About The Lensic
Santa Fe's Nonprofit Performing Arts Center
The Lensic is Santa Fe’s year-round home for the performing arts, offering a variety of performance, education, and community programs to enrich the lives of everyone.
Our Mission
The Lensic Performing Arts Center enriches lives by bringing diverse art and people together in the historic Lensic Theater, a cornerstone of downtown Santa Fe since 1931. The Lensic presents and supports local, national, and international artists and serves as a center for education, community events, and youth events through its accessible and affordable programming.
Our Story
Santa Feans have been gathering at The Lensic since 1931, when it opened its doors as the city’s grandest movie palace and vaudeville stage. Built by local merchant Nathan Salmon and his son-in-law, E. John Greer, the “Spanish-Moorish” style theater was officially dedicated to the people of Santa Fe. After decades as a movie house, The Lensic closed briefly in the late 1990s for a multi-million-dollar renovation project, led by visionaries Nancy and Bill Zeckendorf and supported by the Santa Fe community. With its original beauty restored and state-of-the-art production capabilities added, the theater relaunched in April 2001 as the nonprofit Lensic Performing Arts Center. Today, it’s as magnificent as ever.
Behind the Scenes
About Lensic Presents
Lensic Presents Season
The Lensic Presents Season is announced in the spring and includes a variety of artists of local, national, and international acclaim.
National Theatre Live in HD
National Theatre brings the best of British theatre to cinema screens around the world.
The Met: Live in HD
The Lensic and The Santa Fe Opera present The Metropolitan Opera live on screen, as well as encore performances.
Lensic Presents Gift Certificates
Lensic Presents gift certificates are membership benefits for Lensic Friends, Leaders, and Business Partners starting at the $250 donation level. Each certificate may be redeemed for two tickets to your choice of select Lensic Presents performances or any National Theater Live in HD or The Met: Live in HD broadcast. For a list of Lensic Presents shows that qualify for gift certificate use, click here.
All gift certificates are labeled with expiration dates and must be redeemed in person at The Lensic box office on or before they expire. If you have additional questions about gift certificates, please contact us at 505-988-7050.
Financials
The Lensic is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to The Lensic are tax-deductible and fund the preservation of our historic building, maintenance of our state-of-the-art stage, and the growing performance, education, and community programs we offer for all.
In 2021, The Lensic received its sixth consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity assessment organization. Four stars (the highest possible rating) indicates that The Lensic follows best practices and executes our mission in a financially efficient way. Click here to visit our page and full evaluation on CharityNavigator.org.
Financial Statements
2019 Audited Financial Statement
2018 Audited Financial Statement
2017 and 2016 Audited Financial Statements
Form 990s
2019 Lensic 990, Part 1 of 2
2019 Lensic 990, Part 2 of 2
2018 Lensic 990
2017 Lensic 990
2016 Lensic 990
