Omaha Mobile Stage Gearing Up for 2025 Season
Story by Tiffany Brazda
Finally, it’s nice outside, which means Omaha’s outdoor entertainment scene is ramping up. Among festivals and concerts, you may have spotted a small and portable stage around town over the past few years. The Omaha Mobile Stage was created during the pandemic to revive live entertainment in a safe way. Jessica Scheuerman, executive director of Livable Omaha, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the community, teamed up with the Nebraska Innovation Studio at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to help design and create a stage out of a truck that could travel to different community spaces throughout Omaha.
In creating the Omaha Mobile Stage, it wasn’t lost on Scheuerman that she was bringing back a beloved concept from the past. The Goodfellows Show Wagon, which ran for 59 years, put on youth talent shows throughout the city. With the common misconception of this relic of the past returning, the organization decided to embrace it and provide a youth talent show, much like the Omaha Parks Department used to host.
“We're trying to re-foster a network of young artists, having the opportunity to perform for the public, get on stage and build confidence,” she said.
The Omaha Mobile Stage Youth Talent Show is regional, covering Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie counties. Now in its fourth season, the organization is getting ready to kick off competitions on May 31 with a drum-off competition during La Vista Days. Other competitions include a dance night and a battle of the bands.
While the Youth Talent Show gives kids a chance to shine, the Omaha Mobile Stage also provides opportunities to creatives interested in working behind the scenes. Scheuerman said the organization puts a heavy emphasis on creative workforce development for audio engineers and stagehands.
In regards to its community reach, the goal for Omaha Mobile Stage is, in its very nature, to increase accessibility to locate anywhere in town, notably neighborhood events.
“We have light equipment, we have audio equipment, we have staffing. So it's four services all in one,” she said. “We do sliding-scale rentals to make sure that any community can afford these resources. We just want to be there for the metro to make sure that artists and communities are having the best opportunities to showcase what's meaningful for them.”
There is also an economic multiplier, Scheuerman said, that stems from participating in arts and culture events, like eating at a nearby restaurant or buying a performer’s merchandise. Attendees are also exploring different neighborhoods within the city that they may not have sought out otherwise.
Youth Talent Show event schedule
May 31: Drum-Off Competition and La Vista Days Youth Talent Show at City Hall Campus
June 8: Dance Night Youth Talen Show at Gene Leahy Mall
June 15: Council Bluffs Youth Talen Show at Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park
June 22: Battle of the Bands Youth Talen Show at Millwork Commons
June 29: Papillion Youth Talent Show at SumTur Amphitheater
July 13: Youth Talent Show Finals at Gene Leahy Mall
To sign up for the Youth Talent Show, visit omahamobilestage.org