WHAT WE DO

First as the Singfest Committee holding Sunday evening services on the steps of the Lincoln Capitol Building.

Then in 1947 after the Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater we added Easter Sunrise Services and a summer civic concert series. 

Then in 1949, the Singfest Committee invited Oscar Bennett to bring a production of “Faust” he had produced earlier in the year at Nebraska Wesleyan University. It was so successful, that later in the summer “Pirates of Penzance” was presented as a community production. 

In the subsequent years, the Singfest Committee produced an annual community production, each time adding more equipment and providing money for improvements including the dressing rooms and storage sheds. At that time, a City Ruling prevented the charging of an admission fee for entertainments at the Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater because in was located inside of a City owned park, and so support for these operas/musicals relied on the “passing of the hat.”

It was not until the laws changed in the 1980's that we were able begin charging a modest ticket price to cover the cost of doing theatrical shows. Even now, our ticket costs are the lowest in the Lincoln area for a full production with a live orchestra.​