Springfield Municipal Opera

Originally conceived on April 21, 1950 as a not-for-profit theatrical organization, the Springfield Municipal Opera Association transformed a 55-acre wheat field into an outdoor amphitheater. On June 17, 1950, nearly 3,000 people viewed the opening night performance of its first production, "The Merry Widow".

The Muni flourished until a series of setbacks in the mid-1950s and a major fire in 1963 destroyed part of the facilities. A second fire the following year destroyed what was left.

With hopes for a rebirth, a test production of "Bye Bye Birdie" was staged in Douglas Park in 1964. The Springfield community responded with such enthusiasm that the Muni was able to rebuild its facility and return to the lake site theater in 1965. That year, over 6,000 patrons saw "The Music Man" and "South Pacific".

In 1967, the Muni produced three shows; "Brigadoon", "Guys and Dolls" and "Camelot" and attendance grew to 14,375. Muni bravely staged its first four-production season in 1972; "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown", "1776", "The Most Happy Fella", "The Sound of Music" and attendance jumped to over 17,000.

In 2006, the Muni welcomed its one millionth patron during the run of Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida" with a special celebration on July 29.

The Muni continues to produce four shows a season and has become one of the largest community theaters in the Midwest. It is believed to be the largest organization of this type in the country that is completely self-supporting, dependent neither on grants nor tax dollars.