Theater conference to honor Lee Blessing
Playwright Lee Blessing will be the 2011 honoree at the Great Plains Theatre Conference next spring.
Blessing's play “A Walk in the Woods” earned a 1988 Tony nomination for best play and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama.
Blessing, a native of Minneapolis, is a graduate of the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. His plays have won the American Theatre Critics Award and the Great American Play Award. He teaches playwriting at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
The sixth Great Plains Theatre Conference will run May 28-June 4 at Metropolitan Community College.
Omaha-area groups get humanities grants
The Nebraska Humanities Council has awarded grants totaling nearly $135,000, including 10 to Omaha-area groups.
Local grant recipients are: Opera Omaha, $8,000 for outreach programs to schools; Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, $6,500 for website design and development related to the “Fertile Ground” mural; Project Interfaith, $6,500 for a lecture series; El Museo Latino, $3,000 for a bilingual film series; Seven Oaks of Florence, $2,800 for workshops on senior citizen reflections of Florence history through the arts; Durham Museum, $2,250 for Chautauqua-style presentations by Charles Everett Pace as Frederick Douglass; University of Nebraska at Omaha foreign language department and Latino/Latin American Studies, $1,274 for school visits related to a Spanish-language creative writing contest; Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, $1,250 for a history workshop series for teachers and community leaders; Design Alliance Omaha, $575 for a lecture by architect Fritz Haeg; and Lauritzen Gardens, $500 for presentations about Loren Eiseley and his writings.
‘Ride' director to talk after film screening
Film director Omowale Akintunde will appear at Film Streams' Ruth Sokolof Theater after a Tuesday screening of his movie “Inaugural Ride to Freedom.”
The movie, which will be shown at 7 p.m., chronicles a bus trip made by Omaha community members to the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009. The 55 bus passengers include students and faculty from the University of Nebraska at Omaha black studies department. Akintunde is chairman of the department.
For more information: filmstreams.org.
Nebraska native has featured role in movie
Nebraska native Kirk Bovill, who graduated from Aurora High School, has a featured role in a Christian film titled “WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?” opposite John Schneider. Bovill's wife, Joni, also has a role in the movie.
Last year, Bovill, 49, had a featured role in “White Lightnin',” a movie that screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
The new movie recently became available on DVD.
Concert music is tribute to veterans
The Omaha Symphonic Winds will kick off a new concert season Nov. 7 with a tribute to veterans of the armed services. The program begins at 3 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 324 S. Jackson St. in Papillion.
On the program: Samuel Barber's “Commando March,” Carolyn Bremer's “Early Light,” Richard Rodgers' “Victory at Sea” and Robert Jager's “Esprit de Corps.”
Saxophonist Danni Gilbert is a featured soloist. The concert is free, though a free-will offering will be taken. For more information, visit online at www.omahasymphonicwinds.org or call 402-575-8220.
UNL artist's jar gets best of show honor
Susan Dewsnap, a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she teaches ceramics, received best of show honors at the 18th annual Strictly Functional Pottery National.
Her lidded jar was chosen over 1,000 other works submitted by more than 350 potters.
Other UNL artists whose works were shown at the juried exhibition were Monica Ripley, Seth Green, Amy Smith, Mark Cole and Dandee Patee.
Soap opera star will teach at film festival
Ellen Dolan, who played Margo on the soap opera “As the World Turns,” will present a workshop at the Wild Rose Independent Film Festival in Des Moines.
The festival will run Nov. 4-11 at the Fleur Cinema and Cafe. It will feature a noncompetitive showcase of movies shot in Iowa, plus a full slate of films in competition for festival prizes.
Ballet taps 118 youths for ‘The Nutcracker'
The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has cast 118 area youngsters in its production of “The Nutcracker” that will play at Omaha's Orpheum Theater Dec. 3-5.
The youngest children, ages 5 to 7, will each appear in one of the three performances. Children ages 7 to 13 will do two shows each, while those 14 and older will be in all three.
Ballet Nebraska is assisting with rehearsal management and will help prepare the children.
Gallery opens fall showing of new works
Anderson O'Brien Fine Art has opened its fall exhibition of new works at both of its galleries, 1108 Jackson St. in the Old Market and 8724 Pacific St. in Countryside Village.
The works include paintings by Stephen Dinsmore, Christina Narwicz, Andrew Peters, Ray Knaub, Steve Joy, Diane Lounsberry Williams and Susan Puelz; jewelry by Julie Conway, Snowflake, Sydney Lynch, Pamela Adger, Linda Blumel and Jette Vogt; hand-blown glass bowls by Christy; sculpture by Al Rhea; and pottery by Eric Knoche.
Auditions
“From Shelterbelt With Love 10,” Shelterbelt Theatre, 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the theater, 3225 California St. Show runs Jan. 20-Feb. 14. Information: 402-341-2757 or e-mail executive@shelterbelt.org.
“Little Women,” Chanticleer Theater, 7 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 at the theater, 830 Franklin Ave. in Council Bluffs. Show runs Jan. 14-30. Information: 712-323-9955.
“Pride Players,” Teens 'n' Theater at the Rose, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2 at the theater, 2001 Farnam St. Show explores what it means to be gay or a straight-allied teen in Omaha. Show runs Feb. 10-13. Information: e-mail briang@rosetheater.org.
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