Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center (Lexington, Kentucky)

Last updated
Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center
Lyric Theatre (Lexington, KY).jpg
Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center (Lexington, Kentucky)
Address300 E 3rd Street
Location Lexington, Kentucky
Capacity 530
Construction
Opened1946 (1946)
Renovated2010
Tenants
WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour
Website
www.lexingtonlyric.com

The Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center is a nonprofit, city-owned, multi-use arts and performance venue located at the corner of Third Street and Elm Tree Lane in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Opened in 1948 as a cultural hub of Lexington's segregated African-American community, the Lyric closed in 1963 and remained in disrepair for almost 50 years. [1] Planning for this renovation began in the 1990s. [2] In 2010, the Urban County Council of Lexington allotted $6 million to revive and reopen the theater under a new mission as a center for art, community, history, and education. [3] The renovated building seats 540 in its proscenium theater and now includes an African-American culture museum, rotating gallery, courtyard, and 325-capacity multi-purpose room. [4] The Lyric hosts arts performances, rental events, luncheons, movie viewings, youth programs, and other events.

Contents

Rooted in its African-American heritage, the Lyric focuses on community development in Lexington's East End. [5] The self-stated mission of the Lyric Theatre is "to preserve, promote, present and celebrate diverse cultures with special emphasis on African-American cultural heritage through artistic presentations of the highest quality, educational programming and outreach, film, and opportunities for community inclusion." [6] The Lyric currently hosts a range of community-focused programs, including the Lyric Black Lens Film Series and Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. [7]

History

Originally built as a movie house, the Lyric opened at the corner of Third and Deweese Street (now Elm Tree Lane) in 1948. It became a thriving entertainment hub for Lexington's African-American community. [4] Its architecture was a blend of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. Wrote Janet Holloway in an article for Smiley Pete Publishing,

Only the lobby's tile floor, box office and marquee retain the original look today. Architect Susan Hill has said she found few original features that could be preserved, but what is preserved are memories and a strong history of African American life in Lexington during those years. [8]

During the 1950s, the Lyric hosted performances by big-name jazz and R&B performers like Ray Charles, Count Basie, B.B. King, Wynonie Harris, Mercer Ellington, and Billy Brown. One Lexington resident claimed to have seen James Brown perform there. [3] The theatre also hosted movies, vaudeville acts, fashion shows, local concerts, and pageants. Several small black-owned business, including ice cream bars and clothing stores, were also located in and around the theatre. [1]

In 1963, the Lyric closed due to a steady decline in patronage from the surrounding community, largely a result of desegregation. [1] In the years before closing, it returned to its roots as a movie theater, featuring horror films, black cowboy movies, and Saturday morning cartoons. The building sat decaying and empty for three decades. Community members pressed for renovation throughout the 1990s. [8] In 1996, the city of Lexington faced a lawsuit from the state of Kentucky for failing to build a downtown cultural center as it had promised. As part of the settlement, the city agreed to renovate the Lyric. [9] The groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday, July 16, 2009. [10]

On October 28, 2010, then-Lexington mayor Jim Newberry cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Lyric's grand reopening ceremony [11] under its new mission as a community and cultural arts center. Celebration activities included the hanging of a community quilt in the theatre lobby, the unveiling of a ceramic tile wall with the motto "We Rise," and a gallery exhibition by Lexington folk artist La Von Williams. The weekend also included a variety of performances by artists including poet Nikki Finney, acting troupe Agape Theatre Group, blues singer Tee Dee Young, and Los Angeles star Miki Howard, who performed not only R&B but also Billie Holiday classics. [12]

A nationwide search for an executive director took place in the year of its opening. [9] The first executive director was Yetta Young, who served from April 2011 to late 2013. [13] Rasheedah El-Amin assumed the director position in January 2014 following Young's departure. After El-Amin's departure in February 2015, Donald Mason was made interim director, and then officially named executive director in October 2015. [14] In April 2019, the Lyric announced the search for a new director. [15]

Whit Whitaker joined the Lyric as executive director in August 2019. [16] [17]

Board of directors

The Lyric's 15-member board operates under the auspices of the Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government. Composed of leadership from the East End neighborhood, elected officials, artists, and members of the business community, the Lyric board oversees the management of and programming for the Lyric Theatre. [18]

Notable performers and performances

Since 2013, the Lyric Theatre has hosted the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour . Actress and singer Miki Howard performed at the Lyric Theatre's reopening ceremony in October 2010, [19] as well as Ben Sollee, Tee Dee and Scandalous, the Sacred Drum Ensemble, and the Agape Theatre Troupe. Nikky Finney read a new poem honoring the theater and Bianca Spriggs gave a reading. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of Visual Arts</span> Art school in New York

The School of Visual Arts New York City is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.

Lyric Theatre or Lyric Theater may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Theatre (Lexington)</span>

The Kentucky Theatre is a historic cinema in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States, that first opened in October 1922. The building is currently owned by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and leased to a non-profit that shows films and hosts concerts and events. The theater's schedule emphasizes foreign, independent, and art films, although more typical Hollywood movies are occasionally shown, as well. It is one of a few remaining movie palaces in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California African American Museum</span> Museum in Los Angeles, California

The California African American Museum (CAAM) is a museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, United States. The museum focuses on enrichment and education on the cultural heritage and history of African Americans with a focus on California and western United States. Admission is free to all visitors. Their mission statement is "to research, collect, preserve, and interpret for public enrichment the history, art and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western United States."

The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour is a radio program created, produced, and hosted by folk singer Michael Johnathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington History Center</span> History museum in Kentucky, United States

The Lexington History Center once housed several independent history museums in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. It was located in the former Fayette County Courthouse until 2012 when the city closed the building for renovation. Prior to the closing of the building, the Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum moved to a new location on Georgetown Street. The building has since been renovated into a multi-use commercial, tourist, office and event center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of the African Diaspora</span> Art museum in San Francisco, California

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is a contemporary art museum in San Francisco, California. MoAD holds exhibitions and presents artists exclusively of the African diaspora, one of only a few museums of its kind in the United States. Located at 685 Mission St. and occupying the first three floors of the St. Regis Museum Tower in the Yerba Buena Arts District, MoAD is a nonprofit organization as well as a Smithsonian Affiliate. Prior to 2014, MoAD educated visitors on the history, culture, and art of the African diaspora through permanent and rotating exhibitions. After a six-month refurbishment in 2014 to expand the gallery spaces, the museum reopened and transitioned into presenting exclusively fine arts exhibitions. MoAD does not have a permanent collection and instead works directly with artists or independent curators when developing exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Performing arts in Louisville, Kentucky</span>

The performing arts community in Louisville, Kentucky is undergoing a renaissance. The Kentucky Center, dedicated in 1983, located in the downtown hotel and entertainment district, is a premiere performing arts center. It features a variety of plays and concerts, and is the performance home of the Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra, Broadway Across America - Louisville, Music Theatre Louisville, Stage One, KentuckyShow! and the Kentucky Opera, which is the twelfth oldest opera in the United States. The center also manages the historic W. L. Lyons Brown Theatre, which opened in 1925 and is patterned after New York's acclaimed Music Box Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Theatre</span> Music venue and theatre in Washington, D.C.

The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlas Performing Arts Center</span>

The Atlas Performing Arts Center is a multiple space performing arts facility located on H Street in the Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington, DC. Housed in a renovated Art Deco movie house, the facility is home to several arts organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New 42</span> Non-profit organization in the USA

New 42 is a not-for-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York City. In 1990, the New 42nd Street was formed to oversee the redevelopment of seven neglected and historic theatres on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, and to restore the block to a desirable tourist destination in Manhattan. The theatres were the Apollo Theatre, the Empire Theatre, the Liberty Theatre, the Lyric Theatre, the Selwyn Theatre, the Times Square Theatre, and the Victory Theater.

Lucille Caudill Little was an American patron of the arts and philanthropist who served as president of the W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Playhouse</span>

Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student companies—Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory Dance Company, and Playhouse Jr. The Conservatory Theatre Company offers five productions each year that are performed by undergraduate students at Point Park; each season consists of a mixture of established plays and musicals, as well as occasional new works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly-Strayhorn Theater</span> Performing arts center in Pennsylvania

Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a performing arts center located at 5941 Penn Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. named in honor of Pittsburgh natives Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Holiday Theatre</span> Theater in Brooklyn, New York City

The Billie Holiday Theatre is an AUDELCO and Obie Award-winning theatre that aims to provide "complete and authentic portrayals" of the African diaspora experience, as well as "artistic and institutional residencies and ... educational programming to people of all ages."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gia M. Hamilton</span> American applied anthropologist

Gia Maisha Hamilton is an applied anthropologist who employs methodology to investigate land, labor and cultural production while examining social connectivity within institutions and communities. As a model builder, Hamilton co-founded an independent African centered school, Little Maroons in 2006; later, she opened a creative incubator space- Gris Gris Lab in 2009 and designed and led the Joan Mitchell Center artist residency program in New Orleans as a consultant from 2011- 2013 and director from 2013-2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunbar Theatre (Kansas)</span> NRHP movie theater in Wichita, Kansas

The Dunbar Theatre is a movie theater in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Opened in 1941, it was named after an American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places since July 2, 2008, and the Kansas State Registry of Historic Places. It is located at 1007 N Cleveland St. in the McAdams Neighborhood, which is a historically African-American Neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theater Works (Peoria, Arizona)</span>

Theater Works is a non-profit community theater company that operated out of the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts in Peoria, Arizona. The company produces more than 200 events a year for audiences of all ages, including their own productions as well as running and managing outside productions and rentals that use the arts center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Theatre (Pittsburg, California)</span> Theatre in California

The California Theatre is a historic theatre in Old Town Pittsburg, Callifornia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 WKYT. "Excitement building as reopening of Lyric Theatre draws near" . Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  2. ↑ Bryan, Ruth; Dorpinghaus, Sarah (July 29, 2017). "The basic archives workshop: A partnership between Kentucky community organizations and University of Kentucky libraries". Society of American Archivists Liberated Archives Forum 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Lexington theater's revival raises neighborhood hopes". The Herald-Dispatch. Associated Press. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  4. 1 2 "Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center - Lexington, KY". www.visitlex.com. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  5. ↑ "Mission of The Lyric Theatre". www.lexingtonlyric.com. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  6. ↑ "Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center". kentuckytourism.com. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  7. ↑ "Programming". www.lexingtonlyric.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  8. 1 2 "Celebrating the Lyric". Smiley Pete Publishing. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  9. 1 2 "Lyric Theatre plans October reopening celebration". kentucky. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  10. ↑ "Lyric groundbreaking set for 10 a.m. Thursday". kentucky. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  11. ↑ "Reopening Timeline". www.lexingtonlyric.com. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  12. ↑ "Celebrating the Lyric". Smiley Pete Publishing. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  13. ↑ "Q & A With The New Executive Director of The Lyric Theatre | LexTown Publications". keyconversationsradio.com. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  14. ↑ "Lyric Theatre names Donald Mason as executive director". Smiley Pete Publishing. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  15. ↑ "Lyric Theatre announces search for new executive director - Lane Report | Kentucky Business & Economic News". 24 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  16. ↑ Czar, Karyn. "Whit Whitaker Named Executive Director For Lyric Theatre". www.wuky.org. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Stu (8 August 2019). "A Familiar Face And Voice Called Upon To Head Lyric Theatre". www.weku.fm. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  18. ↑ "Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center Board of Directors | City of Lexington". www.lexingtonky.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-01-18.
  19. ↑ Copley, Rich (October 10, 2015). "Historic Lyric Theatre is reborn". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Copley, Rich; Kegley, Josh (October 29, 2010). "Historic Lyric Theatre reopens in Lexington". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.