Flatwater Shakespeare's, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"

Outstanding Event Award

Since 2001, Flatwater Shakespeare's primary home has been The Swan theatre at Wyuka Cemetery. Audiences have come to love this unique and inviting outdoor venue, the former stables at the cemetery. But the need to renovate and stabilize an aging building forced Flatwater Shakespeare to consider alternate performance spaces for at least two seasons.

Artistic Director Bob Hall turned a problem into opportunity. Electing to continue the outdoor performance of classic works, he found the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens as a primary performance space. This secret urban oasis provided the necessary environment and logistical support to make A Midsummer Night's Dream memorable, and carry Flatwater's traditions forward.

But Bob had a larger vision, and his team worked with the City and Lincoln Public Schools to take this production out to the community. Playing in multiple parks and schools, as a gift to all, Midsummer brought Shakespeare and live theatre to audiences of every ethnic and economic group in the city. There is no better demonstration that one of the strongest threads in the fabric of our community is our Art.