Lincoln’s Summer Theatre

by Sriyani Tidball

Summertime in Lincoln is filled with performing arts, usually from the first day of May through the end of August. Outdoor concerts join outdoor theater, but plenty of air-cooled venues are also available. Here are some of the locations that offer shows.

Pinewood Bowl’s stages its legendary July musical in the lush setting of Pioneers Park at 3201 South Coddington Street. Beginning in 1949 with Faust and Pirates of Penzance, it has been providing summer family entertainment ever since. The 76th annual musical was the exciting Disney’s Tarzan. Based on Disney’s epic animated musical adventure, Tarzan features heart-pumping music by rock legend Phil Collins and a book by Tony Award-winning David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hit songs, like the Academy Award-winning You’ll Be in My Heart, as well as Son of Man and Two Worlds, make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience. Pack your picnic and your blanket and enjoy theater under the stars. For more information, visit pinewoodbowl.org.

The Flatwater Shakespeare Company was created by Bob Hall in 2001 to bring Shakespeare to a diverse Nebraska audience with their first production —Twelfth Night. In 2024, Flatwater Shakespeare began its latest summer season with performances at the open-air Stables at Wyuka Cemetery at 3600 O Street and then went on the road, taking the show to venues across the city, including Lincoln Community Garden, James Arthur Vineyards, Pioneers Park Nature Center and the Railyard’s Canopy Street, as well as city parks including Henry, Cooper and Holmes. Under the direction of Reed Westerhoff, Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost, was performed in June, followed in August by Director Ann Marie Pollard’s production of the timeless tragedy Hamlet. In October, Flatwater Shakespeare Company rounded out their season with Henry James’s Turn of the Screw. Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher for the stage, innocence shatters in a remote estate haunted by secrets.

For more information and the performance schedule for 2025, visit flatwatershakespearecompany.org.

If you relish comedies and musical revues, TADA Theatre has a season made just for you. TADA presents Midwest premieres of musicals, including It’s a Wonderful Life and When All the Songs Make Sense, and invites you to enjoy laughing and singing along to well-known musicals in 2025. TADA is a nonprofit, award-winning theatre that has operated for over 20 years. TADA operates from the Creamery Building at Seventh and P streets in Lincoln’s Haymarket. For more information, call 402-438-8232 or visit tadaproductions.info.

Angels Theatre Company brings together artists to collaborate in creating theater that promotes artistic growth, fosters community relationships, and raises social awareness. They work to build an inclusive environment with diverse viewpoints, telling stories that amplify often unheard voices. Angels Theatre promotes new work and celebrates theatre artists while engaging our community in quality live theater. Keep an eye out for performance dates and more detailed information at angelscompany.org.

The Lincoln Community Playhouse, or LCP, as the locals refer to it, is a long-time tradition on Lincoln’s theater scene. Located at 2500 S. 56th Street, LCP presents everything from tried and true musicals to family theater. Their mission is to positively transform the lives of individuals and profoundly change our community by providing the finest quality theatre experience The 2025 season includes Fiddler on the Roof and The Lion King.

LCP also offers a broad range of outreach activities and classes for every age, including the Penguin Project^® which pairs young artists with developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual and learning disabilities, visual or hearing impairment, and other neurological disorders, with a dedicated group of volunteer peer mentors — children without disabilities who work side by side with them through four months of rehearsals and the final performance. To get a performance schedule, class and ticket information, call 402-489-7529 or go to lincolnplayhouse.com.

Summer 2020 at Theatre Arts For Kids will include classes in musical theater, scriptwriting, singing, acting, dancing and more. Shows for Rising Stars (ages 3-8) are in weeklong performance workshops. The grand finale of the TAFK summer will be Aladdin Jr. (ages 7-15). Look for more information at TAFK.org.

The Haymarket Theatre and Nebraska Youth Theatre keep very busy in the summer months with workshops and classes that result in public performances. According to the Haymarket staff, “…we work hard on the performance, with top-notch instructors to teach acting, dancing, singing, and all the other skills associated with the theater, including life skills that can be applied offstage. Every performance by the Nebraska Youth Theatre represents a lot of individual creativity, hard work, and bravery from every member of this cast.” For more information Call 402-477-2600 or visit haymarkettheatre.org.

Another summer tradition, the Mahoney Melodramas, is just a few miles north of Lincoln. Since 1993, from May to August, families have been treated to a night of booing and throwing popcorn at the villain and cheering on the heroine, who is always in need of saving. For a complete schedule, visit melodrama.net.

Other area theaters producing during the summer months include:

• Beatrice Community Players, 40 miles south of Lincoln on U.S. 77. Join them May 29-June 14 for the ABBA musical “Mamma Mia!” a tale of a young woman’s search for her birth father so he can walk her down the aisle. Visit beatricecommunityplayers.com.
• A new company, The Stage Theater, is located in Hickman, just 10 miles southeast of Lincoln. Their latest productions can be found at thestagetheater.com.
• About 40 miles east, near Manley, Nebraska, is The Lofte Community Theatre at 15841 Manley Road. For tickets and more information, call 402-234-2553 or visit Lofte.org.
• The Olde Glory Theatre, located in a repurposed church in Seward at 348 Jackson Ave., is just a quick trip from Lincoln. To purchase tickets, go to oldeglorysewardne.com.

For a full list of productions throughout the year, visit the Lincoln Theatre Alliance website at lincolntheatrealliance.org and Appearing Locally at appearinglocally.com.