Lincoln Theatre Company prepares for sixth season with a new stage

For the last five years, Paul and Peggy Schecter have been leading the Lincoln Theatre Company in its new home at the Lincoln Civic Auditorium and, this year, they have begun renovating the stage. In 2014, Lincoln City Council passed a resolution that partnered the city and the Lincoln Theatre Company to refurbish the Lincoln Civic Auditorium into a performing arts center. The stage has lacked wings, due to walls on each side of the stage, to allow for a seamless transition of actors, sets and props between scenes and acts, according to the couple. Those walls were knocked down earlier this month and the second floor above the stage was taken out to allow for the wings and the stage lights to be higher up. Along with expanding the stage on the sides, there will be six feet added on to the front of the stage and the floor beneath will be reinforced to support the extra weight. A wall will then be built six feet off of the back of the stage to add a divided dressing room for male and females and also a bathroom. "So at the end of the day, the city of Lincoln will have a theater and it will be equipped with all the sounds, lights and stage area that they need for whatever they need in the future," Peggy Schecter said. Building this expansion is R&K Hunter Construction Company, which consists of father, Rick Hunter, and sons, Brandon and Ryan Hunter. Brandon and Ryan Hunter are both part of the nonprofit Lincoln Theatre Company. Ryan Hunter had his first performance in this year's "Junior Beauty and the Beast" as Monsieur D'Arque. Brandon Hunter has performed with the company in several shows and sought after the opportunity to build the stage. "I was just around here all the time and people were talking about it and they had the plans up in the lobby and I asked, 'Hey, are you guys looking for bids because we would be willing to bid it?' and so we did and it worked out," he said. As performers, though, the Hunters are looking forward to next season and being able to utilize what they have built. "This is going to make it so much nicer because I am looking at it from an actor's standpoint and it is going to make it so much nicer backstage and it is going to make the showers better," Brandon Hunter said. The theatre company hopes to have the stage finished, according to Peggy and Paul Schecter, by late September in time for the first show of the sixth season, "Out of Sight, Out of Murder." According to Brandon Hunter, several stages of construction finished sooner than expected. "We put in seven days for demo and we are two days ahead on that, we had estimated 10 days for concrete and it only took us four days and so now we are days ahead of schedule," he said. As part of the stage expansion, Paul Schecter hopes to add a main curtain as the theatre company has not had one in its last five seasons. "We are hoping as a portion of this project, we can get a main curtain because if we were able to accomplish that, there are certain opportunities to have one show ready to go behind the curtain and be able to have a concert or comedian with the curtains closed," Paul Schecter said. The budget for this portion of the building's renovation is $125,000 and the first phase of renovations cost were $125,000, according to Paul Schecter. All funds for both phases of renovation have come from donations, fundraising and grants. "We have a wonderful patron support group who are very dependable and reliable patrons who are also our donors," Peggy Schecter said. The theater company hopes that the large financial, time and energy investments that they have made will make this a noteworthy entertainment venue for the area. "We certainly hope it will continue to help grow interest both within and outside the community as we have an improved facility to produce plays and obviously as an actor, I would want to be acting and working in a hospitable and comfortable environment," Paul Schecter said.