The Rose Theater
In 1948, Emmy Gifford and two volunteers from the Junior League of Omaha were inspired to start a theater for young audiences in Omaha and one year later, the Omaha Junior Theater was born. The organization (one of the oldest in its kind in the United States) grew and thrived despite that it didn't have a permanent home or any paid staff for 25 years.
In 1974, a capital fundraising campaign enabled the Junior Theater to find a permanent home-complete with a 500-seat theater, classrooms and a costume shop-at the Center Theater, a neighborhood movie house. In 1977, the theater company was renamed The Emmy Gifford Children's Theater to honor its principal founder and her dream.
In the late 70s, the theater's administrative and artistic staff started seeing significant growth and took the theater in a new direction; and in 1993, a donation from the Blumkin Family took it to a new location. The company changed its name to the Omaha Theater Company and moved to the old Astro Theater-renamed The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center-after a $10.3 million renovation spearheaded by The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center Foundation President Susie Buffett. The Omaha Theater Company first staged a production at The Rose Theater in 1995.
More than 60 years after its humble beginning, The Rose Theater has a well-seasoned, professional staff dedicated to enriching the lives of children and their families through live theater and arts education.
The Rose Theater is committed to enriching the lives of children and families through live theater and arts education.
The Rose Theater is home to the Omaha Theater Company - the only resident, touring, professional theater company in Omaha and one of the largest in the country!
The Rose is accessible to all children. No child is ever turned away for economic reasons. "Pay-what-you-can" evenings are offered for most productions. Thousands of tickets are given to area youth-serving charities year after year.
Live performances are shared from two stages at The Rose Theater: the main stage and the intimate Hitchcock Theater. The national tour (when on circuit) visits roughly 50 cities each year, offering over 115 shows.
Professional actor/educators offer classes in theater, directing, musical theater, singing, dancing, and more. Children ages 4 to 18 are welcome.
The Rose has produced a number of world-premiere shows including Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, The Wolf and Its Shadows, Where the Red Fern Grows, and The Little Engine That Could and has worked with renowned playwrights including James Still, Mark Medoff, Y York, Joe Sutton, and Robert Bly.
The Omaha Theater Company was the recipient of the prestigious Sara Spencer Artistic Achievement Award from The Alliance for Theater and Education (the primary national organization for professional children's theaters in the U.S.) in 1990.
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