WAR HORSE to Play Omaha's Orpheum Theater, 4/8-13

The National Theatre of Great Britain's epic WAR HORSE, winner of five 2011 Tony Awards® including Best Play, will make its premiere at Omaha's Orpheum Theater Tuesday, April 8 through Sunday, April 13 as part of Omaha Performing Arts' Broadway Series. Tickets start at $35 and are available online at TicketOmaha.com; by phone at 402.345.0606; or at the Ticket Omaha box office inside the Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas Streets, Omaha, Neb. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets by calling 402.661.8516 or toll-free at 866.434.8587. Ticket Omaha is the official ticket outlet for all performances of WAR HORSE.*

Michael Morpurgo's beloved novel, War Horse, is also the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's feature film of the same name, which earned six Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Hailed by The New York Times as "theatrical magic," WAR HORSE is the powerful story of young Albert's beloved horse, Joey, who has been enlisted to fight for the English in World War I. In a tale the New York Daily News calls "spellbinding, by turns epic and intimate," Joey is caught in enemy crossfire and ends up serving both sides of the war before landing in no man's land. Albert, not old enough to enlist, embarks on a treacherous mission to find his horse and bring him home. What follows is a remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, filled with stirring music and songs and told with the some of the most innovative stagecraft of our time.

The tour of WAR HORSE, which was adapted from the book by Morpurgo and by Nick Stafford, is directed by Bijan Sheibani based on the original Tony Award®-winning direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. At the heart of the show are life-sized puppets which bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage. In addition to Best Play, WAR HORSE received Tony Awards® for Best Direction of a Play (Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris), Best Scenic Design of a Play (Rae Smith), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Paule Constable), and Best Sound Design of a Play (Christopher Shutt). A Special Tony Award® was given to Handspring Puppet Company for their integral work on the production.

WAR HORSE received its world premiere in a limited engagement at the National's Olivier Theatre in 2007. The play returned to the National Theatre for a second run playing from in 2008-2009 before transferring to the West End's New London Theatre in Spring 2009 where it continues to play an open-ended run. The American premiere was in spring 2011 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York's Lincoln Center.

WAR HORSE has been seen by more than 4 million people worldwide and is currently playing in London's West End, in Australia and on the North American Tour. A German version of the play titled Gefahrten opened in Berlin recently and WAR HORSE began a major tour of the UK, Ireland and China. The lead producers of the national tour of WAR HORSE are Bob Boyett and the National Theatre of Great Britain.

The Broadway touring production of WAR HORSE comes to Omaha Tuesday, April 8, through Sunday, April 13, 2014. Performances of WAR HORSE will be at Omaha's Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St., on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, April 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, April 12 at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, April 13, at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit TicketOmaha.com, or visit www.WarHorseOnStage.com.