OCP 'Evil Dead' Blood Drive


The Omaha Community Playhouse is hosting a blood drive through the American Red Cross on Wednesday, March 13 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. at OCP on 69th and Cass.
OCP is using 200 gallons of fake blood in Evil Dead: The Musical. Help replace the blood lost in the Splatter Zone!

You can schedule an appointment at
www.redcrossblood.org and search sponsor code 0092840.

All those that donate blood will recieve a coupon for $10 off any performance of All Night Strut! A Jumpin' Jivin' Jam. For more information, call Lora Kaup at (402) 553-4890, ext. 147.


It's Destination: Vegas, Baby!


Join us Saturday, April 6, 2013 for a night of bright lights and big action. It’s the most anticipated fundraiser this year...It’s Destination: Vegas, Baby!, a fundraiser to support the Omaha Community Playhouse.

Bring your Benjamins and head to the best carpet joint in town. The Playhouse is doing up Vegas old style with showgirls, poker on the patio, scotch tasting, the star of the Las Vegas Lab Band Mike “Gooch” Gurcuillo, Mitch Towne in the Piano Bar, BossPhilly in the lounge and much, much more!  Elvis has NOT left the building! Our games are hot and our drinks are cold. You’re on our VIP list. Here’s how to get in:

Patron Party tickets are available for $125 with the party starting at 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., catered by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. General Admission tickets are available for $75 with the party starting at 7 p.m. until 10 p.m., catered by Catering Creations. Young Professional (age 21-35) tickets are available for $50. For tickets, call (402) 553-0800.

We’re calling in the favors, so bring your friends, staff, preferred clients and those that “owe you one” to the Omaha Community Playhouse on Saturday, April 6 for this fabulous fundraiser.

And remember: What happens at the Playhouse, stays at the Playhouse.

All Night Strut!: Not your typical theatre production

Are you looking for a jumpin’ and jivin’ time? Well, boogie on down to the Omaha Community Playhouse for a musical celebration featuring hits from the Great Depression, World War II and the post-war boom. 

Susie Baer Collins, director of All Night Strut! A Jumpin’ Jivin’ Jam, explained what this atypical production is all about.
 
This musical is an updated version of All Night Strut!, which had always been “a little too small to put on the mainstage,” according to Collins. However, she “loved this musical” and always felt that Omaha audiences were “very nostalgic for that kind of music.” The major improvements of the updated version include “adjusted musical arrangements…a bigger band and dancers.” OCP had always wanted to bring this musical to the Hawks Mainstage, and with this updated version, All Night Strut! A Jumpin’ Jivin’ Jam, they finally can.  

As a longtime director of more traditional plays, Collins has to step out of her comfort zone.

“Well for me, I’m all about words,” said Collins. “That’s what I do. So when I’m looking at a project that’s primarily music and dance, I’m very reliant on the collaboration I have with my music director and choreographer.”

She acknowledges that she has the best in Musical Director Jim Boggess and Choreographer Roxanne Nielsen. The three spent countless hours educating the cast on the legendary composers and their works in order to make this production as sincere and authentic as possible. The collaboration creates a balance between dialogue, song and dance similar to Cirque du Soleil.

Collins revealed that the host for the production is a “little clown character, played by Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek, who’s basically your silent narrator.” He will take you back through time for a musical revue of the ‘30s and ‘40s. Brief dialogue scenes are used throughout the musical to provide historical context to the different musical numbers. The first act includes musical genres like swing, jazz and more. Act two becomes more contemporary as it introduces music inspired out of the post-World War II era.

All Night Strut! A Jumpin’ Jivin’ Jam will take you back to the period of live and thrilling music that just doesn’t compare to modern day melodies. Enjoy classics from infamous songwriters such as Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Frank Loesser, Jerome Kern and much more.

Collins reminds us that “this is not just your grandma’s music.” The musical revue revisits the songs that document America’s progression and music’s progression throughout an important period of our history. Take part in the get-up-and-go jivin’/jitterbug dancing that will have you swinging out of the theatre.

Don’t miss out on All Night Strut! A Jumpin’ Jivin’ Jam live on the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Mainstage Theatre, March 1–30, 2013; Wednesday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, 2 p.m.

Tickets are $40 for adults and $24 for students. For groups of 12 or more, tickets are $29 for adults and $18 for students. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call (402) 553-0800, visit the OCP Box Office or click here.


Article by Anna Venditte

 

February Metro Arts and Culture Pass Deal


Enjoy the arts with a Metro Arts and Culture Pass! If you are a season subscriber to the Omaha Community Playhouse, in the month of February, you can receive $1 off admission to Love's Jazz and Arts Center. You can also buy $10 tickets to "Tomas and the Library Lady" at The Rose.

The Metro Arts and Culture Pass is sponsored by The Reader and features various nonprofit arts organizations around Omaha. In order to be a Metro Arts and Culture Pass member, you only must be a member or subscriber to one of the participating organizations. Every month, OCP members can enjoy a discount at a different featured Omaha arts organization.

Other participating organizations include:
Omaha Children's Museum
Omaha Performing Arts
Bemis Center
Durham Museum
Opera Omaha
El Museo Latino
The Rose
Film Streams
Nebraska Shakespeare
Joslyn Art Museum
Fontenelle Nature Association
The Arts Center
Ballet Nebraska
Love's Jazz and Arts Center
Lauritzen Gardens
Bluffs Arts Council
Strategic Air and Space Museum
Nebraskans for the Arts
BlueBarn Theatre
Kaneko
For more information about the Metro Arts Pass, contact the director of sales at lkaup@omahaplayhouse.com or (402) 553-4890, ext. 147.