New TADA Theatre gives actors a space of their own
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By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO
Robert “Bob” Rook sits in a brand new theater in the Haymarket recalling a turbulent time for his family.
It was August 2001, and he and his wife, Cris, had closed the Star City Dinner Theatre they co-owned with another couple.
Rook told the Lincoln Journal Star back then that people were uncomfortable around them, not knowing what to say or do.
What: "Gilligan's Island: The Musical"
Where: TADA Theatre, Seventh and P streets
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through July 12, 17-19, 24-26 and 31-Aug. 2; 2 p.m. July 13, 20, 27 and Aug. 3
Tickets: $18 (Thursday through Saturday), $15 (Sunday); 438-8232 or www.tadatheatre.info
Note: Opening night tickets are $15 each
What to expect from TADA
TADA Theatre kicks off its 2008 season with encore performances of "Gilligan's Island: The Musical" and "Beehive: The '60s Musical."
"Gilligan's" begins its four-weekend run Thursday. "Beehive" opens Sept. 4.
Seats for Main Stage performances range from $15 to $18. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
TADA also will feature a Showcase Stage series, with local entertainers The String Beans playing the first show on Aug. 23. Showcase tickets range from $5 to $15.
For more information, call TADA at 438-8232 or visit www.tadatheatre.info. The following is a rundown of the 2008 season:
Main Stage
"Gilligan's Island: The Musical," Thursday through July 13, July 17-20, 24-27, 31-Aug. 3. This musical finds the castaways in a fun-filled musical adventure from the creator of the original TV show, Sherwood Schwartz.
"Beehive: The '60s musical," Sept. 4-7, 11-14, 18-21, 25-28. The musical revue is a fast-paced and nostalgic look back at the girl groups and soloists of the time, featuring songs by The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Connie Francis, Tina Turner and more. (Saturday performances are subject to change depending on Husker football times.)
"Always ... Patsy Cline," Oct.16-19, 23-26, 30-Nov. 2, 6-9. Making its Lincoln debut, the show is a funny and touching tribute as narrated by one of Cline's most devoted fans and friends. (Saturday performances are subject to change depending on Husker football times.)
"Forever Plaid Tidings, Dec. 4-7, 11-14, 18-21. The boys are back on Earth to do their never-performed Plaid Holiday Show, featuring holiday tunes that have all been “Plaid-erized.”
"The Great American Trailer Park Musical," Feb. 5-8, 12-15,19-22, 26-March 1. Making its Lincoln debut, the musical is set in Armadillo Acres, a North Florida trailer park, where having your baby kidnapped isn’t half as tragic as getting a bad perm.
"Company," March 19-22, 26-29, April 2-5. This winner of five Tony Awards is an honest, sophisticated look at relationships, with a score containing many of Stephen Sondheim's best-known songs, including "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive."
Showcase Stage
The String Beans, 1 and 4 p.m. Aug. 23. With a target audience of preschool through elementary-aged kids, as well as their parents and teachers, The Beans music is a fun mix of rock, country, blues, pop, polka and rap.
"Indiscretion" by Ladd Wendelin (play reading), 7 p.m. Sept. 14. When Jonathan Hubbard leaves his job at a newspaper in San Francisco and returns home to propose marriage to the Denslows' beautiful daughter, a series of bizarre incidents are set in motion that will test the friendships the families have forged with one another.
"Divas Unite," 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3. A night of music with Julie Enersen and Cris Rook performing songs from Broadway and popular composers.
"Lower Case" by Steve Enersen (play reading), 7 p.m. Oct. 5. George has made a rather odd bet with his sister. Now he has to show up at a family dinner with his new "gal-pal" or lose the wager. The problem - he has no girlfriend, no mistress and, what's worse, no clue.
Comic Hypnotist Doug MacCraw, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22. Audience members journey into a world of hilarious hypnotic hi-jinks with MacCraw, a veteran performer and former Omaha comedy club owner.
"A Laugh Riot - New Year's Eve Comedy Bash," Dec. 31 (time to be announced). Ring in the New Year with some laughs as patrons enjoy some of the best in stand-up comedy and improv.
“It was like we had cancer,” he told the newspaper. “After we lost the Star City Dinner Theatre, people were afraid to talk to us.”
He and Cris made plans to move, believing Lincoln didn’t have anything for them anymore.
“We were ready to leave Lincoln,” he said. “I had a job, and we were ready to leave.”
The Rooks decided to stay, however, and refocus their creativity in a new direction. They created TADA (The Arts Demand Attention) Productions, a professional on-site production company.
The company took off, producing shows at such venues as the Rococo Theatre, Pinewood Bowl and the Brownville Village Theatre before joining an entertainment consortium at The Loft at The Mill in 2003.
TADA has become known for what Rook calls “contagious theater” — small, intimate shows that connect with audiences and create buzz: “Forbidden Broadway,” “Beehive: The ’60s Musical” and “Gilligan’s Island: The Musical.”
The company began selling out its shows and sometimes had to turn people away. Their success earned TADA a Mayor’s Arts Award.
That’s when the Rooks knew it was time to find a home of their own.
The new TADA Theatre opens Thursday with an encore run of “Gilligan’s.” Directed by Rook, the show features returning cast members Colin Creveling, Matthew Works, Ladd Wendelin, Cris Rook, David Claus and Don Burt and newcomers Becky Key, Sarah Smith and Scott Herr.
Performances will take place on the main stage, a 55-seat theater on the second floor of the Creamery Building at Seventh and P streets, which is owned by Rob and Sheryl Alderman and managed by Concorde Management and Development.
The new theater also contains a 45-seat showcase stage, with cabaret-style seating and a bar. The showcase area will feature stand-up comedy, musicians, play readings, concerts and more.
And here’s a real kicker: Parking is available behind the building.
Rook and former Nebraska Wesleyan theater professor Henry Blanke designed the space, with Paul Ahrendt from the Tool House overseeing construction with contractor Jerry Beach. Board members pitched in to help with painting, drywall and carpeting.
Rook emphasized that the theater isn’t his or his family’s, but belongs to the patrons, sponsors and talent that helped TADA grow over the years.
“With our progress, we needed to increase what we were doing,” said Rook, the company’s managing director. “The demand was there. People were asking for more of our product. We needed to do it affordably and effectively.”
And in the Haymarket.
“It was important to us to remain in one of the premiere entertainment centers in Lincoln,” TADA Theatre board president James Gordon said. “With Lincoln possibly adding (a convention center) to the other side of the (railroad) tracks, this will be even better for us.”
The new space allows TADA to consolidate its operations. The company previously performed its shows at The Loft, but its offices were located elsewhere as was storage for sets and props. Now everything is under one roof.
The move also marked a change in the way TADA conducts business. The company now operates as a non-profit with a board of directors, forgoing its for-profit status. This will allow TADA to solicit tax-deductible donations from patrons, Gordon said.
Rook admits that opening a new theater is dicey in a shaky economy, but TADA has enjoyed recent success, with “Quilters” playing to packed or nearly packed houses.
Meanwhile, the Lied Center for Performing Arts, the city’s largest producing organization, saw its executive director resign in the wake of $1 million-plus downsizing that included layoffs and significant program reductions.
“We are product-driven,” Rook said. “We’re turning out a good product. I can’t answer to why others are struggling, but we’re not struggling.”
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
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Wonderful space wrote on July 11, 2008 3:36 pm:
We'll be back!Go see it! "