OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Brownell Talbot is putting on its spring musical this weekend, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” the story of a woman who survived the Titanic.
This summer, leaks in the theater roof turned rehearsal into a real-life splashy matinee. Students rushed to mop up water pouring from the ceiling onto the stage.
Now Brownell is one of just 32 schools nationwide to land a $10,000 grant for the show, helping them upgrade costumes, lighting, microphones and special effects.
“We got the grant because there’s a lot of immigrant families in our community, and we are able to represent that so well on stage,” said Gail Hartag, a senior at Brownell Talbot.
The funding was created in part by The Music Man Foundation.
“The Music Man Foundation congratulates Brownell Talbot, one of only 32 schools in the U.S. to receive a $10,000 grant to perform the new, revised version of ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown,’” Executive Director Sarah Lyding said. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate Meredith Willson’s music and Molly Brown’s civic-mindedness!”
Dylan Renter, theater director at Brownell Talbot, said the funding is critical for the arts.
“They can come in here and pretend to be someone else for two and a half hours and have a great time doing it,” Renter said. “Without that funding, I think arts in general would struggle.”
Addy Hayes is a senior at Brownell Talbot. She’s also the music director for this production.
“We are all so grateful for the grant,” Hayes said. “It has been really special getting the extra budget and being able to work in an environment where we feel super supported.”
The show runs Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. You can get tickets here.
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