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

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.

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:

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!

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.