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Movies took over many of the theatres where road companies had performed live drama, so a group of Omahans joined others across America in the Little Theatre movement. Architect Alan McDonald found time while designing the Joslyn Museum to serve as president of the new Community Playhouse and declare its purpose: “To raise the drama from a purely amusement enterprise into an educational, cultural force.” The Playhouse promised a season of good plays at a reasonable price plus the chance to participate on and off stage.
A vaudeville show in March 1925 at the new Technical High School auditorium raised funds, but the first “real” play under director Greg Foley opened in April. The Enchanted Cottage starred Dodie Brando, a year after the birth of son Marlon. The cast included Jayne Fonda whose brother Henry was then studying journalism in Minneapolis. Produced on the non-sloped floor of the Mary Cooper Dance Studio near 40th and Farnam, the Pinero drama was accompanied by dancing and musical acts. After two days there, it traveled for a one-nighter in Fremont.
Foley needed a juvenile lead for You and I to open the first six-play season (1925-26), so Mrs. Brando called her friend Herberta Fonda and recruited her 20-year-old son, Henry. His debut came the same week in October that conductor Sandor Harmati arrived to guide the new Omaha Symphony Orchestra.
A second season found Fonda as Merton of the Movies and Mrs. Brando as O’Neill’s Anna Christie and Shaw’s Pygmalion, but the third year saw that dance studio converted for chicken dinners. After moving shows to Benson High, the Playhouse board led by Genevieve Guiou and McDonald began to build on Sarah Joslyn’s cow pasture at 40th and Davenport. Only 28 days after groundbreaking, the “temporary” theatre opened on Oct. 30, 1928. First-nighters waited a half hour while seats were bolted down and debris swept out, then watched Rudyard Norton in Aren’t We All. Children’s plays and puppet shows were soon added.
Newcomer Bernie Szold directed that opening and before leaving in 1935 was credited nationally for the Playhouse culturally coming of age. A football all-American and flamboyant figure in an opera cape, Szold introduced 13-year-old Dorothy McGuire to the stage and brought guest star Henry Fonda back to co-star with her in A Kiss for Cinderella. Other Szold highlights: his title role in O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape and bringing his friend, Iowa artist Grant Wood, to design scenery for an original play, Brigham Young. Last-minute Mormon pressure led to divorcing 14 of Young’s 17 wives from the cast.
Now a film star, Henry Fonda bought new seats for the theatre, easing the role of his father as house manager. Szold’s successor, Edward Steinmetz, Jr., was followed by Gordon Giffen, who brought the first musicals to the Playhouse. The 100th production in 1939 was a musical version of the old melodrama, Our American Cousin. Earlier, the only songs aired between acts and were not integral to the plays. Giffen then tackled Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers in 1940 and came closer to the modern musical with Knickerbocker Holiday in 1941. Julie Wilson, who sang in its chorus, became Manhattan’s favorite cabaret singer. This period also saw future mayor and U.S. Congressman Glenn Cunningham on the Playhouse stage. The Tired Old Horse in a children’s play was tall Letitia Baldrige, who gained fame as an author and aide to Jackie Kennedy. One of the first Fonda-McGuire acting awards went to a teenage Lenka Peterson, who enjoyed a long stage, film and television career.
The outbreak of World War II brought the arrival of director Kendrick Wilson, then his departure for military service, and his return for a creative tenure that continued until 1967. If the Playhouse had barely survived in 1928 when it briefly found itself with neither a theatre nor a director, the war left it short of funds, audience and male players. Treasurer Clarence Teal led the effort to keep it solvent and male-heavy plays were changed to such dramas as The Women by Clare Booth Luce.
Growing attendance and record runs marked the late 1940s, and in the 1950s, Teal headed a new building committee. It promised relief from that “temporary” theatre, which sent actors shivering into the cold when exits left them on the wrong side of the stage. Until the 1950s, much scenic design work was done by such volunteers as Emmy Gifford, who doubled as costume designer. The first full-time designer was soon followed by Royal Eckert, who stayed for more than a decade. Fundraising for the new building at 69th and Cass brought Fonda, McGuire and a young Jane Fonda to Omaha for a benefit performance of Country Girl. The musical Say, Darling opened the new facility in 1959. Before later expansion, it was confined to the auditorium and the space in front, behind and below. A live television show hosted by Elaine Jabenis welcomed first-nighters to the new Playhouse.
Commentary by Eleanor Jones – November 2008
Experimental, avant garde and controversial plays had been performed outside the regular Playhouse season as early as the 1930s, but the new space and the hiring of an associate director permitted the addition of the Studio Theatre. It became a fixture in the 1960s with such works as Sartre’s No Exit or the plays of Tennessee Williams performed in the basement rehearsal hall. The Studio series would evolve into the Fonda-McGuire program performed in the Howard Drew space after the Playhouse was expanded in 1986. The main stage offered the first full Shakespearean production, Julius Caesar, in 1961 and season-opening musicals became crowd-pleasers. Two young actors, Peter Fonda and Terry Kiser, went from the Playhouse to national prominence in the 1960s.
Two short-term directors followed Wilson’s farewell in 1967, as did a planned merger, then a split from the Junior Theatre, which in various forms had been under the Playhouse guidance since the late 1920s. Along came a sizable, charming Southerner, Charles Jones, as the new director, accompanied by scenic designer James Othuse. They arrived in the summer of 1974, followed by a record blizzard and a tornado in 1975. The latter raised the Playhouse roof and brought renovations. The first Jones-Othuse show, The Music Man, gave a hint of their high standards for big productions. By 1976, Jones had created his version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and launched the Nebraska Theatre Caravan, the professional touring wing of Omaha Community Playhouse. In 1978, A Christmas Carol began to tour the nation. And the Playhouse, already well-recognized beyond its borders, was well on its way toward recognition as America’s leading community theatre. A costume designer had been added to the staff in the late 1960s, and other creative and technical specialists followed, with Jones hiring Joanne Cady as choreographer soon after his arrival.
The renovation led by Margre Durham after the tornado was followed by a six-million-dollar expansion in the mid-1980s with Barbara Ford heading a campaign that doubled space at the Playhouse. Additions allowed the Studio Theatre to move out of the basement and become the Fonda-McGuire series, replaced the old entry area with the glass-fronted Owen Lobby and created the Hitchcock Rehearsal Hall. Early in the Jones era, season memberships doubled from 4,000 to 8,000 and passed 10,000 in the mid-80s. Nearly 20,000 attended a 1988 production of South Pacific and more than 18,000 packed the 1991 performances of the annual A Christmas Carol. Three Caravan companies took the Dickens-Jones collaboration on Midwest, East Coast and West Coast tours. The once music-deprived Playhouse now offered both fall and spring musicals on the main stage, others in the smaller space. The Robber Bridegroom in 1979, followed by The 1940s Radio Hour and Quilters, performed in Europe. Sculptures of Don Quixote and other figures by artist Milton Heinrichs enlivened the exterior of the Playhouse.
Before Jones stepped down in 1997, the Playhouse was widely recognized as America’s top community theatre as measured by attendance, staff size and budget. “Charles took a medium-flight theatre and made it No. 1 in the nation,” one outside observer noted, citing both size and quality of productions. Other theatres produced his A Christmas Carol, and he adapted Willa Cather’s O Pioneers! and My Antonia for the Playhouse. As season membership peaked at more than 12,000, My Antonia and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dream Coat set attendance records for drama and musical in 1994. Growth brought a managing director to run the operation and two former Caravan performers, Carl Beck and Susie Baer Collins, as associate directors. Beck became artistic director on the retirement of Jones and continued its distinctive status. In response to the Playhouse’s growth in artistic excellence and subscriptions, the building itself adapted, and the black box theatre underwent a $1 million renovation funded by Omaha businessman Howard Drew, thus being renamed the Howard Drew Theatre.
The Omaha Community Playhouse exited one millennium and entered the next with its 75th season. As the world experienced this millennial change, the Playhouse was experiencing a change of its own in leadership. Former Managing Director Duwain Hunt left the Playhouse and was replaced by Tim Schmad as president. Schmad hailed from the Aksarben world — a place of culture and philanthropy. Personnel wasn’t the only thing that changed in the Playhouse in the new millennium. The Nebraska Theatre Caravan — the Playhouse’s touring wing — cut productions to two tours of A Christmas Carol. In the 2000s, the Playhouse continued to put on top-rated shows. The musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story earned over $200,000 in 2002, setting a revenue record for productions other than A Christmas Carol. 2004/05 brought two milestones: the Playhouse’s 30th season of Charles Jones’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol and the retirement of Dick Boyd, the 83-year-old actor who played Scrooge for 30 years without missing a performance. His retirement from the stage garnered national media recognition. As the first decade of the 2000s came to a close, the treasured mainstage theatre underwent a much-needed renovation and was named for the generous supporters who made it possible, becoming the Howard and Rhonda Hawks Mainstage Theatre.
The second decade of the new millennium brought changes in programming, touring and leadership. In the fall of 2012, OCP introduced edgier content in the Howard Drew Theatre with the “Find Your Stage” branding campaign. It kicked off with the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama August: Osage County. The show brought in the second highest revenue numbers the Howard Drew had seen in the regular season, only surpassed by the musical Quilters in 2009.
Another record-breaking show came one year later on the Hawks Mainstage. After 25 years of waiting, OCP received the rights to stage Les Misérables. More than 350 people auditioned, resulting in an all-star cast led by New York equity actor, Timothy Shew, as Jean Valjean. The show was critically acclaimed and set a new Box Office record, earning the most revenue in OCP history outside of A Christmas Carol. It also swept the Theatre Arts Guild Awards with 13 wins.
Just a few months later, a newly revitalized Nebraska Theatre Caravan launched a national tour of a steampunk-inspired version of The Fantasticks. This was the first show, other than A Christmas Carol, that the Caravan had toured since The Spitfire Grill in 2005.
In the spring of 2014, beloved artistic and associate artistic directors Carl Beck and Susan Baer Collins retired, ending a 30-year era. They were succeeded by New Yorker Hilary Adams who was selected by the Board of Trustees as the new artistic director after a national search. In December 2015, Adams left the Playhouse, and Susan Baer Collins returned to the Playhouse as interim artistic director. In June 2016, Kimberly Faith Hickman, a director and choreographer from New York City, became the new artistic director.
In June 2016, Schmad announced his retirement as of Jan. 31, 2017. The Board of Trustees began a national search for the next individual to lead OCP. Omahan and former Playhouse Marketing and Public Relations Director Katie Broman returned to OCP in January 2017 as the new executive director.
Hickman established the OCP Directing Fellowship to provide a new generation of early and mid-career directors with training and understanding of the directorial skills necessary to create theatre. She rebranded OCP’s education department as the Henry Fonda Theatre Academy, ensuring life skills through stage skills for young children. Hickman further supported OCP’s relationship with Autism Action Partnership to develop sensory-friendly performances for those with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities and other neurodivergent needs. She coordinated Spanish-translated performances, offering real-time translation services of OCP productions via headset.
Season 95 enthralled audiences with productions such as Annie, The Rocky Horror Show and Once! The 2019/20 Season came to an abrupt halt when the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.
Just one day after announcing the Season 96 lineup, OCP announced it would be cancelling the remaining performances of Native Gardens and Once, with hopes to continue its 95th Season. On March 16, OCP cancelled additional productions and special events, holding out hope to proceed with The Color Purple in June. However, that dream came crashing down a month later when the production was cancelled entirely.
The COVID-19 pandemic made a significant impact on OCP. Through innovation and flexibility, OCP was able to continue programming throughout most of the pandemic. OCP hosted performances socially distanced, from our parking lot, and virtually to keep audiences engaged, including education camps and workshops for youth.
The re-imagined 96th Season shifted larger-cast productions to the spring and placing one-person productions during the fall with Grounded and I Am My Own Wife in the Howard Drew Theatre. Both of these productions re-opened OCP’s doors for the first time since March.
With several production cancellations, adjustments and additions, the OCP Box Office staff and several volunteers worked tirelessly to accommodate patrons as much as possible. While there were refunds and exchanges, OCP was extremely grateful to the number of patrons and subscribers who donated the cost of their tickets or subscription packages back to the Playhouse to support during these unprecedented times. OCP received two PPP loans, employee retention credits and a shuttered venue operating grant through the dedicated work of its finance and development teams.
In fall of 2020, Hickman announced her plans to step away from her role at OCP and served through December 2020 with A Christmas Carol as her final production. That production, in the midst of the pandemic, featured eight performers playing all the roles. In addition to A Christmas Carol, long-time OCP performer and board member Camille Metoyer Moten, presented a holiday cabaret concert in the Howard Drew Theatre. Rising virus rates in the Omaha community caused these two productions to be cancelled for in-person performances. However, both productions were available for streaming.
After the holidays, Susan Baer Collins was welcomed back in January 2021 and once again served as the interim artistic director until a permanent replacement was hired for Hickman. Season 96 brought limited seating, small-cast productions and ultimately full cancellations as the pandemic continued to rage. That March, OCP announced its 98th Season lineup – featuring several blockbuster titles such as The Color Purple and Kinky Boots.
A major and historic announcement was shared that summer. To further support the vibrant arts community in Omaha, OCP would begin providing a stipend to its volunteer actors and volunteer backstage crew members, effective July 2021. Between auditions, rehearsals and performance time, the average performer contributes hundreds of hours to one production. A stipend removes financial obstacles from participating in a production such meals prior to rehearsals or performances, gas, childcare and other additional expenses. OCP established The Artists’ Fund in 2022 to make it easier for individuals to participate in a production.
Season 97 served as the return to theatre for many actors, volunteers and patrons. As COVID-19 restrictions lessened, seating capacities increased, but masks were still required for patrons.
In September 2021, the OCP Board of Trustees announced the organization’s newest artistic director, Stephen Santa. From Pittsburgh, Pa., Santa was a seasoned director, educator and arts advocate who dedicated much of his career to creating accessible theatre experiences for neurodivergent youth.
OCP announced its VROOM! Mobile Sensory Theatre for children with autism and other sensory sensitivities in April 2022. An initiative originating from Santa helped OCP be the first theatre in the Midwest to unveil this concept. The traveling theatre experience provides a safe and personalized experience by bringing the performance directly to their home.
To develop, support and encourage new playwrights as they share their art through live theatre experiences, OCP established the New Omaha Works (NOW) Lab program to to grow and diversify the local pool of playwrights that reflects and benefits the entire theatre community. Playwrights selected for the program go through a 6-month script development process alongside a director, music director, dramaturg and artistic staff, culminating in a public presentation.
OCP’s 98th Season featured and celebrated several BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ playwrights, stories and communities. RENT! sold out, so additional performances were added – resulting in an entire sold-out run. The season also saw a major enrollment increase in education students, and the Henry Fonda Theatre Academy was renamed to include his wife, Shirlee Fonda.
OCP faced several challenges surrounding a lack of transparency related to actor stipends. This gave OCP an opportunity to reflect on the past, learn and move forward, together, into the future with the community at the forefront. A Community Engagement Council was established for individuals to apply to support OCP in its DEIA efforts.
In June 2023, Broman resigned from her role of executive director to dive back into her passion areas of marketing, communication and fundraising.
During Broman’s transition, the Board of Trustees appointed Rebecca (Becky) Noble, longtime Omaha performer, educator and arts leader, as interim executive director. After a few short weeks at OCP, the Board of Trustees determined Noble was the right individual to lead OCP in its next chapter, appointing her as the permanent executive director in September.
In Fall 2023, Santa resigned from his role of artistic director. During this transition, the OCP Board of Trustees and Noble implemented a co-artistic leadership team to support staff and community members. That October, Alex Rodriguez and Susan Baer Collins were appointed as OCP’s first co-artistic directors.
Despite leadership transitions, the OCP staff came together to implement policies and procedures to ensure the organization is serving its purpose to the community. OCP established a crisis response team to support its crisis communication and management plan. The Community Engagement Council was reconfigured to allow all applicants to participate in listening sessions and join committees to further outreach initiatives.
2023 also reaffirmed OCP support from Omaha’s business and philanthropic communities. An urgent need was met for $5.9 million to replace the HVAC system, which covers the organization’s 67,000+ square foot facility built in 1959, and the roof.
The 2023/24 Season showcased several impactful and thought-provoking stories, along with some of the most hilarious and heart-warming moments. For the first time since 2020, OCP had zero performance cancellations due to cast illness. As the season progressed, OCP worked diligently to restore bonds with community members, engage new individuals and began to chart a new path: a theatre FOR the community, BY the community.
Several resident OCP staff members celebrated significant milestones during Season 99 including Resident Scenic and Lighting Designer Jim Othuse for 50 years, Resident Sound Designer/Production Electrician John Gibilisco and Production Coordinator Greg Scheer for 35 years and House Manager Amanda Seuss for 10 years.
As Season 99 came to a close, OCP’s long anticipated 100th Season finally arrived! With several regional premieres of exhilarating and inspiring stories, OCP is beyond grateful to venture into its next century with the greatest people of all – our homegrown community.
Not only does Season 100 feature a variety of stories and opportunities for the community to be involved, it also will be full of exciting special events such as:
VROOM! Mobile Sensory Theatre has expanded its reach to include audiences of all ages, with programming spanning performances, workshops, residencies, special events and other forms of outreach with numerous community partners.
A long and overdue restoration project took place over the summer prior to the first production of Season 100. The parking lot restoration project will orchestrate a much smoother, more harmonious arrival experience for Season 100.
100 years is a long time. There is much to celebrate, but also, much work to do. OCP is in a significant moment to reflect on its outstanding legacy, grow from missteps and leap into a new century, stronger and wiser. Season 100 serves as a vision for the future of OCP – where anyone can see themselves belong.
We’re ready to step into the future together – are you?
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