Meet Our Team
Staff
Board of Directors
PAULA CAMPBELL-RUDD
PAT TATUM
PERCY THOMAS
TIFFANY DANIELS
SEON JACKSON
OBIE TAYLOR
BRYCE OQUAYE
CAROLYN DUNN
CARRINGTON WALKER
TYLER MORTON
GEORGE A. BROWN JR.
Our Story in Events
The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center: A Living Legacy Reborn
In the heart of Lexington’s historic East End stands a place where voices once silenced found their song, where joy lit the stage in the face of injustice, and where community gathered, generation after generation, to say, “We matter.”
Since its opening in 1948, The Lyric Theatre has never been just a building. It was a lifeline. Born in an era of segregation, The Lyric stood proudly at the corner of DeWeese St. and what locals called “Do As You Please Street”, a name that, in spirit, captured the soul of a community determined to live free and full. Inside its walls, laughter echoed, feet danced, and music soared.
That place is The Lyric.-1948
As part of the legendary Chitlin’ Circuit, The Lyric welcomed the giants of American music: James Brown, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Etta James, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Wynonie Harris, and more. But the stage was not only for stars, it was for church choirs, school pageants, and young dreamers who believed in something greater. Every curtain rise was a declaration of brilliance, courage, and hope.
The American Culture -40’s, 50’s, 60’s
Outside, DeWeese Street thrived. In reflection, it was our “Black Wall Street,” it buzzed with Black-owned barbershops, cafés, insurance offices, and clubs. It wasn’t just business; it was pride in motion. The Lyric was the beating heart of it all, a cultural engine that turned foot traffic into economic power and artistry into inspiration.
Black Wall Street-1950’s
The answer came not in a single moment, but in a movement.
By the 1990s, that collective ache became action. Elders, visionaries, artists, and advocates rallied to revive not just a building, but a legacy. In 2005, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government stepped forward with an enthusiastic community —not to impose a plan, but to listen. A community-led Lyric Task Force gathered stories, shaped dreams, and held a vision that would soon awaken something beautiful.
From 2006 to 2010, hands and hearts came together. Through years of design, dialogue, and deep dedication, The Lyric was not only restored, it was reimagined.
“Why hasn’t The Lyric come back?”-1990’s
The final film flickered across the screen, the doors locked, and for 48 long years, silence settled where song once lived. The once-vibrant marquee dimmed. The building aged. What had been a sanctuary became a scar, visible, aching, and unresolved. And yet, in living rooms, barbershops, and sanctuaries, the community kept asking:
But then, in 1963, the lights went out.-1963
On October 28, 2010, after nearly five decades of silence, the lights of The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center blazed bright once more.
This wasn’t just a reopening, it was a homecoming.
Shaped by the voices of the community and guided by the expertise of civic leaders, artists, educators, and business professionals, the rebirth of The Lyric was a powerful example of what’s possible when vision meets unity.
Restored with care and reimagined with purpose, The Lyric reopened with a bold mission:
The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center uplifts and empowers the community through arts, education, and engaging programs, providing a vibrant space for creativity, connection, and well-being.
The return of The Lyric wasn’t just the revival of a building—it was the restoration of a heartbeat, once again pulsing at the center of Lexington, Kentucky, and the Nation through its historical connection.
And this time, it came back stronger, broader, and more determined to uplift all who walk through its doors.
The Return of the LyricOctober 28th, 2010
More than a theatre, The Lyric is now a thriving cultural campus designed to serve, inspire, and unite. It is:
• A Historic Theatre & Concert Hall where performances ignite imagination
• A Rotating Art Gallery showcasing visual voices
• A Library & Cultural Center nurturing literacy and legacy
• A Creative Studio for podcasting, photography, and media-making
• A Community Room designed for dance, dialogue, and nonprofit access
• A Gift Shop supporting free community programming
• A Versatile Rental Venue for weddings, performances, and celebrations
This is where young artists find their spark, where elders share wisdom. Where murals honor changemakers and where every corner carries the echo of what was, and what’s possible.
A Rebirth with Purpose-2011- Present
Because it is not just a theatre.
It is memory and momentum.
It is resilience and rebirth.
It is a sacred place where joy was never denied, only delayed, and has now returned, brighter than ever.
WE LOVE OUR LYRIC because it reminds us what community can build, protect, and restore when we believe in the power of our shared story.
Come see why.
Come feel why.
Come be part of the legacy.
The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center: The Place to See & Be Seen, Since 1948
We Love Our Lyric-2025
At the center of it all stood The Lyric, glowing with marquee lights and filled with the sound of joy. It was where you went to feel seen, to be inspired, to dance in your seat. Movies, Vaudeville shows, gospel concerts, beauty pageants, and fashion shows filled its stage. From the everyday to the extraordinary, The Lyric was a sanctuary for storytelling and celebration.
For the Black community in Lexington, The Lyric wasn’t just entertainment, it was empowerment. It was proof that even in the face of segregation, brilliance could not be dimmed.
The Crown Jewel of the East End1948-20..
Just down the way sat the historic Kentucky Association Track, and the East End became a haven for the unsung heroes of horse racing, Black jockeys, grooms, and trainers whose skills and stories helped build Kentucky’s global reputation. They lived here, worked here, and shaped a legacy still felt today.
The Black Jockeys-1930’s
The Magic of Music
1954 and Beyond
There was a time when the world tried to put boundaries on Black brilliance. But the Lyric Theatre, standing tall in Lexington’s East End, became one of the places where that brilliance burst through.
As a proud stop on the legendary Chitlin’ Circuit, The Lyric wasn’t just a theatre, it was a musical sanctuary. During segregation, when Black performers were denied access to white-only stages, this sacred circuit emerged as a lifeline, a powerful network of venues where Black artistry could thrive. And thrive it did.
Inside The Lyric, the air sizzled with sound.
Jazz, Soul, and Rhythm & Blues filled the room, and Lexington swayed to the rhythms of legends.
• Ray Charles played keys that stirred the soul.
• Count Basie’s band swung with elegance and fire.
• B.B. King bent strings that seemed to cry and heal all at once.
• And Wynonie Harris shook the walls with Good Rockin’ Tonight, a song so influential, it became part of the roots of rock ‘n’ roll itself.
They Came. They Played. They Changed the Game.
The Lyric welcomed performers who were already stars—and some who were on their way to becoming icons:
• Etta James
• Cab Calloway
• Lena Horne
• Little Richard
• Billy Eckstine
• James Brown
Each took the stage not just as entertainers, but as trailblazers in a time that needed courage, artistry, and soul.
Chitlin’ Circuit-1940 – Future