So urged the flyer for the first season of Shakespeare on the Green. 

In its history, the Festival has gained national recognition for its consistently high-quality productions, the beauty of the Elmwood Park setting, and for steadily growing, enthusiastic audiences.  Thanks to the dedicated core group of benefactors, volunteers, and most importantly, skilled artists, the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival has become a summer tradition for the people of Omaha and the Great Plains region.

The idea for an outdoor Shakespeare festival in Omaha was first conceived in the early 1980’s at Creighton University.  Fr. Don Doll, then Chairman of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, organized summer performances at the Creighton Jesuit Institute for the Arts.  In the spring of 1986, Fr. Doll approached Alan Klem, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Creighton, about pursuing the idea of a festival in Omaha.  Klem had past experience as one of the founders and Artistic Directors of Shakespeare in the Park in Ft. Worth, TX, now one of the larger summer festivals in the country.

Alan knew this idea needed broad support so he approached Dr. Cindy Phaneuf, then Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  The two developed the idea and gained the mutual support of their respective universities.  Harold Andersen, publisher of the Omaha World-Herald, and his wife Marian agreed to serve as co-chairmen of the organization and the result was the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Inc., a non-profit professional theatre with a first-year budget of $60,000.

Initial funding for the Festival came from a small but dedicated group of local corporations, foundations and private individuals.  In addition to the Andersens, the original Board of Trustees included: Michael G. Morrison, S.J., President of Creighton University; Dr. Del Weber, Chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha; Omaha attorney Harold Rock, and Joan Walsh.  These board members were soon joined by James and Ruth Keene, Marian Ivers, and Lynda Scribante.  The Festival owes its existence to these community leaders and the continued support of the two universities, the Omaha World Herald, the Omaha Parks Department, the Douglas County Tourism Division and the Nebraska Arts Council.