Regional Theater of the Week: Orpheum Theater in Omaha, NE

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States.

This Week's Featured Regional Theater: Orpheum Theater in Omaha, NE

Omaha's celebrated Orpheum Theater has served as the home of the finest in local and national performing arts for nearly a century. Located in Downtown Omaha, the Orpheum underwent a major $10 million renovation in 2002 and the ornate splendor of this magnificent theater was enhanced to better serve patrons and artists. A cornerstone of Omaha's cultural history, this former vaudeville house was constructed in 1927. Recent renovations have restored its ornate splendor - and enhanced acoustics and views.

The owners of the original Orpheum lost two of their additional theaters in Omaha to a fire. Facing growing audience demand for vaudeville, they decided to replace their last standing theater - the Orpheum - with a new and larger building. This is the Orpheum Theater still standing today, built in 1927 for $2 million and constructed in 16 months. A pipe organ, which became an integral part of the hall, was installed for the first performance. The gala opening on Monday, October 10, was attended by nearly 3,000 people, including the Mayor of Omaha and the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben. The program was filled with "laughs, tricks, antics, dances, comics and all other things that go to make a happy evening." The Fighting Eagle, a motion picture starring former Omaha Central High student Rod La Rocque, was shown.

Following renovations in 1989 and 1996, and a large-scale Orpheum facilities study commissioned by the Omaha Symphony in 1997, the next evolution of the Orpheum Theater took place in 2001, when the newly formed Omaha Performing Arts Society (OPAS), announced plans for a $10 million renovation of the Orpheum. In 2002, the City of Omaha granted OPAS a lease to manage the Orpheum Theater - and thanks to the generosity of private funders, the ornate splendor of this magnificent theater was enhanced to better serve patrons and artists. Improvements included everything from larger and refurbished seats to a new stage that could accommodate the largest productions, new dressing rooms, a heating and cooling sytem and improved acoustics.

Since then, additional improvements have been made by Omaha Performing Arts, including a skylink between the theater and the parking garage, a new elevator and stage door, and a beautiful patron room - the Anne Thorne Weaver Lounge.

The Orpheum's many lobbies and gathering spaces capture unique moments in the theater's history through architecture, preparing visitors for a thrilling arts experience. 85% of all fixtures in the building - furniture, metal grill work, draperies, marble and plaster sculpture - date back to 1927, making this theater an elegant home for the performing arts.

The 2013 season includes THE LION KING, Joffrey Ballet: Rite Of Spring, Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo, Diana Krall, The Spencers: Theater of Illusion, Il Divo, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Celtic Woman, and THE BOOK OF MORMON.

Ticket Omaha is the official ticket office for events at the two venues professionally managed by Omaha Performing Arts: the majestic Orpheum Theater and distinctive Holland Performing Arts Center. Ticket Omaha also provides ticketing services to Opera Omaha, Omaha Symphony and the Omaha Community Playhouse. For tickets, please visit TicketOmaha.com.

For more information about the Orpheum Theater, visit: http://www.omahaperformingarts.org/orpheum/

Know of a theater we should feature? Send your suggestion to christina@broadwayworld.com.