Explore a world beyond the stage with forté, dynamic discovery at the Lied Center.
forté provides educational events and experiences to the people of Lawrence and the state of Kansas through the support of the Friends of the Lied and engagement partners.
forté has a knack for creating connections by offering discussion programs, demonstrations, workshops, master classes and a lot more. Our mission, to engage audiences through school programs, presentation, education, research and public engagement; which drives our programming, activities and actions.
In the Theatre
forté has a lot to offer in conjunction with Lied Center performances. Here are a few of the ways to get involved:
Lobby Exhibit
A changing display in the Lied Center lobby providing additional context for upcoming performances. free
Coffee and Conversation
Post-performance Q&A sessions with performing artists, held in the Seymour Gallery (Lied Center, second floor). free
Pre-performance Discussions
Led by KU faculty or other special guests an hour before curtain—held in the Seymour Gallery, unless otherwise noted. free
On Campus
forté brings students from across the university together with world-class artists in workshops, lectures, master classes and collaborative projects that enhance their education and enrich their lives.
In the Schools
With the support of the Friends of the Lied, every year, every child in Lawrence has the opportunity to attend a Lied Center school performance or have a teaching artist in the classroom. forté’s school programs include:
Performing Arts 3to5
A program to help expose children, ages 3-5, to intimate, accessible and fun performing arts experiences on the Lied Center stage, with classroom activities and a workshop for teachers.
Learning about the Environment Through The Arts
A series of events that provide arts and ecology experiences for second-grade students. The program includes a classroom visit from a teaching artist, a field trip to the Baker Wetlands and a school-only Lied Center performing arts presentation.
School Performance
Selected for students in grades K-12, these daytime performances open the door to the performing arts and support classroom curriculum and arts-in-education. forté develops study guides and lesson plans for each school performance.
Partners in Education
The Lied Center is a founding member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts program, which trains instructors in techniques to connect creative discovery and exploration in the classroom.
Adventures in Imagination
The Lied Center’s LEAP partnership, named Achievement Partner in 2005-06, with the Lawrence Public Schools and U.S. Bank, creates opportunities through the arts that enhance reading, writing, critical thinking and creative expression for students and teachers in the community.
Art of Integration Summer Workshop
In 2008, the Lied Center held the first of this annual day-long event for teachers to learn strategies to integrate arts into the classroom. This program has been postponed because of the loss of Kansas Arts Commission funding.
Arts Ambassadors
A network of teachers within USD497 that disseminate Lied Center news to their respective schools and assist with coordinating tickets to school-only performances.
In the Community
Artists Residencies/Engagements
The Lied Center provides a broad range of interactions between artists who perform onstage and members of the community. Activities include lecture/demonstrations, master classes, workshops, discussions with visiting scholars and artists, seminars, community projects and panel discussions in the Lawrence area and statewide.
Around the State
Lied.Art.Teach
The Lied Center’s mission extends to the entire state of Kansas. To realize this, Lied.Art.Teach has trained a corps of more than 20 artists throughout the state to develop workshops for teachers and students to integrate the arts into classrooms and communities. Lied.Art.Teach continues to work with these teaching artists to create and implement arts-based learning curriculum for classrooms and community programs across Kansas.
Lied Performance Fund
The Lied Center offers free or low-cost tickets to nonprofit organizations across Kansas to ensure cost is not a barrier to the performing arts.
How can you help?
Purchase a ticket to a Lied Center event. Become a Friend of the Lied. Attend a free forté event. forté has a world for you to discover beyond the stage.
Every year, every child in the
USD 497 school district can
attend a school performance
for free.
In 1994, the Lied Center started the Adventures in Imagination local business-education partnership with Lawrence Public Schools and U.S. Bank. Adventures in Imagination programs use the arts to enhance reading, writing, critical thinking and creative expression. The Adventures in Imagination board is made up of teachers, administrators, principals, librarians from USD 497, the Lied Center’s director of education and associate director, and a member of U.S. Bank’s management team.
Beginning this season we have added some other school districts to our partnerships. Baldwin and Eudora Public School Districts as well as St. John School, Corpus Christi Catholic School and Raintree Montessori School. Students in grades k-5 will be able to attend school performances, free of charge.
Last season, more than 8,000
USD 497 students experienced
live performing arts at a school
performance or in the classroom
with a teaching artist.
The Adventures in Imagination board helps develop educational programming with a focus on finding ways to integrate the arts into the classroom.
The 2012-2013 forté school
programs are sponsored by
