This Fall’s Theatre Lineup is loaded with offerings both familiar and new, headlined by one of the most storied musicals of all-time.
The Omaha Community Playhouse: Les Miserables and Freud’s Last Session.
The Playhouse opens Les Miz September 20th, marking the fruition of one of the largest undertakings in the theatre’s history. Equity actor Timothy Shew leads a cast of 33 local performers, not to mention the numerous musicians and crew members. The show will also mark the beginning of the end for Directors Carl Beck and Susie Baer-Collins, who are both retiring at the end of the season.
Freud’s Last Session premieres in October in the Howard Drew theatre. The play follows the conversations between the famous Austrian neurologist and author C.S. Lewis. Set during World War II, the topics of their discussion will cover everything from God and religion, to sex and war.
The BLUEBARN Theatre: God of Carnage and Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol
Director Susan Cement-Toberer has assembled an all-star cast to perform one of the country’s hottest plays of the past 5 years. Jill Anderson, Jerry Longe, Ablan Roblin, and Theresa Sindelar play a pair of high-strung couples as they attempt to have a civilized discussion about their children’s playground fight. As the night wears on (and the liquor keeps flowing) political correctness and civility are cast aside and hilarity ensues. God of Carnage opens September 26th.
BLUEBARN Founder Kevin Lawler will then direct Tom Mula’s play Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, a remount of the hit Christmas show from 2010. The show features a four person cast telling the story of how Jacob Marley acquired his chains and then attempts to redeem himself by trying to save Scrooge from the same demise. It opens November 29th.
SNAP Productions: Tribes
After wrapping up their current production of Other Desert Cities, SNAP will bring Nina Raine’s drama Tribes to the stage, directed by Michael Simpson. Tribes covers a Jewish family with a son who is deaf (with two hearing siblings) raised without knowledge of sign language. When he meets Sylvia, a hearing woman born to deaf parents who is now slowly going deaf herself, his interaction with her (including her teaching him sign language) reveals some of the languages, beliefs, and hierarchies of the family and the “extended family” of the deaf community. Tribes opens November 22nd.
The Rose Theater: Robin Hood and Big Nate
The themes of helping others, justice, and fairness will be performed at breakneck speed as The Rose attempts to reimagine the classic tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and Women). What Artistic Director Matt Gutschick has in store for young audiences remains to be seen, but the theater promises “Don’t blink, or you’ll miss something!” Robin Hood opens October 11th.
November 8th will open the musical adventure of Big Nate, a show based off of the popular books by Lincoln Peirce. The 60-minute show by Jason Loewith and Chris Youstra follows Nate Wright, the kid with the most detentions in P.S. 38, as he attempts to redeems himself and show everyone that he is ‘destined to be great’>
The Shelterbelt Theatre: Shelterskelter XVIII
The yearly tradition continues as The Shelterbelt once again gives theatre patrons six short plays that are sure to chill you to the bone. This year, Shelterbelt is going back to its roots by selecting only plays written by local authors, a tradition that went by the wayside in years past. The event, opening in October, has always been a time to see emerging voices in the local writing community as well as up and coming actors working with veteran players.
Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre: The Heiress
After taking a break from full productions for a time and introducing the new Get Lit! Literary Series at The Bookworm, BSB will showcase The Heiress, an adaptation by Ruth and Augustus Goetz of the Henry James novel Washington Square. The play first premiered on Broadway in 1947 before being revived in 2012. Now BSB will look to put their own stamp on the period drama.
Chanticleer Theater: Noises Off!
The Council Bluffs staple will present the classic farce November 15th. One of most-produced comedies throughout the years, the show follows a hapless group of actors as they rehearse and perform the play Nothing’s On. When tempers flair and egos get bruised, the production falls apart in a whirlwind of door slamming and fist fighting. The theatre will also showcase a night of Broadway Favorites as part of their Cabaret Series starting October 11th.
Also coming soon:
UNO Theatre’s The Cripple of Inishmann, Glassheart, and Elektra
A new work from the BLUEBARN’s Witching Hour
Lofte Community Theatre’s Nunset Boulevard
As yet unannounced offerings from Creighton and The Circle Theatre
and the Broadway Tours of The Book of Mormon and Elf: The Musical