It will look different than in the past, but there will soon be live performances again at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
Bill Stephan, executive director of the LIed, said he’s looking forward to getting started.
“With a deep commitment to the health and safety of our patrons, artists, volunteers and staff, and extensive protocols for how to reopen in the safest way possible, we are so excited to be together again and welcome exceptional artists to Lincoln,” he said. “The arts bring hope and joy into our lives, and we need that so much right now.”
As it reopens, the Lied Center is making the following commitments to health and safety:
All shows at the Lied through at least Jan. 16, 2021, will feature socially distanced seating, dramatically reducing the capacity of the auditorium. Most seats will be available in pairs, with a distance of six feet between each group of seats.
There will be increased cleaning and disinfecting that meets or exceeds university and health department guidance.
The Lied has joined with the university in requiring that face coverings be worn inside any campus building, including the theater.
The Lied is adopting more comprehensive ticket flexibility than ever before. In an effort to encourage patrons who are feeling ill or who have been exposed to someone who is ill to stay home, the Lied is making all tickets fully refundable, right up until show time.
If a show is postponed or canceled, patrons will be offered the choice of keeping the value of their tickets as on-account credit to be used for another show or receiving a full refund.
The Lied Center’s Carson Theater will also reopen and follow the same health, safety and ticketing procedures. The first scheduled event is the Angels Theatre Company’s First Flight Festival, which will run July 16-19.
Amid the continuing Broadway shutdown, the Lied is also announcing changes to the scheduled Broadway season. The season will now begin in January with “Come From Away.” The national tours of “Chicago,” “Les Misérables” and “The Band’s Visit” are currently postponed, and the Lied is working to schedule new performance dates.
The complete 2020-21 Lied Center season will be announced July 23.
