Lexington, KY - It's easy to compare the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Center to the legendary phoenix rising from the ashes, but it took many hands to lift it up. In time for the Oct. 30 community opening, the Lyric Board is close to announcing the new executive director, contracts are being signed for programs through January, and plans for the opening event are complete.
Conversations about restoration of the Lyric have been ongoing since the early '90s. Community members pressed for renovation. Others suggested tearing it down, saying there was nothing redeemable about the building. Opened in 1948 and closed in 1963, the original Lyric Theatre was a blend of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. 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.
Council members played a big role in bringing the new structure into being, especially George Brown, Robert Jefferson and Andrea James. The Second District Retiree Group and others kept the flame of interest alive for many years.
"Finally," said board chair Freda Meriwether with a sigh, "we're ready to go."
With the building complete and a 540-seat theatre in place, Meriwether continued, "we can now focus on what goes on inside." She stresses that the overall theme for installations and performances is Telling Our Story, a theme identified by community conversations and focus groups held over two decades.
"So much of what we've accomplished is through improvisation," said Joan Brannon, the city's program director for the Lyric and a member of the original Lyric task force. "If somebody has an idea or a contact, we move on it."
An example is the album release performance in mid-October of The City, a band that features Gene Woods, CEO of St. Joseph Health System, executive with CHI and Lyric board member. Although the performance will be at another venue, Woods has committed part of the revenues from the sales of the band's CDs to the Lyric. The City will also perform at the Lyric on Nov. 20 as a fundraiser for the theatre and cultural center. Andrea James stepped up early on, as well, volunteering to host a breakfast for the community on Saturday, Oct. 30, to highlight various initiatives in the East End, such as the Isaac Murphy Garden.
Meriwether said that two days prior to the opening event, the Lyric will host fifth-and sixth-graders from nearby schools in the theatre, showing films with African American actors. "We want to educate our children about successful African Americans, and this is a good way to start." On Friday, Oct. 29, the center will welcome nearby community residents who have been active in promoting the rehabilitation.
Brannon is proud of the quilting bees that were held throughout the community. In this way, she said, everyone had the opportunity to contribute something that expressed their family stories and their history with the Lyric.
During the weekend opening, the community quilt will hang in the lobby of the theatre as a "testament to the spirit of a very diverse group of people committed to sharing their creativity," said Brannon. Having public art that expresses community feeling and history was important to everyone involved, she said. A ceramic tile wall, entitled "We Rise,"
is another public art attraction that focuses on rebirth. The central image of the sankofa, a mythical bird that flies forward while looking back, reflect the new theatre with roots deep in local community history.
In the cultural center, folk artist La Von Williams, a fifth-generation woodcarver and University of Kentucky graduate who lives in Kentucky, will present his urban folk art. His figures capture churchgoing men and women, jazz players and regular people telling stories of life in the urban African-American community. The exhibit will run through December.
Museum space on the second floor will house private collections of Lexington's and the Lyric's history, with Sarah Hoskins leading a youth workshop and bringing in the Black Hamlet Photography Exhibit in November.
"We can't forget," Brannon stressed, "that the Lyric is more than a theatre; it's a cultural center, a place where histories can be explored and discussed, where some of our past survives and can be celebrated."
Opening night will showcase a variety of performing artists at an affordable price. For as little as $20 or as much as $50, depending on seat assignment, attendees will be exposed to a sacred drum ensemble composed of African drummers from Louisville and Lexington; a commemorative poem created for the occasion by Nikky Finney; and selections from the Agape Theatre Group. Tee Dee Young will warm up the crowd with his bluesy sound, followed by show-stopper Miki Howard of Los Angeles. Many have seen Miki in print or film, as she is both a model and an actress, but singing is where her heart is. She'll be performing the blues, R&B, and songs from Billie Holiday's repertoire.
Aside from the opening weekend, Brannon said there are several groups interested in booking space at the Lyric. Without signed contracts, however, she's reluctant to disclose names. The Lyric also will be organizing some of its own events via the Lyric Presents Series. The tentative schedule includes a Nov. 6 jazz concert; free African dance classes with Rainbow Dance Theatre of Oregon, co-sponsored by SCAPA, on Nov. 20; the City fundraising performance on Nov. 20; a holiday concert on Dec. 2; and a play about Duke Ellington to be performed by the Agape Theatre Troupe on Dec. 10.
With the rebirth of the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Center, Lexington's arts community will be even richer.
Janet Holloway is a member of the Lyric board and program committee and executive director of Women Leading Kentucky.