The theater that became known as the Omaha Community Playhouse gave its first performance on March 4, 1925: an informal vaudeville-style variety show and a one-act playlet called "Trifles."
For years, Omahan Dean Battiato has been a familiar sight at restaurants and bars in the Old Market and across Omaha, going from table to table selling flowers.
Now he is the subject of a documentary film, "The Rose Man of Omaha," that will be shown at the 20th annual Omaha Film Festival, set for March 11 through 16 at the Aksarben Cinema.
The 91-minute film, directed by David M. Weiss, follows the life of Battiato, a Sicilian-American man who is on the autism spectrum.
"In an ironic twist of fate, the man who sells love struggles to find it for himself," a description on the festival schedule said. "Throughout the film, we witness Dean's resilience as he faces immense adversity, including battles with cancer, bullying and violent attacks."
It will be shown at 5:30 p.m. on March 13 at the host theater, 2110 S. 67th St. The filmmaker will be present.
More than 25 films, plus numerous shorts, will be screened during the event.
Other highlights include:
"No Place Like Nebraska," a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln volleyball team, which drew the largest crowd ever to watch a women's sporting event when it played a match at Memorial Stadium. March 12, 8:45 p.m., Aksarben Cinema."Holland," about a teacher in Holland, Michigan, whose life spirals out of control when she and a colleague become suspicious of a secret. Directed by Mimi Cave and starring Nicole Kidman. March 11, 6:30 p.m., Aksarben Cinema."Eric LaRue," about a mother who is coping with the fallout after her son murders three high school classmates. Directed by Michael Shannon and starring Judy Greer. March 15, 12:15 p.m. Aksarben Cinema.
Filmmakers, other industry workers and fans from across the country are expected to attend the event, which will include readings and a Q&A with screenwriters who submitted scripts for the festival's competition, and an awards ceremony following all the showings.
Parties also will be held at the end of each evening.
An all-access pass is $100; an all-films pass and a pass for the closing weekend are both $65. Tickets to individual screenings are also available.
For more information and to purchase passes, go to omahafilmfestival.com
Railroad art exhibit now at The Joslyn
The railroad has been an integral part of Omaha since Union Pacific laid the first rail here in 1865.
The Joslyn Art Museum has a new exhibit featuring paintings that celebrates not only that connection, but the American railroad system itself.
"All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1850 to 1955" features depictions of trains and train infrastructure from some of that period's most noted artists, including Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keeffe, Albert Bierstadt, Jacob Lawrence and more.
The works feature styles from the Hudson River School -- a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by landscape painters who were influenced by Romanticism -- to postwar abstraction.
It speaks to the ways the railroad has affected American life, including the social interaction of rail workers and passengers, and the railroad's impact on population displacement, labor and the environment across the country.
The Joslyn, Dixon Gallery & Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee, and Shelburne (Vermont) Museum organized the exhibit, which opened in Omaha last weekend and will be here until May 4.
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Admission to The Joslyn is free, but tickets to the railroad exhibit are $10 for people 13 and older and free for those younger. Tickets can be purchased at the museum's welcome desk. Reservations are not required.
Go to joslyn.org for more information.
Playhouse has new assistant director
A former actor with the Omaha Community Playhouse's now-defunct Nebraska Theatre Caravan will be the theater's new associate artistic director.
Brandon Box-Higdem will take over for Alex Rodriguez, who joined the Playhouse in mid-2023 as the associate director and has been the co-artistic director since October of that year.
Higdem started with the Caravan for its 1997-1998 tour of "A Christmas Carol" and stayed in Omaha for 12 years, acting and directing at many theaters.
He then relocated to Arkansas to teach theater and speech, most recently as an instructor and director at Bentonville High School.
He has an undergraduate degree in vocal performance from the University of Monticello in Arkansas and a master of arts in theater directing from North Dakota State University.
"The Playhouse has set the bar for me in the caliber of productions I've seen across the country and worked on over the years," he said in a press release, adding that he was thrilled to return.
He will officially join the Playhouse staff in May.
"We've long admired his work as a gifted actor and director, and dynamic educator," said Playhouse Executive Director Rebecca Noble.
Shelterbelt cancels play for a variety of reasons
"My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding," a play by David Hein and Irene Sankoff, has been removed from this season's lineup at Omaha's Shelterbelt Theatre.
Executive Director Dan Wach said the postponement "was due to a confluence of unforeseen circumstances."
Theater officials were concerned that a grant from the Nebraska Arts Council would be unavailable after President Donald Trump froze federal money for nonprofits.
Though the freeze was almost immediately lifted and arts council officials said they were confident the funding would be available, theater leaders decided to reschedule the production because if the grant money somehow wasn't there, they couldn't produce the large, complex musical without outside funds, Wach said.
In addition, he said, three board members were out of commission due to health challenges, leaving the theater with a leadership gap.
Wach said he expects to insert another show into the slot.
"We probably will replace it with (something) that has a smaller cast and is easier to produce," he said.
Photos: Take a look inside the reopened Joslyn Art Museum