The Nebraska Repertory Theatre will lift the curtain on a five-show season starting Sept. 30.
Founded in 1968, the Rep is an affiliate of the professional Actor’s Equity Association and part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. The Rep’s summer production schedule was paused in 2014 to allow for a reorganization.
Working with the Lied Center for Performing Arts, the Rep will merge with University Theatre — the Carson School’s main stage production company — and offer shows during the university’s fall and spring semesters. The new configuration will allow the Rep to expand theater opportunities for audience and students to engage with professional artists.
Andy Park, who was hired as artistic director for the Rep in December, will guide the theatre company’s new direction.
“The Rep has been an integral part of the community for generations, and I’m looking forward to expanding the season and contributing to this theater’s proud tradition,” Park said. “We’re on the verge of launching a theater that will be impossible to ignore.”
Park will direct the Rep’s first show of the season, “Abigail/1702.” Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the production is a sequel to “The Crucible,” a 1953 Arthur Miller dramatization about the 1690s Salem witch trials in the Massachusetts Bay colonies. The Rep production will feature Abigail Williams, an infamous seductress from “The Crucible,” in her final, suspense-filled quest for redemption.
Theater professionals that will be a part of the “Abigail/1702” production include Nisi Sturgis as Abigail, and Don Richard. Sturgis was featured in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” while Richard has Broadway credits that include “Side Show,” “Urinetown” and “Jane Eyre.”
The Rep will also stage unique productions of “The Serpent,” an experimental, improvisational theater performance featuring pantomime, human sounds and music from bells, horns, whistles, tambourines and other hand-held instruments; “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Death Star,” a Star Wars parody created by Curt Bright, a broadcast specialist with University Communication, and Scott Lamps; a “Holiday Cabaret” featuring Chicago’s Lakeshore Dolls, a sweet-singing female trio; and an adaptation of William Golding’s 20th century classic, “Lord of the Flies.”
“The entire season features classic stories told in new ways, which is meaningful to the Rep,” Park said. “This is the start of taking the Rep in a bold, new direction.”
Season and single tickets to Rep productions are now available. Season tickets are $120 general admission and $60 for students and members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Prices for single tickets vary for each production. For more information, or to purchase tickets, click here or call the Lied Center box office at 402-472-4747.
The Rep’s 2017-18 season schedule (dates subject to change) includes:
- “Abigail/1702” by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Johnny Carson Theatre, Sept. 30, Oct, 1, 4-6, 8, 11-13 and 15; tickets are $30 general admission, $15 students and OLLI members
- “The Serpent” by Jean-Claude van Itallie, Temple Building, Nov. 3, 5, 10-12, 16-19; tickets are $24 general admission, $12 students and OLLI members
- “Holiday Cabaret” with The Lakeshore Dolls, Temple Building, Dec. 13-17; tickets are $30 general admission, $15 students and OLLI members
- “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Death Star” by Curt Bright and Scott Lamps, March 2-4, 7-11, 14-16; tickets are $34 general admission, $17 students and OLLI members
- “Lord of the Flies” adapted by Nigel Williams, Temple Building, April 13-15, 18-22; tickets are $30 general admission, $15 students and OLLI members.
