Photo 1 (left) STAGE Play-in-a-Day performance. Photo 2 (center) STAGE's Blood Workshop, Photo 3 (right) Second STAGE Play-in-a-Day performance. All images sourced from STAGE.
By Kaydon Webber
Student Organization STAGE Provides Opportunities For Student Performers
May 5th, 2026
Grassroots theatre is spreading throughout the Omaha area. On the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, an organization is furthering the artistry of acting: STAGE. STAGE is cultivating theatre experiences, building community, and promoting education on campus. STAGE President Adrian Ossenkop spoke more about the organization’s mission and goals.
Ossenkop said, “STAGE stands for Students in Theatre Art Growth and Engagement. We are essentially a student theater group on campus. We do activities on and off campus, as well as a lot of professional development workshops for students.”
Formed by a group of students in May 2025, the organization has hosted performances that give students new experiences and provide audiences with fresh entertainment. Some of these performances include their Play-in-a-Day show and Student Showcase event. “[It’s] an open opportunity for people to perform,” Ossenkop said. “To rehearse, write, and do all these things—these are opportunities that people might not otherwise have access to.”
STAGE has also established connections with community leaders and provides unique workshops for students interested in theatre professions. By building relationships with organizations like the Omaha Community Playhouse and BlueBarn Theatre, the group has expanded into workshops that highlight different aspects of theatre production. “A very popular workshop we have is working with stage blood,” Ossenkop said. “There are different areas of theater that people don’t immediately think of when they think of theater in general.” Providing opportunities and fostering a community of performers is STAGE’s primary goal.
More information about STAGE can be found on Instagram at @stage_uno.
