SEPTEMBER 20222 Explore the whole lineup at ticketomaha.com find Music, Broadway, family shows & more Terence Blanchard “Absence” SEPT 30, 2022 | Holland Center Sammy Figueroa and his Latin Jazz Ensemble OCT 14, 2022 | Holland Music Club Ain’t Too Proud OCT 18–23, 2022 | Orpheum Theater The War and Treaty OCT 30, 2022 | Holland Center The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes DEC 9, 2022 | Holland Center Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis FEB 1, 2023 | Holland Center Ballet Hispánico: Doña Perón FEB 4, 2023 | Orpheum Theater Dragons and Mythical Beasts FEB 5, 2023 | Orpheum Theater T. Rex Rises with paleontologist Lindsay Zanno MAR 28, 2023 | Holland Center Disney’s Frozen APR 19–30, 2023 | Orpheum Theater Chucho Valdés Quartet APR 20, 2023 | Holland Center Madagascar the Musical JUN 17, 2023 | Orpheum Theater Observer&&NewsCR© your fun! Photo: Saint ©Disney
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publisher/editor .......... John Heaston john@thereader.com graphic designers Ken AlboryGuthrieSeijas news Robyn Murray copy@thereader.com copy chief Michael Newgren spike@thereader.com lead reporter Chris Bowling chris@thereader.com associate publisher Karlha Velásquez karlha@el-perico.com report for america corps member Bridget Fogarty bridget@el-perico.com creative services director ...................... Lynn Sanchez lynn@pioneermedia.me editorial & membership associate Arjav Rawal arjav@pioneermedia.me CONTRIBUTING EDITORS arts/visual Mike Krainak mixedmedia@thereader.com dish Sara Locke crumbs@thereader.com film Ryan Syrek cuttingroom@thereader.com hoodoo ................ B.J. Huchtemann bjhuchtemann@gmail.com over the edge Tim McMahan tim.mcmahan@gmail.com theater ................... Beaufield Berry coldcream@thereader.com OUR SISTER MARKETINGOURCHANNELSMEDIADIGITALSERVICESPROUDTObECARbON NEUTRAL table of contents MUSIC: Omaha Girls Rock: Musi cians with Ambition CULTURE: New Downtown Mall Sculptures NEWS: Douglas County Health Equity Team FILM: ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Is Messy Mayhem 34 3 0 HOODOO: Fall Goes Blue: MustSee Shows in September 32 FILM: Fall Movie Preview: 33 CUTTING ROOM: Fangs to Youtube, Old Vampire Hunt Gets New Life ARTS: Malcolm X Gets StarStudded, Operatic Homecoming21 DISH: As Fresh as You Can Get: Omaha’s Best Locally Sourced Spots28 JOBS: Six Years Ago, Nebraska Mapped Out the Future of Its Economy. How Did We Do?06 36 OVER THE EDGE: The Area’s Most Important Local Music Festival Is Also the Smallest ARTS: Big Fall Music Lineup Keeps Omaha Anything but “Boring”1218 ARTS: ‘Fall’ Back into Visual Arts with a Harvest of Offerings ARTS: From ‘School of Rock’ to Christmas Stories: Fall Theater Lineup Offers Something for All16 08 (DIS)INVESTED: Fighting Poverty and Increasing Positive Childhood Outcomes 35 COMICS: Jeff Koterba, Jen Sorensen & Garry Trudeau September 20224 online only.com
www.byamarisstebbing.comfollowoninstagram@marby._ September 2022 5
PHOTO
A THOUSAND WORDS
Nikki Monninger of Silversun Pickups struts her stuff during a performance of the Outlandia Music Festival at Falconwood Park in Bellevue on Aug. 13. Monninger handles bass and vocals for the alternative rock band based out of Los Angeles. BY AmAris stebbing
In 2016, Nebraska commis sioned a D.C.-based firm to provide a roadmap for the state’s economic devel opment.
InvestmentIntensiveTechnology-
High-Wage Jobs
The Report: “Technology intensive and capital intensive investments may not always have a direct impact on jobs, but they are associated with higher wages, and make an important long-term contribu tion to overall growth.”
September 20226 OMAHA JOBS
The only public health crisis on people’s minds was Chipotle’s E.coliGivenoutbreak.how much has changed, The Reader decided to revisit the report and take a look at what is being done in Nebraska and the Omaha area to meet these goals.
The Solutions: The Ne braska Tech Collaborative was formed with an ambitious goal in 2019: add 300 tech compa nies and 10,000 tech jobs by 2025. The state has added 147 tech companies, about halfway to its goal, but only created about 1,450 tech jobs, accord ing to a 2022 NTC report. The increase in tech jobs isn’t lim ited to just startups — Mutual of Omaha, an institution in the local economy and Fortune 500 giant, told the Omaha World-Herald it has added 300 tech jobs since 2019 and has more than 1,300 employees in the tech sector. The NTC report says Omaha’s average tech salaries were slightly above $80,000 in 2021.
The Solutions: Anecdot ally, startup incubators are becoming more common in the private sector. Elevator, a co-warehousing facility for e-commerce startups, raised $600,000 this year to open a space at 14th and Jones. It’s like WeWork, but for busi nesses that sell physical goods and need storage for packing. There will be a team of onsite mentors to help guide and scale businesses. There’s also NMotion, a startup accelerator that’s pledged to invest $3.7 million into 24 Nebraska start ups over the next two years.
Back to the Future
The report, called “Nebraska’s Next Economy,” consisted of recommendations meant to solve Nebraska’s eco nomic challenges. It identified four interrelated goals to strive for, with a set of policy recom mendations for how to achieve them: high-wage jobs, tech nology-intensive investment, innovation and high-quality communities.It’sbeen six years since the report was released. We may find it easy to forget just how much our country has changed since then. At the time, our economy was still recovering from the Great Re cession. Donald Trump had yet to take office as president.
The Solutions: In 2014, voters approved Initiative 425, which increased the statewide minimum wage from $7.25 per hour (where it sits federally) to $8 per hour in 2015 and $9 per hour in 2016. Data supplied by Dr. Chris Decker, an economist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, shows that the move contributed to a 5.5% increase in real wages for the Omaha metro area in 2015. Wages re mained stagnant largely until 2020, when real wage growth shot up to 7.1%. High-wage jobs, specifically the H3 (high wage, high skill, high demand) positions called for in the re port, grew slowly. Between 2010 and 2018, the number of H3 jobs making up Nebraska’s total employment increased by 36,306, which is a 1.2% gain.
Innovation The Report: “A turn to wards quality also requires a turn towards innovation-based economic development, in which Nebraska’s economy fos ters startups and rapidly grow ing small- and medium-sized businesses.”
By ArJAv rAWAl SIx YeArS AgO, NeBrASkA MApped OuT THe FuTure OF ITS ecONOMY. HOW dId We dO?
The Report: “The straight forward implication is that Nebraska’s economic develop ment future cannot be based on growth that generates jobs of any kind, but rather growth that emphasizes high-quality jobs.”
Start With Trust® BBB.org @BBBOmaha
Let’sStartedGet
The Report: “If you keep or attract the right talent, estab lished businesses and outsid ers will invest more, and new businesses will be launched. Both Omaha and Lincoln have high quality of life … but there is always more to do and pol icies aligned around building community assets are critical for the long-run.”
CommunitiesHigh-Quality
From profiling new bands to spotting trends, The Reader’s Backbeat columnist is an authoritative voice in Omaha’s local music scene. You’ll write two monthly stories that spotlight local artists, new releases and the best shows, bringing their stories to life with an authentic, unique voice. Visit thereader.com/jobs for a full job description and application info.
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The Solutions: Building a high-quality community is, arguably, the most polariz ing debate in Omaha politics right now. Mayor Jean Stoth ert’s plans to revitalize down town Omaha involve tearing down the W. Dale Clark Li brary, replacing it with a new headquarters for Mutual of Omaha, and developing a streetcar system that will run for three miles along Farnam and Harney streets. With the Clark library going away, plans are underway to build a new flagship branch at 72nd and Dodge. There’s also the newly redeveloped Gene Leahy Mall, which Stothert calls a desti nation for citizens and visitors alike. Much has been made of studies suggesting economic development will skyrocket with these changes. Only time will tell whether or not that’s true.
On the public side, the Nebras ka Innovation Campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which began development in 2013, has established more than 58 public-private part nerships and generated more than $300 million in economic development, according to its 2021 annual report.
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September 2022 7 OMAHA JOBS
This sTory is parT of (Dis)invesTeD — a LonG-TerM reaDer invesTiGa Tion inTo oMaha’s inequiTies.
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But even though researchers continue to cite them as relevant, these statistics are dated as far back as 2002. And as any statistician will note, correlation does not imply causation –– the relationship be tween income and outcomes for kids doesn't necessarily mean pov erty causes kids’ brains to develop in a certain way. That lack of causal evidence leaves room for people to point at the family structure or culture of families experiencing poverty –– not necessarily family income –– as reasons kids’ brains develop differently, according to University of California, Irvine, ed ucation professor Greg Duncan.
HoW does poverty affect cHildren’s brain development? and WHat Happens WHen loW-income motHers get more money?
SEPTEMBER 20228 (DIS)INVESTED
But emerging studies suggest kids like Catina who grow up in poverty are more likely to experi ence delays in brain growth and development that hamper aca demic achievement and executive functioning, such as focusing on tasks and controlling impulses. And according to a 2016 Duke University article, the brains of kids growing up in poverty are similar to those of kids who have been physicallyPreschool-ageabused.U.S. children liv ing in poverty are likely to have cognitive scores on average 60% lower than kids in the highest so cioeconomic group, even though at birth their brains work similarly. These differences translate into material life outcomes. People who grow up in poverty in the U.S. are five times more likely to drop out of high school; they are less likely to earn college degrees and more likely to be poor when they grow up. (These stats are reported by the National Center for Children in Poverty, U.S. Department of Edu cation and Illinois State University.)
Ba By’s First y ears, a nationwide study B ased partially in o maha, is trying to F ind out By Leah Cates
rainon poverty
When Tiffany Back’s oldest daughter, Catina, was in kindergarten, the single mom only saw her when she sent her to school in the morning ––the rest of the time, Back said, she was working two jobs, desperate to make ends meet for Catina and her then 1-year-old sister, Miracle. Around that time, Back said, Catina’s behavior became “a di saster.”“Iwould get calls at work, [the babysitter telling me], ‘She ran outside and is refusing to come back in,’” said Back, who recalls her daughter yelling, “I want [mom]!” over the phone. Back said she wondered, “Is she going to run into the traffic if she runs outside? Is she gonna get picked up by Backsomebody?’”––whosaid she was a re bellious child growing up in a sin gle-parent household where her mom worked three jobs and was on government assistance –– said Catina’s behavior has improved since she was diagnosed with and treated for ADHD and anxiety. And even though Back is now working three jobs, her schedule allows her to spend more time with Catina, who today is in fourth grade.
“The question of whether in come was the active ingredient behind this link between poverty and worse child outcomes [is] a very contentious point in the pol
icy debate,” Duncan said. “[This has gone on for de cades because] unless you have a random assignment experiment … where you isolated the effect of in come, you really [can’t] be sure.”This uncertainty led Dun can, alongside six profes sors from universities across the U.S., to conduct Baby’s First Years, which describes itself as the first causal study to explore connections be tween poverty reduction and the cognitive, emotion al and brain development of infants and toddlers.
The vote passed almost unan imously –– uncharacteristic of a Legislature that, according to state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, doesn’t have the votes to increase the income eligibility require Tiffany Back and her daughTers Miracle (6, lef T) and c aTina (9, righT) sTand ouTside The neBraska c apiTol, where senaTors voTed To prevenT MoMs parTicipaTing in BaBy’s firsT years froM geTTing kicked off puBlic BenefiT s.
SEPTEMBER 2022 9
PHOTO: AmAris sTebbing greg duncan is an educaTion professor aT The universiT y of c alifornia, irvine. PHOTO: UniversiT y Of C Alif OrniA, irvine sarah halpern-Meekin is a universiT y of wisconsinMadison professor. PHOTO: UniversiT y Of WisCOnsinmAdisOn kiMBerly noBle is a professor aT coluMBia universiT y. PHOTO: P OOjA desAi k aTie weiTz is execuTive direc Tor of The philanThropic weiTz faMily f oundaTion.
of Ba by’s First Years suggest that when low-income moms receive unconditional cash benefits on a predictable, monthly basis, their babies’ brain activity may be posi tively impacted. They also reveal that, even though mothers can spend the money on anything, they mentally designate it for their child. If the findings continue to bear out, there’s a chance they could affect public policy, includ ing expanding cash assistance pro grams, down the road. “Debates over whether [to im plement policies] giving money to low-income families [focus not on whether] it's good for the kids, but whether the mom’s going to work less [or] spend the money on drugs. It's all this stereotypi cal stuff about the mom,” Duncan said. “If you've got a squeaky clean random-as signment experiment that shows impacts on kids, is that going to have any bear ing on the debates?”
The study, which re searchers started discuss ing in 2011, according to Duncan, won’t wrap up until August 2023, said Kimberly Noble, a Colum bia University professor and one of the study’s primary researchers. (They’re currently col lecting fourth-year data and, No ble said, trying to extend the re search beyond age 4. And Duncan said the monthly gifts continue until four months after their kids’ sixth birthdays.) But, according to preliminary results, babies in the $333/month group showed more high-frequency brain activity than their $20/month-group counter parts, especially in the frontal and central parts of the brain. In lay man’s terms, that means improved language development, intellect and social-emotional skills, such as managing emotions and build ing relationships. And early results from the qualitative part of the study suggest mothers feel con fident in their ability to put the money to good use –– usually by spending it on their kids.
(DIS)INVESTED
Katie Weitz, executive director of the philanthropic Weitz Family Foundation, helped bring Baby’s First Years to Omaha. She recalls visiting the state Capitol to speak with state senators who weren’t sure about supporting Baby’s First Years –– they had to pass legislation so moms in the study wouldn’t get kicked off public benefits, such as Aid to Dependent Children (ADC), which gives cash assistance to low-income families with kids, if the money they got from Baby’s First Years made their income exceed the cut-off.
PHOTO: m. jUlie PHOTO
Here’s how Baby’s First Years works: Between May 2018 and June 2019, 1,000 low-income moms were recruited from four U.S. cities –– New York City, greater New Orleans, the Twin Cities and the Omaha metro area –– when they gave birth. They receive a monthly, unconditional cash gift of either $333/ month ($3,996/year) or $20/month ($240 each year) to spend on anything, and their child’s develop ment is tracked for the first four years of their life.
The study also looks at how mothers respond to uncon ditional cash Preliminarygifts.results
SEPTEMBER 202210 (DIS)INVESTED ments for ADC.
if B Ack got extr A income, she’d enroll mir Acle (6, left) in dAnce cl A ss And cAtinA (9, right) in gymnA stics, which she's Been wAnting for ye Ars. Photo: AmAris stebbing
“I think [politicians are] used to advocates who know what the an swer is … but we had a question we genuinely didn't know the answer to,” said Duncan, who not ed Omaha ticked all the boxes of an ideal study site, including a cost of living that differed from other sites and contrib uted to the diversity of the study, plus a willing philanthropic commu nity.Weitz hopes to connect study partici pants’ kids with a state wide system (called NSWERS) that analyzes data to inform policy decisions in Nebraska education, and deter mine whether, decades from now, there are dif ferences in high-school graduation rates, col lege persistence and workforce choices be tween kids from fami lies who received more versus less cash assis tance. But regardless of how the results bear out, she said, she be lieves the project serves families.“Money … is going directly into the pockets of the low-income moms,” Weitz said. “Even if we learn nothing new [the money] is helping … vulnerable families to day.”So how are mothers in the study spending their $333 or $20/ month? For one thing, they’re mentally earmarking the cash as being for their kids, according to Sarah Halpern-Meekin, a Universi ty of Wisconsin-Madison professor who’s in charge of the study’s qual itativeHalpern-Meekincomponent. said interviews with moms in the study reveal they generally spend the money on kids’ toys and books, as well as household items, such as clean ing supplies, which are part and parcel of raising children in a safe environment. That flies in the face of stereotypes about people in poverty buying substances, such as cigarettes and alcohol, when they get cash benefits. Preliminary results show that when mothers do spend money on and/or use “vice” products, it’s consistent among the $333/month and $20/month groups, suggesting more income doesn’t necessar ily mean more “vice” spending or substance use. Under 0.3% of transactions made by the moms with Baby’s First Years money happened in liquor stores, as of January“[These2020.stereotype] ‘other’ families who have limited re sources,” Halpern-Meekin said. “There are different amounts of resources people have, but [parents’] love, attention and care exist up and down the income spectrum … [What comes] out so strongly in these interviews is how fiercely moms love their children [and] what joy they get from par enting.”What
Besides tax refunds, includ ing the child tax credit, Halp ern-Meekin said, ADC is the closest A single mom like her mother And sister, tiffAny B Ack used to only see her girls Before they went to school in the morning Bec Ause she wA s working to mAke ends meet.
Photo: AmAris stebbing
“Any money I get [is] always for the kids … My brain functions that way. I don't buy stuff for myself.”
mothers say in interviews also pushes back against stereo types about women’s re lationships with money — for ex ample, that they lack confidence in dealing with it and need help managing budgets. “Moms are not going around trying to get lots of input on how to spend this money every month. They know what their children's wants and needs are,” said Halp ern-Meekin, re calling a mother who felt power to decide how to use the money as opposed to her partner deciding. “[These wom en] are actively making decisions around money all the time.” If Back got an extra $333/month, she said she’d purchase brace let-making kits for Catina, who loves crafts, and put her in gymnas tics class. Catina’s been asking, “Can I do gymnastics?” for two years, Back said, but she can’t afford it, nor can she afford dance lessons for Mira cle, who, like her mother, has pliespacks,clothes,“Myself,”buythatbrainforIandvascularvisionment,learningsueformthatgeneticrofibromatosis,neuaconditionmakestumorsonnervetisandcancauseimpairhearingandloss,cardioproblemsseverepain.“Anymoneyget[is]alwaysthekids…Myfunctionsway.Idon'tstuffformyBacksaid.kids...needbackschoolsup…[AndI’d] feel more accomplished [if I could get them into extracurriculars].”
“It was a job itself, but you [weren’t] getting much money for it,” recalled Back, who’s been on ADC in the past. “So it was point less.”Should the results continue to bear out that more money leads to improved brain development, researchers say they can’t pre dict whether that will impact policy.“Child brain development is one thing we could val ue and pursue in policy but our study [cannot] say, ‘It is the thing you should value,’” Halpern-Meekin said. “That's for policymakers to decide, whether children's brain de velopment is an area in which they want to invest.”
Metropolitan Community College affirms a policy of equal education, employment opportunities and nondiscrimination in providing services to the public. To read our full policy statement, visit mccneb.edu/nondiscrimination.
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equivalent to the no-strings-at tached cash gifts mothers get in Baby’s First Years, since recipients can spend ADC income on rent, utilities, food, clothing and more –– they aren’t confined to spending the money on just one thing as with, for exam ple, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro gram), which can only be spent on food.
But as The Reader report ed in its July 2022 deep dive into Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, the federal grant that funds ADC), Nebraska has the fourth-highest denial rate for direct cash assistance in the country, with 90% of ADC appli cants turned away –– even though the state has stockpiled more than $108 million in TANF (nationwide, states were sitting on a whopping $5.2 billion of TANF as of Decem ber 2021).
SEPTEMBER 2022 11 (DIS)INVESTED
And, as The Reader reported, ADC, unlike Baby’s First Years mon ey, is not unconditional. As of July 2021, a single parent must meet 30-hours-per-week work require ments to earn just $408 per month for a two-person family, which translates to about $3.13 an hour — well below Nebraska’s $9 per hour minimum wage.
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Weitz said she'd like to keep state senators and the governor apprised of the ongoing Baby's First Years work, in the hopes they’ll understand the importance of public benefit programs, should there be conclusive evidence at the study's end. At the time of this writing, state Sen. Cavanaugh said she’s searching for ways to use TANF money as productive ly as possible, given inflation. At a national level, Halpern-Meekin pointed to Mayors for a Guaran teed Income, a network of mayors pushing for a federal guaranteed income, which, she said, is leading small-scale cash-transfer experi ments in cities across the U.S. Mothers in the study, Halp ern-Meekin said, aren’t scrutiniz ing their kids’ brain development. Instead, moms like Back are de lighted to watch their kids change and gain new skills, as children do, regardless of where they are devel opmentally. And they’d like their kids’ futures to be unencumbered by“Ipoverty.want[my daughters] to … do whatever [their] hearts desire and makes [them] happy,” Back said, “[and] follow whatever dream they want.”
“That's for policymakers to decide, whether children's brain development is an area in which they want to invest.”
Visual
“MONUMENTAL” will under score the ways Hunt explores the narrative of African culture — its historical origins and glob al movement — through largescale, abstract public artworks. Additionally, work by Chica go artist Faheem Majeed and Omaha artists Sarah Rowe and Charles Kay Jr. will be included. (Opening Soirée, Oct. 7; exhib ited through Feb. 5.)
From Uno: anita fields, “ to Be Heard,” clay, gold glaze and gold leaf
September 202212 FALL ARTS PREVIEW
As does Kaneko, the Bemis Center looks forward to its annual fall fundraiser, the Benefit Art Auction. Beginning Oct. 1, art is available to view online, with the exhibition open to the public starting Oct. 15 and culminating in the auction on Oct. 28. From Dec. 8-April 16, visitors will see two shows, the solo “Elisabeth Kley: Minutes of Sand,” interweaving textiles with her ceramic and painting practice, and the group effort
The Kaneko contributed to Omaha’s splashy summer re opening of the Gene Leahy Mall by partnering with the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority and the International Sculpture Center to facilitate the long-term loan of five major sculptures. To that end, the venue will be hosting solo shows in coming years, highlighting each artist’s work, beginning with Richard Hunt, considered the most influential living African American sculptor.
T he coming, mercifully cooler months bring with them a full schedule of must-sees in Metro museums and galleries. With something to intrigue everyone, these autumn offerings are filled with solo shows by artists new and familiar as well as a number of thoughtprovoking group endeavors.
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By Janet Farber
“Opulence: Performative Wealth and the Failed American Dream,” examining America’s obsession with wealth and the ways its lavish display shapes class, race, andTwogender.venues will be recognizing the late Omaha arT s Venues ‘Fall’ Back in acTion WiTh a harVesT oF oFFerings
From Creighton: Jeff Hanson, “Picnic in Hyannis Port,” 2018, acrylic on canvas
September 2022 13 FALL ARTS PREVIEW artist Wanda Ewing. The Union for Contemporary Art, whose gallery space is dedicated in her honor, will be hosting “Growing up Black, Growing up Wanda” from Oct. 15-Dec. 17, including many early pieces in which her interest in giving voice to African American women began taking on the biting, comical and often autobiographical edge associated with her mature work. Then from Oct.14-Nov. 26, the Roberta and Bob Rogers Gallery will exhibit “Wanda Ewing + 4,” with Ewing’s prints alongside those of Wangechi Mutu, Allison Saar, Sandra Vasquez de la Horra and an area artist to be named soon.Printmaking is also a fall fea ture at El Museo Latino, with a show of “José Guadalupe Posada Prints” (Sept. 15-Feb. 18) and “Guatemala Painting and Prints” (Sept. 10-December). Nine teenth-century Mexican artist Posada is revered for his de lightful and skewering political prints, and for his iconic calavera (skeleton) images for the Day of the Dead that remain recogniz able to all today. Gallery 1516 goes all-in on large group shows this season. First up is the “UNO School of the Arts Faculty & Staff Exhibition” (Sept. 16-Oct. 15), a new biennial showcase in partnership with the UNO Art Gallery. Then in November, 1516 kicks off a new mediumcentric subset within its biennial format, this one featuring photography and open to artists from Nebraska and its six contiguous states. Jurors will be April and Diego Uchitel.
Creighton’s Medical Human ities program continues to part ner with area galleries, this time with the Lied Gallery at Creigh ton to exhibit “Jeff Hanson: Changing the World Through Art” (Sept. 6-Oct. 7). The late Kansas native Hanson was a visu ally impaired teen when he be gan creating bright, heavily tex tured paintings whose sales he turned into an inspiring model for philanthropy. Students in the program will create their own designs inspired by Hanson’s work to accompany the show.
From KaneKo: RichaRd hunt, “PlanaR and tubulaR,” stainless steel. PHOTO by JaneT Farber
From Project: hannah demma, "a tune Without the WoRds," 2022, mixed media installation
“Katie B. Temple: Building A Home” (Oct. 21-Nov. 20) pres ents new work by the Omaha painter known best for infusing images of domestic architecture
Nebraska Arts Council’s Fred Simon Gallery, at the foot of the newly designed Gene Leahy Mall, will showcase the work of Atiim Jones (Sept.16-Nov. 9). Jones’ particular brand of street photography has been focused on the Old Market and has become a larger documentary project on this busy urban crossroads. Gabriella Quiroz is next up (Nov. 18-Jan. 11), with a show featuring her photorealistic dive into nature’s bounty through painting and colored pencil drawing.
From mamo Gallery: JosE truJillo, “untitlEd”
ect has a busy schedule this fall, beginning with Vinton Street regular Shawn Teseo Ballarin (opening Sept. 9), followed by “Stephen & the Gang,” a sen sory group show (opens Oct. 14) featuring Stephen Kavana ugh’s work alongside individu als with disabilities through his involvement with the nonprofit AngelWorks. Hannah Demma’s naturalist installations with their colorful party-store aesthetic will enliven November (open ing on the 11th), followed by the bio-centric paintings and drawings of Amanda Durig and Patricia Davis (opens Dec. 9). Elsewhere on Vinton, Gen erator Space will pair Pamela Conyers-Hinson and Ilaamen Pelshaw in “The Beauty of Col or” (Sept. 9-Oct. 14) and give over the space to Sarah Rowe in November and December.
Benson First Friday’s large umbrella now includes three of its own visual arts venues, with shows opening the first Friday of each month. At Petshop, guest curator Whitney Stevens will pair with a public art installation for the September feature, followed by Shawnequa Linder’s paint ings in October and interdisci plinary sculptor Morgan Fields in November. At BFF Gallery, “Futures,” open to visual and performance artists 18 and un der, is the September showcase; the Unceded Art Collective of contemporary Native American artists follows in October, and Jenny Marie’s surrealist portrai ture is up in November. MaMO Gallery will host the work of re cent artists-in-residence Travis Apel, (Sener) Jose Trujillo and (Sedra) Daniel Castaneda (Oct. 21-Nov.Finally,11).don’t forget to check out the busy schedule at Hot Shops highlighting the work of several of its studio artists. The latest installment of “Expressions in Fiber Art” runs from Sept. 2-25, followed by the “Hopeful Impressions” Midwest Lampworker’s Guild show, Sept. 30-Oct. 29. James Freeman will curate “Heaven, Hell and Everything In-Between,” opening Nov. 5, which promises to be richly eclectic and eccentric.
From rBrG: Wanda EWing, “bougiE – May,” 2006, rEductivE linocut With an acEtatE ovErlay and vinyl lEttEring
TBDwithinCultureFamilyleryfourth-floortobertnistlookofthesituations.environmentallitical,spondinginstallationslarge-scalepaintingspictographicfeaturesandvinylretoposocialandOnoppositeendtheMetro,forpatterPattyTalandfriendshelpfillthegaloftheHoffArtsandCenterCouncilBluffs,anopeninginOctober.ProjectProj
“Bearing Wit ness” (Sept. 14Oct. 12)
From Bemis: ElisabEth KlEy, “MinutEs of sand,” 2021, installation at thE fabric WorKshop and MusEuM, 2021. PHOTO by CarlOs avendañO
September 202214 FALL ARTS PREVIEW with a sense of memory and an imation.AtUNO’s Art Gallery, “Resil ience” is the rubric bringing to gether artists Anita Fields, Lydia Cheshewalla, Reyna Hernandez and Sarah Rowe (Oct.10-Nov. 10). Representing the diversity of contemporary Indigenous cultures, they explore themes of nature, transformation and resil ience.InElkhorn, Metro Communi ty College’s campus gallery in troduces the art of Wayne State University professor Margi Weir.
September 2022 15 Wanda D. Ewing Wanda D. GalleryEwinginthe This fall, the work of pivotal Omaha artist Wanda Ewing (1970-2013) appears for the first time in the gallery named in her honor at The Union for Contemporary Art. See additional work by Wanda Ewing this fall at Gallery 1516 (gallery1516.org) and the Roberta & Bob Rogers Gallery (rbrg.org). oct 15-dec 17 2423 N. 24 Street | U-CA.ORG MEMBER FDIC 2022 ROCKBROOK VILLAGE ART FAIR SPONSORSSat/Sept: 10th • 10- 6 Sun/Sept 11th • 10 - 5 108th & W Center Rd, Omaha,NE A SPECIAL THANKS TO FOR THIS ADVERTISMENT This Event is FREE! 51ST ANNUAL
The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow BlueBarn Thursdays-Saturdays:Theatre 7:30 p.m. | Sundays: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. General admission: $37 | Mili tary personnel, educators, and health care workers: $32 | Free for members
September 16 – October 16
October 7 ChavoRucos Orpheum Theater
This hilarious and touching new play hails from the mind of mega talent Bekah Brunstetter, who wrote the hit television program “This Is Us.” It features direction by Kim Clark-Kaczmarek. The story follows a baker from North Caroli na who gets confronted with her prejudices after taking on the task of baking a wedding cake for two engaged women partners. Its tone fuses comedic timing with warmth, and the performance will contain language intended for mature audi ences and some nudity.
October 7 – November 6 The Cake Omaha Community $36|Thursdays-Saturdays:Playhouse7:30p.m.Sundays:2p.m.
This world-pre miere adaptation of Washington Ir ving’s famous sto ry about a head less horseman will invite audiences for an incredible journey through songs, dances, and puppets. It’s also sure to get you in the holiday spirit for Halloween. Ben Beck and Jill Anderson, both from Omaha, wrote the screenplay, and the play features a set design by Sarah Rowe and original musical compositions by Olga Smola.
September 202216 FALL ARTS PREVIEW
November 4 and 6 X: The Life & Times Of Malcolm X Orpheum Theater Friday: 7:30 p.m. | Sunday: 2 p.m.
Omaha theaters have a fantastic coming fall season. Let your imagi nation take the stage. Read on for a list of the best performances sched uled through the end of 2022.
FaLL THeaTeR LiNeuP OFFeRS SOMeTHiNg FOR eveRyONe BY Matt Casas From ‘School of Rock’ to Christmas Stories From ‘School of Rock’ to Christmas Stories
School Of Rock Omaha Community $25-$47p.m.Wednesdays-Saturdays:Playhouse7:30|Sundays:2p.m. Based on the Paramount movie by Mike White, the play by Julian Fellowes, lyrics by Glenn Slate, and new music by Andrew Lloyd Web ber, “School of Rock” will satisfy fans of the classic-rock canon and the hit 2003 film starring Jack Black, including its original, beloved songs. The story interjects a hope ful, humorous, and musical tone into a stuffy school setting in which untapped kids meet an unlikely substitute teacher: A down-on-hisluck, ex-rock frontman posing for the gig to make rent.
October 7 – 23 Popularity Coach The Rose Theater Fridays: 7 p.m. | Saturdays: 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. | Sundays: 2 Generalp.m. admission: $25 | Free for members
Centered on the work of Rose Playwright-in-Residence Brian Guehring, “Popularity Coach” gives audiences a fresh look into the depths of personal authentic ity vs. conformity by examining the world of early school years. In his story, children named Coo per and Mia hire, you guessed it, a popularity coach to solve their youngster problems after parents and teachers shrug them off with unrelatable wise sayings like “Pop ularity doesn’t matter.” Together, they learn how to navigate outsider status.
October 6 – 31
Each live performance is unique and mortal, even if the story is the same and timeless (to say nothing about the art of writing an original screenplay) –– the writers, produc ers, designers and performers make each show an unrepeatable event. But audiences do not passively in gest a play, musical, opera or set. We experience it.
9 p.m. $45-$89show This Spanish-speaking perfor mance of two comedy titans brings a nice change of pace to the Or pheum Theater. Adrian Uribe and Adal Ramones will stop in Omaha to perform together for the first time as part of their “ChavoRucos” tour, which roughly translates to “old guys.” You can order tickets in Spanish by emailing ticketoma ha@o-pa.org, and an agent will contact you via phone or email within a few business days.
N ot quite a movie and not a book, theater starts and ends on the stage.
Tickets prices to be announced
(See Leo
tary personnel, educators, and healthcare workers: $32 | Free for members
This re-telling of the classic “Cin derella” story for audiences of all ages takes a fantastic approach to a few familiar themes grounded in family disillusionment and sparkly, snowy landscapes. Through a spe cial arrangement with R & H Theat ricals, this adaptation features mu sic by Richard Rodgers, lyrics and the book by Oscar Hammerstein II, a new book by Douglas Carter Beane, and orchestrations by Dan ny Troob with musical adaptation and arrangements by David Chase.
BlueBarn
To switch up your talesoftoapproachalternativeventionaltheseason,mententertainter-themedwinthisuncontheloreholidayin“Every Christmas Story Ever Told” offers a hilarious, enter taining, and pop culture-inspired take on every Christmas story, just as the title suggests. It features a screenplay by Michael Carleton, Jim FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez, and original music by Will Knapp.
feature article on page 22)
Every Christmas Story Ever Told Thursdays-Saturdays:Theatre 7:30 p.m. | Sundays: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. General admission: $37 | Mili
November 25 – December 23
Sister's gi’sMysteryCatechism:ChristmasTheoftheMa-Gold
September 2022 17 FALL ARTS PREVIEW
“Sister’s Christmas Catechism,” something like CSI-meets-Beth lehem, sets the stage for a new hilarious and mystery-infused hol iday classic centered on a nun in vestigating the disappearance of the biblical Magi’s gold. The show brings a new spin on the nativity story, a living nativity that involves the audience as much as the choir and featured performers. This mu sical play comes from the creator of “Late Nite Catechism,” with ad ditional credits from Maripat Don ovan, Marc Silvia, and Jane Morris.
November 25 – December 18
November 25 – December 18 Cinderella The Rose Theater Fridays: 7 p.m. | Saturdays-Sun days: 2 $27-$32p.m.
Omaha Community $25-$407:30Thursdays-Saturdays:Playhousep.m.|Sundays:2p.m.
Opera Omaha presents an excit ing experience that fuses history with theatrical presentation as well as classical and jazz music genres to tell the uplifting and tragic story of Malcolm X, whose legacy as a civil rights icon remains uniquely tied to his birthplace, this city. It features original compositions by Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Anthony Davis in cooperation with Thulani Davis. The opera premiered in New York in 1986. Biga's
• scOtt BrAdLee’s pOstMOd ern JukeBOx: LiFe in the pAst L Ane tOur • sundAy, Oct. 16
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I often hear people talk about how boring Omaha is, about how all the great artists nev er come here and how there isn’t much to do around the city. To which I am constantly dumbfound ed. Not only is Omaha a bustling hub for some of the most impres sive independent musicians and upcoming artists, it also is constant ly being visited by powerful per formers who might blow the artists you’re waiting for out of the water. I want to help you, your friends, anyone in your life who’s waiting for Omaha to suddenly become a hotbed for the most popular musi cians out right now. Guess what? Ya don’t need ’em! The hotbed is cooking, and your pal Fernando is here to give you a guide of some of the wonderful shows coming to our boring, little city. As the summer ends and fall and winter start to settle in, some of you might be looking for the com forts of a cozy concert to warm and inspire your cold bones. I’m telling you to look no further. The end of the year has a myriad of incredible jazz and classical concerts on tap.
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JAZZ, CLASSICAL CONCERTS HEADLINE THE FALL OFFERINGS IN OMAHA The Halls Will Be Alive With Music The Halls Will Be Alive With Music
FernAndO AntOniO MOnteJAnO
• hOLLAnd perFOrMing Arts center/7:30 p.M.
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JAZZ LOVAM JAzz FestiVAL sAturdAy, sept. 3 • turner pArk 4 p.M. - 10 p.M • Free Let’s start with something that appeals to everyone. Jazz! Well … jazz itself might not be for every one, but “free” and “outdoors” tend to be things people love. Es pecially when it comes to concerts. Even if you aren’t the biggest jazz enthusiast, it would be worth it for you to make your way to Turner Park at the beginning of Septem ber. Kicking us off we have the LO VAM Jazz Festival. LOVAM gives us internationally (yeah, read it again — INTERNATIONALLY) known leg end Peter White. His skills on the acoustic guitar are nearly unrivaled on the jazz scene, and maybe even other genres if we’re being honest. He is THAT good. White, this mas ter of the contemporary jazz scene, is best known for combining pop and even classical guitar into his music.Hecreates his own brand of jazz that is recognizable and prolific enough to bridge the gap between genres you know and a new one you might learn to love. Alongside the legend comes an other superstar on the scene, the No. 1 flute player on the Billboard charts, Ragan Whiteside. If you thought Lizzo was good, just wait until you hear Whiteside. The rea sons she has climbed the Billboard charts become wildly apparent once you hear her play. Not only is she dynamic and explosive, but her style of playing is more face-melt ing than if Jethro Tull and Chuck Mangione formed a supergroup. Whiteside’s mastery of the flute makes her not only a thrill to watch, but also helps you understand why rats were so drawn to the Pied Pip er. Her rhythm is in time and the energy is through the roof. You’ll probably wind up dancing before her set is up, and you might even follow her out of the city with a small group of entranced jazz fa natics.Ifyou love supporting local mu sicians, here are two more reasons why you should check out the LO VAM Jazz Fest in September. Ac claimed local artists Chad Stoner and Ed Archibald grace the stage with White and Whiteside. Be there or be somewhere sig nificantly less awesome.
• $39.50 Let’s say that, maybe, LOVAM isn’t quite enough for you. You’re potentially enticed but not entire ly sold because you’re just not a jazz fan … but you want to give it a try. You just need something that feels a little more familiar. That is where Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox: Life in the Past Lane Tour will hook you. One of the coolest things about the band is its You Tube channel with more than five million subscribers. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is a beautiful, exciting, masterfully crafted mix of modern hits and the familiar music styles from back in the day. Postmodern Jukebox is an awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping fusion of classic jazz sounds from previous eras and some of the best modern hits from the ’80s to today. Have you ever wondered what Radiohead’s “Creep” might sound like if it were written during the prohibition era and performed in a smoky Chicago speakeasy? Listen no further, Scott Bradlee has you covered. Maybe you need a more modern example. Are you a Billie Eilish fan? The Week nd? Lorde, Meghan Trainor, Lady Gaga? Maybe these are a little too modern. How about Guns N’ Ros es, Toto, No Doubt, Journey, Abba? Postmodern Jukebox takes these artists and so many more, breaks down the songs, builds them again, breathes new life into them by in jecting styles from older eras into Postmodern Jukebox will do its thing at the holland Performing arts Center on oC t. 16.
September 202218 DISHFALL ARTS PREVIEW
Major Support:Season Sponsor: Fred and Eve FoundationCharitableSimon Premier Benefactors: m omentum amballet.org Featuring Brilliant works by acclaimed choreographers: • World Premiere by Ray Mercer • Frank Chaves’ “Eva” • Erika Overturff’s ”The Diner” • Classic “Don Quixote” pas de deux October 15 & 16 Hoff Family Arts & Culture amballet.org/ticketsCenter
• tHe orpHeum tHeater
Friday, oct. 14 Holland perForming arts center/7:30 • $20-$89 OK, so maybe jazz isn’t your thing, you consider yourself a bit above modern songs and older classics. You prefer something with a bit more sophistication and a bit less improvisation. How about a three-time Grammy win ner who has worked with such artists as Spike Lee, The Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan and Don Henley? Another powerhouse musical talent, this time joining the Omaha Symphony and Con ductor Rob Moose. Join Bruce Hornsby as he and Moose lead the Omaha Symphony in some of his newest works, and a few of his timeless classics.
The final event on our list, though not the final event in the city, is a show I wasn’t sure whether to place in the classical or the jazz section. It’s an Ameri can opera sure to turn heads and maybe even change minds. “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” written by cousins Anthony and Thulani Davis, is told through a series of vignettes leading us through Malcolm’s boyhood to his assassination in 1965. (See Leo Bi ga’s feature story on Page 22) Anthony Davis wrote this opera about the Omaha icon with the intention of infusing jazz with a more contemporary score. “X” is not just special because of the score or the subject matter, it’s the people involved in making this project soar. Robert O’Hara is attached as director. O’Hara was nominated for a Tony in 2020 for his Broadway show “A Slave Play.”
+ ADULTS SAVE 50% OFF FRAMES ** BACK-TO-SCHOOL EVENT 50% OFF * KIDS EYEGLASSES *Offer eligible for children 18 years old and younger. Requires purchase of a complete prescription pair, including frame and lenses. **Requires purchase of a complete prescription pair, including frame and lenses. Does not include sunglass frames, Barton Perreira, Cartier, Chanel, Cutler and Gross, Dior, Gucci, Maui Jim, Michael Kors, Nifties, Oakley, Oliver Peoples, Ray-Ban, Robert Marc, Silhouette, Tiffany & Co., Tom Ford, Woow, accessories, contact lenses, or medical procedures. Cannot be combined with any other discounts, promotions, or insurance plans. Not valid on previous orders. Other restrictions may apply. See practice for full details. Offer ends 09/04/2022. 22AEG-322313 SCHEDULE YOUR EYE EXAM TODAY MALBAR.COM | 877-457-6485 Together again! 7020 Cass www.fumcomaha.org402.556.6262StreetSundays IN PERSON @ 10:50 am ONLINE via Facebook We WILL NOT be resuming other activities. Back Masks & social distancing will be required.
Produced in partnership with the Detroit Opera, The Metro politan Opera in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Seattle Opera, “X” will play in Omaha be fore heading to the Met in 2023. Opera Omaha always seems to be at the forefront of change and ex citement in the opera world. So anytime your friends say there is never anything to do in Omaha, drag them to some of these events. Art in Omaha is thriving. All it needs is for you to find it, and to cherish it so it can grow into a culture so strong, no one will say Omaha is boring again.
Even if you don’t like covers, this is a talented group of musical artists coming together to turn classic hits AND modern classics into something new. And sung by some of the strongest, most passionate voices in the business. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Juke box doesn’t just breathe new life into old-school styles and hits from bygone eras, it crafts new experi ences from songs that already sit in our hearts as classics. Each modern song will evoke the spirit of old jazz styles, boozy lounge-singer hits, and moments of old-school swing music magic. A true marriage of modern classics expressed in classic style. This is a show you will not want to miss. Bruce HornsBy witH tHe omaHa sympHony
CLASSICAL •
• “X: tHe liFe and times oF malcom X”
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• ticket prices to Be an nounced
September 202220 DISHFALL ARTS PREVIEW the heart of the songs and raises a Frankenstein’s monster of musical experiences just for you.
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Fernando A. Montejano is an ar dent lover of the arts and hosts the Classical Saturday show on KVNO. He is a spoken-word performer, a Holland Community Opera Fellow with Opera Omaha and a former teaching artist for The Nebraska Writ ers Collective.
Friday, nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. / sunday, nov. 6, 2 p.m.
Orpheum TheaTer prepareS fOr ‘The Life and TimeS’ Of Omaha icOn BY Leo AdAm BigA The Operatic Story of Malcolm X The Operatic Story of Malcolm X Scene from Detroit proDuction of “X: the Life anD timeS of maLcom X”. PHOTO: MicaH SHuMake/DeTrOiT OPera
“There’s a lot of American operas about important historical, political figures, so absolutely there should be a Malcolm X opera and it absolutely should be performed here,” he said. “It’s absolutely a dream project for us to be able to share a wonderful piece of art about one of Omaha’s most fa mous citizens right here in this com munity and do so with the best and brightest collaborators. The creative team is absolutely on the pulse of cul ture and storytelling in this country.”
Cousin Thulani Davis wrote the li bretto. She’s a noted playwright, dra maturg, journalist, novelist and screen writer. She and Anthony collaborated on the 1997 opera “Amistad.”
Weitz commends the production’s “wonderful cast,” which will be largely the same as it was in Detroit. A notable exception is baritone Adam Richard son, who will sing the part of Malcolm X in Omaha. “He’s a tremendous tal ent,” Weitz said. “X” is finding new life in a woke cli mate embracing Black stories by Black creatives on Broadway and in Holly
Davis, a re nowned jazz pianist, dis covered he and Malcolm X shared jazz influences, which are expressed in the opera. Known for interpret ing political subjects, Davis earned the Pulitzer Prize for the 2018 opera “The Cen tral Park Five” about an infa mous miscarriage of justice.
“I’m very excited about the direc tion and the music,” he said. “I love the way Anthony Davis pulls in differ ent music idioms spanning the lifetime of Malcolm X in such inge niousComposerways.”
oning.The new production, directed by Tony Award nominee Robert O’Ha ra (“Slave Play”) and conducted by American contemporary music leader Gil Rose, premiered May 22 in Detroit. Omaha’s the second stop on a 20222023Weitztour.believes it’s only appropri ate this work about Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in Omaha in 1925, be produced on his home turf.
“I think all of that points to the wor thiness and timeliness of the piece. It’s been gone for far too long,” he said, adding that it’s return feels right in this Black Lives Matter and inclusivity reck
Omaha learned two-plus years ago that Detroit Opera planned a revival of the Anthony Da vis (composer) and Thulani Davis (librettist) work, “X: The Life and Times of Mal colm X,” it asked to partic ipate.“Detroit welcomed us as a co-producer, which means opera companies pool resources to build something bigger than either could do by itself,” said Opera Omaha General Director Roger Weitz. “X” made a splash with its 1986 New York world premiere, getting occasional remountings elsewhere, but Weitz said “generally speaking it hasn’t had a major national push.”
Weitz attended the opening with leaders of Omaha’s Malcolm X Memo rial Foundation (MXMF) as guests of Detroit Opera. MXMF features a visi tors center and grounds on the birth site of its namesake. It will present cultural-educational programs in con junction with “X,” the details of which are still forthcoming. The Detroit experience confirmed for Weitz the work’s importance.
September 2022 21 FALL ARTS PREVIEW
Davis has a history with Opera Omaha. It com missioned his “Wakonda’s Dream” about another icon ic Nebraska figure, Standing Bear. It made its 2007 world premiere in Omaha. His brother Christopher Davis, a novelist and play wright, wrote the story for “X.”
S lain Black liberation and civil rights activ ist Malcolm X may finally get his due in his hometown thanks to an opera about him going up Nov. 4 and 6 at the Or pheumWhenTheater.Opera
“Several prominent opera leaders made notice of that and felt this was an excellent time for this excellent piece to be back in the national spotlight,” Weitz said. “Three more major opera companies – the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Seattle Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago – joined this copro duction consortium.
The director, O’Hara, is also an award-winning playwright (“Insurrec tion: Holding History,” “Antebellum,” “BootyCandy,” “Barbecue”).
The music, words, staging inexora bly pull this tragic hero to meet an in evitable end. The opera’s considered prescient for showing how much of what Malcolm X champi oned is still struggling to be realized today and how his teachings remain a
AdAm richArdson sings the role of mAlcolm X in the omAhA Production
PHOTO: MalcOlM X MeMOrial F OundaTiOn scene from detroit Production of “X: the life And times of mAlcom X”.
President leo louis ii And eXecutive director JoAnnA leflore-eJike At the world Premiere of the new Production of "X: the life And times of mAlcolm X" At detroit oPer A.
PHOTO: MicaH SHuMake/deTrOiT OPera
“When I think of his life I think of three things being very prominent: Self-love, self-determination and em powerment.”Shebelieves that with the opera coming here on the eve of the Hall of Fame se lecting finalists, the stars are aligned to bring Malcolm X the recognition missing in his hometown. “It feels really big,” she said. For Pearson, the opera well cap tures X’s evolutionary and inspiration al journey.“It’sabeautiful work. It speaks to American history,” she said. “I think it can bring about a greater level of awareness of what Malcolm X’s life was really about. You see a legacy of someone who started from nothing, transformed to meet the needs of the moment, then changed into someone who was not only able to captivate au diences but to inspire people to a point that they created change in their own lives, spaces and tion”lievessaidmythological“rathermanity,thetookThecommunities.”opera’screatorspainsportrayingleaderinhisfullhuwartsandall,thanassomefigure,”O’Hara.HebeX’sown“evolufromstreethustler and convict to charismatic activist capable of gal vanizing audiences offers a powerful message about personal transforma tion.“X” is seen by its producing team as a gateway for generating greater understanding of its protagonist’s teachings.Instead of a straight-line bio, the story is told in vignettes that abstract and telescope his life to create “an X experience,” said O’Hara.
mAlcolm X memoriAl f oundAtion
September 202222 FALL ARTS PREVIEW
PHOTO: MalcOlM X MeMOrial F OundaTiOn
Anthony dAvis is the comP oser of “X: the life And times of mAlcom X” robert o’hAr A is the director of “X: the life And times of mAlcom X”
Malcolm X’s ideologies permeate the work. While some can be chal lenging, Weitz said, “the opera does a wonderful job of getting to Malcolm X’s central message around human rights for all people. It’s a very uplift ing, inclusive message.”
Andrea Joy Pearson, Opera Oma ha’s director of belonging and inclu sion, advocated for his election before a recent Hall of Fame Commission hearing.“Ifeel very impacted by the life Malcolm X lived and the legacy he left behind,” she said.
At the detroit oPer A world Premiere of "X: the life And times of mAlcolm X." on the left, mXmf's JoAnnA lefloreeJike; in the middle, "X" comP oser Anthony dAvis, Above, mXmf's leo louis ii; on the right, "X" story writer christoPher dAvis; bottom right, "X" librettist thul Ani dAvis.
Andre A Joy Pe Arson, oPer A omAhA director of belonging And inclusion wood. This trend extends to Omaha’s arts-culture scene, in which Black content and artists are gaining un precedented traction. Paralleling this are efforts to finally have Malcolm X elected to the Nebraska Hall of Fame. A campaign led by MXMF has made the case for decades.
Pearson’s proud Opera Omaha is bringing his philosophy and this work to a national audience.
“I do hope this is an opportunity for both organizations to introduce each other’s audiences to each other and raise awareness and appreciation for Malcolm X’s legacy,” Weitz said.
From the perspective of MXMF Exec utive Director JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, the opera is “really a good opportunity for people to learn about Malcolm X.
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“We really want to engage differ ent audiences – the creative commu nity, youths, Black folks, history buffs. We’re looking forward to bringing those groups together through pro grams,” she said. “I’m really excited aboutLeFlore-Ejikethat.” sees the opera as a conduit to connect everyone from die-hard aficionados and devotees to novices to whomever else steps through the “Everybodydoor.in between is the fla vor Malcolm would have preferred to reach because they are the ones who are often ignored and who relate to Malcolm the most. Healthy align ments is just what we at the Malcolm X center want to be a part of,” she said.MXMF and Opera Omaha expect to connect to new audiences.
“It brings up a lot of things to the current conversation around so cial justice,” LeFlore-Ejike said, “but there’s also a nod to Afrofuturism.
PHOTOs: COurTesy OPera OmaHa
September 2022 23 FALL ARTS RogeR Weitz, opeR a omaha geneR al diRectoR X,THELIFEANDTIMESOFMALCOLMXSUORANGELICATHEMARRIAGEOFFIGARO
thulani davis is the libRettist of “X: the life and times of malcom X” relevant guide for change.
Malcolm X’s Black liberation the ologies are central in the opera and clearly resonate with this new era of Black enfranchisement.
“X,” she said, provides a mirror for Black audiences “to feel more seen, more heard, more recognized, more valued.”Though it has a tragic end, Pearson and LeFlore-Ejike say viewers are left with a feeling of possibility, not limita tion, resilience, not defeat for not only the future of the Black Experience but the broader human experience.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 6. Tickets are $19-$99. Visit foreraomaha.org/season-ticketswww.opmoreinformation.
“X” also offers an opportunity to help dismantle opera’s elitist white Eu ropean strictures and to elevate new voices, faces and stories, Pearson said. “That’s what I want opera to be about. I want opera to speak to the lives of people today, to the history of Amer ican culture. I want people to see themselves, their family, their culture represented and speaking to them in a new way. “
OPERAOMAHA.ORG/SUBSCRIBE SEASON TICKETS
“We’re giving new voice, new life, new vibrancy to this story, to this life that was lived,” she said. “We’re cele bratingStagingit.” it in Omaha, she said, means Malcolm X is getting a posthu mous“It’shomecoming.specialthatwe’re doing it in Malcolm X’s birthplace,” Pearson said. “Nowhere else has that connection.”
“Nothing is dramatized to the point of disbelief or concern,” she said. “Ev erything is thoughtful in its presen tation, even down to the wardrobe depicting the clothes of the time. My favorite part is the incorporation of dancers throughout who represent a collective spirit of the times.”
September 202224 PICKS W
The WhoWomanRan Benson Theatre
Hot Shops Art Center
The last time the quintet played in Omaha was at Slowdown in 2016 for a farewell tour. The band will be returning to the venue on Sept. 7 at 8:30 p.m. for $35 in ad vance or $40 the day of the per formance.Tickets are available at theslow down.com
Gene Leahy Mall, Gifford Park, Bryant Center Omaha Mobile Stage is con ducting a city-wide talent show for children ages 3 to 18. There will be three opportuni ties: Sept. 9 at Gene Leahy Mall from 6 - 9 p.m., Sept. 17 at Gifford Park from 4 - 7 p.m. and Sept. 18 at Bryant Center from 4 - 7 p.m. All performing art forms are eligible for the competition with contestants limited to four minutes for their showcase. Scoring will be based on talent, originality and showmanship.Thetalentshows are free. Reg ister at omahamobilestage.com/ talent — Efren Cortez
September 9, 16, 23
ArtinExpressionsFiberVII
Gifford Park Leave with one-of-a-kind crafts, eats, and energy at the Neighbor hood Market in Gifford Park every Friday from 5-8 p.m. through Sept. 23Perfect if you love farmers mar kets but don’t care for those toasty mornings, here is an evening mar ket in Midtown full of goodies, recurring but not for long. If you
To get in touch with the politi cal undercurrent in Omaha, look at the women running for office in the new documentary “The Wom an Who Ran” at Benson Theatre on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. The film highlights a first for the city: Women of every political par ty running for every City Council seat and mayor. The documentary takes an intimate look behind the scenes.After the hour-long feature, stick around for a Q&A session with the candidates, producers, and the nonprofit Women Who Run. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $17. — Matt Casas
September 9 & 17-18 Youth Talent Shows Mobile Stage
Reserve some time Friday, Sept. 2, from 6-8 p.m. for the opening date of “Expressions in Fiber Art VII.” The gallery show features no less than 30 artists, displaying the wide range of possibilities within the world of fabric art. This is the seventh iteration of this fascinat ing event and marks a return to the show’s original venue, the Hot Shops Art Center.
Minneapolis emo and pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack is touring their 2005 sophomore al bum “Commit This to Memory” in honor of its 17th anniversary. The tour was planned in 2020 for the album’s 15th anniversary but was delayed due to the pandemic. “Commit This to Memory” fea tures the gold-selling single “Ev erything Is Alright.”
fashion show on Sept. 16, several workshops for kids and adults, in cluding lectures and tours, and all revolving around the main exhibit. For more information, go to www.hotshopsartcenter.org.
September 9
— Efren Cortez
— Kent Behrens September 7 Motion SoundtrackCity Slowdown
MarketNeighborhood
A dozen years ago, Atiim Jones began taking pictures of random people in the Old Market. After about only a year, his “after work” hobby became a major documen tary project called “Crossroads.”
— Kent Behrens
For more information, go to www.mcc.edu/gallery or email lc burke@mccneb.edu.
September 2022 25 W PICKS W support your community, your community supports back. Handcrafted artistic treasures, delightfully fresh and tasty eats, live and local music, and neighbor ly conversation await. And if you want to perform or become a vendor or for more information, email gpnmarket@ gmail.com.
September 15 –November 9
byPhotographsCrossroads:AtiimJones NAC/Fred Simon Gallery
— Matt Casas
Stinson Park
The Admiral Mid-September will see leg endary acts back-to-back at The Admiral when Seattle’s Sunny Day Real Estate and Manhattan Beach’s Descendents show up. Sunny Day Real Estate’s reunion tour on Sept. 14 will be the group’s first activity since 2014 and the first live performance since 2010. The band’s 1994 debut album, “Diary,” is often listed as the greatest emo album. Opening is The Appleseed Cast from DescendentsLawrence.are among the oldest active punk bands and are known for their rapid-fire sets filled with short songs. This will be their first time in Nebraska since 2019, when they played at The Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln. Opening on Sept. 15 are H2O and Surfbort.
Sunny Day Real Estate Descendents&
September 10
— Matt Casas
Fred Simon Gallery and the Ne braska Arts Council invite you to the opening reception of “Cross roads: Photographs by Atiim Jones” on Thursday, Sept. 15. Jones, a recent NAC grant recipi ent, actively pursues his penchant for photographing strangers, in a style often referred to as “street photography.”Aself-taught photographer, Jones has been photographing since he was a teen. His work has received national attention through several popular media outlets, such as Huffington Post, NBC’s “Today Show” and MSN.
— Behrens
September 16 –October 16 School of Rock Omaha Community Playhouse Hawks Mainstage
Admission is free. Plus, the first 300 first responders and health care professionals get a free meal voucher limited to this one-dayonly event.
September 14-15
— Efren Cortez
Tickets for both all-ages shows are available at admiralomaha.com with the first night being $32 in advance and $35 the day of the show, and the second being $35 in advance and $40 the day of. Balco ny seating is also available for $75.
WitnessBearing Metro CC Gallery
Doors for both shows will open at 7 p.m. The shows start at 8.
If you feel worldly, the second annual all-ages One Community Cultural Festival takes place on Sept. 10 in Stinson Park from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It’s a full day in which diversity is front and center, championed as a vital communal life force. Come for delicious eats, daz zling performing arts, and unique handmade crafts. The global fo cus makes for an enlightening, high-energy, and family friendly festival.
September 14 –October 12
FestivalCulturalCommunityOne
Metro Community College Gal lery will host “Bearing Witness,” an exhibition by nationally acclaimed artist Margie Weir, from Sept. 14 through Oct. 12. Plan on attending the closing reception and a gallery talk on Oct. 12, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.Weir’s paintings and large-scale, vinyl installations are informed by socio-economic, political, and environmental themes and can draw imagery from a broad range of sources; from, for example, an cient Egyptian and Greek iconog raphy to modern, digitally inspired symbolism.Weirisan associate professor of art at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her award-win ning work has shown extensively across the U.S.
Kent
— Matt Casas
Tickets are $10, with doors at 9:45 p.m. Please know you must arrive at least five minutes before the start time and be at least 18 to get in. There is no drink minimum on the table.
September 25 Dinosaur Jr.
— Matt Casas
September 24
Based on Mike White’s 2003 film starring Jack Black, a musical production of “School of Rock” will have a month-long gig at the Omaha Community Playhouse starting on Sept. 16 and ending on Oct.“School16.s of Rock” follows a wan nabe rock star who poses as a sub stitute teacher at a private school, teaching his students the history of rock music and forming a rock collective together.
— Kent Behrens September 24 Layton Flatt and LightLevi Backline
The Nebraska premiere of “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong” takes place at Millard South High School on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. It hits the stage by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service under license from Mischief Worldwide Ltd. and is open to the public via a 700-seat auditorium.
Boomstock
An epic night of laughs ap proaches.Thenational touring comedy twosome Layton Flatt and Levi Light will visit the premiere Back line venue on Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. with special guests Dustin Sims, The Copenhagen Bandit, Kevin Farley, and fresh-faced Jackass star Poopies.Flatt and Light co-host a semi-tour-related YouTube pod cast called “Road Trip Thoughts.”
The production will be held at the Hawks Mainstage at 2 p.m. Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Wednes days through Saturdays. Tickets can be purchased at the Omaha Community Playhouse box office or at omahaplayhouse.com.
Prices vary between $25 and $47. — Efren Cortez
Baader-Meinhof, an artist-run gallery southeast of the Old Mar ket, presents “If It Die,” a multi-me dia solo exhibit of current work by Henry Belden of New York, open ing Sept. 23 from 6-9 p.m. Belden’s work ranges from shallow relief and collage to sculpture, drawing andThisphotography.two-story gallery has turned over its entirety to Belden’s work; in part, featuring pieces from his on-going series, “Ransom Notes to the Dead,” a graphically provocative collection of reworked gravestone rubbings. As described by gallery Director Kyle Laidig, “forming taunts and untimely grave-side monologues.” In con trast are several low-relief works, shallow assemblages and complex collages.Formore information, go to www.baader-meinhof.org
Dinosaur Jr.’s most recent al bum, “Sweep It Into Space,” was released a year late on April 23, 2021, due to the pandemic. The album earned an 80/100 on Metacritic and a 7.3 on Pitchfork. Tickets are available at wait ingroomlounge.com for $27 in advance and $30 the day of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. with music starting at 8. — Efren Cortez
September 30
The GoesPlayOne-ActThatWrong Millard South High School
September 202226 W PICKS W
September 23 If It Die Baader-Meinhof Gallery
The story, by Henry Lewis, Jon athan Sayer, and Henry Shields, is a comedic take on a 1920s murder mystery and theater itself. Tickets are available 30 minutes before showtime at $10 for adults and $7 for students online at Youtix4u.com/event-details/66158.showcanalsocall402-715-8261.
— Matt Casas
Stinson Park with Boomer Radio will host its first Boomstock in Stinson Park on Sept. 24 from 5-10 p.m. with Pet Rock and opener Touch of Grey. Pet Rock, a nationally known act specializing in looking the part and covering Seventies hits, will perform on the Pacific Life stage from 7-10 p.m. Touch of Grey is a Grateful Dead tribute band and will set a groovy precedent for the preceding rock group. Tickets are $9.45, but you can score VIP access and a few drink tickets for $75. Expect good food and drinks, solid sounds, and good vibes.
The Waiting Room Lounge Originally planned to play last year, Dinosaur Jr. will perform at The Waiting Room Lounge on Sept. 25. The rock trio was one of the most influential alternative rock bands during the 1990s due to its lo-fi recordings and imple mentation of noise rock.
September 2022 27
Locally sourced doesn’t neces sarily mean a plate of vegetables. benson brewery utilizes local ber ries, grains, flowers, and honeys to create its unique, small-batch beer. This casual pub sticks with local producers wherever possible, and proudly partners with FarmTable Delivery, Truebridge Foods, Olafs son Specialty Foods, Jon’s Naturals, Plum Creek Farms, WW Homestead Dairy, In Season, benson bounty, and Le Quartier bakery & Café.
Plum Creek Farms, Iowana Farm, Farm Table Delivery, and Jon’s Nat urals are all proud partners of the meals at Kitchen Table. The team at the Table doesn’t gatekeep these locally grown goods, and it offers a variety in the shopette. Take home seasonal snacks, baked goods, and staples like pickles, nut butters, and jam.
Gather Open daily 5 p.m. - Close 1108 Howard 402-260-8686St.
Spot S in o maha
au Courant Thursday - Sunday 5 p.m. - Close 6064 Maple 402-505-9917suggestedReservationsSt.strongly Meaning “In the Know,” Au Cou rant is an apt name for a restaurant that has stayed ahead of the curve not only in terms of local sourcing, but in avant-garde plating and the cutting-edge application of cook ing techniques. The edgy Europe an-inspired dishes on Au Courant’s menu focus on the seasonal ingre dients they source from nearby growers and producers.
Block 16 402-342-12201611511Thursday-Saturday11Monday-Wednesdaya.m.-3p.m.a.m.-2p.m.andp.m.-8p.m.FarnamSt.
Dante Does an excellent job with a hyper seasonal menu of locally sourceD ingreDients. thoroughly moDern love: the plant-baseD Dishes at omaha’s favorite vegan spot are as ethically anD sustainably sourceD as they are stunning anD sumptuous.
Dante Monday - Closed Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Sunday 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Kitchen table Hours vary, check the web site before you head out 1415 Farnam 402-933-2810St.
BreweryBenson
Tuesdays - Saturdays 11 a.m. - Close Sunday Noon-Close 6059 Maple 402-934-8668St.
modern Love
Dante creates an old-world ex perience with flavors that change with the seasons. The pizzeria part ners with more than two dozen lo cal farms to create a seasonal and sustainable menu, with produce and proteins grown and raised lo cally. While pizza is always a good idea, this savory slice is taking a bite out of emissions and making pizza a little more wholesome.
Saturday4Monday-Fridayp.m.to9p.m.andSunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 3157 Farnam 402-614-6481St.
Vegan comfort food should be more than enough to feel good about dining at Modern Love, but for the intensely driven team that creates and serves the unique and delicious dishes, good enough has never been good enough. That’s why this ethical establishment also uses sustainable practices when sourcing the produce that will be come the inventive items on your favorite plant-based plates.
While almost every indus try in existence is strug gling under the strain of a broken supply chain, skyrocketing fuel costs, and an ever more deli cate climate, many restaurant own ers are looking close to home for a solution. In Nebraska, we have the advantage of being surrounded by fertile land, talented growers, and sustainable sources for just about everything a restaurant needs to run right. Check out The Reader’s top ten locally sourced spots to fin ish your summer season.
September 202228 DISH by Sara Locke
How local can one restaurant get? Gather grows its own gar den, and tours are given daily to the vertical farm growing on-site.
The indoor grow room produces plenty of inspiring ingredients to keep this modern-eclectic Ameri can establishment on the culinary cutting edge.
The 100-year-old Urban family farm is the main source of block 16’s locally grown goods and in gredients. The Urbans run block 16 like a family kitchen, utilizing only the freshest in ethically and hu manely sourced preservative-free foods. While the methods are tra ditional, the menu is modern, with fun and unexpected twists to your favorite American fare.
Farm-to-Fork
Stirnella Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. - Close Sunday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 3814 Farnam 402-650-5204St.
lo cally whenever possible, each dish is as fresh
to mod ern dining. Finally a reason to get out of bed early on the weekend! Sage BistroStudent Hours change quarterly, check website for details 5730
Celebrating Over 30 Years Of Making Ice Cream Th e Old Fashioned Way Two Omaha tedandwallys.comLocations:Old Market Downtown • 1120 402.341.5827Jackston Benson 6023 402.551.4420Maple Home of America’s Most Premium Ice Cream Ted & Wally’s Ultra-Premium 20% Butterfat Made from Scratch with Rock Salt & Ice Saddle BreakfastCreekClub Tuesday through Sunday 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 1540 N. Saddle Creek 402-932-5970
September 2022 29 DISH
Thanks Omaha
The most more has Sourced as its approach N. 30th 531-622-2328St. what the future chefs of Omaha are cooking up in class? Head to Sage Student Bistro, product of Metropolitan Commu nity College of Culinary Arts and Management. The students learn the ins, outs, and upside downs of running a successful restaurant by … running a successful restau rant. Sage serves student-prepared dishes that are sure to have you ex cited about the future of Omaha’s culinary culture. Metro’s culinary program utilizes an on-site garden project to grow and gather ingre dients to use in its homework, and your fine dining experience.
important meal of the day just got a lot
BrewpuBesTB,AgAin
wholesome. SCBC
Curious
Proud pioneers of the fermenter-to-table movement. It would be wrong to say the freshest beer is automatically the best beer. But the best beer almost always tastes its best when it is, in marketing speak, at the peak of freshness. And it’s hard to get any fresher than beer brewed thirty feet away from your table. And it’s doubly hard to get any better than when that table is here at Upstream. But we suspect you already knew that.
for voting us
earned a name for its cre ative and delicious seasonal break fast and lunch menus.
The Blackstone gastropub Stir nella may have other-worldly dish es, but the ingredients grow a lot closer to home. Chef Matt Moser’s inspired take on the evolution of both culture and cuisine can be found in the reverence he shows his locally sourced ingredients.
Lincoln’s popular rockabilly quartet The Mezcal Brothers are set to take the stage Friday, Sept. 23, 5:30 p.m. at The B. Bar. Keep up with the BSO’s latest events at omahablues.comcalendarshowbluessocietyofomahafacebook.com/andfindlistingsandacuratedofareablueseventsat
ChiC ago’s eCleC tiC Combo the Claudettes release their latest reCording of “sultry, CinematiC noir-pop” with a show at sunday roadhouse at reverb lounge at 5 p.m. sept. 18. Photo CREDIt: CouRtEsy thEClauDEttEs.Com
HigH-poWErED Soul, BluES aND rooTS MuSiC pluS NEW
CollaBoraTioNS aND NEW MuSiC FroM olD FavoriTES arE oN Tap For SEpTEMBEr Soul Connections
Early Warnings
T here are plenty of great club shows filling the early fall schedule, starting with the Blues Society of Omaha weekly shows that rotate among sever al venues this month.
September 202230 HOODOO
Lincoln’s Zoo Bar is ramping up its schedule. For the latest listings and pop-up shows follow facebook. com/zoobarblues or check out zoobar.com. Highlights include roots-rocker Sarah Borges on Monday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. Borges’ high-energy, rock-fueled shows have long been favorites of local audiences. Expect more highoctane fun, because Borges’ band “now includes famed guitarist/ producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel and Bottle Rockets’ bassist Keith Voegele. “Cosmic country” artist Daniel Donato is set for Tuesday, Sept. 13, 6 p.m. Dale Watson & His Lone Stars are back Thursday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Blue House’s New CD Omaha’s own Blue House with the Rent-to-Own Horns have been making original, horn-driven blues music for decades. They’ve just released their latest recording, “Can’t Sit Still - Live at Rainbow Studios.” Check out their new music video on their Facebook page and visit bluehouseblues. com for details, including their September show dates: Zone 6 at Sonny’s in Aksarben Village on Friday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m.; Philly’s Sports Bar & Grill on Friday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m.; and ACX Cinema Backlot Pizza, 6200 S. 205th Plaza, Saturday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m.
Hot Notes William Elliott Whitmore plays Reverb Lounge on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 8 p.m., with his original, hard-driving folk-roots sounds that are rooted in the Iowa farm country. Local Honeys open. The Sunday Roadhouse concert series hosts Chicago’s The Claudettes on Sept. 18, 5 p.m., at Reverb Lounge. With a sound described as “sultry, cinematic noir-pop,” their newest record “The Claudettes Go Out!” is set for an Oct. 14 release on Forty Below Records. The band has just been invited back for a second appearance on NPR’s “Mountain Stage” radio show Oct. 2. See theclaudettes.com
Zoo Bar Blues
Thursday, Sept. 1, 6-9 p.m., Omaha’s own Nate Bray & The Soul Supremes perform at The Strut. Thursday, Sept. 8, 6-9 p.m., it’s the Brother hood Tour featuring Kevin Burt and Ken Valdez at Rathskeller Bier Haus. Iowa’s Burt is the 2018 International Blues Challenge (IBC) winner in the solo/duo category whose spellbinding performance swept the audience up and earned a standing ovation along with the IBC award that included the Cigar Box Guitar Award and the Lee Os kar Harmonica Player Award. A sen sation in his own right, Burt teams with blues-rocker Ken Valdez, who was raised in New Mexico before relocating to Minneapolis. Valdez has most recently opened for ZZ Top and played with Billy Gibbons. Friends for over a de cade, Burt and Valdez have joined forces for this tour. The BSO joins The B. Bar for a special show Friday, Sept 9, 5:30 p.m., with Hurricane Ruth featuring Eddie Turner. Hurricane Ruth grew up in her father’s tavern and often sat with him while he played drums during jam sessions. She grew up surrounded by musicians from many roots genres and has built a career with vocals that draw comparisons to Big Mama Thornton, Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. Willie Dixon gave her the nickname because “no one believed that such a large sound could come out of such a small woman,” according to her press materials.Thursday, Sept. 15, 6-9 p.m., the blues returns to Rathskeller Bier Haus for Orphan Jon & the Abandoned. The dynamic singersongwriter has become a favorite of local blues fans. He returns in support of his new CD release, “Over the Pain,” produced by blues guitarist Alistair Greene. Thursday, Sept. 22, 6-9 p.m., the music moves to Philly Sports Bar & Grill, 8116 S. 84th St., La Vista. The Avey Grouws Band, a Quad Cities group receiving recent national recognition, takes the stage. Featuring vocalist Jeni Grouws and guitarist Chris Avey, the band was nominated for four awards in the 2021 Independent Blues Awards, including Best New Artist, Best New Artist Album.
Acclaimed Austin-based bluesman Gary Clark Jr. plugs in at The Admiral (formerly Sokol Hall) on Sunday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. Details at onepercentproductions.comTwoofrootsmusic’s most celebrated singer-songwriterperformers, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, each with a celebrated song catalog, bring their fall duo tour to Lincoln’s Rococo Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at rococotheatre.com Lincoln’s Zoo Bar presents the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 6 p.m. The souljazz trio was seen opening for Jack White this summer. And make a note now: The powerhouse blues of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band gigs at Reverb on Thursday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m. By B.J. HuCHTEMANN
September 2022 31
The Woman King (Sept. 16) Who on this Earth is not going to see a movie with Viola Davis as the leader of a real-life, all-female warrior unit from the African king dom of Dahomey? It looks like the only good parts of “Wonder Woman” but also features (this needs to be italicized) Viola Davis as a warrior (end italicize). Italics very much for emphasis there, y’all. Don’t Worry Darling (Sept. 23) Nothing about director Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” suggested her next film would be a halluci natory thriller set in the 1950s. Then again, few things do. Putting Florence Pugh’s name on a movie poster activates my blood oath to support it, and that’s before throw ing Chris Pine in as a nefarious schemer. I’m also told this one has hairy style or something… Bros (Sept. 30) Billy Eichner is bringing the world the raunchy, gay rom-com that may finally cause the Ron De Santises of the world to sponta neously combust. If it is simply half as funny and sincerely sweet as it looks, that would be enough. But if hate-filled politicians around the world pop into plumes of bigoted ash, it should be bumped to the top spot of that American Film In stitute list. Smile (Sept. 30) You see a weird, smiling per son and then die within a week or something? Look, I’ve got a thing for rule-based horror B-movies. Think “The Ring,” “The Grudge,” or even “Nightmare on Elm Street,” in which the supernatural nonsense is bound by some hy per-specific set of guidelines, and survival means figuring out a loop hole. I now see that I am describ ing riddles or board games … It’s like that, but a movie!
15 MuST-SEE MovIES To RounD ouT
Black Adam (Oct. 21) This looks horrible. And rumor has it that test scores rated this as poorly as the canceled “Batgirl” film. But this one has the Rock and the other one had a lady hero and was helmed by a pair of Muslim di rectors. Weird how one will open in a bajillion theaters and the other is now an IRS con job. Anyway, the trailers look bland and inert, but I’ve gotta see it if only to make sure the DC fans who threaten me on line don’t get bored! The Banshees of Inisherin (Oct. 21) This reunion of the gang from “In Bruges” that features another take on a weird friendship drame dy is low-key my most anticipated flick remaining this year. Adding Barry Keoghan to a movie that has nothing to do with comic books is a bold move. Can this recapture the Brugesy magic? If it gets even close, it’ll make my top 10.
YouR YEAR Autumn Can Get Some: FALL MovIE PREvIEW NamOr? Say NO mOre! the year’S remaiNiNg mOvieS feature SuperherO gOOdNeSS aNd mOrtal humaN badNeSS IMAGE: A stIll froM Bl Ack PAnthEr: WAk AndA f orEvEr froM MArvEl
Halloween Ends (Oct. 14) Speaking of risky horror movie picks, this is a gamble after “Hal loween Kills” was such a turd. Nor mally, I’m a huge fan of repetitive chanting and disappointment, as I’m a Chicago Bears and Cubs fan.
September 202232 FILM
Seasonal movie previews are fun because they remind us of when we used to have “seasons” and not just changes in the style and form of climate concerns. We’re nearing the end of “everything is on fire” months and approaching the two weeks of relative calm before triple-dig it, below-zero air burns our faces. Why, it’s the most wonderful time of theBecauseyear! our attention spans can’t handle an ongoing pan demic, studios have decided to forge ahead with a robust release schedule this year. I haven’t found the right review in which to insert this, so this seems like a fine time to mention I still always wear a mask in theaters. I will for as long as is necessary. I’ve had only one person be a jerk about it, but that person also laughed a lot at “Black Phone.” Here are the 15 films that will get me to mask up until 2022 goes gentle in that aggressively shitty night.
Here’s hoping the final part of this trilogy is more like the first and less centered on a group of townspeo ple hurling slogans at a slasher. Decision to Leave (Oct. 14) Park Chan-wook makes a mov ie, I see that movie. It’s similar to the Florence Pugh rule, but there’s a lot less risk of an accidental Tim othée Chalamet. Park’s latest is another Hitchcockian jam about a detective getting entangled with a suspect who maybe killed her hus band. I don’t know the full story, but I’m inclined to say “Good for her” and 100% ready to cram this flick in my eye holes.
BY Ryan SyRek
The Menu (NOV. 18) We simply do not get enough “black comedy horror” films, may be because it feels like we live in one? Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult play a couple who eat at a restaurant run by Ralph Fiennes. I wonder what the terror-filled twist is? Gluten. The twist is that all the food just has so much gluten. All the gluten from the gluten-free foods has been made into mon strous dishes made exclusively of gluten. The horror… She Said (NOV 18) Whether or not we’re ready for a movie about the Harvey Wein stein atrocities, it’s already almost here. Featuring the insanely tal ented Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, and Andre braugher, this film the oretically could give us an “All the President’s Men” and not a “bomb shell.” It helps that this one is actu ally written and directed by wom en. I swear, though: If they give a bunch of Academy Awards to this movie after everyone in the Acad emy looked the other way during the actual Harvey Weinstein deba cle, that’s just a level of dissociation that should be physically unattain able.
Sean Rourke is a film editor who has worked on stuff you love, including various Marvel movies and TV shows. Still, his heart belongs to a nice set of fangs ... “Omaha isn’t ex actly known for its vampires,” Rourke explained. “I figured it was time to change that.” As someone who may or may not have but definitely did do vam pire role playing in high school, I salute this noble quest. In his spare time, the Rourke runs a YouTube channel (you tube.com/c/TheVampiresCastle) that “celebrates the vampire genre.” Cele brate sounds glittery, but no word on whether he’s the one who applied glitter to Robert Pattinson’s torso. He recently dropped “Black Ambient: Journal of a Vampire Hunter” online (youtu.be/ hqVjWVCZZQk) more than 25 years after it was shot around the Big O. “We shot all over Omaha,” said Rourke, “from the Old Market to Gene Leahy Park, to Olde Mill, to West O, and then the big final confrontation takes place in the old Astro movie theater.” It’s a faux docu mentary that is perhaps the only Bram Stoker-inspired flick to ever shoot in the alley behind a Spaghetti Works. It’s also a lot of fun and the kind of passion proj ect that wasn’t available to nerds like Rourke and I when we were growing up.
Gotta love a month when I can start a column with back-to-back plugs for local filmmaking! Omahow about that?! Too much? It felt like too much. Anyway, good news: Film Streams (filmstreams.org) is still run ning two of the films from its 13th annual Local Filmmakers Showcase at the Dundee Theater. From Sept. 23-29, you can see Peter O’Brien’s “Drawn Together,” which is the tale of a young boy’s adventures with a pup. From Oct. 14-20, you can spin “Pre-Ex isting” from Kevin Isaacson. It follows a husband’s quest to buy a life insurance policy for his wife. “Chapters” by Pina ki Modal was the third film in the series. It ran the last week of August and fol lowed a retiree preparing to move back to India. They may not feature climactic, Spaghetti Works-set vampiric battles, but each sounds like its own fresh slice of local yum.
I’m only doing this because it’s too thematically great not to mention: Alamo Drafthouse La Vista is doing a brunch screening on Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11 … of the final two “Twilight” movies. See? I got to bookend with vampire stuff! They call that a “Lestat Sandwich.” Absolutely no reason has been given as to why Alamo was like “Yes, 21 years after 9/11, we must celebrate our continued freedom by drinking bloody Marys while watch ing a fake baby so legendarily terrifying, stories are still told about it 10 years later.” I know there’s never a bad reason to get together for brunch and watch “Twilight” movies. We all do it. I am just thankful they did it this weekend so I had a second slice of bread for this Lestat Sandwich.!
“There was no YouTube back in 1996. But there is now, so I’ve remastered the whole thing and released it online for its worldwide premiere!” Few things warm my heart like someone already doing cool things in movies saying, “Hold up, I need to drop my 26-year-old passion project wherein Omahans murder a Dracula.” Give it a spin and smile.
CUTTING ROOMBlack WakandaPanther:Forever (NOV. 11) Whether or not you agree with the way Marvel is handling the tragic loss of Chadwick boseman, you gotta admit that trailer was one of the single best ever made. Who knows if this franchise can function without the beating heart at its center. but I believe in direc tor Ryan Coogler, who has yet to make a single misstep. And again, did y’all see that trailer? We’re all gonna cry so much.
Avatar: The Way of Water (DeC. 16) you remember “Avatar,” right? That’s the White savior cartoon movie with stretched-out Smurfs who have sex with horses through hair. I may have some of that wrong … I do find it hilarious that this is considered “live action,” but if we were in the business of telling James Cameron what to do, Kath ryn bigelow probably would have had her Oscar earlier. This is anoth er one I’m less excited about and more contractually obligated to at tend and discuss. Here’s to making it the new top-grossing movie of all time for no reason! Shazam! Fury of the Gods (DeC. 21) It really feels like the studio should have had to pick between this and “black Adam” coming out within a few months of each other. That’s just too many lightning bolts on chests for one season. The first “Shazam!” was tolerable, making it a watershed moment for the DC universe. This looks less so, but I am holding out hope for the ability to give another lukewarm thumbs up. Hooray? Babylon (DeC. 25) After “La Land” had its best Picture Oscar yoinked back in what remains the best Academy Award moment in history, direc tor Damien Chazelle clearly plot ted his revenge. “babylon” looks like the most self-congratulatory Hollywood movie of all time, as it is set at the transition from the silent films to talkies and features brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and a sprawling cast of big names … in cluding Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers? A three-plus-hourlong celebration of cinema history is practically daring the Academy to deny Chazelle again. Please do it exactly like last time. We’Re
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Women Talking (DeC. 2) I love that writer/director Sarah Polley’s latest is named something that sounds like a horror movie to more than half of our elected of ficials. With a knockout cast that includes Jessie buckley, Rooney Mara, and Frances McDormand, this Mennonite monster story is the real-life account of women systemically being drugged and raped. Will it be a hard watch? Sure. Will Polley and company de liver something remarkable? I am as sure of that as I am that ads will not run on Fox News.
September 2022 33 FILM
Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@ Checkthereader.com.outRyan on KVNO 90.7 on Wednesdays and follow him on Twit ter @thereaderfilm. by Ryan SyRek
SEPTEMBER 202234 CROSSWORD Across 1. Addams of “The Addams Family”, as abbreviated 5. “Star Wars” role played by a new actor in 2018 9. Duck that gets you down 14. First name in country music 15. Locale depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling 16. Name that usually comes up interviewsinwith “SNL” alumni 17. “Yes, we’re ___” 18. Feline ___ (natural cat litter brand) 19. “___ Vista Social Club” documentary)(1999 20. 1987 hit by Was (Not Was) with video“Flintstonesque”a[OK,there he is!] 23. “That was some time ___ ...” 24. Peak occurrence 25. Information start? 26. Piglet parent 29. “Young characterSheldon”Rosenbloom 31. Judge’s highest score on “Dancing With the Stars” 33. Town where Evel Knievel attempted to jump across the Snake River Canyon in 1974 [Tough to spot, but right there!] 39. Move around, as a mannequin 40. Tip of a boot 41. Type of booth 43. ABC him!]me“Primetime”onceshowhidden-camerathatwasasegmenton[Tookawhile,butfound 48. Heap 49. Actor Simu 50. “Toy Story” character 51. Nautical position 54. Long, thin instrumentmusical 57. 2018femaleMost-nominatedartistattheGrammys 59. It may extend a lease or [That’spassportit?He’s not even trying!] 65. Pore Strips brand 66. ___ Jr. (Pixar’s lamp mascot) 67. Work the land 68. No further than 69. Laptop company 70. Bygone U.S. gas station that’s still in Canada 71. Girder composition 72. Email button 73. Squares on calendars Down 1. “Upstart ___” (sitcom based on the life of Shakespeare) 2. Air filter acronym 3. Cain’s brother 4. Decaf brand 5. High-end cosmetics chain 6. Garfield’s foil 7. Provides, as aid 8. ___ a million 9. Nudged in the side 10. Promissory notes 11. Night vision? 12. Jadedness 13. Emulates a startled steed 21. lettersWeekend-lover’s 22. “Chicken turndownLittle” 26. NASCAR additive 27. “Whoa, hold it! That hurts!” 28. Yearn (for) 30. Sax classification 32. Gp. planning to add Sweden and Finland 34. “Cool,” but not as cool? 35. Rawls or Reed 36. Get rid cryptocurrencyof 37. Quick developingphototime, once 38. “Ye ___ Shoppe”Curiosity 42. Pricy bagel topping 44. How one might know a longtime friend 45. Liberty org. 46. Chat app that builds communities called “servers” 47. Mandarin hybrid used in Asian cuisine 51. Photographer Diane 52. Trick move 53. Bill from the govt. 55. Earthenware cooking pots 56. Elicit by reasoning 58. Excited, with “up” 60. Great Lake or Canal 61. “Oregon Trail” team 62. “Frozen” queen 63. All up in others’ business 64. “Terrible” stage © 2022 MATT JONES AnsweR to l A st “Almostmonth’sPARAdise” by Matt Jones Found Him — getting good at Hide and seek — 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 V A L O R F I C S T E M A G I L E A L T A O R L Y C E L E B D A H L F A I L G O T A P A Y R A I S E S P F R A M C P A N E S A L I E N P A R A S I T E G U N N E N E O N E D A Y A N D E S T V S S A S S O S K I R T S U T A R E I D N O R T H P A L I S A D E A R G E R A N A B L O L S O N G P A R O D I E S I C E E H I F I R E U S E A C M E A B U N I N B O X N O O K N O S A D U L T AnsweRs in next month’s issue oR online At theReAdeR.com
SEPTEMBER 2022 35 COMICS Garry Trudeau Jeffrey KoTerba Jen SorenSen
The Outlandia Festival, from ev erything I’ve heard, was a relative success. I didn’t attend and there are no official attendance numbers (that I’ve seen), though I’ve been told around 4,000 were on hand Friday night and a similar-sized crowd attended Sat urday — not bad for a first-time effort. The weather was grand, the music rocked, a good time was had by all. But at the same time as Outlandia, there was Petfest — a one-day festival Aug. 13 held in the parking lot behind the Petshop art gallery in Benson.
While Maha and Out landia boasted thou sands of attendees, Petfest pulled in only a few hundred, but in many ways this tiny local music festival was more important than the two com peting giants. As the photos attest, I was at Petfest, and the highlights were many: Hip-hop raconteur Marcey Yates kicked it with his clev er flow. Telling the story of life in Nebraska rapped over deep, funky beats, Yates is an Omaha treasure.
No Wave post-punk goth rockers No Thanks proved again why they could have been, should have been, Nebraska’s next big thing, powered by force-of-nature frontman Castro Turf, aka Brendan Leahy, whose spazrock preening conjured comparisons to The Cramps’ Lux AndInterior.that’sjust the tip of the spear. (If you missed it, most of the acts are playing Lincoln Calling at the end of September.)
STORY AND PHOTOS BY Tim mcmahan
What those bands, along with the rest of the Petfest performers, have in common is that they’re all from right here — they’re all local acts — and are among the most tal ented bands Nebraska has to offer. And these days, it’s becoming hard er and harder to find a local stage for them to play on despite the ver itable explosion of new venues be ing built or restored across the city.
Darren Keen, aK a Problems, creates sP oKen-worD sPiels. c at Piss is all about omaha’s P ost-PunK life. no thanKs are no wave P ost-PunK goth rocKers.
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Rock ‘n’ roll survivor Darren Keen, aka Problems, unbut toned his shirt and unfurled his nervous, frenetic, crackbeat-fueled spoken-word spiels about why he loves dogs (among other things).
The mad cap rock-team from the future, Thirst Things First, dressed in (sort of) match ing track suits, tore into a set of the funnest, tightest power pop you’re going to hear this side of The Faint.
generation.topost-punkenthesaysPiss,powerup-and-comingYoungtrioCatwhosenameitall,brought‘90s-eragoldageofOmahabacklifeforanew
A number of local mu sicians have mentioned the situation to me. In this post-COVID music world, touring rock shows not only start earlier — around 8 p.m. vs. 9 or 10 p.m. — they’re also ending earli er. The lineups are being limited to just two bands. And in many (most) cases, the opening act is traveling with the headliner. I’m told this is not just an Omaha thing.Add to that the loss of what was arguably the best venue for local in die rock shows — O’Leaver’s Pub — and you’ve got a problem on your hands. (Yes, O’Leaver’s is still open, and it serves one helluva cheeseburger, but it’s cut its live rock shows to one per month.)
Setting Stage
The AreA’S MoST IMporTAnT Loc AL MuSIc FeSTIvAL IS ALSo The SMALLeST
Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@ gmail.com
Garage-rock maestro David Nance and band rocked a new, funky, thick-beat sound that retained every bit of the glorious psychrock riffage that has made him a household name with the Jack White crowd.
Benson club The Sydney, booked by Zach Schmeider (the same dude who booked Petfest), is trying to fill the void. But I’m not the only one who has noticed things just ain’t the same for local bands as they were before the pan demic.Inthe early 2000s, Omaha be came internationally recognized as an indie-music mecca, thanks in large part to the success of its local indie bands that have gone on to become indie-music icons.
If the Maha Festival showcas es the newest national indie acts and Outlandia celebrates past na tional indie legends, Petfest is the ultimate Omaha showcase of the best musical talent this state has to offer. From that perspective, it’s also the most important festival we have, because it directs a spotlight on our local heroes, who these days are having a hard time finding places to shine.. Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, so ciety, music, the media and the arts.
September 202236 OVER THE EDGE T o recap the 2022 music festi val Theseason:Maha Festival was a rel ative success, surpassing last year’s COVID-19-limited, single-day attendance of 6,400 with a re markable two-day haul of 11,500 attendees (4,100 on Friday, 7,400 on Saturday, according to the good people who run the festival). The weather was grand, the music rocked, a good time was had by all.
September 2022 37 F O O D T R U C FK O O D T R U C K W O R L D T O U WR O R L D T O U R Sunday, September 25 Aksarben Village migrantlc.org Empowering immigrants to live with confidence and free from fear.
