About the Program
Student Dress Rehearsals invite students to experience opera before opening night, when the energy of live performance is still being shaped in real time. This free program offers a rare opportunity for students to see the show before the public and without a large crowd for a more personal and meaningful experience.
Opera Omaha offers free tickets for students and chaperones to select upcoming productions. Study guides and other resources are made available to help prepare students for their visit, and Opera Omaha provides Prelude Talk Speakers who can introduce students to the story, themes, history, and artistic world of the opera, so they have a richer understanding of the production and performance experience. Students see how the many elements of opera come together: singers, orchestra, conductor, director, designers, stage managers, technicians, and more.
For many students, a dress rehearsal is a first step into an art form they may not have imagined was for them.
26/27 Student Dress Rehearsal Opportunities
La bohème
Dress Rehearsal Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2026
A spark of love warms a winter of want in the world’s most beloved opera, La bohème. E. Loren Meeker’s sumptuous production of this operatic staple heightens the romance and the sting of Parisian cold as Puccini’s starving artists stir hearts with their bohemian ideals and singular hope.
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Recommended for students in middle school and older
The Pigeon Keeper
Free Student Tickets for Performance: Thursday, January 28, 2027
As part of the Family Opera Series, The Pigeon Keeper, a mystical new opera welcomes opera goers of every age to The Rose Theater.
What makes a family? What makes a home? The Pigeon Keeper, an operatic fable for all ages, looks through the eyes of a curious girl, a refugee boy, a lonely father, and a mysterious island mystic as they swim the seas of these complex questions.
Sung in English with English supertitles
Recommended for all ages
Ariadne auf Naxos
Dress Rehearsal Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2027
What happens when an opera company and a comedy troupe are spontaneously forced to perform together? Opera Omaha’s first-ever opera by Richard Strauss features hilarity and poignance in a backstage battle of art and ego.
Sung in English and German with English supertitles
Recommended for students in middle school and older
Alessandro
Free Student Tickets for Performance: Friday, April 30, 2027
As part of their limited US tour, The English Concert presents the rarely performed Handel opera, Alessandro. Savor authentic Baroque with vocal fireworks, unparalleled musicianship, and a love triangle of Greek proportions.
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Recommended for students in middle school and older
Please note: Alessandro is a one-night-only performance, so free student tickets are available for the public performance rather than a dress rehearsal.
Reservations
Reservation requests can be made online through the form below. Reservations must be made by teachers or program staff who will be accompanying students.
Reservations open at least two months before each opera. You must request a reservation for each opera separately.
Prior to submitting your request, please review the frequently asked questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions
This program is open to public or private schools, homeschools, or nonprofit organizations serving K-12 and university students.
We generally recommend the student dress rehearsal experience for students in middle school and above, but all ages are welcomed to The Pigeon Keeper.
Please contact Opera Omaha if you have specific questions about content or appropriateness.
All student groups must be accompanied by a teacher and/or chaperone. One adult chaperone per every 10 students in attendance is required, regardless of the age/grade of students.
We ask that chaperones accompany their student groups in all areas of the theater during their visit, including the lobby.
Reservations must be made by teachers or program staff who will be accompanying students.
We are not able to accept individual registrations for Student Dress Rehearsals.
Please use the link above to register your group online.
You must register for each opera separately, and registration will open no less than 2 months in advance of each opera. Filling out an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
Please be realistic in your registration numbers and let Opera Omaha know if you have significant changes to your numbers.
Registration closes 1 week prior to each dress rehearsal date, or when capacity is reached.
La boheme and Ariadne auf Naxos are performed at the Orpheum Theatre, 409 S 16th St, Omaha, NE 68102
The Pigeon Keeper is performed at The Rose, 2001 Farnam St, Omaha NE 68102
Alessandro is performed at The Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas Street, Omaha, NE 68102
La boheme and Ariadne auf Naxos
Arrival 6:15-6:30pm
Prelude Talk 6:30pm
Dress Rehearsal 7 – 10pm
The Pigeon Keeper (Performance)
Lobby Opens 5:30pm
Performance 6:30-8pm
Alessandro (Performance)
Lobby Opens 6:30pm
Prelude Talk 6:40pm
Performance 7:30-11pm
In scheduling transportation back to your school, allow at least 15 minutes leeway in the length of the performance. As these are rehearsals, the conductor and/or stage manager may pause or stop to make adjustments during or after the performance.
Groups may leave at intermission. Please note your plans in advance so we can seat your group accordingly.
You can dress up or down, but make sure you wear something that makes YOU feel comfortable. Some people like to dress up to come to the opera, and some come in jeans.
Any changes in a school’s attendance status should be communicated to Opera Omaha.
In the event Opera Omaha needs to make a change to a Student Dress Rehearsal due to weather or other circumstances you will be notified by email as soon as possible.
Resources for students and teachers
STUDY GUIDE
Opera Omaha prepares a study guide and/or shares learning materials for each Student Dress Rehearsal, which includes information about attending an opera and the production, discussion questions, and a list of additional resources. The study guide is shared approximately two weeks in advance of the Student Dress Rehearsal.
Opera Omaha study guides and resources help align the Dress Rehearsal Experience with Nebraska’s Fine Arts Standards in Music and Theatre.
ARTIST VISITS
Opera Omaha will offer a limited number of artist visits to those attending La boheme Student Dress Rehearsals. Artist visits will take place the week following the performances, November 16-20.
If you are interested in an artist from the production visiting with your students, indicate that on your reservation and you will be contacted by a member of the Opera Omaha staff. Spaces are limited and will be reserved on a first-come, first served basis.
Artists visits can include short musical performances, masterclasses, Q&A sessions, or discussion of life as an opera artist.
PRELUDE TALKS
Prior to each Student Dress Rehearsal there is a Prelude talk led by an artist connected to the opera giving student audiences extra insight into the opera they are about to experience with behind the scenes highlights as well as history and context.
Contact
Opera Omaha is dedicated to empowering school communities to provide arts learning opportunities for all students. If you have questions or suggestions about how we could make the Student Dress Rehearsals or opera more engaging for your students, please let us know! For more information please contact:
Lauren Medici
Director of Partnerships and Programs
lmedici@operaomaha.org
(402) 346-7372
