How the Buddy Holly Hall is shaping Lubbock’s performing arts scene
Published: Tue, 01/30/24
How the Buddy Holly Hall is shaping Lubbock’s performing arts scene
everythingLubbock.com
by: Payton Reeves
Posted:
LUBBOCK, Texas — After just a few years, the Buddy Holly Hall has become a staple in Lubbock’s performing arts community. According to the CEO of the venue and Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association, Jeff Hunsinger, said their vision is to expand the variety and number of entertainers coming to the hall, as well as the partnerships that make it all possible.
“We are focused on really entertaining everybody and providing transformative experiences… through the arts, through education and through entertainment,” Hunsinger described.
With some shows in 2023 bringing in more than 50,000 people each, Hunsinger said the Buddy Holly Hall is continuing to make that dream a reality.
“When the hall was built, it was actually envisioned that we would be able to accommodate any touring production, essentially, and we were able to do that by hosting Hamilton and The Lion King,”
He tells us without the capacity and technical aspects of the venue, Lubbock may have missed out on those productions and more.
“Other than an arena size scale of production, we can meet the needs of essentially any touring, performing arts center production,” he described. “So that opens up the opportunity for what we can provide to the community dramatically.”
From comedy to concerts, to live game shows, more than 12 different acts are coming to the hall in February alone. According to Hunsinger, parts of the facility, like the transformative Helen Devitt Jones Theater and the smaller Crickets Theater, help bring more variety and opportunities to Lubbock too.
While the entertainers, partnerships and capabilities were all driving forces behind the facility, Hunsinger tells us putting the Hub City on the performing arts map, and giving West Texans those experiences is what it’s all about.
“I can’t imagine a life or a community without the arts,” he said. “I see the different people coming in and using the facility in different ways. It’s really exciting. We want this becoming sort of a major influence on people’s cultural lives in Lubbock.”
The first performance this month will be from Clint Black this coming Saturday, February 3rd, which you can learn more about here.