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The intersection at 20th and Farnam – in downtown Omaha – was quiet. The streets saw a sporadic car here and there, but what else would serve as the hustle and bustle of the city at 8:00 Saturday morning?

Linsay Darnall, Jr., that’s who. Actor, director, teacher, and – with the right clothes, a dead-on impersonator of a Civil War soldier – theatrics simply oozed out of Darnall’s pores. Animated and lively, exuberant and eloquent, he crossed the street to greet the DeafNation crew, enveloping his hands warmly in ours, excitedly chattering away.

I peered past Darnall. Behind him stood a towering building, unalike in architectural design against its’ neighboring structures – it had a Notre Dame Cathedral meets Spanish courtyard feel to it, with gargoyles perched ontop pillars. I was staring at the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center – the Omaha equivalent of the acclaimed Globe Theatre.

Darnall beamed, turning to face the Theatre alongside me. “Come on,” he nudged. “I’ll show you guys in.”

First built in 1926 as and opened in 1927 as the Rivera – and later turned into a movie theatre – the magnificent theatre was at risk for closing down. That’s when a wealthy woman – Rose Blumkin – stepped in and donated enough funds to keep and restore the theatre. There, the theatre was renamed in her memory.

We entered the theatre lobby. Seemingly unaffected by the roller-coaster of events all those years, the Rose had an incredibly historic and preserved feel to it, with nearly everything covered in plush red velvet and gold-cast wrought iron. I looked up. The ceiling of the theatre lobby was painted as the sky, and plagues dedicated to donors adorned the walls. The stage was even more spectacular: magnificently tall and just as wide, with roses carved into the “trim” of the stage, concreting the name and the essence of charity behind the theatre. People actually considered shutting down a place like this? The thought alone was borderline sacrilegious.

And perhaps that’s why Darnall takes such pleasure – and pride – in being a teacher of the stage. Teaching theater to deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing children of all ages at the Rose Performing Arts for Children, Darnall co-hosts classes with Michael Harrelson, who is hearing. Together, the two cover nearly all aspects of theater: emotion to stage placement, theatre terminology to improv acting, offering all the students exposure to the world of theater – and to each other.

For more information on how you can participate in Darnall’s classes, you can check out The Rose’s Dance and Drama Classes page at http://www.rosetheater.org/classes-about.asp!