With our inaugural Big Damn Door Festival, BLUEBARN invites artists to join together in developing transformative work for the stage, while exploring new ways of collaborating and creating community among both artists and audiences.

The Big Damn Door Festival cultivates three artist-driven approaches to innovation in the creation of theatre, while centering projects that advance America’s progress toward equity, inclusivity, and social and economic justice. BLUEBARN supported four artists in each category in limited residencies while they co-created both process and project through a six-month Development Phase. Each team then expanded to include four or more artists to bring the project to life in the Production Phase.

Our Big Damn Doors are not just a primary feature of the architecture of the BLUEBARN, but a metaphor for the festival itself: wide-open doors and unbounded possibilities. BLUEBARN is proud to support emerging artists from the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan area whose work has the power to drive change in our community, and who’ve been most impacted from systemic biases in opportunity. Artists that identify as Global Majority (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA2s+, neurodiverse, and artists with disabilities have been prioritized.

Re-Imagine: Perdido en Mi Cabeza

Creatives: Francisco Franco, Timothy Mantil, Jackson Newman, David Muñoz

Thu 8/25 @ 7pm, Sun 8/28 @ 3pm, Fri 9/2 @ 7pm, Sun 9/4 @ 3pm

An exciting new drama exploring sexuality and what it means to be an illegal Latinx immigrant in Omaha, NE. After fleeing his country due to prosecution, Miguel a queer Latinx grapples with his identity. Torn between opposing forces, Miguel must discover whether he left one hostile country for another. 

Re-Vision: The Emperor and The Fool (Chronicles of the House of Yim)

Creatives: Wai Yim, Addie Barnhart, Lisa Tejero, Bindi Kang

Fri 8/26 @ 7pm, Sun 8/28 @ 5pm, Sat 9/3 @ 7pm, Sun 9/4 @ 5pm

The Emperor and The Fool (Chronicles of the House of Yim) follows a Chinese immigrant as he uncovers dark family secrets, discovered after his father’s death. This semi-autobiographical play explores one man’s challenges of grieving for his father and the hope of mending his strained relationship with his mother, while creating a new version of “the American family”.

Re-Invent: Tillage!

Creatives: Fly Jamerson, Alex Jacobsen, Rachel Grossman, Jenny Pool

Sat 8/27 @ 7pm, Sun 8/28 @ 1pm, Thu 9/1 @ 7pm, Sun 9/4 @ 1pm

Tillage! is an immersive theatre performance that invites each audience member to sculpt their own narrative through exploration and discovery of three worlds and times. Tillage! casts the audience as explorers, allowing them to traverse the expanse of the BLUEBARN campus–the theatre, porch, and yard–with curiosity as their guide. Unlike a typical play, Tillage! uses sound and set design as the primary storytelling elements.

FAQ for the BDDF:

• Q: Do we need our masks?
  • A: Yes, masks are required whenever you are inside the building.
• Q: Is this festival inside or outdoors?
  • A: There are events throughout both spaces, but mostly outdoors.
• Q: Will we need to bring our own chairs?
  • A: You will need to bring your own chairs for Re-Vision and Re-Imagine, but not Re-Invent.
• Q: Can I buy a ticket at the door day of show? 
  • A: Tickets will be available for $10 before each show and will be available on a first come first serve basis. We recommend you purchasing in advance.