Lexington, Ky - With 540 comfortable new seats in place, facing an expanded, wood-floored stage under a brand new lighting grid, Lexington's Lyric Theatre is on schedule for a big re-opening celebration that will span four days in late October.
Lyric board chair Freda Meriwether said construction is scheduled for completion on Sept. 15 and plans call for a re-opening celebration beginning on Oct. 28 and running through Oct. 30, featuring art, performers and opportunities to look around the renovated facility.
The theatre on the corner of East Third Street and Elm Tree Lane was once a center of entertainment for Lexington's African American community - an alternative to the many downtown theatre's that once relegated black patrons to side doors and balconies.
A $6 million renovation and addition of an adjacent Cultural Arts Center has long been a dream of leaders of the city's African American community. Not only is the facility anticipated to become an incubator of local performing art, city officials also hope it will serve as a cultural bridge and bring an economic lift to the East End neighborhood.
An executive director is not yet in place, but the list of candidates is said to have been narrowed to several in recent days.
The reopening gala is scheduled for Oct. 30 and is to feature a yet to be announced nationally recognized black artist. Other events scheduled for the opening include tours, an exhibition entitled Rhythm in Relief by Lexington native LaVon Williams and the film Stormy Monday, starring Lena Horne.