Lincoln Community Theater on Broadway!
Theater board signs documents for the purchase of warehouse space
LCT on Broadway fundraiser performance coming in February

 

[December 05, 2023] 

Lincoln Community Theater (LCT) is celebrating the purchase of its first property– a building and garage space located on Broadway Street near downtown Lincoln.

LCT board president Sheralyn Bolton signed paperwork for closing on the property on Friday, December 1, and LCT board members and supporters did a walk-through later in the day to explore the space.

The LCT board plans to use the buildings as warehouse space to store sets, props, costumes, and equipment. In all its previous years, LCT has rented or borrowed warehouse space. The most recent borrowed warehouse property was sold earlier this year and LCT had to vacate the premises. Currently, all sets, props, and costumes are being stored in rented semi-trailers.

The LCT board is excited to have a permanent space for storage, but also a space to build sets for the summer theater season and the possibility of hosting board meetings and potentially even a box office for selling tickets. Bolton stated, “This building gives us the space to create and store the worlds we bring to the stage. By making this purchase, we are trusting that the people of Lincoln want to continue to see theater thrive in our community.”

LCT founding member and current board member Tim Searby said, “It’s a blessing to have a space to build and to keep it [the built set] if we want.” Bolton added, “We can loan out to the high schools and we have a space to keep things nice so others will want to borrow them.”

The building is not quite move-in ready. Lots of cleaning and some repairs are necessary to create a safe and storage-appropriate space. The board plans to rent a dumpster and schedule workdays in the future to clear out debris left by previous owners. The main building needs a roof inspection in addition to floor repair, and the goal for the garage space is to pour a concrete floor in place of the current dirt floor.

Bolton, who has also starred in numerous LCT theater productions, expressed her gratitude for the community’s support over the last 50 years and her hope that LCT will be able to continue to produce high quality, affordable entertainment for many years to come. The LCT board hopes investing in a physical space will support this goal of providing opportunities for people of all ages to participate in theater whether on stage, backstage, sponsors, or in the audience.

In order to make repairs and necessary updates, such as the concrete flooring, Lincoln Community Theater is announcing “LCT on Broadway!” a cabaret fundraiser scheduled for February. The cabaret will feature a dessert menu and performances of musical favorites by LCT members directed by Tim Searby. More details will be available soon on the LCT website at https://www.lincolncommunity
theatre.org  and on social media.

Searby added, "I am thrilled LCT has a home for sets, costumes, and props, but I am most thrilled that LCT is on Broadway!” Theater fans will agree that there is no more appropriate location for a theater facility than a street called Broadway.

[Stephanie Hall]