Variety is key in engaging the community with The Lied Center.
English poet William Cowper, in his 6,000 lines of blank verse called The Task, wrote, “Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” For performing arts presenters such as the Lied Center on the University of Kansas campus, variety means community engagement and enthusiasm. Just ask Executive Director Tim Van Leer.
He started his 12th year with the Lied Center in July. “As a presenting organization, we bring audiences and artists together. However, it is not just through the programming, but the engagement and educational activities on campus and within the community. We specifically look for artists who tour and are willing to interact. Say it is a violinist who is willing to teach a master class. We really do look to see how best we can utilize the guest performers. They are citizen artists.”
The Lied Center opened in 1993. The facility has been home to performances, university and community events and presentations. The main auditorium seats 2,000. In 2011, another $2.5 million project was completed which provided an expansion of the lobby, as well as the Lied Center Pavilion, a smaller, more versatile space for workshops, classes and receptions. Van Leer says there really isn’t much the Lied Center can’t do because of its multipurpose nature, including Broadway shows to elaborate dance groups such as Kansas City’s own Quixotic.
“I surround myself with good artists and good people. We do our best to communicate that to an audience,” he says. “The Lied Center is a place that provides live performances and if you are not here, you won’t know what you have missed. The excitement of a live performance has kept me in this business for more than 30 years. That spark is what makes you sit on the edge of your chair and listen. And no matter who you sit down to see at the Lied Center, you will be in for one of the finest performances.”
Van Leer says artists take a chance on the Lied Center. “We present programs that are already touring and most of the time it works. To a great extent, it has to be financially feasible and you book things that will make money. Initially some of the choices may only appeal to a small segment, but then we hope to attract more and more people. We are in a business and aim to make an economic impact.”
While arts presenters mark different anniversaries, Van Leer figures the move toward the 20th anniversary during the 2013-2014 year will simply another year. “Every year is a different life,” he says. “We really do remake ourselves each year. People comment on anniversaries, but our goal is to reach our steadfast audiences while attracting new people. We seek freshness. That’s what excites us – seeing the next dance company. Sure we watch them for two or three years. We make notes and attend showcases. We meet artists and we sometimes wait, but when they are ready for our stage, it will be spectacular.”
Jason Neulander and his team are returning to the Lied Center this September for a full day of science fiction and fantasy tied up in that sort of old-fashioned radio program that harkens back to the days of Orson Wells and War of the Worlds. On Sept. 22, intrepid explorers and devotees of Intergalactic Nemesis can catch back up on Book One: Target Earth and Book Two: Robot Planet Rising in the evening. Sandwiched between the two shows will be a meal designed around the production.
“These stories are written for my personal 12-year-old,” he says. “I hope this adventure helps reconnect the 12-year-old in everyone. There is a line in Book One that each of us has a destiny for good or for evil. Those old-fashioned ideas are still pretty relevant today. We have had many experiences that when Book One ends, the audience erupts in a cheer. Isn’t that how we want to feel? It is going to be a joy to perform Book One and Book Two together at the Lied Center. It’s going to be great to see grandparents and grandchildren bonding as Grandpa remembers old radio shows while the younger family members look at what we do on stage.”
For some in the audience, it is tough to know what to look at as the actors are often playing up to four characters in a scene. “It is a tour de force when we get it,” he says. “Others like to watch the creator of sound effects. There are hundreds of sound effects and some are complex and surprising. A train is a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese. Even the slides of the graphic novel art are like the fanciest PowerPoint presentation. The 1,250 images are cued by hand. From the audience standpoint, they get to pick and choose what they get to look at as it is a huge spectacle.”
Neulander says he enjoys watching the sound effects. “The way we stage it is a total treat. The actors give a lot of rehearsal to get everything right.” Technology has continued to allow Neulander to add to his production arsenal and Book Three should be out on 2014. “The thing that ties the stories is the epic romance as Molly Sloan and the man she is destined to meet. It’s not the adventure, but the human element of the romance.”
Neulander expects returning fans to join him at the Lied Center again. “We loved the stop last year. The Lied Center is a real gem and we performed for the coolest 700 people. I really appreciate having a large group seeing the works and I am keenly aware that the group is made up of individuals who have made a decision to give of their time and money to see us. We sign stuff after the show because I want to meet every audience member and say thank you. Now with the meal, we will break bread together. To bring a community together over food is at the core of my personal values.”
Nnenna Freelon will come to the Lied Center Oct. 12 as part of the PlayIT Forward series which features “a series of female artists who are innovators and forerunners in their respective genres.” In addition to performing at the Lied Center, each artist will partner »»
with local artists and experts to present workshops and discussions to encourage dialogue and allow for artistic exploration. Freelon is bringing her personal tribute to Lena Horne – Lena, A Lovesome Thing. She performs some of those iconic tunes associated with Horne such as Stormy Weather and Moon River.
“Lena Horne came into my world, not just as a singer, but as an icon. My mom would point to her as a role model. Her movement through the culture was important for brown-skinned girls. It is a different time now that there is every shade of girl, but in the 1960s … I talk about Lena from the position of a small girl standing in the mirror. I could see Lena reflected back as a woman who was beautiful not just for where she was, but for what she stood up for including Civil Rights. The choices she made, those small and large moments, resonated with me. I truly believe I have opportunities because of her.”
Freelon says music, especially the sort of retrospective she presents, allows for intergenerational dialogue. “We tend to speak to our peers, but we need to reach backward and speak to our mothers and grandmothers and then move forward and talk to our grandchildren. There is an appreciation that can be found when you listen to stories and songs.” Sometimes house lights are turned back up so Freelon can have more interaction with her audiences.
Freelon, who offers master classes and workshops that include song writing, arts advocacy and collaboration training, is herself a lifelong learner. “Every time I step on a stage or in a classroom, I always get more than what I give. I hope that I am blessed with a long life and do the things that I have wanted to do as I mature. Life is not about striking a balance because that sounds hard. Rather I look at it as weaving. It’s an activity that blends. The tapestry being created may have a mistake or two, but you then can decide to fix it or leave it. It might be the chance to step back and decide that it is cool,” she says.
Photos courtesy of The Lied Center and the respective artists
