The theater, which celebrates its centennial anniversary this year, shut its doors in October 2020, citing a decline both in attendance and in new film releases during the initial months of the pandemic. At that time, The Kentucky Theatre Group, the management company that had overseen the theater for decades, opted not to renew its lease with the city of Lexington. (The theater has long operated under a unique model, with the city of Lexington owning and managing the unique historic building, and a separate management group running the day-to-day aspects of the business.) After releasing a request for proposals for a new management company this past spring, the city formally approved the proposal submitted by the local nonprofit Friends of the Kentucky Theatre.
Co-chaired by longtime friends and fans of the theater Hayward Wilkirson and Lisa Meek, the organization – has provided support for the theater in various capacities since launching in 2012 – has hit the ground running to prepare the theater for a new era.
“We’re ambitious for the theater – we want it to grow in a sustainable way in its second century,” said Wilkirson.
Co-chaired by Lisa Meek (L) and Hawyard Wilkirson (R), Friends for the Kentucky Theatre is a non-profit that launched in 2012 and has provided support for the theater in a variety of capacities over the years. The organization will now manage the theater, with Fred Mills returning as general manager. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
As the theater reopens its doors (Jan. 28 was the grand reopening weekend), fans can rest assured that much of what they’ve come to know and love about The Kentucky – from midnight screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” to the role of beloved longtime general manager Fred Mills – will remain intact during this new chapter, though organizers are also working to incorporate new programming and efforts designed to keep the theater a vibrant fixture in downtown Lexington for decades to come.
“We’re not all going to be here forever, but we want to make sure the theatre survives for another 100 years,” Wilkirson said.
Since Wilkirson and Meek joined the Friends of the Kentucky board about five years ago, they and other board members have been in regular communication with independent theaters from around the country. Knowing the theater’s former management group was nearing retirement age and likely had a finite shelf life, they brainstormed new possibilities for the theater with a variety of industry professionals.
“It’s an extremely generous industry, because you’re not competing with anybody [if] you’re not in the same city,” Wilkirson said. “No one does this because they’re business people first – they do it because they love film, and they love their historic theaters. So we got just untold hours of free consultation with directors, theaters and nonprofit consultants in the industry, and began to formulate a plan: What would the theater look like in its second century? What do we do to carry on with the best of the theater, the traditions people love about the theater, while incorporating some innovations that would make it even more vital?”
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The Kentucky Theatre is prepping to reopen after temporarily shutting its doors in October 2020, citing a decline in both attendance and film production due to the pandemic and general financial uncertainty. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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The iconic local theater is admired for its independent programming as well as its numerous historic details. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
In addition to addressing a laundry list of cosmetic and equipment repairs, the organization’s current priorities include shifting the theater itself to a nonprofit status. This is a common model for independent theaters across the country. They plan to offer various membership levels for the public, allowing fans of the theater the opportunity to help support the theater long-term (and receive perks along the way).
In a time where COVID and increased at-home streaming options have detracted from theater attendance, another big focus is to accentuate the details that make the experience of seeing a film in the theater so special and unique.
“You can stream almost everything from home in your pajamas, so what is it that’s going to get you up and out the door to the theater?” said Meek.
Part of the solution that the group is focusing on includes specially curated events – for example, partnering with the University of Kentucky Art Museum to host Q&As, discussion panels and other engaging content around the films featured.
“I think of events like these almost like the extras or director’s cut on a DVD,” Meek continued. “It’s content that gives [us] more background on the stories and characters of a film, which I think our audience really appreciates.”
Increasing film festivals and repertory screenings (i.e., classic or older films, as opposed to first-run films), building a small café or wine bar in the theater, and eventually adding a third “micro-cinema” – which would allow opportunity for more films to cycle through – are among other tactics the organization plans to explore.
“We shouldn’t have any problems finding films to play; however, one big issue has just been getting our audience, which tends to be a bit older, back out to the theater,” said Fred Mills, who has served as the theater’s general manager for more than half a century. “Our visitation numbers have been down significantly since the onset of the pandemic, but we’re hoping with a return to more regular programming that traffic will improve.”
Leading up to the centennial anniversary in October, plans for upcoming programming include a year-long retrospective of films from every decade of the Kentucky’s almost 100-year history, with each month featuring a film from each decade that the theater has been open. February will also feature a retrospective honoring actor Sidney Poitier, who passed away earlier this year. Organizers hope to eventually bring back live music – an idea the theater had been exploring with promoters from the local music venue The Burl in early 2020, before the pandemic hit.
“Their plan was to put on seated shows at the theater with bigger name artists that they couldn’t fit inside their much smaller room,” Mills explained. “Luckily, they’re still interested in exploring a partnership. We hope to have more news on that front soon.”
All of these elements have the potential to be new sources of revenue for the theater, but equally as important is ushering in and cultivating the next generation of film-goers, Wilkirson said.
“It’s so easy for people to stay at home now and watch films from the comfort of home,” he said. “We need to make every visit to Kentucky theater as special an experience as we possibly can.”
But first on the agenda, he added, is getting the doors back open – a process that has recently included everything from repairing projectors and sound processors to installing a new point-of-sales system, restocking the concession stand, and purchasing new vacuum cleaners and stanchions.
With a re-opening goal of $125,000, the organization had raised $107,500 at the time this issue went to print. Much of the fund-raising has crowd-sourced from individual fans of the theater, whose generosity, Meek and Wilkirson said, is “concrete evidence of the depth of support this historic cinema has in Lexington.”
“The theater is like Phoenix, and it seems to rise from its ashes,” Wilkirson said. “But we do want to get [this] message out there: If you love the Kentucky Theatre, we need your support to reopen the Kentucky Theatre.”
For more info on Friends of the Kentucky Theatre, including how to show your support with a donation, visit www.friendsofthekentucky.org. For current and upcoming film schedules, visit www.kentuckytheatre.org.
Kentucky Theatre general manager Fred Mills, center, with Friends of the Kentucky Theatre co-chairs Lisa Meek and Hayward Wilkirson. Photo by Emily Giancarlo