21 & Over: A Behanding in Spokane

Omaha Community Playhouse's 21 & Over program presents A Behanding in Spokane.

Monday, Sept. 10, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Omaha Community Playhouse
Free and open to the public, with an opportunity for donations. No tickets or reservations are necessary.

A Behanding in Spokane, by Martin McDonagh

From the master of unleashed comic violence, comes this harrowing farce of love, hate, desperation and hope. Carmichael has been searching for his missing left hand for decades. Into the picture pops a pair of amateur black market dealers with a hand to sell. Buckle your seatbelts on this thrill ride of hilarity and horror.

The 21 & Over productions are intended for a mature audience and discretion is advised. For more information on 21 &Over and other OCP alternative programs, contact Amy Lane, Resident Director, at alane@omahaplayhouse.com or (402) 553-4890, ext. 164.

21 & Over is sponsored by Omaha Steaks and media sponsored by Omahype.

21 & Over Presents Louder Than a Bomb

Omaha Community Playhouse's 21 & Over program presents Louder Than a Bomb.

Monday, Aug. 27, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Omaha Community Playhouse
Free and open to the public, with an opportunity for donations. No tickets or reservations are necessary.

Louder Than a Bomb

Founded in Chicago in 2001, Louder Than a Bomb is a teen poetry festival which aims “to bring teens together across racial, gang and socio-economic lines, LTAB is a friendly competition that emphasizes self-expression and community via poetry, oral story-telling, and hip-hop spoken word.” This special event, brought to you by The Nebraska Writers Collective, showcases the best of Omaha’s emerging young artists.

The 21 & Over productions are intended for a mature audience and discretion is advised. For more information on 21 & Over and other OCP alternative programs, contact Amy Lane, Resident Director, at alane@omahaplayhouse.com or (402) 553-4890, ext. 164.

21 & Over is sponsored by Omaha Steaks and media sponsored by Omahype.

Upcoming OCP-related events

The Omaha Community Playhouse is hosting and co-hosting some fun events in August and September that are in addition to the regular season. Find one (or more) that's right for you!

Friday, August 24, 6:30 p.m. reception, 7:30 p.m. play
August: Osage County Preview Party for Rising Stars
Enjoy a pre-show reception before seeing the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner August: Osage County. The reception is $5 for Rising Stars, which will include beer, wine and soda.  Rising Star memberships are for 21-35 year olds. A membership is only $40 per year and members can receive up to 2 $10 tickets for each regular season show.

Thursday, August, 30, 6-8 p.m.
Social Hour for Young Professionals at Fontenelle Forest
This co-hosted event is a chance for young professionals to mingle and get an exclusive look at DinoQuest2: Trek Through Time. The evening will include wine and cheese. The cost is $8 per person. Register here.

Sunday, September 9, 2 p.m.
Performance and Creative Conversation at the Omaha Community Playhouse
Join the Omaha Community Playhouse for an afternoon performance of August: Osage County followed by a group roundtable discussion to explore individual and group responses to this compelling story.  Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, August: Osage County is one of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history.  

OCP is offering a special ticket price of only $23 (regularly $35) for this performance or become a Rising Star subscriber and receive $10 tickets. To make reservations, become a Rising Star, or for more information, call the director of sales at (402) 553-4890 ext. 147. 

You Can’t Choose Your Family

You can’t choose your family. Nobody can relate to this more than the Westons. In the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, August: Osage County, the patriarch of the Weston clan goes missing. The family then reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. August: Osage County is a portrait of a dysfunctional American family at its finest—and absolute worst. Which got us thinking, can the acclaimed Omaha actors in this OCP season opener relate to their characters?

Moira Mangiameli who plays the oldest Weston sister Barbara comes from a family with 10 kids.

“The relationship between the [Weston] sisters is definitely complicated, and so is my relationship with my sisters,” said Moira. “The brothers are easier just because there's not the element of competition, I guess. My sisters are my closest friends and even though we drive each other crazy sometimes, we'd walk through fire for each other, and I think that's true of the Weston girls, too, deep down...deep, DEEP down.”

Susan Baer Collins who is not often seen onstage at OCP, but rather behind the scenes offering her directing expertise is playing Violet Weston, the matriarch of the clan. Like Moira, she has a special relationship with her sisters that she can see in August: Osage County.

“I'm one of three sisters, the one in the middle, and I recognize that strong sisterly connection, as well as the competition, jealousies and criticisms that come with sisters,” said Susan

Susan’s identification with the show goes deeper than her relationship with her sisters.

“I can relate to some degree with Violet Weston – she is a drug addict who had a very deprived childhood, with a terrifically unstable and cruel mother,” said Susan. “My background was not economically deprived like Vi's, nor were our parents cruel, but my sisters and I grew up with a father (a physician) who for most of our growing up was addicted to alcohol and later prescription drugs. Our lives completely revolved around my father's moods and behavior. Starting at the age of 13, I saw my dad as the enemy – I would do anything to make him stop, such as rooting through his pockets to find his pills and throwing them away. I stopped destroying my dad's stash when I realized he was accusing my mother of doing it and she was taking the responsibility for it, to protect me. My story does have a happier ending, however, than the play, thank God! My father went into treatment when I was in my mid-twenties and achieved sobriety for the rest of his life. As a result, he was 100% there for my mother when she contracted cancer, and he was 100% there for all of us when she died.”

Even in the most upsetting times, these women know how to find joy and laughter, like the Westons.

“When my oldest sister Kathy passed away almost 20 years ago, there was a moment in the hospital room I'll never forget,” said Moira. “They had turned off the machines and we were all gathered around her bed, holding hands and just being together. It was almost completely silent in the room. The nurse came in and said, ‘You know, you can talk to her if you want. They say the hearing is the last thing to go.’ There was a small silence and then my Dad said ‘Well, in her case, it was the first.’ You see, Kathy was deaf from birth. We all laughed till we cried, and it made saying goodbye so much easier.”

Don’t miss these inspirational women and the rest of the powerhouse cast in August: Osage County, Aug. 17-Sept. 16 in the Howard Drew Theatre. Tickets are $35 for adults and $21 for students. For groups of 12 or more, tickets are $23 for adults and $15 for students. For tickets, call (402) 553-0800, stop by the Box Office or click here.

Fall Classes at OCP

The OCP Education department is gearing up for the Fall 2012 session! New class offerings for adults include OCP Short Form improv, a three-level training program that will have you and your classmates working as an improv team in no time, and an Acting III class with a rolling syllabus, everything from monologues to scene work and period styles. For the youth, OCP has developed a new three-tier program that will cover acting, improv and scene work and also some new additions in stage movement and stage combat. Registration for Fall sessions begins on August 15. Call (402) 553-4890, ext. 131 or click here for more information.

Karaoke Theatre to Support 21 & Over!

The House of Loom and Bluebarn’s Witching Hour are teaming up to present karaoke theatre to highlight and raise money for OCP’s 21 & Over series. 

Come out to The House of Loom Tuesday, August 28, at 9 p.m. for a fun night of music and drinks as we celebrate the ‘music of the 21^st century’. Don't be afraid to go crazy: wear costumes, create your own choreography or even bring back up dancers. We will be selling raffle tickets for a season subscription and having "bribe the dj", as well as taking cash donations for OCP. All proceeds from the raffle go to the 21 & Over series. Click here for more info.

Playhouse Partners (Show Sponsors) Make a Difference!

Did you know that our productions and programs are not entirely paid for by ticket sales? Generous donors help make up the difference so that OCP's high-quality entertainment and educational opportunities can remain affordable for the community.

OCP would like to thank and recognize the following sponsors of our upcoming fall productions. Please thank these generous donors if you see them, or patronize their businesses. Their support is pivotal to the success of the Omaha Community Playhouse!  

August: Osage County
Sponsored by: Carter and Vernie Jones
Media Sponsor: Omaha World-Herald
Costume Sponsor: Mr. and Mrs. Sandy Dodge
Stage Manager Sponsor: Dr. and Mrs. Griffith Evans  

Legally Blonde
Sponsored by: Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc. and HDR 
Orchestra Sponsor: KPMG LLP
Costume Sponsor: Bank of the West
Media Sponsor: COX  

boom
Sponsored by: Enterprise Bank and “Friend of the Playhouse”
Media Sponsor: The Reader  

A Christmas Carol
Sponsored by: First National Bank
Orchestra Sponsor: Valmont Industries, Inc.
Snow and Special Effects Sponsor: Goodwill Industries, Inc.
Bakery Shoppe and Baker & Wife Costume Sponsor: Rotella’s Bakery
Media Sponsor: COX 
Cast Dinner Sponsor: No Frills Supermarkets
Stage Manager Sponsor: Better Business Equipment Company  

Yesterday and Today
Sponsored by: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska 
Media Sponsor: KAT 103.7 

If you would like more information on how you or your business can become a show sponsor, contact Jodi Knight, development director, at (402) 553-4890 ext. 127 or jknight@omahaplayhouse.com.

August Metro Arts Pass Deal

Enjoy the arts with a Metro Arts Pass! If you are a season subscriber to the Omaha Community Playhouse, in the month of August, you can receive $1 off admission and tram combo at Lauritzen Gardens.

The Metro Arts Pass is sponsored by The Reader and features various nonprofit arts organizations around Omaha. In order to be a Metro Arts 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 & Arts Center
Lauritzen Gardens
Bluffs Arts Council

For more information about the Metro Arts Pass, contact the director of sales at lkaup@omahaplayhouse.com or (402) 553-4890, ext. 147.