William Shakespeare famously noted in his play As You Like It that “All the world’s a stage.” Performing for us today on the Rotary “stage” are Lyndy Franklin Smith and Jeremy Smith, co-founders and producing directors of The Lexington Theatre Company (The Lex). Lyndy and Jeremy (who play a happily married couple in real life!) co-founded The Lex as a way to give back to the community and to the theatre industry.
Lyndy enjoyed a successful performance career in New York, appearing in the Broadway companies of A Chorus Line and The Little Mermaid; the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; National Tours of Fosse and White Christmas; and numerous regional productions. Now, her greatest joy is training and creating opportunities for the next generation of theatre artists, while crafting professional productions for Central Kentucky audiences through her work at The Lexington Theatre Company. Her directing credits for “The Lex” include Joseph…Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Story, White Christmas, The Sound of Music, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Sondheim on Sondheim, Newsies, A Chorus Line, Songs For A New World, Mary Poppins, 42nd Street, Legally Blonde (alongside longtime friend Laura Bell Bundy), and all editions of “Concert With The Stars.” Other directing credits include work for Music Theatre Wichita, University of Michigan, and University of Kentucky. She hosted the podcast “Beyond the Fourth Wall” for The Lex, available on Simplecast. The book she co-authored, Broadway Swings: Covering the Ensemble in Musical Theatre is available on Amazon.com. She also is a frequent speaker and workshop leader for corporate retreats in the areas of creativity and leadership. She is a graduate of Sayre School and Oklahoma City University, member of Actors’ Equity Association, and “Mom” to Ben (13) and Andrew (11).
Jeromy hails from Oklahoma. He combines both his extensive performance and arts management experience to produce first-rate professional theatre at The Lex, while training the future of the industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Arts Management from Oklahoma City University. Performing credits include the National Tours of 42nd Street and Swing!; numerous regional productions at theatres including Houston Theater Under the Stars, Paper Mill Playhouse, Music Theatre Wichita, and Oklahoma’s Lyric Theatre; Television appearances on “A Capitol Fourth” and “Star Search.” As an arts manager, Jeromy worked with Broadway theatre-owner, Jujamcyn Theaters, and the Broadway management company, Richards/Climan, Inc., as Associate General Manager, where projects included August: Osage County (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Winner), Blithe Spirit (starring Angela Lansbury), and November (starring Nathan Lane), to name a few.
Rotary in Review
THE LEXINGTON THEATRE COMPANY: A DECADE OF DREAMS
“All the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare once wrote, and at last week’s Rotary meeting, that stage belonged to Lyndy Franklin Smith and Jeremy Smith, co-founders and producing directors of The Lexington Theatre Company (The Lex). The dynamic couple shared the inspiring story behind the company’s first ten years, highlighting how a dream that began in Jim Richardson’s living room has grown into one of Central Kentucky’s most celebrated cultural institutions.
Lyndy, a Lexington native and Sayre School graduate whose Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, The Little Mermaid, and White Christmas, said her passion for creating The Lex came from wanting to “pay it forward” to the next generation. “The experiences we had at professional regional theaters opened doors for us, created connections, and built our careers,” she explained. “I wanted Lexington to have that same opportunity, to make professional theater for Lexington, right here at home.”
Jeremy, who hails from Oklahoma and brings both performance and arts management experience, described The Lex as a place “where great work and great people come together, a space where aspiring performers can learn by doing, working side-by-side with Broadway professionals.”
Their mission, represented by the three arches in The Lex logo, centers on creating professional theater, training the next generation of artists, and sharing masterful storytelling with the community. “There’s nothing like gathering together with your fellow humans to hear a story,” Lyndy said. “That’s what we love most, live, shared storytelling.”
Since its founding in 2014, The Lexington Theatre Company has produced dozens of professional musicals at the Lexington Opera House and has employed more than 600 artists, engaged over 1,000 students, and reached 45,000 audience members from 104 Kentucky counties and forty-eight states. Education and outreach remain core pillars, with tuition-free apprenticeships, paid internships, and arts education programs that now extend into Fayette, Boyle, and Franklin counties.
The company recently reached a milestone with the opening of its new home, the Brown Creative Center on Alexandria Drive. Thanks to a transformative $2 million gift from the James A. and Martha R. Brown Foundation, the new space includes rehearsal studios, classrooms, and the upcoming Alex Theatre, a black box performance space that will host new works and community programs.
Rotarians were treated to a special sneak peek from A Christmas Carol, the next mainstage production opening November 20 at the Lexington Opera House. Broadway veteran Byron St. Cyr, who stars as the Ghost of Christmas Present, performed a lively musical number that brought a touch of holiday magic to the room. “You get to see some of the best work happening anywhere,” he said of regional theater. “It’s where big ideas and new productions are developed, and where audiences can experience that Broadway magic close to home.”
As the company looks ahead to its next decade, Lyndy reflected on their “decade of dreams” with gratitude and hope. “Sometimes I can’t believe it’s all happened in these first ten years,” she shared. “But what excites us most are the next ten, and the ten after that. Our hope and prayer is that The Lexington Theatre Company outlives us and becomes an absolute staple in the fabric of this beautiful arts community.”
– Dan Koett