda Fehlner’s simple black dress gives von Mahlsdorf that grandmotherly feel.  John Gibilisco’s ambient sounds always enhance von Mahlsdorf’s recollections from the fighter planes of WW II to gunshots to the disco beat of the nightclub.

Ultimately this story is an incredible tale of survival, but the question the show asks is how did von Mahlsdorf survive?  Was her personal story the truth of her survival or were her stories her means of surviving awful personal choices she was forced to make?  Or is the truth somewhere in between?  That answer is left to you.

I Am My Own Wife plays at the Omaha Community Playhouse through Nov 15. Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets start at $36 and may be purchased at www.omahaplayhouse.com or by calling the Box Office at 402-553-0800.  Due to mature themes and some strong language, this show is not suitable for children.  The Omaha Community Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass St in Omaha, NE.

Auditions for Two at OCP

Please contact Becky at bdeiber@omahaplayhouse.com to make an appointment for a Zoom audition.

Grounded

By George Brant

Directed by Kimberly Faith Hickman

 

Auditions are Tuesday August 18, 2020 from 6:00pm-9:00pm via Zoom appointment only. Sides will be emailed to actors after an appointment is made. The sole character of Grounded is a female pilot. Actors who identify as cisgender women, transgender women and nonbinary women are encouraged to audition.

 

An ace fighter pilot finds herself grounded when an unexpected pregnancy cuts her career in the sky short. Reassigned to military drone operation, the former F-15 pilot patrols Afghanistan by day – from a windowless trailer outside of Las Vegas – and returns to her family at night. But as professional pressure mounts, the lines between the desert where she lives and the desert where she hunts high-profile terrorists begins to blur.

 

 

Production Dates: September 25 – October 18, 2020

Rehearsals begin August 23, 2020 (based on actor availability)

I Am My Own Wife

By Doug Wright

Directed by Kimberly Faith Hickman

 

Auditions are Saturday September 19, 2020 from 2:00-5:00pm via Zoom by appointment only. Sides will be emailed to actors after an appointment is made. The primary character of I Am My Own Wife is Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transgender woman who survives oppressive regimes. Actors who identify as transgender women, nonbinary and feminine of center are greatly encouraged to audition and will be given preference. Cisgender men can also audition.

 

The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning true story about Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an East Berlin transgender woman who survived two of the most repressive totalitarian regimes in history – the Nazis and the Communists – while openly flouting gender norms. Born to a brutal Nazi father, Charlotte went on to become a highly celebrated antiques collector and curator of her own museum. An incredible tale – with one actor playing 35 different roles – filled with intrigue, danger and conspiracy that examines the balance between morality and survival.

 

Production Dates: October 30-November 15, 2020

Rehearsals begin September 27, 2020 (based on actor availability)

The Sun Will Come Out. . .Sept 13. . . at OCP

Stella Clark-Kaczmarek as Annie and Toby as Sandy

Omaha, NE–Heartwarming musical Annie will open Friday, Sept 13 at the Omaha Community Playhouse.  The show will run in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre from Sept 13 through Oct 13.  Performances will be held Wed-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Annie is the beloved tale of a young girl who never gives up hope of one day reuniting with her parents.  After enlisting the help of Depression-era billionaire Oliver Warbucks, Annie finds herself in a tangled web of con artists, kidnappers, and–worst of all–Miss Hananigan!  With a little help from her orphan friends and her dog, Sandy, Annie ultimately finds a place where she belongs in this heartwarming classic.  Featuring timeless songs like “Tomorrow” and “It’s the Hard Knock Life”, Annie has been delighting audiences of all ages for decades.

Tickets are on sale now starting at $32 for adults and $20 for students with prices varying by performance.  Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, located at 6915 Cass Street, by phone at 402-553-0800, or online at http://www.omahaplayhouse.com.

Directed by:  Kimberly Faith Hickman

Cast

Stella Clark-Kaczmarek as Annie

Jay Srygley as Daddy Warbucks

Angela Jenson Frey as Grace Ferrell

Allison Wissman as Miss Hannigan

Christopher Violett as Rooster

Cathy Hirsch as Lily

Brinlee Roeder as Molly

Olivia Bryant as Pepper

Cleo Washington as Tessie

Pieper Roeder as Kate

Amina Teri as July

Madalynn Johnson as Duffy

And an ensemble featuring Marcus Benzel, Mark Haufle, Peter Barrett, Jared Dominguez, Sadie Langemo, Mary Trecek, Isabelle Rangel, Serena Johnson, Brittney Thompson, Carrie Trecek, Aidan Schmidtke, Andrew Schnitker, Sheldon Ledbetter, Judson Cloudt, Otto Fox, Meghan Essner, Anina Frey, Annabella Mosher, Lily Sanow, Sophia Srygley, Madison White, Andrew Karolski, Camden Park, Will Seim.

Photo provided by Colin Conces Photography