When playwright Beaufield Berry recently needed actors in New York City for a reading of her musical about Black cowgirls, the Omaha native did what most people would do: She put out a call online.

Among those who auditioned: two fellow Omahans. At the reading, Berry noticed even more faces from back home in the crowd.

It exemplified, Berry said, the “incredibly close knit” nature of Black Omaha theater.

“The people that came before you are protective and nurturing, and then as people start to migrate to bigger cities and brighter lights, they reach back and make sure they’re taking someone with them,” she said. “It’s really beautiful.”

Despite the state’s majority white population, Nebraska has produced a large cast of diverse theater artists. Many move to New York and other cities wi

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