Omaha Community Playhouse Directors Announce Retirement

Omaha Community Playhouse Artistic Director Carl Beck and Associate Artistic Director Susan Baer Collins have announced they will retire at the end of the 2013-2014 season.

“We at OCP will be sad to see Carl and Susie go, and we are very grateful of their years of service and dedication to OCP,” said OCP President Tim Schmad. “Even after they retire in 2014, they will always be a part of the OCP family. Carl and Susie brought many great things to OCP and we look forward to building on their strong contributions.”

Beck and Collins have been involved at OCP since the late 1970s, when they were part of OCP’s professional touring company, Nebraska Theatre Caravan. Beck joined OCP full time in 1983 and Collins joined OCP full time in 1987.

An OCP transition team comprised of board and staff members is in place and a search committee is being assembled to conduct a regional and national search for replacements. “We wanted to give the board plenty of time for preparation and to search for new candidates to make this transition as smooth as possible,” said Beck. “I feel this change is exciting, not only in our own lives but also for the future of The Playhouse.”

“I always tell people that I have the best job in the city,” Collins said. “I treasure my experience at The Playhouse and I am honored by the incredible artists here with whom I associate daily. Two years from now, I look forward to spending more time with my family as well as remaining an active participant in the whole Omaha theatre community.“