Omaha Community Playhouse hires Noble as executive director

Grace Rock, a recent Omaha Central High School graduate, plays trombone with other musicians during a contemporary music jam session at North Omaha Music and Arts Academy (NOMA) on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

In early August, former educator and longtime Omahan Rebecca Noble was named as the interim executive director of the Omaha Community Playhouse.

On Wednesday, that job became permanent.

The theater’s board of directors announced that Noble officially was hired as its full-time executive director and has committed to remain through its landmark 100th season, which begins in fall 2024.

Noble

Noble vows to improve the Playhouse’s community engagement efforts as she upholds its mission and core values.

“As one of the country’s largest arts organizations, we have a responsibility to the community,” she said in a press release. “Right now, we have a lot to prove. I am honored and thankful to be part of this opportunity to reflect on our past, listen in the present and move forward, together, into the future.”

In recent years, the Playhouse has been working to improve its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. It created a director of inclusion position toward that end and hired Kathy Tyree as the initial person for the job. She resigned earlier this year. Efforts are underway to hire a new DEI director.

The theater has received criticism for perceived DEI missteps, including the cancellation of last season’s final musical, Lin Manuel-Miranda’s “In the Heights,” due to casting problems.

Noble said her goal is to make sure that the Playhouse “is a home to all the extraordinary artists and patrons in our vibrant city for generations to come.”

She retired in 2022 from her post as the visual and performing arts curriculum specialist at Omaha South High School, a job she held for 13 years. She helped South earn a reputation as a solid arts magnet school for the city.

She received the 2020 Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Education. Before working at South, she was the executive director of the Dundee Dinner Theater.

The Playhouse board of directors is thrilled to have Noble on board, said Camille Metoyer Moten, the board’s president.

“I’ve had the pleasure of watching her remarkable journey, not only as a wonderful performer, but also as an exceptional arts leader. With theater management, directorial and arts administration and education experience, Becky will truly help guide OCP in this next chapter as we celebrate and reflect on 100 years of theater in Omaha,” Moten said.

Noble loved the interim job from the moment she started, and expressed interest in leading the organization through its 100th anniversary. She had a formal interview with the search committee and was hired permanently effective Sept. 1.

She replaces Katie Broman, who left the Playhouse after serving as executive director for more than six years.

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Grace Rock, a recent Omaha Central High School graduate, plays trombone with other musicians during a contemporary music jam session at North …