Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Broadway stars are conducting an unusual summer camp this week at the Holland Performing Arts Center, where they are raving about the theater and the local talent.
“I've never seen anything like this place,” said Richard Jay-Alexander, who has worked with Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters and others. “And I've been in concert halls all over the world.”
It's not just the beauty and the excellent acoustics, he said, but also the space throughout the building to rehearse and hold classes.
He also appreciates the nearly 100 eager students ages 6 to 60 attending classes and rehearsing for “True Colors,” a musical revue with the Broadway pros at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
“The smiling faces around here,” he said facetiously, “are disgusting!”
Omaha is one of only three cities, along with Atlanta and Philadelphia, to have a year-round partnership with the nonprofit Broadway Dreams Foundation. This week's “Summer Intensive” teaches aspiring actors, singers and dancers — who each pay $695 tuition — how to kick-start their careers.
Annette Tanner, the foundation's executive director, said Omaha is “putting itself on the map in the Broadway community.” Some performers, though, were reluctant at first to spend a week in Omaha.
“I told them they would be shocked at the culture in Omaha,” said Tanner, a native of New Zealand. “This performing arts venue is world-class. I'm thrilled to walk someone into that concert hall for the first time. The moment they step on stage is a take-your-breath-away moment.”
Tyler Hanes, whose voice can be heard in the original cast recordings of “A Chorus Line” and other shows, said that the Holland Center is “gorgeous, stunning,” and that he enjoys helping students find tools to improve their performances.
“Omaha has so much undiscovered talent,” Hanes said. “The talent here is really exceptional.”
One who impressed him is TammyRa, who goes by a single name. “Yesterday,” Hanes said Wednesday, “she just opened her mouth and this voice came out that is unbelievable.”
TammyRa is 40, and Hanes said that's not too old to pursue Broadway dreams. “More people need to hear her voice, not just Nebraska.”
TammyRa (pronounced Tammy Ray) grew up mainly in Omaha and has performed in shows. She put her stage career on hold while she raised three daughters and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
After a 12-year hiatus, she resumed performing locally a few years ago. In February, she went to New York in hopes of auditioning but “got scared” and returned home. This week at the Holland has helped restore her confidence.
“When I first came in here,” she said, “I was overwhelmed because almost everybody was younger than I am. But everyone was welcoming. And every performer still has something to learn.”
Joan Squires, president of Omaha Performing Arts, which oversees the Holland Center, said the energy and excitement have been high this week, with students “in every nook and cranny.”
In one studio, Quentin Earl Darrington, who played the lead role in “Ragtime,” talks about the craft of acting. In another, Nikki Snelson, (“Legally Blonde: The Musical,”) leads an improv class. In a classroom, photographer Vii Tanner instructs students on the importance of their head-shot photos.
In the Scott Recital Hall, Dave Barrus (“Les Miserables” and others) plays the piano as students are directed by Paul Canaan, whose many credits inlude “La Cage Aux Folles.”
Other teachers are choreographer James Kinney, who has performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House, and casting director Craig Burns, with credits on Broadway, off-Broadway and on national tours.
Directing Saturday's show is Jay-Alexander, executive producer of the original Broadway companies of “Les Miserables,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon.”
He has had fun with the Rev. Al Salanitro, a Catholic priest whom he calls “Al Sinatra.”
Tickets to the revue — with local talent singing, dancing and acting alongside their Broadway teachers — are $19. (Call 402-345-0606, go online at TicketOmaha.com or buy them at the door.)
Jay-Alexander expressed mock indignation at the low price and said he hopes people fill the main concert hall.
“My name and ‘$19' do not go in the same place!” he said. “This performance has show-stopper after show-stoppper. If you don't like it, I will personally stand in the back and give your money back.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1132, michael.kelly@owh.com
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