Play about North Omaha legend part of Native Omaha Days

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - People in town celebrating the Native Omaha Days festival have the opportunity to take a look back on a moment in time on North 24th Street.

A production from the Union for Contemporary Art honors community leader Mildred Brown and imagines how she might have reacted during one of the more turbulent times in the heart of North Omaha.

The play is titled “Northside Carnation.”

“This play takes us back to 1969, the night of the riots after a young girl by the name of Vivian Strong was murdered by police.”

And it is Mildred Brown, the editor of and founder of the Omaha Star in her office and living room and she is sharing stories and highlighting events to one of her mentees who has been participating in the protest and possibly the rioting.

Award-winning Omaha actor Kathy Tyree takes the stage of the Shirley Tyree Theatre as Mildred Brown.

“Internally, I was kind of like, ... I am worthy, but the more I studied her and learned about her, the more of an honor it became. She was truly ahead of her time. She was legendary. She was a trailblazer.”

Tyree said “Northside Carnation” will give audiences a chance to reflect on the past and compare then to now.

 “On preview night, there were several Black folk in the audience, and to hear their appreciation for the history, the sadness, a little bit in that, wow, that was happening back then. And we’re still going through this today,” she said.

Lakesha Green is the executive director of the Union for Contemporary Art. She said this Native Omaha Days special event brings the community together.

“Everybody’s able to share their stories and also able to spend and shop on The Deuce and just learn more and just be communal with one another, and that’s what it’s about,” Green said.

For Tyree, taking the stage at a theatre named to honor her mother adds another layer of history to this production.

“For her to be honored in this way, to have her name on a theatre in Omaha, in her community that she grew up in and raised her children in, and worked in, that honor passes down to me,” she said.

“My mother would say that this is not about either of us; this is not about one person. This is about our community.”

“Northside Carnation” runs Thursday night at the Shirley Tyree Theatre. One show at 7 p.m., the second at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $50.

Full disclosure: The play was written and produced by Denise Chapman.