Building the Future

The project includes both an addition and renovation:

• Addition: An approximately 11,150-square-foot addition will be constructed. On the building’s north side,the addition will include a new studio theater for performances, workshops, arts education classes and rehearsals, allowing independent activities to take place even when a national touring performance is taking place in the Lied Center’s main hall. The addition also includes a dressing room, a shared foyer for the new studio theater, enhanced Lied Commons and a new donor lounge. A new entry lobby with ticket office will be constructed on the south side of the building, along with the new entrance.
  • The Lied Center’s current venue spaces are dedicated to season performances, rental events, and special programs. The Building the Future project will strengthen the Lied Center’s connection to the community and to the university by creating a new studio theater that is ideal for K-12 and Husker student performances.
     
• Renovation: Approximately 25,250 square feet across all three levels will be updated to enhance lobbies and improve circulation and accessibility.​

Upon completion of the project, the Lied's economic impact is estimated to grow to over $23.4 million annually. (American's for the Arts Economic Prosperity 6) 

Gifts to the Building the Future project were made through the University of Nebraska Foundation. The renovation and expansion are a priority of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic effort to engage 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska.

HDR is the architect for the Building the Future project, and the construction manager is The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. Project consultants are Theatre Projects and Threshold.

The Lied Center is one of the top 100 theaters in the world (Pollstar Magazine). It presents the greatest artists in the world including recent appearances and collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and top touring Broadway Shows. Beyond the stage, Lied Center artists work with local students to transform lives, and the Lied Center is a national leader in university student attendance and participation in programs. The Lied Center is a creator of new works, having commissioned over 25 new pieces since 1990.

“The Lied Center has long been a vital force in Nebraska’s artistic and cultural landscape, serving as a gathering place and a gateway to the arts for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and communities across our state,” University of Nebraska System President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said. “This groundbreaking marks an exciting new chapter — one that will elevate the Lied’s role as a hub for discovery, connection and inspiration. I’m deeply grateful to the generous supporters who are helping us build the future, and I look forward to all that lies ahead for this extraordinary institution.”

The Lied Center opened in 1990, championed by Woody Varner, Martin Massengale and E. N. Jack Thompson. The Lied was created with support from the Lied Foundation Trust, which selected the project as its first gift. Established through the generosity of Ernst F. Lied, the Lied Foundation Trust provided a $10 million challenge grant that was matched by the community, including gifts from more than 2,000 Nebraskans and University of Nebraska alumni nationwide.

Over the past 35 years, more than 3.5 million tickets have been sold at the Lied Center, and more than 2,500 artists have performed on the main stage. In addition, more than 1.2 million students have participated in educational or performance programs. The Lied Center serves over 200,000 people per year at performance events, conferences and conventions, and through its partnership with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra as the orchestra in residence. Attendance at the Lied Center’s annual season of curated performances has doubled over the last decade and now exceeds over 100,000.