Student Matinees

School day performances of world-class artists bring young people and educators (Pre-K-12th grades) together from across Nebraska to share an unforgettable experiences. Presenting music, theater, and dance, the Lied’s student matinee performances enhance classroom learning, expand cultural awareness, and inspire creativity in all. 

2022/2023 STUDENT MATINEES – IN-PERSON 

Animal Engine's Henrietta Solway
Dates:  Friday, February 24 at 10:00am and 12:30 pm in the Johnny Carson Theater 
Monday, February 27, at 10:00am in the Johnny Carson Theater
Grade Levels: grades 4 to 12
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies/History, Music, Reading/Writing, Speaking/Listening, Social Justice, Language and Culture
Website: https://animalengine.squarespace.com/
Length: 75-90 minutes

Animal Engine’s Henrietta Solway combines multiple novels and works of fiction by native Nebraskan author Willa Cather into one engaging story. The play was commissioned by the National Willa Cather Center in Red Cloud, NE, and is taking the stage at the Lied Center to bring Cather’s stories to life. The show uses just three actors and minimal props to share themes of ambition, sacrifice, and small town living

IBEX Puppetry’s Ajijaak on Turtle Island
Dates: March 7 – 9, 2022, Lied Center mainstage
Tuesday, March 7 – 10:00am and 1:00pm
Wednesday, March 8 – 10:00am and 1:00pm
Thursday, March 9 – 10:30am
Grade Levels: grades 3 to 12 
Curriculum Connections: Science, Social Studies/History, Visual Arts, Puppetry, Music, Theater, Indigenous Knowledge
Website: https://www.ibexpuppetry.com/
Length: 60 minutes 

Ajijaak on Turtle Island is a story about Ajijaak, a young whooping crane. Separated from her family in a Tar Sands fire caused by the monstrous creature, Mishibizhiw, Ajijaak makes her first migration from Wood Buffalo, Canada down to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. Along the way she encounters many animals as well as communities of people from Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Lakota, and Cherokee Nations, living in balance with their environments. Eventually, through the many interconnections with peoples and creatures, Ajijaak finds her family, and her own voice. Heather Henson and Ty Defoe collaborated with regional storytellers, choreographers, poets, indigenous tradition bearers, and ecologists to weave this insightful story that enhances our connection to the earth and sky through puppetry.

Alvin Ailey’s Revelations 
Dates: Wednesday, March 22 at 10:30am in the Mainstage Theater
Grade Levels: grades K to 12 
Curriculum Connections: Dance, Social Studies/History, Music, Theater, Social Emotional Learning, Social Justice
Website: http://www.alvinailey.org/
Length: 45 minutes 

Alvin Ailey’s Revelations is a powerful dance performance and a beloved cultural experience. The dances are all performed to African American sprituals, song-sermons, gospel songs, and holy blues in order to portray both the true suffering and the great triumph and joy in African American history. Since its original debut, the show has been performed continuously across the entire world, granting it the status of the most widely-seen modern dance work ever choreographed.

Amirah Sackett’s We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic
Dates: Monday, March 27 at 10:30am and 1:00pm in the Johnny Carson Theater
Wednesday, March 29 at 10:30am in the Johnny Carson Theater
Grade Levels: grades 9 to 12 
Curriculum Connections: Dance, Social Studies, Culture, Social Justice, Music, World Religion
Website: https://www.amirahsackett.com/about
Length: 60 minutes  

We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic was created by Amirah Sackett to promote religious tolerance while combining Islam with dance—mostly hip-hop! The show is a way for Sackett to do what she loves while also breaking down stereotypes about Muslims, especially Muslim women. The dance group wears traditional head scarves, long dresses, and face veils, in hopes that the combination between tradition, stereotypes, and modernity will empower young women and continue the dialogue about religious tolerance in the United States.

2022/2023 STUDENT MATINEES - VIRTUAL 

IBEX Puppetry/Heather Henson’s The Puppets, Song and Story of Ajijaak on Turtle Island
Dates: September 1 2022 –  May 30, 2023
Format: Virtual Video Format – register to be emailed the link/access to the performance 
Grade Levels: grades 2 to 12 
Curriculum Connections: Science, Social Studies/History, Indigenous Knowledge, Puppetry, Music, Theater 
Website: https://www.ibexpuppetry.com/ 
Video/Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1DZ3REWx1E
Length: 45 minutes  

Ajijaak on Turtle Island is a story about Ajijaak, a young whooping crane. Separated from her family in a Tar Sands fire caused by the monstrous creature, Mishibizhiw, Ajijaak makes her first migration from Wood Buffalo, Canada down to the Gulf Coast of the U.S. Along the way she encounters many animals as well as communities of people from Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Lakota, and Cherokee Nations, living in balance with their environments. Eventually, through the many interconnections with peoples and creatures, Ajijaak finds her family, and her own voice. Heather Henson and Ty Defoe collaborated with regional storytellers, choreographers, poets, indigenous tradition bearers, and ecologists to weave this insightful story that enhances our connection to the earth and sky through puppetry. This video includes an interview with puppeteer Heather Henson and others, as well as a short video of the Ajijaak performance that features the Cranes and other puppets.

IBEX Puppetry’s Shells of Wisdom: Lessons from Ajijaak 
Dates: October 1, 2022 – May 30 2023 
Format: Virtual Video Format – register to be emailed the link/access to the performance 
Grade Levels: 2 – 12^th grades 
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Puppetry, Indigenous Knowledge, Visual Arts, Science, Music, Theater
Website: https://www.ibexpuppetry.com/
Length: 30 minutes

Join Grandmother and Ajijaak the crane as they learn some of the cultura and environmental lessons inspired by Ajijaak’s journey in Turtle Island. After several crises on Earth, Ajijaak realizes she must save the life that lives there. She flies to Tatanka, the guardian of the flow of life, in search for help, for medicine to save both Tatanka and Turtle Island. We can only hope that Ajijaak is successful, and helps restore the flow of life. The film was written and directed by indigenous filmmaker Ginew Benton (Ojibway).

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte - (short film) created in partnership with the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs
Dates: November 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023
Format: Virtual Video Format – register to be emailed the link/access to the performance 
Grade Levels: grades 8 to 12 
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies/History, Science, Indigenous Knowledge
Website: https://indianaffairs.state.ne.us/
Length: 30 minutes 

The first Native American to become a physician, Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, fought hard for the health, wellness, and spiritual and cultural lives of her Omaha people. She was a doctor, healer, teacher, and so much more. Over 100 years after her death, her legacy still continues as many Indigenous women look to her for inspiration and follow in her footsteps. On Indigenous People's Day in 2021, a statue of her likeness was erected on Centennial Mall in Lincoln, Nebraska. Next to her sculpture reads her words, "I shall always fight good and hard, even if I have to fight alone."

This film was created in partnership with The Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs and partially supported by Humanities Nebraska and donors, Jane L. Johnson and Joan Desens.

For more information about the student matinees and performance guides, please contact Nancy Engen-Wedin at 402-472-4707 or nengenwedin2@unl.edu. 

Program Support:
Kiewit Foundation (LOGO)
Woods Charitable Fund (LOGO)
Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, NE (LOGO)
The Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program (LOGO
Dr. Phillip Engen
Niobrara Public Schools, Niobrara, NE
Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation School, Macy, NE