Since 1967, BVT has been a pillar of tradition and innovation in the arts community in Southeast Nebraska. At that time, rotating repertoire was fairly standard amongst theatre companies and BVT was crafted during what could arguably be considered the golden age of summer stock theatre. The model of bringing in a resident company to rehearse for long hours each day, developing shows in very short rehearsal periods, and performing a rotation of shows was the delightful model of theatres all over the country. When Henry and Phyllis Blanke began their brain child of BVT with inspiration, funding, and support from Randel and Jane Smith, they had no way to know what they were creating. They couldn’t predict that today, in 2026, BVT would be going strong despite being one of the last theatres in the United States that held true to the rotational repertory style.

So why did BVT stay true to tradition despite the modern standards of individual show production? To put it abstractly and artistically, because repertory theatre is MAGIC. Actors in residence create a beautiful community of artists and BVT has had 59 companies of these individuals. Repertory provides a variety of shows and opportunities for our audiences. It builds community amongst our audiences as well. Our actors and our audiences learn to trust each other and that spirit is to the benefit of every performance on our stage. This face-to-face contact with the public is so rare in theatre today, but it has never been more important for humanity. These meaningful relationships are the heart and soul of BVT. Repertory is a more resourceful way of doing theatre, from getting the most out of our companies to the most out of our set pieces. This and so many more reasons make repertory not just relevant today, but extraordinary.

While tradition remains significant to our identity, what we do at the Brownville Village Theatre continues to thrive and adapt. Our 60th season will be marked by a significant change to the theatrical space. We are immensely proud to say we are revitalizing our audience seating. This is a big undertaking, but a necessary one. The antique opera seats are such an establishment at BVT, but they have ran their course. We cannot continue to repair the wooden seats year after year and hope and pray that they will last. Not to mention, they are not comfortable or accessible for many of our audience members. So in 2027, BVT will be replacing them with slightly wider, cushioned seating with dark wood backs and arm rests. Our audience will now be able to see a BVT show sitting in a comfortable, accessible seat.

This is quite a financial undertaking for the theatre. We are not entirely sure what kind of structural issues we may uncover by  out seats in a 150 year old church building, and we want to do this project with integrity and justice to the historic building. Encouraged by a $50,000 matching donation from The J. Randel Smith and Jane Crooker Smith Charitable Trust, we launched our 60 for 60 campaign this summer. We are hoping to raise $60,000 by the start of our 60th season this coming summer. Our plans are currently to have the seating revitalization project done by spring of 2027, but we need your support!

This brick-and-mortar development has various levels of contribution and every little bit helps! I want to highlight that at the $1,000 level; we will commemorate a new seat in your name. Your legacy will live on as a patron and contributor for years to come (hopefully another 60!). Please explore the enclosed form to see our other levels of giving.

We recognize the charm and history of our antique seats and know that there is some curiosity of what will happen to them once they are replaced. Some of these seats have plaques on them from other significant contributions from the past. We will be reaching out to the families of those to gauge interest. We will be keeping a small amount for historical purposes at the theatre and then offering the rest up for sale. In an age of disengagement from the arts, technology overwhelm, infiltration of corporations on Broadway, and overall theatrical interest decline; I hope that you see the value of BVT. We see the value of you, and we want to see this relationship flourish for several more decades to come. Please consider a donation to our 60 for 60 campaign and we hope we will see you next summer at the theatre.