Village Profile® Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us®

Behind the Scenes & Loving It

That some people search for their entire lives Julia Manley found in less than two decades—a profession she is passionate about. “I would rather be there than anywhere else.”

Earlier this year, “there” was the scene shop at the Omaha Community Playhouse, and later, behind the scenes at the Black Hills Playhouse in South Dakota. In the future, 20-year-old Manley hopes “there” will be on tour with world-renowned Cirque du Soleil as a technical director.

Many of the skills she will need are the skills she mastered as an apprentice in the Omaha Community Playhouse’s Theater Technology Apprenticeship Program (TTAP), a unique, hands-on learning opportunity offered in partnership with Metropolitan Community College. “The program is not for the faint of heart,” said Apprenticeship Director Steve Bross. “You have real people who are expecting you to do things on a real schedule. About every 17 days, we have a new stage set going up.”

To graduate, apprentices are expected to spend at least 15 hours a week in training, 1,600 hours over the course of the two-year program. Apprentices specialize in a “behind the scenes” discipline like costuming, scenery, lighting, sound or stage management.

Manley, who graduated last May, specialized in technical direction and carpentry. Her training hours far exceeded 1,600—more like 2,000-plus. During the week, you’d find her in the shop from 9-to-5, a schedule she maintained throughout her apprenticeship. “When I first started, I knew I wanted to be in theater for the rest of my life, but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do," said Manley. "The technical director took me under his wing and brought me into the technical direction side. The apprenticeship really introduces you to all the different things you can do for a show.”

Manley’s experience ranged from building flats and platforms to drafting and welding. “The 10-foot cage for the Playhouse’s production of Bat Boy was amazing to do,” said Manley. “It was my first big welding project that was just ‘me.’ I’d helped with other welding projects, but this project was mine, my baby. It was rewarding to see the director’s face, see the designer‘s face, to see them impressed by it.

“I don't believe a student can learn technical theater by a book,” said Manley. “You can read about the history, that’s all well and good, but when it comes down to it, you will never know how heavy a 4’ x 8’ platform is until you pick it up. You’ll never know what it takes to build one until you actually get in there and start working with the materials and the tools.”

The most rewarding aspect of the program for Bross is seeing his apprentices become successes. TTAP graduates have gone on to work on Cats, television’s Ugly Betty and yes, even Cirque du Soleil. If it takes Manley a few years to get there herself, she has a back-up plan.

“There are opportunities to be a tech person on cruise ships, which is another thing I’m looking into that I’d love to do. I mean, come on, getting paid to be on a cruise ship for six months in the Caribbean…”

Summer-long Harvest of Food Arts and Crafts

As the weather warms, area farmers’ markets offer locally-grown produce and arts and crafts fairs display eye-catching works from local artists.

Shoppers sample seasonal farm-fresh vegetables, fruit, meats, poultry, eggs and herbs from Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota at Village Pointe Shopping Center at 168th and West Dodge Road. From May to late September, the south parking area is crowded with farmers happily sharing their secrets for preparing their fresh food for the family dinner table.

Arts, crafts, music and more can be found at Rockbrook Village at the corner of 108th and West Center Road. The Spring Fever Craft Fair in early May drew more than 5,500 people browsing the works of 88 community exhibitors. From June through August free live concerts from local musicians provide fun for the whole family. At the shopping center’s common area, acoustic to jazz invites music lovers to dance, sing, or bring a lawn chair to relax and enjoy.

Rockbrook Village offers one of the area’s longest-running arts festivals in September as the center displays a wide variety of glass, jewelry, leather, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, wood, ceramics and fiber works.

One of the new kids on the farmer’s market and craft fair circuit is Shadow Lake Towne Center at the corner of Nebraska Rt. 370 and South 72nd Street in nearby Papillion. Every Sunday from June through August a dozen or so producers set up displays of farm fresh foods to entice curious shoppers.

Shadow Lake Town Center also hosts Arts Alive in September, a collaborative effort with the Sarpy County Arts Council, to bring demonstration and performance artists and live music to the area.

A fun Chalk Walk in June gives 20 to 30 artists a chance to create pieces on the sidewalks of the main street of the center for people to stroll around and enjoy; kids get their chance to make their own creations at a separate Chalk City.

Every week from May through mid-October in the heart of the Old Market, nearly 5,000 shoppers visit Omaha Farmers Market for fresh produce, smoked meats, freshly cut flowers, locally canned jams, gourmet baked-goods and basically everything under the sun.

The South O! Market is a family-oriented event held the last Sunday of the month throughout the summer on south 24th Street, between M and O streets. You’re sure to feel the vitality of the area and witness South Omaha’s entrepreneurial spirit and energy.

In June, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival is a destination for art, entertainment and atmosphere featuring 135 of the nation’s finest visual artists, two stage of continuous entertainment including national performers and a hands-on children’s fair.

New Director and CEOmaha’s renowned Henry Doorly Zoo is known for bringing in the new. In 1992, it opened the world’s largest indoor rainforest; 10 years later, the world’s largest indoor desert. In 2009, “the new” was a new view.

The Zoo debuted its open-air “Skyfari” chairlift in April, just a month after welcoming Dennis Pate as Zoo director and CEO, a position held by the legendary Dr. Lee Simmons for almost four decades. Simmons assumed a new role as Chairman of the Omaha Zoo Foundation.

Before coming to Omaha, Pate served as executive director of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Florida. He said he pursued the Henry Doorly position because of the Zoo’s status in the region, its emphasis on conservation and research, and its large and diverse animal collection.

Simmons transformed the Zoo into one of the top five zoos in North America. Pate said he looks forward to increasing its scope with new multi-million dollar exhibits and additional parking, plans made possible by the Zoo‘s acquisition of the Rosenblatt Stadium property. Pate’s vision also includes improved guest amenities and expanded educational offerings.

The Zoo is Nebraska’s number one paid attendance attraction, welcoming more than 32 million visitors over the past 40 years. According to a recent study, the Zoo had an $85.88 million impact on the regional economy. It has grown into a leader in conservation, research and preservation of endangered species.

Serious About Child’s Play

It’s been Omaha’s hands-on, climb-on, explore this, build that, crafting, creating, playing place for more than three decades. The Omaha Children’s Museum welcomed 261,000 guests in 2008, engrossing them with a dynamic mix of exhibits, educational programs and special events.

“We provide a special place where children learn through play. We’re also a place for families to simply enjoy time together,” said Executive Director Lindy Hoyer.

Each exhibit is “purposefully designed” to help children develop cognitively, socially and physically. “We train our staff to understand why we have big climbing pieces and why we have activities that require fine motor skills. Our permanent exhibits run the gamut of the developmental spectrum of a child’s life.”

Through its traveling exhibits, the museum has transported kids and their families to Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, the Titanic and prehistoric times. “Certainly dinosaurs are a crowd favorite,” said Hoyer.

Earlier this year, the museum scored a real coup, welcoming the National Constitution Center’s “Headed to the White House” exhibit to coincide with the presidential inauguration. The stop in Omaha was the exhibit’s first outside of the Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

In all it does, the museum is dedicated to the notion that it should be open and accessible to all children. Its “carefree kids nights” cater to children with suppressed immune systems. The museum also offers special evenings for children with autism and deeply discounted memberships for less fortunate families.

“I have to say it’s taken the generosity of many individuals, foundations and corporations to make what we have to offer today possible,” said Hoyer.

The museum, located at 20th Street and St. Marys Avenue, has expanded from 40,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet, vaulting into the top 15 percent of children’s museums worldwide. But, like a child at play, Hoyer said, “there are still many possibilities to explore. We’ve had wonderful opportunities with the space, but we’re always looking for ways we can expand and better serve our audience.”