The Nebraska Repertory Theatre presents Ken Rosenstock’s “Tigers Be Still” Feb. 19-March 1 in the Studio Theatre.
For showtimes and ticket information, visit https://nebraskarep.org.
Guest directing is Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film alumna Lori Adams (M.F.A. 1982), who directed last season’s Nebraska Rep hit “POTUS.” Adams retired last spring from Illinois State University, where she served as professor since 1998 and as head of the acting program since 2005.
“’Tigers Be Still,’ written by Kim Rosenstock, is a play that centers on Sherry Wickman, a recent art therapy graduate who is struggling with unemployment and depression,” Adams said. “A funny, introspective story about finding purpose and the challenges of being a young adult.”
Adams said audiences will see a very funny play that embraces very serious subjects.
“The show runs without an intermission. There are four characters in the play who shift back and forth through 23 scenes,” she said. “There are many heartwarming moments in the play as the characters search for the importance of family and community, all while a tiger is on the loose.”
Adams is happy to be back in Nebraska directing for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre.
“A native Nebraskan myself, I am more than pleased to return to direct again at the Rep. Last year directing ‘POTUS’ rates high on my list of greatest theatrical experiences,” she said.
Adams said being a graduate student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln was a life-changing experience.
“I wouldn’t want to change one minute of it,” she said. “The training was invaluable, friendships made still exist, and it set me up to spend the rest of my life in the theatre. I’m currently rehearsing ‘Tigers’ in the classroom where I took a class so many years ago. The memories of the work done there and the faculty and classmates I shared it with can’t help but flood back as I enter the room.”
She enjoys working with students and faculty at the Nebraska Repertory Theatre.
“Nebraska Rep offers UNL students a highly successful blend of professional and educational theatre training,” she said. “I very much enjoy working with the faculty and students and am grateful to be embraced as wholeheartedly as I have been.”
Adams has stayed busy in retirement with a variety of projects.
“This is the fifth show I’ve directed since retiring in June,” she said. “Next up is directing ‘Our Town’ for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival followed by ‘Blithe Spirit’ at Millikan University. Lots of opportunity keeps coming my way for which I’m grateful. I also plan to get back to doing more acting once I find the time.”
Dez Chavez, a sophomore acting major from Elkhorn, Nebraska, plays Sherry in “Tigers Be Still.”
“Sherry is so wonderful because of how absolutely flawed she is,” Chavez said. “She’s relentlessly optimistic, often socially oblivious, and a highly anxious individual, but she’s smart and always wears her heart proudly on her sleeve. Sherry gives every job 110 percent, and narrating this zany story is no exception.”
Chavez said she fell in love with this play because of how much she saw herself in each character.
“The circumstances of their struggles may seem absurd, but the vulnerability behind their struggles is nothing if not genuine,” she said. “The writing is addictive, full of colorful punchlines and absolutely hysterical.”
Chavez said working with Adams as the director has been an incredible experience.
“I couldn’t be more grateful that she’s directing my first college production,” she said. “She puts collaboration at the forefront of everything we do, and it has truly allowed me to dig deep into the subtext of the story and aid me in fully understanding who Sherry is. Lori is kind, hard-working, thoughtful and, if nothing else, a brilliant super genius.”
Samuel Landretti, an acting senior from Lincoln, plays Zack.
“Zack is a hot-headed 18-year-old who is struggling with the way he perceives himself after the death of his mother,” he said. “He cares deeply about everyone in his life, but struggles to open up to them for fear of hurting them or causing himself any further pain.”
Annie McClory, an acting senior from Lake Oswego, Oregon, plays Grace.
“Grace is Sherry’s older sister who is planted on the couch after she gets out of a four-year long relationship—and no, it did not end well,” she said. “She is coping with the loss of the life she thought she was going to live. I love how unapologetic she is with expressing her grief journey—the good and bad ways to go about recovering from heartbreak. I love Grace, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to bring her to life.”
McClory said Adams has created a rehearsal environment that is both collaborative and supportive.
“Something she said at our first rehearsal really stuck with me: It is important to understand when the show was written, when it is set, and when it is performed,” she said. “What is the significance? Why this show now? I think back to Lori’s last show here (“POTUS”), and it was the exact show needed at the time it played. ‘Tigers’ is not quite as on-the-nose timely, but it is absolutely what I need during these confusing and unpredictable times.”
Landretti said working with Adams has been an amazing experience.
“The rehearsal process with her has felt like a sandbox where everyone is constantly throwing out ideas and playing with the script until we land on something that we all find fun,” he said. “Everyone is in the same space and sharing tools while we all work towards making this amazing sand castle of a show.”
McClory also loves the writing of Rosenstock.
“It is clever and sharp. The show has a sit-com feel, which is very fun to accomplish live,” she said. “The dialogue allows the characters to be humans with ‘ums’ and ‘likes.’ The story does not feel set-in-stone. It has a Chekhovian style to it. It is a slice-of-life piece that truly feels like the choices being made on stage will alter the ending.”
Also in the cast as Joseph is guest artist Kevin Paul Hofeditz, who is no stranger to Lincoln audiences. Hofeditz recently retired as professor and executive associate dean emeritus at the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts, where he had been since 1998. He began his teaching and administrative career in 1983 as an assistant professor of theatre at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and served as both Director of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and Associate Dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts during his time at Nebraska. As a professional actor and member of Actors’ Equity Association since 1978, he has performed in regional theater, summer stock and off-Broadway.
“Kevin and I are old friends, having appeared on stage together at the Rep many years ago in a production of ‘George M.,’” Adams said. “Audiences are in for a treat seeing him again, and the student actors have him as a wonderful mentor during ‘Tigers Be Still.’”
Chavez said Hofeditz is the first Equity Actor she has worked with.
“I have learned so much just by being in the same room as him,” she said. “He brings so much to rehearsal each and every day because of his vast background in teaching and his fantastic acting chops. It’s been such a privilege to collaborate with Kevin, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share the stage with him.”
The production balances humor with heavier emotional themes, Landretti said.
“The audience should expect to watch a very real comedy that deals with the struggles of a group of people in a very difficult moment in their lives,” he said. “There is humor, hope and sadness all in the same scene. The show is so fun.”
Chavez said that while “Tigers Be Still” is a hilarious play, there’s also a story about overcoming the struggles of life.
“Audiences should beware that this story might hit a little closer to home than they may have originally expected,” she said. “Bring a couple of tissues, and don’t get too comfortable in your seats since there’s a tiger on the loose.”
Adams hopes audiences come out for “Tigers Be Still.”
“This show may just be the trick to lighten your mood during the cold, gloomy wintertime,” she said.