The Lexington Opera HouseKBT’s Performance Home
The Opera House is located at the corner of Short Street and Broadway in Lexington. |
The Opera House: part of Lexington historyEven before the construction of the present Opera House in 1887, Lexington, Kentucky—the “Athens of the West”—emerged as a regional center of culture and theatre. With theatre architect Oscar Cobb’s contribution, Lexington’s Opera House set the standard for theatre opulence in the Gilded Age. In stagecraft no expense was spared. In Henley Regatta (1890), a flooded stage carried row boats to and fro. An Edison light board produced visual enhancements never before experienced by theatre goers. Country Circus’ (1893) final third act featured a parade of 100 live animals. For more than three decades the Opera House offered full season theatrical entertainment. By the beginning of the 1920s Lexington’s prominence as a theatrical center dwindled. Consistent with a national trend, the Opera House converted to a motion picture house—the rage of the 1920s. Additionally, radio made big name performers accessible to living rooms. Though travel improved dramatically with the advent of affordable automobiles, fewer traveled long distances for theatre. Large traveling productions were deemed too risky. Despite significant challenges, big name performers of the era—W. C. Fields, Lillian Russell, and Harry Houdini to name a few—continued to grace the now compromised Opera House stage. The decline of theatrical production at the Opera House was furthered by the depression of the 1930s and competition in moving pictures from both the Ben Ali and Kentucky theatres. By the 1950s, frequent renovation to accommodate moviegoers masked the grand architecture and acoustics buried beneath. By the 1960s urban renewal projects called for the demolition of the once great treasure, but the Opera House stood firm. Fortuitously, the roof was destroyed by high winds in 1973. Formal inspection of the building revealed its structural soundness, and the Opera House was renovated. In the spring of 1976, the renovated Opera House opened to the public, and has thrilled theatre goers ever since. Kentucky Ballet Theatre represents one of the newest contributors to the Opera House’s continuing success. KBT began productions on May 15, 1998, with the a gala performance including excerpts from La Sylphide, Bizet Symphony, and Three Preludes. The preceding history was excerpted, with permission, from www.lexingtonoperahouse.com. |
Kentucky Ballet Theatre is proud to perform regularly in the 
Renowned for its acoustics and its opulent interior, the Lexington Opera House seats over nine hundred patrons in the main floor and two balconies. Kentucky Ballet Theatre performances strive to utilize all the Opera House has to offer, including elegant boxes, an orchestra pit with hydraulic lift, and state of the art lighting and sound systems.
