A Thousand Clowns: A to Z with actors Adams and Zadina

If camaraderie was a prerequisite for the A Thousand Clowns cast, actors Nick Zadina and Ben Adams certainly take their characters to a whole new level off-stage. At a recent photo shoot, Adams and Zadina joked with each other, sang together and radiated a bond not entirely different from the ones their characters share. In this upcoming Omaha Community Playhouse production, Zadina plays Murray, an oddball uncle who is required to change his way of life to accommodate his nephew Nick, played by Adams. Recently, the acting pair shared their experiences as actors, their inspirations and some embarrassing stories.

Ben Adams might not have as much experience as Nick Zadina or other actors who grace the Playhouse stage, but that’s probably due to the fact that he is in 7th grade. Nevertheless, Adams has been acting for the past six years, ever since his mother “made” him audition for the Omaha Community Playhouse’s A Christmas Carol. He admits that he loves acting now, and his proudest theatre moment was landing this role in A Thousand Clowns. When asked if he can relate to his character, Adams responded, “Well, yeah, we are both twelve years old.”


Adams happily recounted various embarrassing moments in his acting career, most of which involved falling, slipping or dropping things. In a scene in A Christmas Carol, Adams was in a dance sequence where he nearly fell into the orchestra pit and split his pants open. A hero who inspires Adams is Wilma Rudolph, an athlete who beat polio as a child and became one of the fastest women in the world in the 1960s. He has the belief that everything will be all right in life if we apply ourselves like Rudolph did.

Adams attends Beverage Magnet School where he is involved in show choir. In his spare moments, he likes to build models and read a lot of books. When he grows up, Adams has endless dreams of being a kindergarten teacher, actor, director, artist and editor, among other things.

Nick Zadina has an impressive acting résumé, but didn't begin acting as a child like Adams. After admitting his lack of athletic skills, Zadina said that he found his calling when he began acting as a senior in high school. He said he felt like he fit in, and this led to his participation in over 100 theatre productions since then. His proudest moment as an actor was his starring role in the one-man play I Am My Own Wife, in which he played over 30 characters. Zadina even had the opportunity to act in front of the playwright of that production, Doug Wright, at the Great Plains Theatre Conference.

You won’t find Zadina in any old role, as he aims for roles in which he can be bold. As for A Thousand Clowns, he admitted that he can relate to his character Murray’s philosophy.


Zadina finds inspiration from his wife, Erika, and Omaha Director Kevin Lawler, who was the first person to cast him in 1997. With many years of acting under his belt, Zadina admits to many embarrassing stories, with his clumsiness on stage being his number one nemesis. He described a humorous experience where he was running on stage during a dress rehearsal, and fell not once but twice while wearing a pair of new slippery shoes.

Zadina is the artistic director of R.E.S.P.E.C.T.2 Company, and is currently in school to get his Master’s degree in counseling. He also works at Boys Town National Hotline and dabbles with Magic cards in his spare time.


Adams and Zadina can be seen on stage in A Thousand Clowns at the Omaha Community Playhouse in the Howard Drew Theatre October 22-November 21. For tickets, call (402) 553-0800, visit www.omahaplayhouse.org or visit the Playhouse Box Office at 6915 Cass St.

Article By Lindsay Nystrom

Photos By Andrew Marinkovich at Malone and Company

ACT II Kicks off the 2010-2011 Season

ACT II is off and running on what promises to be a fun-filled year of events and activities. On Monday, September 20, ACT II gathered at historic Joslyn Castle for the annual Fall Kickoff Luncheon. The highlight of the luncheon was the entertainment from Footloose, The Musical featuring cast members Paul Hanson, Bailey Carlson, Courtney Stein and Analisa Swerczek. It is these little glimpses of the productions that make so many of the ACT II events unique.

Other events that offer the same kinds of glimpses are ACT II’s Behind the Scenes Events. The first of these is Thursday, October 14, 6-7:30 p.m. for the featured play A Thousand Clowns. Join ACT II for hors d’oeuvres and wine and meet director, Amy Lane and some of the cast. The price is $20 per person. For more information about this event or any other ACT II events, contact the Development Office at (402) 553-4890, ext. 145.

Which Came First?

With our 86th season underway, I can't help but notice a trend in this season's productions. Many of the plays we are doing are not only for the stage; they are also movies, books and television series. So it got me thinking...which came first? I didn't know the answer to most of these. In fact, I didn't know some of the plays were also movies at all. Did you?

Here's a run down of some of this season's shows and if the play was the original or was inspired by a different medium. I put the answers further down in the post so you can test your knowledge.

Footloose, The Musical: Everyone knows Kevin Bacon for his iconic role as Ren in the movie Footloose, but did Ren dance into our hearts first on the big screen or on the stage?

A Thousand Clowns: Murray and Nick captured audiences with their rendition of Yes Sir, That's My Baby, but where did they perform it first? In the play or the movie?

The Odd Couple: Where did Felix and Oscar have their first lovers' quarrel? Was in the play, the film or the television series?

Steel Magnolias: Ouiser! The film is loaded with a superstar cast including Julia Roberts, Sally Field and Dolly Parton, among others, but did were those superstars inspired by the stage production or vice versa?

Tuesdays with Morrie: This touching story of Morrie and Mitch is tough to even think about without getting inspired and a little choked up, but who was weeping first? Book readers, movie goers or play patrons?

Guys & Dolls: A classic no doubt, but did these guys and dolls make their debut in the play or the movie?



Which Came First? Answer Key
Footloose, The Musical: The movie. The 1984 hit movie was adapted for the stage in 1998.

A Thousand Clowns: The play. Herb Gardner wrote the play in 1962 and then adapted it for film in 1965.

The Odd Couple: The play. Neil Simon's play hit Broadway in 1965, the movie followed in 1968 and the television series ran from 1970 to 1975.

Steel Magnolias: The play. Surprised? I was. The 1989 film was based off the 1987 off-Broadway production by Robert Harling.

Tuesdays with Morrie: The book. This Mitch Albom bestseller was published in 1997, followed by the 1999 movie, followed by the 2002 stage production.

Guys & Dolls: The play. This Tony Award-winning musical debuted in 1950 on stage and 1955 on the big screen.

Now that you know which came first, be sure not to miss any of these hits at the Playhouse this season!