Community

The Buddy Holly Hall, Downtown

Buddy Hall Under Construction. Photo by Maky Haynes

     On September 7th, 1936 Lubbock Texas was changed forever. This was the day that Charles Hardin Holly, better known as Buddy Holly, was born. He quickly picked up the piano and guitar from his older brothers. Before he knew it, music wasn’t just a hobby, it was his passion and life. Buddy Holly went on to become a household name around the country as he and his band “The Crickets” travelled and made breakthrough songs like “That’ll Be The Day.” Unfortunately, Buddy Holly’s career was only 2 short years due to a fatal plane crash.

Buddy Holly’s legacy; however, has far outlived him. He is well known in the music world for inspiring many young and becoming artists, like the well-known band, “The Beatles.” Lubbock, Texas has spent decades trying to memorialize Buddy Holly and his impact on music. Buddy Holly has streets named after him, a museum with amazing artifacts, but the latest addition to Buddy Holly’s legacy is the largest and most exciting. The Buddy Holly Hall has been a work in progress for quite some time, but Lubbock locals are about to watch it finally be completed.

Details of the Hall

      The Buddy Holly Hall is set to be complete this year, and after watching it be built and hearing about it for the past three years, Lubbock citizens and those in surrounding areas are eager with anticipation. The performing arts center will not simply be one main stage. The Buddy Holly Hall will actually house, not one, but two theaters, a full service restaurant that will cater events, space for hosting events or banquets, as well as a ballet academy all in the same performing arts center. In case it wasn’t obvious, this will not be a small building. The Buddy Holly Hall is a 220,000 square foot, state-of-the-art campus. The “Helen DeVitt Jones Main Theater” will house 2,200 people comfortably due to it’s four levels and two VIP lounges. This theatre will be used for Broadway shows, big names, and more.

“The Crickets Studio Theatre” is substantially smaller than the main theatre, it will be able to hold around 425 people. This theatre is an attachment with Lubbock I.S.D. and their needs in mind. Because of this, there will be a private entrance, a lobby, and even a concession stand. The multipurpose event room is 6,000 sq. ft. and will easily be divided depending on the lecture, banquet, or event. The Lubbock Ballet will also get a large sum of space within the performing arts center. The Lubbock Ballet Academy will have a 22,000 square-foot dance center, office and storage space. The Buddy Holly Hall has a construction budget of $154 million, and they are putting every cent to good use. This performing arts center will be a huge asset to our community and bring people in from all over.

The Buddy Holly Hall isn’t just impressive in size, they have already planned and booked incredible shows.

Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story will be showing November 17th and 18th of 2020. This show will allow the audience to witness the true story of a teenager from West Texas with big dreams. This musical follows Buddy as he rises to fame, releases “That’ll Be the Day,” changes music forever, and then his untimely death. The Buddy Holly legacy will truly come full circle as this musical is performed in a state of the art performing arts center dedicated to him.

On December 16th and 17th of 2020 “CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE” will be coming to Lubbock, Texas. This show will get any bah humbug in the Christmas spirit. Tickets to this show would be a great early gift for the holidays! 

A new musical titled “An Officer and a Gentleman” will be coming to Lubbock on February 9th and 10th in 2021!

On March 15th and 16th next year, “Beautiful, The Carole King Musical” will be arriving to Lubbock, Texas. This musical tells the life story of Carole King and how she rose to stardom through trials and tribulations.

“Jersey Boys,” a Tony and Grammy award winning show will be showing at The Buddy Holly Hall on May 18th and 19th of 2021. This musical allows you to witness the true story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

The last show that has been announced for the 2020 – 2021 season will be in Lubbock for one night, and one night only. “Rent” will be coming to The Buddy Holly Hall on July 7th, 2021. “Rent” is a well-known Broadway musical that changed theatre forever, and now this Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize musical is making its way back into the spotlight in a spectacular 25th anniversary touring production.

Become a season ticket holder

You can already become a season member today! This will allow you access to ticket sales before everyone else, guaranteed savings, prime seating, and more. According to their website, it looks like spots are filling quickly. You might want to make sure someone you know has already purchased their season pass, so that you can invite yourself to tag along!

In conclusion

      The Buddy Holly Hall is going to be an incredible addition to Lubbock, Texas. There is nothing like this building in Lubbock, and it will truly stand alone. This will be the largest capacity theatre in all of West Texas, which might be pivotal in getting people from surrounding areas to travel to Lubbock. The Buddy Holly Hall, isn’t just a large theatre, it is Buddy Holly’s legacy in action. His career is known for inspiring young artists. The Buddy Holly Hall will help young artists in Lubbock and surrounding areas to see their potential. The first show is in November of this year, which will be here before we know it! It will be exciting to see The Buddy Holly Hall finally ready for business in a few short months.

Story by: Maky Haynes, Broadcast & Multi-Media for Campus Live

Related posts

Cooking with Campus Live – Fried Rice

Anthony Rodriguez

Halloween in Lubbock: Spooky Things To Do

Campus Live Staff

Texas Tech Public Art

Regan Hestand