Where We've Been
Papillion La Vista Arts Network
26 Seasons 37 Plays
The Papillion La Vista Arts Network had its humble beginnings in 1998 with 25 students for the melodrama Last Chance Gulch at Papillion La Vista High School. Since then we have produced 30 productions and given 100’s of students the opportunity to be in a play. Our target audience is elementary and middle schools students who generally do not have the opportunity to participate in summer arts programs.
We received non-profit status in 2003 and have consistently received Arts Learning grants from the Nebraska Arts Council. The activity of putting a play together, the arts learning process and the team we build is our primary purpose. The performance is the icing on the cake.
Because of our long and on going relationship with the Rose Theater and other committed arts educators we are able to bring consistent and the best teaching artist to work with our students. We benefit greatly from graduates who come back to participate as teachers.
We thank Papillion La Vista High School, Trumble Park Elementary School, St Columbkille, Faith Presbyterian Church, Papillion City Park, Christ the King Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church for hosting us over the years.
Our graduates enter high school with quite a play resume and participate in Show Choir and high school plays.
We appreciate financial support from the Papillion Community Foundation, Gene’s Auto and Truck Service and Papio Fun Park.
Moving on to 2020 and the Papillion 150 Celebration we will produce a play honoring Papillion History and be the featured event for July 2020.
26 Seasons 37 Plays
The Papillion La Vista Arts Network had its humble beginnings in 1998 with 25 students for the melodrama Last Chance Gulch at Papillion La Vista High School. Since then we have produced 30 productions and given 100’s of students the opportunity to be in a play. Our target audience is elementary and middle schools students who generally do not have the opportunity to participate in summer arts programs.
We received non-profit status in 2003 and have consistently received Arts Learning grants from the Nebraska Arts Council. The activity of putting a play together, the arts learning process and the team we build is our primary purpose. The performance is the icing on the cake.
Because of our long and on going relationship with the Rose Theater and other committed arts educators we are able to bring consistent and the best teaching artist to work with our students. We benefit greatly from graduates who come back to participate as teachers.
We thank Papillion La Vista High School, Trumble Park Elementary School, St Columbkille, Faith Presbyterian Church, Papillion City Park, Christ the King Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church for hosting us over the years.
Our graduates enter high school with quite a play resume and participate in Show Choir and high school plays.
We appreciate financial support from the Papillion Community Foundation, Gene’s Auto and Truck Service and Papio Fun Park.
Moving on to 2020 and the Papillion 150 Celebration we will produce a play honoring Papillion History and be the featured event for July 2020.
Why We're Here
Why the Papillion La Vista Arts Network began and its legacy.
Our founder, Deborah Bowers Kippley, has been involved in multiple arts disciplines since she was ten years old. During her childhood, she was always creating art and playing the flute.
As an undergraduate, she had to decide between a music major and an art major. After one semester, she decided that art education would be her vocation, and playing the flute would be her avocation. After graduating from college, she toured with a repertory theater company, Covenant Players, based in Southern California. This added theater to her toolbox.
In 1985 she facilitated her first integrated arts program titled “Dreams and Dragons of Chinese Culture” at Wakonda Elementary School in Omaha Public School. The elementary band played, the choir sang, students did Chinese inspired artwork, and sampled Chinese cooking and calligraphy. The birth of PLAN was gestating at this time.
Kippley had the opportunity to create an elementary art program in Papillion La Vista Schools in 1992; her daughter was cast in the Orpheum Nutcracker in 1993 and began taking classes at the Emmy Gifford Children’s Theater and then the Rose Theater. Weekly trips to downtown Omaha for theater and dance classes began.
Kippley continued her integrated arts programs introducing students to the art and culture of China, Egypt, Africa, Native Americans, and Latin America.
In 1994 Nebraska received funding to create a K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Frameworks document. The Nebraska Department of Education Fine Arts Coordinator wanted some involved the Nebraska Consortium for Discipline-Based Art Education in one each writing team. Deborah was placed on the Dance writing team, which added dance to her fine arts toolbox.
As a result of the Frameworks document, she had a desire to bring theater and dance experiences to the students in Papillion La Vista Schools. Through collaboration with the Rose Theater, elementary students received two theater experiences, two dance experiences, and two museum experiences. These experiences were funded first by a Goals 2000 Grant and then by an Excellence in Education Grant (Lottery Grant). This experiment grew into the Rose Theater’s Every Single Child Program. Today Papillion La Vista students still participate in the Every Single Child Program funded by the Papillion La Vista Schools Foundation.
In 1998 PLAN and the Summer Arts Camp had its humble beginnings. Last Chance Gulch was a musical with 25 elementary and middle school students. Twenty-two years later and after 30 productions, we have had as many as sixty-five students in the cast.
Today our legacy is the 100’s of students who have experienced what Julie Garland and Mickey Rooney said to their friends, “Hey, Gang, Let’s Put on a Show.” Students in Papillion La Vista Schools continue to enjoy theater and dance, and many metro area schools participate in the Rose Theater’s Every Single Child Program.
Our founder, Deborah Bowers Kippley, has been involved in multiple arts disciplines since she was ten years old. During her childhood, she was always creating art and playing the flute.
As an undergraduate, she had to decide between a music major and an art major. After one semester, she decided that art education would be her vocation, and playing the flute would be her avocation. After graduating from college, she toured with a repertory theater company, Covenant Players, based in Southern California. This added theater to her toolbox.
In 1985 she facilitated her first integrated arts program titled “Dreams and Dragons of Chinese Culture” at Wakonda Elementary School in Omaha Public School. The elementary band played, the choir sang, students did Chinese inspired artwork, and sampled Chinese cooking and calligraphy. The birth of PLAN was gestating at this time.
Kippley had the opportunity to create an elementary art program in Papillion La Vista Schools in 1992; her daughter was cast in the Orpheum Nutcracker in 1993 and began taking classes at the Emmy Gifford Children’s Theater and then the Rose Theater. Weekly trips to downtown Omaha for theater and dance classes began.
Kippley continued her integrated arts programs introducing students to the art and culture of China, Egypt, Africa, Native Americans, and Latin America.
In 1994 Nebraska received funding to create a K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Frameworks document. The Nebraska Department of Education Fine Arts Coordinator wanted some involved the Nebraska Consortium for Discipline-Based Art Education in one each writing team. Deborah was placed on the Dance writing team, which added dance to her fine arts toolbox.
As a result of the Frameworks document, she had a desire to bring theater and dance experiences to the students in Papillion La Vista Schools. Through collaboration with the Rose Theater, elementary students received two theater experiences, two dance experiences, and two museum experiences. These experiences were funded first by a Goals 2000 Grant and then by an Excellence in Education Grant (Lottery Grant). This experiment grew into the Rose Theater’s Every Single Child Program. Today Papillion La Vista students still participate in the Every Single Child Program funded by the Papillion La Vista Schools Foundation.
In 1998 PLAN and the Summer Arts Camp had its humble beginnings. Last Chance Gulch was a musical with 25 elementary and middle school students. Twenty-two years later and after 30 productions, we have had as many as sixty-five students in the cast.
Today our legacy is the 100’s of students who have experienced what Julie Garland and Mickey Rooney said to their friends, “Hey, Gang, Let’s Put on a Show.” Students in Papillion La Vista Schools continue to enjoy theater and dance, and many metro area schools participate in the Rose Theater’s Every Single Child Program.