Brothers Lounge show raises $1500 for Omaha’s Women’s Center for Advancement

By all accounts, Friday night’s show at Brothers Lounge was a success: The Morbs, The Boner Killerz and Those Far Out Arrows all performed beautifully and the crowd was thick and abuzz. However, it was the cause that concert benefitted that really made the difference.

Together, the three bands drew enough community support to raise nearly $1500 for the Women’s Center for Advancement, which provides service and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Douglas County. Concertgoers donated a total of $740 at the door; that number was matched by Don Keelan-White, father to Those Far Out Arrows’ Evan and Ben Keelan-White.

“As artists, we have a responsibility to think and act beyond our own lives,” Evan said of the band’s motivations. “If we want to see change in this world, we have to start with benefiting those who are marginalized.”

The WCA is “dedicated to helping clients stay safe and grow strong by addressing both their immediate safety needs and their long-term self-sufficiency,” according to its website. The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that one in three women and one in four men have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking at some point in their life.

For the show’s artists, that directly affects not only the larger community but also the music community within. The Morbs’ Maya Khasin said addressing domestic and sexual violence starts with showing up for organizations that benefit survivors.

“Measurable, material benefits are a clear way to send the message that the community cares about survivors and that we want to continue addressing this critically important issue,” Khasin said.

Friday night’s show is the latest in a string of Omaha and Lincoln events that have benefitted local community organizations, including the Funk & Soul Alliance’s donation to 10 Nebraska charities this past December and Milk Run’s Planned Parent benefit earlier this month.

Khasin, who also organizes Porchfest LNK, emphasized the importance of musician’s relationship to their communities.

“Musicians help create the scene where they perform, and consistently and materially avowing their values informs the atmosphere at their shows and within the community in general,” Khasin said. “It is powerful to demonstrate that the community cares about domestic violence and sexual assault. This enthusiasm is empowering and engaging.”

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Film Streams unveils Dundee Theater renovation details

Omaha nonprofit cinema organization Film Streams announced in Feb 2016 its plans to breathe life into the long-shuttered Dundee Theater. Nearly a year later, the details have crystalized.

Film Streams unveiled specific plans for the historic theater’s renovation, which it has spearheaded with the help of the Sherwood Foundation. They include a number of infrastructure and equipment upgrades — notably to the main theater itself — as well as designations for a new entryway, ticketing and concessions, and a micro theater.

Film Streams Deputy Director Casey Logan says the theater holds much sentimental value to the community, part of the reason the organization took on the project.

“People throughout the community have memories of seeing movies at the Dundee Theater, and that’s such a special thing,” Logan says. “This is a cinema that opened during the silent era and has seen, and exhibited, so much film history in the decades since. While it was always a relatively modest venue, especially compared to the downtown movie palaces that once operated, with time it became a cultural landmark due to the countless experiences and personal memories shared there over the past century. We’re so excited to bring it back to the community.”

Dundee Theater floor plans courtesy of Alley-Poyer Macchietto Architecture and Film Streams

Floor plans released by Film Streams forecast a marked transformation of the Dundee while maintaining its classic attributes. The main theater will undergo and projection and sound update, keeping its signature blue seating in tact.

Updates to the rest of the building are intended to make the cinema “a viable operations … well into its second century,” according to a statement. That starts with a more accessible entrance in the rear part of the building, which opens to a landscaped patio open to patrons and neighboring businesses.

Inside, patrons will find new concessions and ticketing counters with traditional and local fare; a curated book and film shop; and a commons space that the theater will share with a to-be-determined local cafe partner.

Notably, the new space will also include a 25-seat microcinema, which will aid Film Streams’ efforts to showcase experimental and independent work from around the world as well as its multi-week film education seminar, Courses.

The statement on Dundee Theater plans, released via Film Streams’ website, predicts re-opening by the end of the year, and promises photo, video and written updates. Read the statement and view floor plans here.

Artist’s rendering of new rear entrance and courtyard | courtesy of Alley-Posner-Macchietto Architecture and Film Streams

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WeBop Omaha Encourages Musicians to Start Young

by Zachary Visconti

Omaha Performing Arts has announced Spring dates for its infant jazz class, WeBop. The Spring class, entitled “The ABCs of Jazz,” is designed for children ages 2-5 and gives parents or guardians the opportunity to participate alongside their kids.

WeBop classes span an eight-week period with a curriculum that includes subjects like swing, blues, improvisation and scatting.The 45 minute sessions are divided into age-specific classes taught by instructors Kim Lomax, Susie Thorne and Amanda Stevenson, and are filled with music, movement and play. During classes, children are also invited to experiment with a variety of instruments and taught the fundamentals of jazz.

WeBop’s Spring 2017 term, its second since starting in Fall 2016, will run from January 24th through March 25th. Registration is $200 and can be done through Ticket Omaha or by calling Omaha Performing Arts at 402-345-0606.

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Musicians: have an upcoming album/video release, planning a tour/show or other exciting news to share? Email us at news@hearnebraska.org for coverage considerations.