Theater Essentials Online is a library of video lessons for grades 7-12 led by local theater professionals. Designed to be completely flexible for in-person, hybrid or fully remote models of learning, each video lesson connects with state standards and includes study guides, student worksheets and other resources. 

Theater Essentials Online videos are designed to support select Nebraska state standards for the fine arts. Connections to standards vary according to the grade level and how teachers incorporate videos and accompanying worksheets into their existing curriculum goals. Please visit education.ne.gov/finearts for a full listing of Nebraska state standards for the fine and performing arts and glossary terms.

 

available lessons


How to Create a Self Tape with Nik Whitcomb

Join Nik Whitcomb as he teaches us how to successfully create a self-tape!  From the tips, tricks, do’s and don’ts of acting with the camera, students will learn the necessary information on what directors want to see during a taped audition.


View Worksheet

Nebraska Standards for Education, Theater:

FA 8.5.2
FA 12.5.2     

About Nik Whitcomb

Nik Whitcomb is as an actor, director, producer, and casting director that has worked in television, film, and theatre across the Midwest. Born and raised in Omaha, Nik received his bachelor’s degree from Creighton University in Theatre Performance & Directing and is the Broadway at The Rose Manager at the Rose Theater. Nik has worked at a number of major theatrical institutions across the country including Actors Theatre of Louisville, Guthrie Theater, Goodman Theatre, The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Art, Northlight Theatre, Old Log Theatre, and Ordway Center for Performing Arts and in April 2020 he was named a “Theatre Worker You Should Know” by American Theatre Magazine. Film/TV casting credits include: Fargo - Season 4 (FX), Utopia (Amazon Prime), Work In Progress (Showtime), Station Eleven (HBO Max), 61st Street (AMC), Holiday Heist & Friend Request (BET/Marvista Films). Theater credits include: Ella Enchanted (Rose Theater; OEAA Nomination for Best Musical & Choreography), Little Nelly’s Naughty Noel (Bluebarn Theatre), Smart People & The Divine Order of Becoming (Union For Contemporary Art), Caroline or Change (OEAA, TAG, & Elaine Jabenis Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical). As a teaching artist outside of the Rose, Nik was on the inaugural team for Disney’s Musicals in Schools with Omaha Performing Arts, worked with Ashland Productions in Minneapolis, MN, and served as an Artist in Residence for a summer at Quincy Community Theatre in Quincy, IL. Nik is also an equity and inclusion thought leader and currently serves as a mentor in the American Alliance for Theatre and Education Leaders of Color Institute. You can often find Nik speaking on panels, offering workshops, and providing consultation to arts leaders, nonprofits, and college/university programs across the country. 

Nik Whitcomb

For questions or more information, please contact the Education Team at Education@O-pa.org

Sponsored by the Nebraska Arts Council, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Sunny Durham Foundation and the Producers of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.