Artwork by Sarah Rowe

CHOOSE Power

Dance Nation

by Clare Barron

May 25 – June 25, 2023

Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at the Boogie Crown Grand Prix Finals in Tampa Bay. A 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama, Dance Nation is a stark, unrelenting exploration of female power featuring a multigenerational cast of women portraying our 13-year-old heroines.

Recommended for audiences 18 and over.

 

Sponsored by:

Whitmore Charitable Trust

Gilbert M. and Martha H. Hitchcock Foundation

Thu

May 25 – 7:30pm
June 1 – 7:30pm*
June 8 – 7:30pm
June 15 – 7:30pm
June 22 – 7:30pm

Fri

May 26 – 7:30pm
June 2 – 7:30pm
June 9 – 7:30pm
June 16 – 7:30pm
June 23 – 7:30pm

Sat

May 27 – 7:30pm
June 3 – 7:30pm
June 10 – 7:30pm
June 17 – 7:30pm
June 24 – 7:30pm

Sun


June 4 – 6pm
June 11 – 6pm
June 18 – 2pm
June 25 – 2pm

*American Sign Language Interpreted Performance
RED = Sold Out

Previous Season 34 Shows

Artwork by Sarah Rowe

CHOOSE RESILIENCE

The Chinese Lady

by Lloyd Suh

March 30 – April 23, 2023

Directed by Wai Yim

Brought from Guangzhou in 1834 as an “exotic oddity,” The Chinese Lady follows the true story of the first woman from China to enter America. Afong Moy is paraded around for the American public to indulge their voyeuristic curiosities by delivering a performance of her “ethnicity.” Over the course of 55 years, Afong Moy begins to challenge her views of herself, her culture in the hands of others, and her disconnect from her homeland while grappling with her search for her own identity in America.

“By the end of Mr. Suh’s extraordinary play, we look at Alfong and see whole centuries of American history. She’s no longer the Chinese lady. She is us.”  ~The New York Times

 

Sponsored by:

         

Bruce Reneaud & Kerry Dobson
Jannette Davis

Artwork by Sarah Rowe

CHOOSE VIGILANCE

What the Constitution Means to Me

by Heidi Schreck

February 2 – February 26, 2023

Fifteen year old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Hailed as the best play of the year in 2019 by the New York Times and earning two Tony Award nominations, this boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans.

Sponsored by:

Sara Foxley
Corey Erkes & Laura Peet Erkes
Tim Wilson & Katie Weitz, PhD
James & Susan Tracy Charitable Foundation

Artwork by Sarah Rowe

CHOOSE Laughs

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some!)

by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez

November 25 – December 18, 2022

Original Music by Will Knapp

Instead of performing Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told – plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season, this laugh-out-loud comedy offers a hilarious alternative to anthropomorphic Nutcrackers and singing Victorian children.

 

Sponsored by:

Devin Fox & Rob Block

Artwork by Sarah Rowe

CHOOSE MYSTERY

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Washington Irving

October 6 – October 31, 2022

Washington Irving’s masterpiece comes to spooky life with a top-notch ensemble and sheer theatrical invention. Omaha’s own Ben Beck and Jill Anderson incorporate music, dance, and puppetry into a world premiere adaptation, with scenic design by Sarah Rowe and original music composed by Olga Smola. The headless horseman rides again!

 

Sponsored by:

Bruce Reneaud & Kerry Dobson
Nancy Gilliland & Ray Kawaguchi

The BIG DAMN DOOR Festival

New Work for the American Stage

August 25-28 and Sept. 1-4

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 systematic biases in opportunity. Artists that identify as Global Majority (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA2s+, neurodiverse, and artists with disabilities will be prioritized.

Re-Imagine: Perdido en Mi Cabeza

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

Thu 8/25 @7pm, 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.


Serving our Community

BLUEBARN Theatre offers a number of special discounts and programs aimed at ensuring that our boundary-breaking, enriching productions are always affordable.

BLUCrew Memberships (35 or under)

*Due to the pandemic, and changing best guidance on capacity, BluCrew tickets will be available less often, and on shorter notice, this season*

Are you 35 or under? You can sign up for our BLUCrew memberships for FREE! You’ll get discount tickets for the whole season with no upfront cost.  These special memberships are open to ANYONE  under 35 years old. BLUEBARN is committed to making sure our theater remains accessible and affordable for young audiences and students.     

BLUCrew members will have access to Hot Ticket pricing ($20) for most Thursday and Sunday shows at the BLUEBARN through the box office, for themselves and a guest.  Members will also receive special offers throughout the season.

To join, simply e-mail your name, age, email, and address to sreadman@bluebarn.org

As a BLUCrew member, you’ll receive emails prior to the run of every show confirming the dates your tickets will be available. To reserve and purchase your tickets simply call the box office at (402) 345-1576.

Tickets subject to availability.

Rush Tickets

Because we know you don’t always know you want to see a show until you do. Because we’d hate for you to miss out because you didn’t think you could get tickets last minute. Because we want to make sure we provide as many low-cost opportunities to experience live theatre as possible.

BLUEBARN offers rush tickets for any unsold seat at every performance for only $20.

Rush tickets are available in person at the box office on a first-come, first-serve basis starting 45 minutes before showtime. Limit of two tickets per person.

If you’re willing to take a bit of a risk, you could just find yourself seeing great theatre at a great price.

Rush tickets are not available for the final weekend of any performance run. Exceptions are rare, but rush tickets may not be available for other certain VIP performances and special engagements. Tickets are subject to availability.  We regularly post about sold-out shows on Facebook, and also recommend checking in with the box office on rush ticket availability for a particular show at (402)345-1576.

Nebraska Educators

*BLUEBARN is offering Nebraska Educators a special TruBLU season membership rate of $130.*

In recognition of your service to the public welfare and efforts to expand the hearts and minds of your students, BLUEBARN Theatre is proud to offer all Nebraska public and private school educators at every level a $5.00 discount on any ticket, any time. Discounted tickets are available through the box office by phone or in person. Simply identify yourself as an educator and state your affiliation when ordering.

Present your school ID at will call.  Limit 2 per order. Subject to availability. 

Military Personnel

BLUEBARN is offering service members and veterans a special TruBLU season membership rate of $130.*


BLUEBARN has a long-standing commitment to the military personnel in our community. We honor your service and welcome you to our theatre.

BLUEBARN offers a $5.00 discount for U.S. Military Personnel, as well as veterans. When you call or visit our box office simply identify yourself as military or a veteran. You may purchase up to 4 discounted tickets.

Presenting your ID at will call is encouraged but not required. Tickets are subject to availability.



Blue Star Theatres is a program of Blue Star Families and Theatre Communications Group

Healthcare Workers

In recognition of your essential work in these extraordinary times, BLUEBARN is offering all healthcare workers a special TruBLU season membership rate of $130 and $5 off any single ticket.

Group Sales (10+ people)

Bring the whole flock!

The BLUEBARN Theatre is the perfect spot for office excursions, singles mixers, family get-togethers, nights on the town, club outings, class trips and more. Begin your group tradition today!

Groups of 10 people or more receive a $5.00 discount on regular ticket price. To make the most of your group outing contact our Box Office Manager, Sydney Readman at sreadman@bluebarn.org .

Most BLUEBARN productions have audience engagement events that may include guest speakers, panels, and discussions that might enhance your group’s experience. Ask us about renting the lobby for exclusive pre-show mixers or post-show receptions for your group. Group buy-outs and exclusive performances may also be available.

Group pricing is available through the box office or in person only. In addition, Group Discounts cannot be combined with any other offer.

The BLUEBARN Theatre is ADA compliant and committed to meeting your access and mobility needs. We offer special seating, audio enhancement, and large print programs among other accommodations. Audio description service and ASL interpretation is also available upon request. Please let us know how best to serve you when making your reservation.

For ticket reservations
Contact us at 402-345-1576 ext 0 during Box Office hours:
10:00am–4:00pm, Monday–Friday. Office closed Saturday–Sunday.