Jennifer Novak News

Following the smashing success of the bewitching BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE Theatre Palisades returns with a musical comedy sure to delight and entertain audiences of all ages!

Today, The Wallace Foundation announced the first eight grantees selected to participate in its Field Studies program, a research component of its ongoing arts initiative focused on arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color. Wallace awarded a total of $2.96 million to the following organizations: Arts Administrators of Color Network, BIG We Foundation, Cave Canem, First Peoples Fund, IllumiNative, Mosaic America, South Asian American Digital Archive and World Arts West.

After two long years in the making, BRIGHT STAR has finally come to life at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

TADA productions, Inc. presents Live From Lincoln's Center starring Broadway actress Charissa Hogeland! Ms. Hogeland is an NYC based actress, singer, and songwriter, most recently seen on stage as Princess Elsa in the Broadway production of Frozen!

The best surprises come in small packages.

This show is sentimental, soul-searching, and tear-jerking, but meant to stir you up inside and make you think about life. In retrospect, one looks back at their past to see how they ended up in the present. The Last Five Years reflects on that and does it well, bringing a really beautiful piece of musical theatre to the forefront.

This exceptional cast tells the complex story of FUN HOME in the best way possible- through powerful performance that will not leave you untouched. It is artistry.

ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE is running through August 19 at PART Theatre, 7400 Dodge St, Omaha. It's well worth a ticket, but get there early because it's already going to be solidly packed a good half hour before showtime.  www.performingartistsrepertorytheatre.org

FUN HOME, winner of five Tony Awards in 2015, is coming to Omaha! The Omaha Community Playhouse will run this powerfully emotive musical from August 17 through September 16, 2018. I recently spoke with the director of FUN HOME, Roxanne Wach.

Gordon Cantiello along with Rick Brayshaw has brought another fine evening of entertainment to Omaha with I LEFT MY HEART: A SALUTE TO THE MUSIC OF TONY BENNETT at the Performing Artists Repertory Theatre in Crossroads. This delightful two act tribute showcases 34 songs made popular by Tony Bennett.

Singing the greats of Ole' Blue Eyes, this cadre of four veteran vocalists, Matthias Jeske, Jodi Vaccaro, Wendy Eaton, and Bob Goding, brought an opening night jam-packed house back to the days of smooth tunes, sophisticated dress, and Jack Daniels. Songs, jokes, stories...all combined for an intimate evening with warm holiday spirit.

Thousands of souls have their final resting place in Altadena's Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery but, once a year in the fall, the living invade the domain of the dead. That's when Unbound Productions' WICKED LIT takes over the grounds and creates a site-specific theatrical experience based on classic and original horror stories. It is unlike any other kind of theatre or Halloween event you've ever seen and it is seriously the coolest thing you can do in Southern California. Ask anyone who's done it.

Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the details for WICKED LIT 2017, the company's 9th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 8th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California.

Make your way to MY WAY: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA at the Performing Arts Repertory Theatre in the Crossroads Mall.

Unbound Productions Executive Director Jonathan Josephson, Artistic Director Paul Millet, and Producing Artistic Director Jeff G. Rack have announced the details for WICKED LIT 2017, the company's 9th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 8th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California. Tickets will go on sale this week.

The Omaha Community Playhouse will present Camille Metoyer Moten in Color Me Camille: The Music of Barbra Streisand, on Saturday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre. Tickets for Color Me Camille: The Music of Barbra Streisand will go on sale to the public Friday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. through the OCP box office.

Each October for the past several years, I have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming the Halloween Season by attending WICKED LIT, produced by Unbound Productions at the spooky Mountain View Mausoleum & Cemetery in Altadena. This year audiences are being treated to three World Premiere short plays staged at various locations indoors and outside (yes, it is dark as you walk among the standing headstones with werewolves howling in the distance). When you arrive, you are issued a program on which there is either a red, yellow or green sticker denoting in which group you will view the three plays with a running time of almost 3 hours, including a pre-show and two intervals during which all audience members meet at Camp Mountain View, the outdoor staging area for the evening.