Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Olivia Sather

Olivia Sather

Olivia Sather (Anne of Greengables) is currently the Director of Marketing for the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California. It presents an array of music, dance, comedy and theatre performances in the Southern California area. Favorite memory: "Just one?! I have many fond memories from this show, but I do remember one performance in particular. In the scene where Anne gets into a tug of war match over the photograph, the photo is suppose to rip in half. For some reason during one performance, the photo wouldn't rip and just ended up in my hands! We all froze, looking at the picture, and in the moment I decided to just start crying on stage—because I thought that is what Anne might do that in that moment. It was a quick moment of improvisation that worked really well in the end." #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Shannon Jackson

Shannon Jackson

Shannon Jackson (Penny Parker, Girl Detective) appeared in Prince Max’s Trewly Awful Trip to the Desolat Interior by Ellen Struve (Great Plains Theatre Conference) in 2015. Since then, Shannon hasn't participated in any theatre productions. She went back to school, became a web-developer, had a baby and moved to Portland, OR last fall. Favorite memory: "My favorite memory from Recommended Reading for Girls was the pajama scene. It was the only one the Literary Girls got to do with Mary Kelly and we all got to literally snuggle on a couch and listen to Mary tell the story of "Sad Sandwiches." Mary is so delightful and it was such a beautiful scene—a real calm spot right before the action of the play REALLY starts to kick off. I can still hear her say, "It was deLICIOUS" in her voice when I cook. Also, Penny got to wear special Penny pajamas! What isn't there to love?" #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Rachael Surge Miller

Rachael Surge Miller

Rachael Surge Miller (Stage Manager) served as the stage manager in 2016 for Scab (Many Hats Theatre) in Seattle, WA.  She has taken a break from stage management to focus on her project management for Card Kingdom, Inc., a Seattle-based Magic the Gathering and modern board game cafe chain. Favorite memory: "The true sense of family that everyone brought in with them everyday. There wasn't a day either in rehearsals, tech or the run of the show where it didn't feel like one big family atmosphere. It was warm, supportive and full of laughter with way too many baked goods for it to ever be healthy. :) That atmosphere made the show as deep and connected as it was." #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Mary Kelly

Mary Kelly

Mary Kelly (Marilynn Saunders) last appeared as Virginia Butley in Native Gardens earlier this season! Before Native Gardens, Mary appeared as Wendy Darling in The Feast (Shelterbelt Theatre) in 2017 where she received the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play. Favorite memory: "I have so many wonderful memories of this production. I absolutely loved making that entrance from the bookcase at the end of the play. The lighting was phenomenal. Actually, let me give you another memory. I got some kind of spring virus that gave me almost complete laryngitis one night. I lost it during a scene with Christina Rohling. She ran to the mini-fridge on the set, grabbed a prop juice box, stabbed it with a straw and gave it to me so I could finish that scene." #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Mika Caplan

Mika Caplan

Mika Caplan (Heidi) last appeared as Chief Elder in The Giver and Silly Girl in Disney's Beauty in the Beast (Burke High School) and Female E in a staged reading of The Motherhood Almanac (Shelterbelt Theatre). She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln and will be graduating in a few weeks with a B.S. in Microbiology. Between classes and research, Mika unfortunately hasn't been able to participate in any sort of theatre productions for the last few years. Favorite memory: "My favorite memory from this show definitely has to do with the cast. As the youngest cast member, I learned a lot from the outstanding team of women who worked to put on this production. I was really touched when the entire cast helped me celebrate my 15th birthday during one of the shows in May that was complete with Heidi-themed Swiss Rolls and homemade cake. Even though I had only recently gotten my learner's permit, everyone treated me like a mature young adult from the very beginning. I also really enjoyed learning all of my lines in German! I remember listening to audio recordings of my lines read by a native German speaker on repeat and trying to replicate the sounds and the accent. It was definitely a challenging role to fill, but I had I had such a great time being part of this special play." #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Christina Rohling

Christina Rohling

Christina Rohling (Amy Saunders) recently appeared as Mrs. Cratchit (with three of her four children) in A Christmas Carol earlier this season and in 2018! Before A Christmas Carol, Christina appeared as Eve in Diaries of Adam and Eve (Joslyn Castle) in 2019. She appeared as Theresa in Eminent Domain at OCP in the 2017/18 season and it just premiered online last Friday! You can watch it here: bit.ly/OCPatHome. Favorite memory: "I mentioned family above because my favorite memories of this show came from our rehearsal process. We became a family and supported each other. We laughed, cried and laughed until we cried together. This was one of the most warm, inviting rehearsal processes I have experienced. It was a magical place to be and I will always be grateful to have been a part of this beautiful show." #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Recommended Reading for Girls: Where are they now? - Laura Leininger-Campbell

Laura Leininger-Campbell

Laura Leininger-Campbell (Jackie Saunders) was recently seen as Tracey in Sweat earlier this season! Before Sweat, Laura wrote Eminent Domain that appeared on the OCP stage in the 2017/18 season and it just premiered online last Friday! You can watch it here: bit.ly/OCPatHome. In 2015, Laura was seen as Mariah in Untitled Series #7 (Shelterbelt Theatre). Favorite memory from Recommended Reading for Girls: "I was so grateful for how remarkably close we became as a cast. Ellen’s beautiful story, along with Amy Lane’s caring direction, really gave all us women a wonderfully creative space where every new choice was an adventure we all took together. That support helped us reach the rich depth of emotions within this piece. I miss this play!" #OCPRecommendedReadingforGirls

Playing Our Part: Stories from QuaranTEENS

Playing Our Part: Stories from QuaranTEENS

The Henry Fonda Theatre Academy is asking youth ages 13–18 to submit poems, monologues and art work for a brand new project as part of a Teen Staged Reading Summer Series.

Now more than ever, we need art to lift us up or give us perspective. As the future artists and storytellers of the world, we want to hear about YOUR experiences dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. How has the national crisis affected you? What is it like to social distance from your friends? What things have you lost or learned? Be as creative as you want! This is your time to express yourself and our team will offer feedback and support as you create your story.
Submissions are being accepted through May 15 and will be presented as a staged reading to the public at the end of the summer.

Email your submission to HFTA director, Mackenzie Dehmer, at mdehmer@omahaplayhouse.com.