Omaha Fringe Festival starts Thursday at four theaters, runs through Aug. 11 (2024)

This year’s Omaha Fringe Festival — which starts Friday — features 17 shows in four venues: the Blackstone Theater, 3624 Farnam St.; Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St.; and UNO Mainstage and UNO Studio 006, 6505 University Drive at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

A fringe festival is a haven for nontraditional theater and other experimental performance art. The concept surfaced in 1847, when the first such event was held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Fringe festivals are known for their ease of participation, open access and low ticket prices and production fees.

Omaha’s began in 2019 and has grown steadily since that time.

Presentations this year include a comedy showcase with Brooke Barsell, featuring different performers each night; Belly Dance Nights, choreographed to Near Eastern music; “The Cleanup Lady Makes It Better,” a satirical play that takes jabs at Big Tech; “Shedding Skin,” a meditative dance and physical theater piece that explores growth, transformation and change; and “The Hero’s Journey,” a full-length musical improvised musical from Pandemic at The Disco.

An all-Fringe pass is available at omahafringe.square.site for $75. Tickets to individual shows, $10, are for sale at the same site.

And this year, organizers have launched Omaha Fringe Bingo, offering prizes to people who attend shows. If you see five shows, you win a Fringe swag bag and one entry into a grand prize raffle. If you attend six performances, you get the bag and an additional entry for the raffle.

The grand prize is two passes to the 2025 Omaha Fringe Festival, a painting of the official 2024 Fringe button, a card signed by all the 2024 artists, gift cards from Archetype Coffee, Visa and Panera Bread, tickets for select shows at the Rose Theater, and two tickets to “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” at the Benson Theatre.

For more information on the festival, including a complete schedule, go to omahafringe.org

Rose Theater seeking volunteers

Kids looking for a way to rack up service hours and people who want to see quality theater productions for free should visit the Rose Theater this weekend.

The Rose is having an open house for potential volunteers at 10 a.m. Saturday. The theater relies on unpaid helpers to greet patrons, open doors, scan tickets, assist at will call, act as ushers and perform other tasks.

In return, people get two vouchers for free tickets each time they volunteer, and are invited to an annual appreciation party with food and prizes. Students can use the hours toward high school graduation requirements and honors. And volunteers can watch the productions at any time they’re not serving patrons.

Volunteers can be as young as 8, and, up to age 14, they must be accompanied by an adult. High school students 15 through 17 are welcome. Adult volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

Each adult volunteer must complete a background check. Forms will be available at the open house.

The lineup for the coming season includes “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Coraline,” “A Christmas Story,” “Secret Kindness Agents,” “Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical,” “Milo Imagines the World,” “Pete the Cat: The Musical” and “Finding Nemo.”

The Rose Theater is at 2001 Farnam St. For more information, go to rosetheater.org.

Bass player to perform at Jazz on the Green

Endea Owens, a member of the band on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” will be tonight’s headliner at Jazz on the Green.

She studied bass and earned her degree in 2018 from The Juilliard School in New York City. As part of Stay Human, Colbert’s house band, she has won Emmy and Grammy Awards and a George Foster Peabody Award, which honors excellent storytelling on radio, television and online media.

In 2022, she wrote a piece about the life of Black journalist Ida B. Wells for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Her work has appeared on Jon Batiste’s album “We Are,” the Oscar-nominated film “Judas and the Black Messiah” and H.E.R.’s performance at Super Bowl 55.

Owens released her debut album, “Feel Good Music,” in 2023. With her band, The Cookout, she’ll take the stage at 7:30 tonight in the band pavilion at Turner Park near 31st and Farnam Streets in Midtown Crossing. Fission will perform the pre-show at 6:40.

Lawn chairs, leashed pets, snacks, beer and wine (no hard liquor) are welcome at the event. Parking is available at Midtown Crossing garages.

The final Jazz on the Green of the season is next week, featuring Big Wade & Black Swan Theory. For more information, go to o-pa.com.

Iconic rocker Nash coming to Omaha

Legendary rock star Graham Nash will present his show, “More Evenings of Songs and Stories,” Friday night at the Holland Center.

Nash was a founding member of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the group known for hits such as “Ohio,” Teach Your Children,” “Our House” and “Woodstock.”

His contributions to The Hollies included “On a Carousel” and “Stop Stop Stop,” among other tunes. He was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland twice in his 60-year career, which has included work as a solo artist. His latest album, “Now,” was released in 2023.

Todd Caldwell (keyboards and vocals), Adam Minkoff (bass, guitar, drums and vocals) and Zach Djanikian (guitars, mandolin, drums and vocals) will join him onstage for the 8 p.m. concert. Tickets, ranging from $49.50 to $325, are available at ticketomaha.com.

Go to o-pa.com for more information.