Student Production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged Leaves Audiences Thrilled

February 13th, 2026

Within the halls of the Weber Fine Arts Building, a fully student-produced theatre production is taking the stage at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged is a comedic retelling of all of William Shakespeare’s greatest works. This show is a farce that dips into every comedy, tragedy, and history that Shakespeare has ever written. Director of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Cain Ingram, says, “If you don’t know Shakespeare’s name, this will be a hilarious show. If you have a doctorate in Shakespeare, this will be a hilarious show.”

This production is fully student-run, from producing and directing to starring. It is a love letter to Shakespeare by the young artists of Omaha. Lily Pope, Toby Rischling, and Devin Neville are the student actors bringing the comedy to life on stage. “When I was casting, I wanted people who are naturally funny, and these three are very naturally funny. They build off each other very well. They’re wonderful improvisers,” says Ingram.

Being a community created show, Ingram is also planning to give back to the community with this free performance by helping to fundraise for the Maverick Food Pantry located on UNO’s Dodge campus. This food pantry aims to combats food insecurity among college students within the city. This show is also aiming to make Shakespeare more appealing to general audiences. Ingram finishes, stating, “I hope that audiences take away that Shakespeare does not need to be all scholarly and uptight, because that’s not what it is. I mean, Shakespeare is crude humor hiding behind poetic writing.”

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged will be showing at the UNO Weber Fine Arts Building until February 15.