Theatre

Theater and drama classes are designed to explore and teach the concepts of production, the nuances of the rehearsal, and methods of acting. Middle School and Upper School classes meet twice each week to learn, plan, rehearse, and produce wonderful theater experiences.

Mrs. Amy Becker prepares a Middle School production that introduces each class to the excitement and creativity of theater. Mr. Darin Larsen directs an Upper School play during the fall and Mr. J.R. Gould directs the annual Upper School musical each spring.

Upper School Musical

The Upper School Musical is an auditioned extra-curricular musical theatre production for students in grades nine through 12. All Upper School students are welcome to audition for on-stage roles or off-stage technical responsibilities regardless of previous experience. Recent productions have included The Sound of Music, Once Upon a Mattress, Once on this Island, and Omaha's first high-school-production of the 2002 Tony Award winner Thoroughly Modern Millie. B-T's Upper School musicals represent some of the finest student-artistry BT has to offer.

The production process begins with auditions either just before or just after semester break. In early January, the cast convenes for the first read-through and then begins an intricate and busy rehearsal schedule. Most scripts require every participant to act, sing, and dance, though not every performer will have spoken lines or solos, and not all dancers will have equally difficult choreography. By mid-February, the cast has added weekly Saturday afternoon rehearsals and the crew is busy building sets, collecting props, designing costumes, and programming lights. . The three performances (Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday afternoon) typically play to sold-out audiences, and the show is "struck" (completely disassembled) immediately after the final show and before the Saturday evening cast & crew party.

The  2009 production will be Working. 

Middle School Play

Each year the Middle School offers one full scale production. All fifth- through eighth-grade students are eligible to audition and participate. Students serve as the actors, props masters, light and sound crew, and backstage workers. They help to build and strike their own set as well as costume the show.

The Middle School theater productions focus on classical literature. The biyearly cycle revolves from a Shakespearean piece to a play based on a classic children's story. In spring 2007, the students performed As You Like It by William Shakespeare, and in spring 2008, the students performed Charlotte's Web. The spring 2009 production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream will be performed in February.