Lied Center of Kansas


The Lied Center of Kansas is the main performing arts center at the University of Kansas, and one of three performing arts dedicated centers on the campus. The space serves the university as a venue for student functions, academic speakers, and School of Music performances; all free to students. In addition, the Lied Center is a community participator and engages local secondary and primary schools in experiential learning through the performing arts. Commercially, the Lied Center offers an annually updated program of artists, musicians, and theatrical acts from around world.

History

The Lied Center of Kansas opened on Sept. 28, 1993 and was built through the Lied Foundation Trust and the Lawrence, Kansas community. It was dedicated to Ernst F. Lied’s parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied. The Lied Center's inaugural show was a performance of “The Secret Garden”.

Performance Spaces

The Lied Center houses two separate performance spaces, an auditorium and pavilion. The auditorium has a multi-winged, multi-leveled seating space and a 122' wide stage. The seating area of the auditorium has a maximum capacity of 1983. The pavilion is a flexible and configurable space suitable for small scale events and performances. The pavilion has a maximum capacity of 200.

IMPACT Award

As a major university presenter, the Lied Center of Kansas is proud of its two-decade history of engaging internationally renowned artists and more than 100 years of performing arts presenting at the University of Kansas. In its 21st season, the Lied Center inaugurated a recognition program to honor one artist or group per season for distinguished service to the performing arts.
Furthermore, the Lied Center of Kansas has partnered with the Lawrence School District in support of arts education for over 20 years. In celebration of this partnership, the Lied Center will also honor one educator per season for distinguished service to arts education. As we all know, every educator has to be creative in the classroom to truly engage their students. There are some, however, who go far beyond the norm and create a space of imagination, creativity and innovation in their classrooms.