WHAT WE DO
Musical theater is our lifeblood. We are here to entertain and educate.
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.
PAST SHOWS
1940S
1949 - Faust
1949 - Pirates of Penzance
1950S
1950 - The Chocolate Soldier
1951 - Sweethearts
1952 - The Naughty Marietta
1953 - The Fortune Teller
1954 - Rose Marie
1955 - The New Moon
1956 - The Student Prince
1957 - The Merry Widow
1958 - The Desert Song
1959 - The King & I
1960S
1960 - Oklahoma
1961 - South Pacific
1962 - Carousel
1963 - Brigadoon
1964 - The Sound of Music
1965 - My Fair Lady
1966 - Flower Drum Song
1967 - The Music Man
1968 - Kismet
1969 - Unsinkable Molly Brown
1970S
1970 - Oliver
1971 - Fiddler on the Roof
1972 - Showboat
1973 - Carousel
1974 - Sweet Charity
1975 - No Show - New Stage Built!
1976 - George M!
1977 - South Pacific
1978 - Oklahoma
1979 - Annie Get Your Gun
1980S
1980 - West Side Story
1981 - My Fair Lady
1982 - Guys & Dolls
1983 - Man of La Mancha
1984 - Camelot
1985 - Barnum
1986 - The King & I
1987 - Annie
1988 - Hello, Dolly!
1989 - Carousel
1990S
1990 - Jesus Christ, Superstar
1991 - Pinewood Players Variety Show
1992 - Oliver
1993 - The Music Man
1994 - Into the Woods
1995 - No Show
1996 - A Grand Night for Singing
1997 - Brigadoon
1998 - Pirates of Penzance
1999 - The Wizard of Oz
2000S
2000 - State Fair
2001 - Cinderella
2002 - West Side Story
2003 - Jospeh and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2004 - Fiddler on the Roof
2005 - Grease
2006 - Cats
2007 - High School Musical
2007 - Crazy for You
2008 - The Music Man
2009 - Footloose
2010S
2010 - White Christmas
2011 - The Wizard of Oz
2012 - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
2013 - Hairspray
2014 - Shrek the Musical
2015 - 42nd Street
2016 - Suessical the Musical
2017 - Disney's The Little Mermaid
2018 - Legally Blonde
2019 - Disney's Beauty and the Beast
2020S
2020 - No Show due to COVID-19
2021 - The Addams Family
2022 - Disney's Newsies
2023 - Catch Me If You Can