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LIMITED TICKETS.
Risky Disco is back…on wheels! Inspired by the atmosphere of an 80s Roller Rink, Risky Disco On Wheels is an electrifying sensory workshop curated for adults with disabilities. At Risky Disco, every individual has the space to explore and connect regardless of their form of communication or movement. Facilitated by a team of experienced Teaching Artists, our VIP Guests will be offered opportunities to dance, roll, and play as they explore a rich array of sensory experiences. Please note that wheels are not required to enjoy this event!
LIMITED TICKETS.
Carrie A Nath is a multi-hyphenate theater artist and educator and an Omaha native. She is currently the Director of Equitable Access at BLUEBARN and has served as Managing Director of The Art of Imagination at Ollie Webb Center, Inc.; Director of Education, Kentucky Arts Council; Associate Director of Education, Seattle Opera; and Education Consultant, Ford's Theater, D.C. Artistic credits include Actor’s Theatre of Louisville; Manhattan School of Music; multiple Shakespeare companies; and Washington National Opera. Carrie is an access consultant for Omaha Performing Arts and serves on their Voices Amplified Committee; is an Opera Omaha Community Panel member; is a WhyArts, Inc. guest artist; and is working with the Risky Disco team of the Common Senses Festival 2025 creating sensory spaces for adults experiencing impairment – disability. Ms. Nath is a Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) roster artist and serves on their inclusion committee, and is a panelist for NAC and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Kathleen Combs started as a teaching artist at The Omaha Community Playhouse in 1986 and was instantly hooked. From there, she had the privilege of teaching Creative Drama and Movement throughout Los Angeles, CA and Tokyo, Japan.
Before moving back to Omaha in 2021, Kathleen worked at Wild Rose School of Creative Arts in Monrovia, CA as a Creative Drama Specialist. Here, she implemented a Creative Drama Integration program for TK-Grade 5, working closely with students and teachers in the classroom. She led Professional Development sessions in Creative Drama Integration for teachers and administrators, as well as an after-school Drama Club.
The pandemic allowed Kathleen to learn new skills and expand her reach as she planned, filmed and edited Creative Drama video lessons (Drama-O-Rama With Mrs. Combs) which you can find on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Drama-O-RamawithMrsCombs
After moving back to Omaha, Kathleen became a WhyArts, Inc. Teaching Artist in May 2021. As a WhyArtist, she taught four Dancing Classrooms residencies, a Tableau Vivant workshop at Angel Guardians, and is currently leading two Golden Ballroom programs in Assisted Living and Memory Support, as well as a Seated Aerobic Dance class for seniors in Independent Living. She is also the Managing Director for the WhyArts revival of Kids On The Block, an educational puppet program that enlightens audiences about what it’s like to live with a disability.
Kathleen has also appeared on stage in GPTC’s New Play Festival, Anastasis Theatre’s and GPTC’s production of Ways to Win the Woods as Ensemble Puppeteer, Old School Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale as Old Shepherd, the OCP Mobile Sensory Theatre’s Starshine! (2023-2024) and Beatwood Hollow (2024-2025), the Bluebarn Theatre’s More of a Heart as Anne, the Omaha Community Playhouse’s The Cake as Della, and with Ollie Webb’s Art of Imagination in Dozynki.
Kathleen collaborated on a project for the Common Senses Festival called Risky Disco, a pop-up sensory discotheque, which launched to rave reviews in May 2025.
Kathleen feels so fortunate to be part of Omaha’s thriving arts community!
Karma LiLoLa is an Omaha-based performance artist, storyteller, deviser, and community builder. A first-generation Mexican-American trans woman and wheelchair user, she creates immersive experiences that blend ritual, theatrical spectacle, movement, audience participation, and emerging technology.
Karma earned degrees from Yale University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she studied theatre, performance, dramaturgy, and cultural storytelling. Her work draws inspiration from ancestry, nightlife, disability culture, spirituality, and the transformative power of gathering in shared space.
Following a spinal cord injury in 2023, her artistic practice expanded in unexpected directions. Through wheelchair choreography, interactive installations, sand mandalas, and autobiographical performance, she explores how memory becomes connection and how communities imagine futures together.
*Magna Karma is a vogue ball for the soul, taking audiences through a rocket launch, a funeral march, and a community disco party.*
Zoella Sneed (she/her) is an Actor, Director, and Teaching Artist, and Arts Leader based in the heart of Omaha, Nebraska. She has recently performed with several theaters in the area such as The BLUEBARN, The Rose Theater, Great Plains Theatre Commons, Anastasis Theatre Company, The Shelterbelt, The Shirley Tyree Theater, Omaha Broadway Bar, and more! When she's not onstage, she’s advocating for the impact of the arts in our community & across the state.
Ben Pearson is eager to groove again with Risky Disco! He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a B.A. in Theatre in 2019. Since then, he has acted in numerous productions with the BLUEBARN Theatre, Bellevue Little Theatre, Old School Shakespeare Omaha, Shelterbelt Theatre, and the Ollie Webb Center. He is also a member of the Kids on the Block puppet troupe, a WhyArts program that helps raise disability awareness for elementary school students. He is especially interested in breaking down barriers and uplifting neurodiverse voices in the world of theatre and beyond!
Hello! My name is Randall Johanningsmeier. I am a multidisciplinary artist and teacher living in Omaha. I graduated from Swarthmore College in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in studio art and mathematics. Since then, I have been acting in plays around Omaha, often developing new music and original art for the productions I work on. I love to act, draw, paint, read, dance, make music, sew, and learn new skills, and I can't wait to share my enthusiasm for the arts with you!
DeAnna Williams is a performer, teaching artist, accessibility advocate, and community engagement strategist dedicated to creating experiences in which people feel welcome, valued, and empowered to participate. With a background spanning theatre, education, audience engagement, and inclusive experience design, she believes creativity thrives when barriers are removed and curiosity is encouraged. DeAnna's work centers on belonging, connection, and the transformative power of shared experiences. She is honored to join Risky Disco and support a space where participants of all abilities can explore, create, communicate, and celebrate their unique perspectives through joyful sensory engagement.
Aiden James Poling is a professional actor, multi-hyphenate creative, and teaching artist from Shreveport, Louisiana who has centered much of his career around inclusive arts access. Aiden holds BFAs in both Theatre and Studio Art, two areas of study which have helped shape his career across stage, music, film, directing, design, arts education.
Since moving to Omaha four years ago, he has served several local arts organizations: RESPECT (Co-Artistic Director), OCP’s VROOM Mobile Sensory Theatre, Opera Omaha (HCOF Fellow), and recently joined the Nebraska Arts Council this summer as their new Arts Education Program Manager.
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