The Nebraska Repertory Theatre presents Ken Rosenstock’s “Tigers Be Still” Feb. 19 through March 1 in the Studio Theatre of the Temple Building.
For showtimes and ticket information, visit the Nebraska Rep website.
Guest directing is Lori Adams, a Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film alumna who directed last season’s Nebraska Rep hit “POTUS.” Adams retired last spring from Illinois State University, where she served as a 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 serious subjects.
“The show runs without an intermission. There are four characters in the play who shift back and forth through 23 scenes,” Adams 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, a native Nebraskan, is happy to be back directing for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, and said her experience with "POTUS" ranks high on her list of theatrical experiences.
Looking back on her time at the university, Adams said being a graduate student was life-changing.
“I wouldn’t want to change one minute of it,” Adams 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.”
Adams enjoys working with students and faculty at the Nebraska Rep, which offers university students a blend of professional and educational theatre training. She's stayed busy in retirement with a variety of projects.
“This is the fifth show I’ve directed since retiring in June,” Adams 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," a relentlessy platonic character in the face of the absurd circumstances she finds herself in. Chavez said she fell in love with this play because of how much she saw herself in each character.
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,” Chavez 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.”
