Entertainment News & Notes

Author Richard Duggin to read from his works

Richard Duggin, author of the novel “The Music Box Treaty” and a number of short stories, will read from his works at noon Wednesday at the Nebraska Arts Council offices, 1004 Farnam St., lower level.

The event, part of a series of readings known as Wednesday Words, is free and open to the public. Duggin founded the University of Nebraska at Omaha Writer’s Workshop and the University of Nebraska master’s in fine arts writing program, in which he currently teaches.

Five Oscar nominees get area bookings

Film Streams, Omaha’s nonprofit art house movie outlet, will show five Oscar-nominated feature-length movies in its Ruth Sokolof Theater, 14th and Mike Fahey Streets, in the coming weeks.

The opening dates are:

March 19 — “The White Ribbon,” foreign-language and cinematography nominee

April 9 — “A Prophet,” foreign-language nominee and Grand Jury Prize winner at Cannes

April 23 — “Ajami,” foreign-language nominee

April 30 — “The Secret of Kells,” animated feature nominee

May 7 — “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” documentary feature nominee

For more information, visit www.filmstreams.org.

Film production crew moves to Omaha

In the wake of the suspension of film tax incentives in Iowa, LEO Film Releasing has moved its headquarters to Omaha.

The independent film and production company called Los Angeles home for 19 years and planned to relocate to Council Bluffs before Iowa ended its tax incentives.

“The loss of the Iowa program is a great disappointment, but ultimately it may work out as well or better to be able to shoot in Nebraska,” said Steve Lustgarten, the company president, who is an Omaha native and graduate of Burke High School. “We just have to make the dollars go a lot further.”

“Power Slide,” shot in the Omaha and Plattsmouth areas in 1989, was LEO Films’ first feature. It has since released more than 80 movies, ranging from Sundance Festival films to horror and thriller genres. They have starred widely known actors such as Matt LeBlanc, James Earl Jones, Gillian Anderson and Heather Graham.

The company’s latest release, “Dead Letters,” stars C. Thomas Howell, Kim Darby and Geoffrey Lewis, and will be available at Netflix, Blockbuster Online, Amazon and other outlets March 30.

Omaha writer’s play to have public reading

The Omaha Community Playhouse and Metropolitan Community College will host a free public reading of an original play at 7 p.m. Monday in the playhouse’s Howard Drew Theatre.

“Recommended Reading for Girls,” by Omaha playwright Ellen Struve, is about a woman who returns home to help her mother through a round of chemotherapy. Once there, she discovers unexpected guests from her favorite childhood novels. They include a farm girl, mountain girl and an on-again off-again heiress and teen sleuth, who confound her ideas about their stories, herself and the people she loves.

Kaneko to host series on scientific research

Kaneko is hosting a special series of partnership programs this month called Conversations with Scientists, featuring innovative scientists speaking about their research and ideas and participating in discussions with the audience. The programs are free and open to the public.

Dr. Richard J. Komp, president of SunWatt Corp., will give a talk called “Solar Energy: Electrifying Haiti and Other Developing Countries” on Monday in the Kaneko-UNO Library, 1111 Jones St., from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Kaneko will screen “The Human Family Tree,” a National Geographic film on the Human Genographic Project, at 6:30 p.m. March 18. Following the film, the Rev. Raymond A. Bucko, S.J., chairman of the department of sociology and anthropology at Creighton University, and Dr. Warren Sanger, director of the Human Genetics Laboratory and Clinical Genetics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will lead a discussion.

On March 26, the final program will be “Relationships 2.0? How New Social Media Is Reshaping Your Mind” and will feature Dr. Jean-Pierre Klotz, a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist and member of the World Association of Psychoanalysis.

The program, which starts at 5:30 p.m., will include a panel discussion with local blog, Facebook and Twitter practitioners about how subjectivity and social relationships are affected by the use of new social media.

Reservations for the programs are requested but are not required. Joining Klotz will be Joe Gerstandt, consultant and professional blogger; Rahul Gupta, entrepreneur and Twitter aficionado; and Amy Mather, Omaha Public Library technology librarian and Facebook maven.

To reserve seats, visit: http://thekaneko.org/conversations/index.html.

Auditions

“Awesome ’80s Prom,” Omaha Community Playhouse, 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the playhouse, 6915 Cass St. Use west stage door entrance. Show runs April 30-May 30. Information: 553-4890, ext. 110.

“The Odd Couple,” female version, Bellevue Little Theatre, 7 p.m. March 14 and 15 at the theater, 203 W. Mission Ave. in Bellevue. Show runs May 7-23. Need six women, two men. Information: director Doug Marr, 553-4715.

“The Independence of Eddie Rose,” Teens ’n’ Theater at the Rose, 6 p.m. March 15 at the theater, 2001 Farnam St. Need artists of Native American background ages 8 and above. Show runs April 22-25. Information: e-mail Sheila Rocha at teatromestizo@msn.com.

“Footloose,” Chanticleer Theater, 7 p.m. March 15 and 16 at the theater, 830 Franklin Ave., Council Bluffs. Show runs May 14-30. Information: e-mail director Todd Brooks at Brooks1965@aol.com.

“Little Women, the Musical,” BroadStreet Theatre, 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at North Side Christian Church, 5555 Larimore Ave. Show runs June 18 to July 4 at Bellevue Little Theatre. Information: director Todd Brooks, 968-5543, or e-mail brooks1965@aol.com.

— Compiled by Bob Fischbach and John Pitcher