Virginia's Point of View: One Last Look

Only one more week left of the 2014 season. I can't believe it's gone so fast! But you know, that's part of working in theatre. We focus energy on ephemera. We create things that are only meant to live a short time. That reading of Other Desert Cities last week is a great example. We worked for 8 hours on it and then shared it with you. Now it is all gone, never to be concocted in quite the same way again. Because this is our world, theatre people are all pretty good at giving the past a great big sloppy kiss and rushing off into the future!

So, see me rushing.  I'm teaching two directing classes next semester. One with a brand new grad class who'll be with me for three years. The other with twelve undergraduates, many of them directing for the very first time. They will be directing short scenes from a play I love, Mary's Wedding. I always like to work with a beginning directing class on a favorite play. They give me so many ideas! But, if I don't get those syllabi done this week, I'll have to work on them in my precious ten days of vacation! That would make me very teary eyed!

We just recently chose a new Artistic Director for Theatrix, the student-run theatre company. I hope to spend some time with him before the week is out, to prep him for the fun he has in store. My next project for the university will be directing Thornton Wilder's Skin of our Teeth, which will open next winter. Each of the 3 acts in the play finds the human race in another disaster, from which we recover by the "skin of our teeth." What could be timelier? I've begun working on it already. I think about it on my dog walks and have started to write little notes in to myself whenever I have a pen in my hand.

Speaking of beginnings, tomorrow Susan Levine Ourada's new dance company, SloDance will give its debut performance P(l)aying Due(t)s on the Howell stage at 7:30. We're so honored to have her choose us for this event.

Speaking of endings, I will also see each of our plays one more time this week. It is ephemera, but it will live vividly in my memory and certain moments will keep touching me as long as I live. And that is also what theatre is.

NRT Excitement with Emma: Destinations Presents SLOdance

One of two Destinations performances has come and gone. Destinations, for those of you who don't know, is a series of two productions included in NRT's summer season--each of which are "one night only" performances. This year our Destinations series consisted of a staged reading of the acclaimed play Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz and was directed by Joshua Waterstone. The reading occurred this past Tuesday. But, if you missed that one, don't fret! You can catch the final performance of the Destinations series, SLOdance. Here's some information about the company and what to expect from the production from Artistic Director, Susan Levine Ourada:

"SLOdance is a dance company centered in Lincoln, Nebraska and is dedicated to 

making and presenting high quality, diverse and contemporary Modern Dance. 

Artistic Director and founder Susan Levine Ourada began thinking about forming 

a troupe when she moved in Lincoln to become the Head of Dance at the University 

of Nebraska–Lincoln. She saw a need for professional caliber dance for both the 

accomplished dancers residing in the local area, as well as a path for talented dance 

graduates from her program to help them in growing their careers. In addition, she and the 

other dancers involved in the company are committed to reaching out to share their 

work and vision around Nebraska and beyond.

Susan Levine Ourada
Artistic Director of SLOdance

SLOdance will have their “official” premiere, produced by the Nebraska Repertory 

Theater as a Destinations performance on August 5th, 2014 at 7:30pm in the Howell Theater. 

This concert will feature 7 short dances, including two works for the company 

that were created by prestigious New York City based artists Alexandra Beller 

and Jenna Riegel, and several pieces by Levine Ourada including a duet made with 

with Paul Besaw, her longtime dance collaborator. The group has already had 

several opportunities to perform their work in advance of this concert including 

performances at Sheldon Art Gallery, at NET television studios and at the Festival 

of Pelican Migration in Alma, NE with the Nebraska Chamber Players. In July, 

Susan and Paul will be performing at several curated shows in Burlington, Vermont 

and environs, including the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.

SLOdancers for the Destinations concert are Ekida Laurie whose career has spanned 

three continents and who is a deliciously beautiful dancer, Noelle Bohaty, who 

began her career in Lincoln, has performed around the US and is currently a 

Teaching Fellow in the prestigious Ohio State University MFA program, Melissa 

Templeton, Dance Historian and part of the faculty at UNL, and Siera Greiner, 

Hannah Husman, Beth Jensen, Marisol Herling and Vivian Kim, all graduates of UNL’s 

Dance Program. Composer Garrett Hope has composed original music for two of the 

dances that will be shown."

Vivian Kim
Featured Dancer in SLOdance

Noelle Bohaty
Featured Dancer in SLOdance

Marisol Herling
Featured Dancer in SLOdance

Destinations presents: SLOdance

Tuesday, August 5th

7:30pm

Howell Theatre

Tickets are $7 at the door, but are free to Season Pass Holders. Coffee & Tea will be provided by The Coffee House. Remember, this is a one night only performance!

Virginia's Point of View: 2 Shows Open, 1 to Go

One of the little duties I set for myself during the course of the Rep is writing thank you notes to everyone in the company. I guess I'm a little like Vanya, in that I think for some reason it matters that I spend the time to put pen to paper. Everybody works so hard and invests so much in what they do, it just seems worthy of a little effort on my part. I don't mail them. I usually hand deliver them with a hug. I do it partly because it's what Mom taught me to do, and also, because I was told once that a young woman who worked for us between her senior year in high school and her first year in an out-of-town college took my note along to school as something she needed.

I think I've written 21 so far this year, but I've got 15 to deliver tomorrow, 20 on Wednesday, and the last 6 on the last weekend. That's a lot of hugs!

Today I'm also starting to work on Other Desert Cities. I need to read it several times to prepare for our rehearsals beginning after Unnecessary Farce opens on Wednesday. It's a lovely play that tests family loyalty, reminds us that what one remembers isn't always what's true, and speaks up for keeping secrets. I look forward to working with Kristie Berger, Carolyn Popp, Lawrence MacGowan and Eric Moyer as my daughter, sister, husband and son. It will also be fun to be directed by Joshua Waterstone. We've worked together on many projects since he arrived in Lincoln three years ago, but never as actor/director.

I'll see you in the lobby before the shows, and from the stage on July 29th in the Howell Theatre at 7:30pm!

Top 5 Reasons to See "Red Line Stories"

Dennis Henry, who directed tonight's Destination show, Red Line Stories (written and performed by Carrie Lee Patterson), has five reasons for you to go see the show tonight at 7:30 PM.

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"Top Five Reasons to See Red Line Stories" by Dennis Henry
5. Prize Winning Literature:  Red Line Stories is the winner of the 2012 Howard Frank Mosher Prize for Short Fiction.

4. You get 19 stories for the price of one! Take a ride down Chicago’s Red Line train with a peak into the soul of a different character at each stop that reveals the heart of the entire city.

3. It is like taking a Chicago vacation without having to drive through Iowa.

2.  Hey! It’s Tuesday night! We are the only game in town and Red Line Stories is a one-night only performance.

1. Carrie Lee Patterson is a double-threat:  prize-winning author and charismatic professional actor. She has a powerful presence and a golden voice that will transport the audience into a different world.

Countdown to "Red Line Stories"

As I mentioned in Friday's post, this coming Tuesday NRT's second Destinations show, Red Line Stories, will open.   As Ryan did the Monday before the performance of Nocturne, Carrie Lee Patterson will be leading an informal conversation on "Building  a Professional Career."  As well as being a brilliant theater professor, Carrie Lee is an equity actress and has directed many shows.  While Ryan talked about working on both coasts, Carrie Lee will discuss working in Chicago.  The workshop is at 5:30 PM, Monday, August 5th in the Temple Lobby, so make sure to come by.

As with Nocturne, this performance is a staged reading.  However, what is neat about this performance is that you get to hear the author, Carrie Lee Patterson, read her own work.  How fun!  

The reading is free to 2013 Season Pass Holders and is $7 at the door for all others.  You can also do Pay-What-You-Can starting fifteen minutes before the show.

Destinations Podcast

Last Tuesday was the performance of Nocturne, the first of the two Destinations shows.  It was a great success and played to a large and supportive audience.  Ryan Johnston put a lot of heart and emotion into the performance and the amount of Kleenex and tears showed how much the audience responded to the show.

Next Tuesday will be the second Destination show, Red Line Stories.  It is directed by Dennis Henry, a graduate student in UNL's MFA program, and is both written and performed by the UNL Theatre departments very own Carrie Lee Patterson.  The play is based on her own experiences riding the red line of Chicago's L-train.  

For more information, check out this podcast which discusses both Destination shows.

Top Five Reasons to See "Nocturne" Tonight

Becky Key Boesen, who directed tonight's Destination show, Nocturne, has five reasons for you to go see the show tonight at 7:30 PM.

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"Top Five Reasons to See Nocturne" by Becky Key Boesen

5.  Mystery - This is a staged reading.  Well, sort of....

4.  Affordability - Nocturne kicks off this year's Destination Series.  Where else can you experience great live theatre for a mere $7(editor's note: less if you do the "pay-what-you-can," available fifteen minutes before the show opens)?  At that rate, you can bring a date!

3.  Adam Rapp's script - Nocturne is a beautifully written play crafted in a style that pushes the boundaries of what we expect as a theatre audience. I don't want to give too much away, but it's pretty brave.

2. Ryan Johnston - Speaking of brave, this is a one man show, executed by professional actor and JCSTF Ryan Johnston.  One man shows are pretty ambitious and Ryan is up to the challenge!  He has flown back from New York to share this with us, and it's a treat to watch him work.

1.   One night only! - Hey, if you don't see it now, you'll never see it!  Isn't theatre magical?  I mean, once it's done, IT'S DONE.  NO SERIOUSLY, DON'T MISS IT!

Countdown to "Nocturne:" The First Destinations Show

On Tuesday, NRT's first Destinations show, Nocture, will open.  Nocturne is written by Adam Rapp, and it is the story of a man who accidentally runs over his younger sister.  It then explores the effect on the young man and his family.

In Destinations fashion, this isn't a full production, but a staged reading by Ryan Johnston and directed by +Becky Key Boesen.  The reading is free to 2013 Season Pass Holders and is $7 at the door for all others.  You can also do Pay-What-You-Can starting fifteen minutes before the show.

In connection with the performance, Ryan Johnston is leading an informal conversation on "Building  Professional Career.  Ryan has worked in theatre and film/TV on both coasts, and so should be able to share interesting pointers about building credits and building a career.

The workshop is at 5:30 PM, Monday, July 29th in the Temple Lobby, so make sure to come by.