Speaking from Aspen, Colorado, where he solo toured last month, Anchondo reflected on the journey that’s taken him from his Missouri Ozark hill country origins to this Great Plains base and beyond. He took up guitar at 16 while living on his family’s farm. He’d never played an instrument before, though he did sing in […]
Articles by Leo Adam Biga
Noah Diaz making run for his dream at Yale School of Drama and theater companies nationwide – Part 2
As an arts and letters Ivy Leaguer, his life is consumed by studies, rehearsals, writing and craft analysis. “I live alone which is smart because I do a lot of writing and I need a lot of quiet. A huge challenge for me personally in this program is generating work so quickly and so frequently. I’m learning themes that constantly keep reoccurring in my work, what that’s telling me about myself, why I’m interested in exploring these things and what dramatic structures I keep leaning on. “I have a lot of conversations with my colleagues about knowing the difference between what is a playwright’s voice and what is a playwright’s schtick. The difference, at least for me, is honing my artistic voice and not simply relying on the same bag of tricks. I’m proud of this first year body of work because I’ve tried things – somewhat reinventing myself or at least challenging myself in new ways. That’s intentional.” The work doesn’t all just stay on the page either. “This particular playwriting program is a little unusual in that we are offered a production each year.” He’s written three new scripts over the summer. “My second year production starts rehearsal the first day of classes or shortly thereafter, so I have to prepare options to present.” There’s no shortage of stimulation. “I’m working with incredible people in my cohort. They are so talented and smart. My faculty – Sarah Ruhl, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Amy Herzog, Robert O’hara, Jackie Sibblies Dreary, Young Jun Lee – are all luminaries still working in the field. It enriches my learning experience,” With notable alums on stage and screen, the school is a recognized talent pool that industry producers, directors and agents scout. Diaz has already heard from some. “I’ve been really fortunate that a lot of people have been reaching out. I’ve been taking meetings, I’ve been in touch with fantastic companies. This summer alone I’ll be at three different theater companies across the country developing my work.” He was in Chicago for the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) Carnaval of New Latinx Work in July. This month his Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally is part of […]
Improbable music journey leads Maldonado to Omaha – Part 1
Jose Luis Maldonado concedes the improbability of how he became an opera singer. But that just makes him more eager to share his tale because if it could happen to him, than who knows how many other potential vocalists are out there without even realizing it? Part of his role as a first-year Opera Omaha […]
Omaha Storm Chasers part of Minor League Baseball push to cultivate Latino market – Part 1
Baseball has long been an international sport. Its deep roots throughout Asia, Latin America, South America,Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico are well reflected in minor and major league team rosters in the United States. To see this Latin influence, look no further than the Triple A Omaha Storm Chasers. The current roster includes players with […]
Positively no negativity | Nick Hernandez
Some call it bliss. Others, serenity. For Nick Hernandez of Lincoln, Nebraska, the study and practice of positive psychology is both way of life and career. The 41-year-old couldn’t have imagined this two decades ago. Back then, the Olathe, Kansas native was a married post-graduate student who looked at people and life critically. Now […]
Once more, with feeling South High and SNAP reteam for new musical
(Pictured Left to Right: Zhomontee, Regina Palmer, Echelle) A year ago, Omaha South High Magnet School and SNAP Productions set the local theater scene abuzz with their joint staging of the Tony Award-winning In the Heights. The all-star production of current and former South students, school performing arts staff, and community theater veterans […]
Nature photographer Joel Sartore taking cue from Noah with his National Geographic Photo Ark – Part 2
He’s already logged thousands of hours and tens of thousands of miles to photograph thousands of species, and yet he’s far from finished. “We are a little more than halfway done after 12 years with just over 7,500 species (photographed). Because we’ll now have to travel farther and wider to get the remaining species (an […]
Living a dream that would not be denied
As Eduardo Aguilar walked down an Omaha Creighton Prep hallway one school day last April, he had no idea a lifelong dream would soon be secured. Counselor Jim Swanson pulled the then-high school senior out of his international relations class on the pretext of seeing how he was doing. It’s something Swanson often did with Aguilar, whose undocumented parents were […]
Nature photographer Joel Sartore taking cue from Noah with his National Geographic Photo Ark – Part 1
If Noah had a camera, perhaps he would have done what noted nature and wildlife photographer Joel Sartore is doing. Sartore, who resides in Lincoln, Neb., is a star National Geographic shooter in the midst of an epic project, aptly named Photo Ark, that’s creating an archive of global biodiversity in order to raise awareness […]
KM3 reporter Maya Saenz living her dream
KMTV Channel 3 news reporter Maya Saenz is living a dream that started as a girl in rural Colorado watching Telemundo Denver and KUSA NBC Channel 9. Saenz ended up working at both stations before joining KM3 in 2016. This youngest of three sisters is the only one not born in Chihuahua, Mexico, where the […]
