– As the holiday season continues, it seems like every artistic offering around town has to do with Scrooges, Santas, or Sing-a-Longs. But if you look deep enough, you can find offerings around town from two of Omaha’s younger, edgier theatrical companies priding themselves on being delightfully different.
Celebrating it’s 10th season, The BLUEBARN’s Witching Hour is presenting its latest devised work with Sineaters: Medieval Forgiveness for Modern Times. Set in “a dirty punk bar you’ve probably seen before”, the show goes on a modern exploration of the Medieval practice of Sineating. The holy ritual consisted of placing crusts of bread on recently departed loved ones (the bread was said to absorb the sins of the deceased). The Sineater (usually a social outcast or outsider) would then come along, eat the bread, and absorb the sins, allowing the dead to proceed to heaven. Now the last Sineater on Earth is gathering humanity for “one last round of whiskey and salvation.”
After a lengthy writing process, the show opened last weekend with Witching Hour veteran Shannon Jackson performing alongside newcomers Matthew Karasek, Mallory Freilich, Jackson Cottrell, and Brendan Reilly. It will run through December 21st at 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights. More information can be found at www.facebook.com/bbwitchinghour.
Omaha’s other alternative theatrical collective, RED Theater Omaha, will be showcasing its latest one night event on December 21st with Feliz NaviRED. Started in Lincoln by Aaron Sawyer, RED Theater explores what it calls “theatre’s dangerous questions” by incorporating various artistic techniques in a neo-futurist model. On the night of the performance, the collective performs 30 original plays in 60 minutes. The end result is a high-energy performance that will surely leave you laughing, crying, offended, and nodding in agreement all in one night.
Feliz NaviRED will run at Bancroft Street Market on 10th and Bancroft. You can find more information at www.redtheater.org.
– If more traditional theatre fare is up your alley, don’t forget about The Rose Theater’s production of Narnia. Directed by Jesse Jou, this musical version of the classic C.S. Lewis tale features all of your favorite characters while exploring the age old battle of Good vs Evil. The show runs weekends through December 29th and tickets can be found at www.rosetheater.org or by calling 402-345-4849.
Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information to coldcream@thereader.com