Selections from Cather's Library

"A Very Genuine Pleasure:" Willa Cather Readers Theater

The 69th Annual Spring Conference Banquet and Performance

Spring Conference

Saturday, Jun 8, 2024 | 7:30 - 9pm CT

Red Cloud Opera House and Art Gallery
413 N Webster St
Red Cloud, NE 68970
United States

Beginning at a young age, Willa Cather was a voracious reader. Her life-long love of reading will be highlighted as actors Lauren Silverman Durban and Eric Moyer share curated selections from her letters and published works. Follow along as we explore Cather’s own bookish interests and revisit the joy her characters find in reading.

The deadline to purchase banquet tickets was May 31, 2024. Tickets are still available for the readers theater performance on its own for $40. If you purchased a banquet ticket, the meal will be served at the Red Cloud Community Center at 6:00 p.m. The performance at the Red Cloud Opera House begins at 7:30 p.m.

This event is the culminating performance of the 69th annual Willa Cather Spring Conference. It is made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

Lauren Silverman Durban

Featured Performer

Lauren Silverman Durban is a performer, writer, teacher, and journalist. She is currently Communications Manager for the Lied Center for Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, where she has also served as adjunct faculty in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and led public speaking workshops for the College of Business. Lauren has has been part of the Lincoln media community for nearly two decades, including several years as evening anchor for ABC affiliate KLKN’s Channel 8 Eyewitness News, a six-year stint as a morning drive time radio host as part of ‘JP & Lauren Mornings’ on KX 96.9, and 15 years as a columnist for Lincoln Journal Star’s L Magazine. On stage, favorite Nebraska projects include Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett), Into the Woods (The Baker’s Wife), Ragtime (Mother), Grey Gardens (Big Edie/Little Edie), and Our Town (Mrs. Webb). Lauren is a graduate of UCLA in her home state of California.

Eric Moyer

Featured Performer

Eric Moyer is an actor, marketer and solar developer who calls Lincoln, Nebraska home. After graduating from the College of Fine and Performing Arts with a bachelor’s degree in theater, Eric moved to Los Angeles where he earned a number of bit parts in both film and television. Eric returned to Nebraska in 2006 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Marketing Communication and Advertising; not long after, he rekindled his love of acting appearing in a number of locally produced film projects. Eric is also an active participant in Lincoln’s thriving theater community, appearing in productions produced by the Lied Center, Angels Theatre Company, and Haymarket Theater.