New directors aim to increase inclusivity, community at Omaha Playhouse: 'Whose story is it to tell'

Artistic director Vincent Orduña and associate artistic director Brandon Box-Higdem are new hires at the same time.

That may be a first for the beloved institution, which has seen steady growth over the last century but, like most theaters, has endured bumps along the way such as a recent show cancellation and the pandemic.

Since arriving at the same time — early May — the two men have taken advantage of their unique opportunity to create a new path together.

Orduña is an Omaha native who came here after working for more than two decades in Seattle and seven years in New York City. Box-Higdem worked for the Nebraska Theater Caravan — an offshoot of the Playhouse — before moving to Arkansas to teach.

Both said they’re thrilled to be back. And the two have similar goals for the theater — with increasing inclusivity and a sense of community at the top of their lists.

“Being artistic director is a dream job but not a job I ever let myself dream,” Orduña said in a joint interview last week. “It feels a little surreal.”

‘I don’t remember Omaha being this cool’

Orduña is a graduate of Omaha Central High School and Midland University, and he grew up watching family members perform in shows across the area.

His mom, Johnice Orduña, was once onstage at the Playhouse, his great-aunt Claudette Valentine is a longtime music director and voice teacher and Valentine’s niece, Nola Jeanpierre, is also a noted singer.

“She taught almost everyone in Omaha, I’ve been finding out,” Orduña said about his aunt, who is in her 90s and still lives here.

Orduña loved the progressive arts scene in Seattle, where he worked in arts education, arts management and theater directing.

“Seattle helped me become more well-rounded, but my work ethic and sense of the importance of community was formed in Omaha,” he said.

When he came home after his mother died about three and a half years ago, his desire for family and that sense of being part of something communal became stronger, he said.

While still in Seattle, he took a job consulting with University of Nebraska at Omaha professor Hal France when France was starting UNO’s Summer Musical Theater Academy. That led to his directing three summer musicals — “Fame,” “Footloose” and “Legally Blonde” — with Omaha teens who attend the program for free.

“I was blown away by how much the city has grown,” he said, but he also realized that “all the things that made Omaha great for me are still here.”

Plus, he said, he found that the city was more diverse than he remembered.

“Talented kids from all walks of life auditioned,” he said. “I thought ‘I don’t remember Omaha being this cool.’”

That experience led him to pursue the Playhouse job.

‘I fell in love with Omaha’

Box-Higdem originally came here in 1997. He has a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and a master’s in theater directing from North Dakota State University.

In addition to his work with the caravan, he directed shows at a number of local theaters and worked in retail as a Younkers manager to pay the rent.

“I fell in love with Omaha, and the more I experienced it, the more I fell in love with it and the more I realized I wanted to be a part of (the Playhouse),” he said, adding that he considered former Playhouse directors Susie Baer Collins and Carl Beck as mentors.

“I was a sponge around (them),” he said.

He eventually moved to Arkansas to pursue teaching and won awards for his work. But he hadn’t forgotten about Omaha. For 16 years, he said, he applied for Playhouse jobs whenever he saw one that suited his talents and ambitions.

He almost didn’t apply for his new position, but once he thought about several changes at the theater, he decided to try one more time.

He had been in shows with board member Camille Metoyer Moten and directed productions at the Dundee Dinner Theater with then-new Executive Director Rebecca Noble, so he figured some folks would at least know who he was when they saw his resume.

And now he’s working with Orduña to create their own distinct vision for the next century.

‘Whose story is it to tell’

Both have given a lot of thought to the issue of diversity, especially in the area of casting and play selection.

Two seasons ago, the Playhouse canceled its production of Lin Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” because of difficulty finding a suitable cast, and how to cast and schedule shows about minority issues has long been a topic of discussion in the theater community at large.

Orduña said he thinks that storytelling must be in the middle of any talk about inclusion.

“It’s not just about telling diverse stories, it’s about telling stories diversely,” he said. “As director, my job is to tell the story and (select) the best people to do it, and I always start with a question: Whose story is it to tell?”

He offered a couple of examples to illustrate that point.

Auditions for “Grease” — his first directing task in his new job — were a few weeks ago, he said, and he was not fully prepared for the talent and diversity he saw. More than 90 people from all walks of life turned out for a shot at being part of a 26-member ensemble.

The result was that he was able to select a cast that reflects the diversity in Omaha, with different races, gender identifications, neighborhoods and more.

That works with “Grease,” he acknowledged, because it’s about an urban high school with a similar population.

It wouldn’t work, he said, in the case of a show such as “The Diary of Anne Frank,” the story of a Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II. She eventually was sent to a concentration camp, where she died.

Orduña thinks the answer to “whose story is it to tell” for that show would not be correct if diverse casting — sometimes called color-blind casting — was employed.

“Some people shouldn’t tell some stories,” he said.

To him, providing a calm, nurturing atmosphere for everyone involved in a show is the most important thing.

“My focus is to let everyone in the community know that they are safe and welcome in this space,” he said.

‘We have been so in sync’

In January, Orduña and Box-Higdem both knew the jobs were theirs and almost immediately began to learn about Playhouse operations. Despite being in New York at the same time, the first time the two met was at Box-Higdem’s job interview, and they immediately bonded.

“We have been so in sync with our worldview and our dedication to education,” Orduña said.

“We’ve even spoken in the same voice at times,” Box-Higdem added, referring to their simultaneous response to a recent podcast host.

They met with Playhouse leaders such as Noble and the outgoing artistic directors over Zoom beginning in January, already discussing the upcoming year — Season 101. They said the information they got from Collins and co-artistic director Alex Rodriguez was invaluable.

The duo also was in Omaha to see the last three productions in Season 100: “Margaritaville,” “American Mariachi” and “Titanic.”

And they already have impressions, insights and a few plans going forward:

• They’re excited about the first production in Season 102, “Come From Away.” The Broadway musical is based on the people of Newfoundland who helped travelers forced to land there after the 9/11 attacks.

That inspirational story should foster community at the theater as well as across the city, they said.

They also see it as an opportunity to give each season a theme. In the 102nd year, it will be community, family and coming home.

• As former educators, both want to grow the Playhouse’s education wing, the Shirlee & Henry Fonda Theater Academy.

What adult education should look like is a particular focus, according to Box-Higdem.

Orduña agreed, offering an example: “Like trying to find a tap class where you’re not tapping with a bunch of 6-year-olds.”

• Both also want to ensure that the theater’s high production standards don’t dip in any way.

Box-Higdem said he was gratified to find that the three productions he recently saw were as good — if not better — than those he remembered from years past.

“Seeing those productions was excellent and calming because the quality I had expected hadn’t changed,” he said.

“That really affords us the opportunity to learn from (previous directors’) experience and embrace their legacy,” Orduña added.