All contributions will assist Crane River Theater for our 2026 Season and Educational Programs. Our season will include the following shows: Steel Magnolias, Footloose, Disney’s Frozen the Musical, Come From Away, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We are excited to bring these shows to life at several local venues, including the Merryman Performing Arts Center and the historic World Theatre in downtown Kearney.

Crane River Theater is excited to once again offer a series of arts education programs for youth. Every summer we offer our widely popular Explore Theater classes made possible by our partnerships with Kearney Park and Recreation, Loper Launch Enrichment Camp, and Kearney Area Children’s Museum. In an effort to raise awareness and excitement toward the arts among high school students, our Center Stage Workshop allows students a chance to receive a backstage look at a professional production and take part in a series of theatrical workshops, and our Student Matinee series partners a live production with statewide literary curriculum. Crane River Theater is excited to reprise our Page to Stage series to libraries across Central Nebraska for their Summer Reading Programs. We have already exposed more than 48,000 kids of all ages to the joy of theater and we hope to continue that trend. Help us nurture the artistic talents of these young individuals by supporting our arts education programs.