Addams Family and Gearing Up for Great Plains

by William Grennan

            In 1933 Charles Addams published his first cartoon in the New Yorker when was just 21. Over the course of nearly six decades, he became known as one of the magazines most cherished contributors. Today, he’s most widely known for his characters that came to be called The Addams Family, a group that evolved into multiple television shows, motion pictures, and now a Broadway Musical that opens this week...

Stage Managers Make the Theatrical World Go ‘Round

by William Grennan

When you witness a well put together production, everything you see go right on the stage (and more importantly everything that doesn’t go wrong) is more often than not the responsibility of the stage manager. Having just wrapped up a 2-day tech marathon, I know how important the role of a stage manager can be.

Forgot a line? Sprained an ankle? Need huge amounts of glowtape backstage? Can’t remember where to...

Rose’s New Season and Struve’s New Play Bring Excitement

by William Grennan

Children’s theatre, regrettably, often doesn’t receive the press that other productions around town get. Sometimes its the limited appeal, sometimes its the daytime performances, sometimes the plays performed are simply nothing to write home about. But special attention needs to be paid toward The Rose Theater and new Artistic Director Matt Gutschick.

One look at the new season announced at The Rose for 2013/14...

UNO Theatre’s Tragedy and Triumph

by William Grennan

A lot of tragedy has filled this past week at home and abroad. It’s times like these that the importance of theatre is magnified. Our artform and the stories it tells give us a means to cope, a tool to escape, a lens to help make sense of the world, and above all, a constant reminder that we’re not alone in this adventure called life. Nowhere was this more evident than at UNO Theatre’s production of Female...

“Psycho” Author Berry Talks Happiness, Relationships, and Rupaul

by William Grennan

            “Psychos aren’t dated. They’re created.”

            So says the tagline of Beaufield Berry’s new play Psycho Ex Girlfriend that premieres this weekend at Shelterbelt Theatre and runs through May 12th. The play’s journey to Shelterbelt started over 2 years ago when it was featured with other works at the Howard Drew Theatre as part of a New Timey Radio Hour podcast. The show was then featured as part...

A New ‘King’ at the Box Office

by William Grennan

The numbers are in from The Lion King’s run at the Orpheum Theater and the figures are staggering. The return four-week run grossed $5,621,022 at the box office and played to more than 79,000 people.  The final tally not only broke the Orpheum Theater’s house record but also is became the highest-grossing theatrical production in Omaha history. The previous record holder: $5.5 million... by The Lion King in 2007....

Playhouse Struts, SNAP Parks It, and Witching Hour Monkeys Around

by William Grennan

A thank you goes out to those readers that wrote Cold Cream in response to last week’s column. The clear response from everyone was that the OEA Awards are certainly enjoyable for all involved, but ideas for how to improve the experience were quite varied. One notable response was from local playwright Beaufield Barry.

“I love the OEAs and I think that to be taken more seriously they have to take themselves more...