Back to our

roots
Serving Nebraska since 1986
Why do we need live theatre?

• Theatre opens our world view.

• Live theatre is a shared space where an
audience laughs, gasps, and cries together.
• No two performances are exactly the same.
• Theatre contributes to our local economy.
• Local businesses have volunteer
opportunities so they may give back to the
community.
Live theatre matters

• In a world of electronic devices and

endless media, theatre promotes discussion
among all residents.
• Free performances welcome everyone.
• Theatre builds education and literacy.
Why is Shakespeare still relevant?

• Audiences who see performances of

Shakespeare’s plays better understand
them.
• 91% of U.S. high schools teach
Shakespeare’s plays with Romeo and Juliet,
Hamlet, MacBeth, and Julius Caesar at the
top of the list.
• Shakespeare’s themes include timeless
topics from loss to love, betrayal to loyalty,
ambition to corruption.
Nebraska Shakespeare’s mission

Nebraska Shakespeare’s vision

is to find ways to make
Shakespeare a part of our
society beyond the literature How far that little candle
and drama classrooms and, for throws his beams!
this reason, we provide –The Merchant of Venice
opportunities for continued
interaction and learning about
the Bard that are both free and
accessible to a diverse audience.
 Who are we?

Structure of • We are an • Our board of

Nebraska independent 501(c)(3) directors includes
Shakespeare non-profit over 25 business
educational theatre. leaders and
• Our organization was community
founded as a joint members.
venture between • We maintain a small
educators and year-round staff to
administration at perform outreach
Creighton University and operations.
and University of
Nebraska-Omaha.
“The earth has music for those
who listen.”
What is Nebraska Shakespeare?

Nebraska Shakespeare produces shows and

events year-round with:
• Annual performances at Shakespeare On
The Green
• Nebraska Shakespeare On Tour performs
at over 60 schools across Nebraska and
Southeast Iowa each year
• Outreach events such as the Anne Dittrick
Sonnet writing contest or Camp
Shakespeare for emerging talent
Shakespeare On The Green

• Patrons from Nebraska and surrounding

states enjoy our annual lively performances
On The Green during the starry nights of
midsummer.
• Two shows performed in Elmwood Park
each summer since 1987.
• One of the oldest outdoor Shakespeare
festivals in the Midwest.
 • Over 34 years, 550,000 • Our patrons
Our roots people have attended develop faithful
are deep at a free performance by habits by making
Nebraska attendance at On
Shakespear Shakespeare. The Green an
annual family
e On The • 40% travel from
tradition.
outside Douglas
Green county for an On The • Our average annual
Green performance attendance is 40,000
and 18% visit from people.
other states.
A sense of community

• From our loyal supporters, to young families,

to school groups from across the state, On
The Green is a gathering of diverse
audiences.
• A community is created each night in
Omaha’s Elmwood Park during our free
performances.
• Guests arrive late afternoon for evening
shows. With their picnics and blankets, many
families stay in Elmwood Park between six
and seven hours to enjoy the festivities.
Nebraska Shakespeare On Tour

• Every fall, thousands of students are

introduced to Shakespeare when we tour
the Bard’s work into local classrooms and
communities.
• Touring performances since 2005.
• Our tour enhances and enriches work in
the classroom through performance, study
guides, and interactions with the cast.
 • Nebraska • In 2020, we’ll serve
Growing Shakespeare is the 60-plus schools and
Nebraska only performance art communities.
organization in the • We will reach 10,000
Shakespear state that stages an individual students
annual tour to
e On Tour schools.
this year alone.
• Our tour now
• We expanded from performs in both
six to eight weeks of Nebraska and
performances. Southwest Iowa.
 We provide study guides before the show and host
discussions after performances. Guides include:

Classroom • Talking points about • Vocabulary guide.

outreach for characters and Shakespeare
Nebraska universal themes that invented over 1,700
remain relevant to words that we use
Shakespeare modern audiences in the English
400 years later language
on Tour
• Plot summaries • Famous quotes from
• Historical the play
performances • Suggestions for
• Relationship charts classroom
expansion such as
• Music as used in the journaling or
play writing soliloquies
Other programs from Nebraska Shakespeare

• Camp Shakespeare: features emerging

student artists the opportunity to work
with both local and national professional
talent during a two-week, half-day
summer camp.
• Anne Dittrick Sonnet Writing Contest: A
free contest open to adult, middle school,
and high school divisions.
• Staged Readings of Shakespeare’s lesser
known works.
It takes a community to stage a show

• The annual cost to provide these

critically acclaimed admission-free
productions is approximately
$400,000.
• We employ both national and local
talent to create high-quality,
professional productions.
• Funding covers the expense of actors,
directors, production crew, designers,
lights, sound, materials for stage, set,
costume, and prop construction.
 • Corporate • Annual giving
How is partnerships • Individual
Nebraska • Public grants from memberships
Shakespeare organizations such as • Planned giving
National Endowment
funded? for the Arts and • Concession sales
Nebraska Arts • Free-will donations
Council made during On
• Private grants The Green
performances.
How to support Nebraska Shakespeare

Sponsors receive many unique

marketing opportunities that showcase
their support of the arts to our
community. Sponsorships include a
performances On The Green or on tour.

Sponsorships range from $5,000 to

$100,000, with benefits customized to
meet the needs of your corporate giving
philosophy and business goals
 Platinum
Membership levels
Gold ($5,000+)
• Reserved tent
($1,000+) party
• Meet the cast • Meet the cast
Silver •
• Additional chair Additional
($500+) seating chair seating
• Reserved • Reserved • Reserved
Bronze parking parking parking
($250+) • Tour VIP • Tour VIP • Tour VIP
• Shuttle • Shuttle • Shuttle • Shuttle
transportation transportation transportation transportation
Green • Reserved chair • Reserved chair • Reserved chair • Reserved chair
($100+) seating seating seating seating
• Groundling • Groundling • Groundling • Groundling • Groundling
seating seating seating seating seating
• Name • Name • Name • Name • Name
recognition in recognition in recognition in recognition in recognition in
the program the program the program and the program and the program
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