Rose's Teens 'N' Theater Program Presents PRIDE PLAYERS: PROJECT 11 at the Hitchcock Theater, 1/28 - 1/31

The Rose Theater's Teens 'N' Theater program will present Pride Players: Project 11 January 28, 30 and 31, 2010, in The Rose's Hitchcock Theater. Pride Players is a show for teens, by teens, which uses improvisation, poetry and monologues to explore what it means to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or straight-allied in Omaha. This year, Pride Players will be presented in memory of Tracy Iwersen, co-founder and co-director.

Pride Players: Project 11 features 24 Omaha area high school students, 16 of whom are new to The Rose's Teens 'N' Theater company. Students spend five months learning acting and skit-creation skills, making lifelong friends, embracing diversity and gaining confidence.

The show will run 75 minutes and feature 24 performance pieces including true-story monologues from cast members, humorous and serious skits and group poems.

Pride Players was first presented 11 years ago and, though intended to be a one-year project, has grown to consider new issues that arise each year. This year, the show will address legalized gay marriage in Iowa, the controversial 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy ecluding openly LGBT adults from serving in the military, and a middle-school student who committed suicide in 2009 because of homophobic bullying. 

Teens 'N' Theater performances are held in the intimate black-box Hitchcock Theater on the fourth floor of The Rose Theater. Performances will be offered Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31 at 4:30 p.m. The production is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Tickets are $6 each and are available through The Rose Theater Box Office at (402) 345-4849. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Box Office, located at 2001 Farnam Street, in advance or the day of the show.

Pride Players: Project 11 is sponsored in part through a special grant from The Mukti Fund. The Rose's 2009-2010 Teens 'N' Theater season is sponsored by the Mammel Foundation and the Nebraska Arts Council.