Olde Glory is located in a repurposed church that was one of the oldest in Seward County. The church was built in 1872 and dedicated on May 22, 1872. It was moved from Seward and Columbia to the current location of 348 Jackson Avenue in 1902 and remodeled in the spring of 1914. It is one of the most historic buildings within the community.
Our Start
The Seward Area Chamber of Commerce purchased the church in July of 2013 with a vision of renovating the church into a theatre while preserving historical aspects of the building. Seward had just launched their Christmas Festival and were looking for a place to hold annual Christmas plays.
Another driving factor in establishing a theatre in Seward was to bring back the Goehner Centennial Players Melodrama to Seward County. The Players formed in 1987 as a tribute to Goehner, Nebraska's 100th Anniversary. For twenty years, the Players became the premier dinner theatre in Nebraska. With the death of Director Roger Harpham in 2007, the Goehner Centennial Players closed their final curtain.
In an effort to establish a theatre in Seward, a small group of financiers stepped forward to purchase the property and renovations began to convert the property into a Theatre and Community Hall. A board was formed consisting of Seward community members with backgrounds in theatre, business, and community service to oversee fundraising, renovations, and organizing performances.
After having successfully launched the theatre, and with growing concerns about divesting resources with respect to the Seward Area Chamber of Commerce's mission to the community, the Chamber elected to spinoff the theatre into a self-sustaining 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With that, the Olde Glory Foundation was established in January 2015. Drawing again from experienced community leaders, a new board was formed, retaining three original members and adding four new members. The initial work of the board was to obtain non-profit status, which was granted in February 2015, and to transfer the property, completed on April 1, 2015.
Transformation
The first steps in renovating the church was to convert the chancel area into a stage. Volunteers ripped up the carpet, carefully removed the pulpit and lectern, cut out rear stage entrances, and painted the stage. The Goehner Centennial Players purchased curtains completing the transformation. Electrical work and various building improvements were conducted to ensure the facility met Fire Marshal codes.
Patrick Runyan, son of original founding members Caryl and Lloyd Schulz, revived the Goehner Centennial Players in 2014. In partnership with the Olde Glory Theatre, the Goehner Centennial Players Melodrama was transitioned to Seward. Eleven performances were held and the Olde Glory Theater hosted audiences of over 1,400 people.
Olde Glory continues to hold performances including their annual Christmas play and the January murder mystery. They also host groups such as the King’s Players Annual melodrama in February, the Concordia University Theatre Department, and singer/songwriter concerts. Olde Glory hosts the Missoula Children’s Theatre workshop the last week in July each year.
The goal of the theatre is to provide wholesome family entertainment at a low cost, show-casing local area talent. Seward is blessed to have a very talented community and many of the initial performances relied on local musical talent.
Funding
The Olde Glory Foundation relies on multiple funding sources for annual operating expenses and improvements to the facility. Annual operating expenses come from revenue raised from performances and Theatre and Community Hall rentals.
For facility improvements, the Foundation relies on in-kind donations for labor and equipment, financial donations from the Community, and grants. Olde Glory was fortunate to receive donations earmarked for remodeling in 2021. The theatre, community hall and downstairs dressing rooms were all repainted and new carpet was installed. To date, the Olde Glory Foundation has raised over $50,000 for building improvements and benefited from hundreds of hours in volunteer labor. The Foundation continues to raise funds for additional improvements required including electrical updates for theatre lighting and sound equipment, building improvements, and restoration of stained glass windows.
If you would like to be one of our contributors, please see our donations page. Thank you in advance for any donation that deem to share with us.
Olde Glory Board of Directors
President: Megan Boggs
President-Elect: Bryan Moore
Secretary: Monique Peetz
Treasurer: Denise Christensen
Board Members: Ken Kloke, Vicki Luebbe