A Stage for Every Story: The Lexington Theatre Company’s Impact on the Community

For Mindy McGirt and her son Isaac, the classes at the Lexington Theatre Company are more than just an extracurricular activity. McGirt said that these classes have given Issac, who has autism, a comfortable and safe space to learn and play. 

Students at The Lexington Theatre Company practice ballet with a barre on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. Photo by Gianna Mancini

“We have seen Isaac’s confidence grow, and he’s been able to make his own friendships separate from his brother,” McGirt said. “Watching him go from being somebody who wanted to hide behind all of the props to being somebody who would introduce the next performers on stage … it was pretty cool.” 

This was Lyndy Franklin Smith and Jeromy Smith’s goal when founding the Lexington Theatre Company — to give all artists a safe, supportive environment for lifelong learning. 

In 2015, Lyndy and Jeromy founded the company as a way to give back to the theatre community after their successful careers. 

Lexington Theatre Company instructor, Lyndy Franklin Smith teaching ballet class on Monday, September 9th, 2024 in Lexington, KY by Gianna Mancini.

After graduating college from Oklahoma City University where the couple met, Lyndy performed in national tours of “Fosse” while Jeromy toured “Swing” and “42nd Street.” Once they moved to New York, Lyndy was in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular while Jeromy performed regionally around the country. 

Jeromy eventually transitioned into show management on Broadway, and shortly after Lyndy booked her first Broadway show as a performer. 

“So for the last half of our time in New York, I was performing in Broadway shows and he was managing Broadway shows and shows in development,” Lyndy said. “It was amazing. We were living our dreams and it was an incredible time.”

Once the couple knew they wanted to settle down and start a family, they decided to move to central Kentucky where Lyndy grew up. At the same time, Lyndy was moving from being a performer to being on the production side like Jeromy, but as a choreographer and associate director. 

Lyndy and Jeromy, based in Lexington, continued to travel to regional theatres to choreograph and direct shows. They spent a lot of time at Music Theatre Wichita, a regional theatre in Kansas. 

“It’s where we got our start as performers, and they brought us back as directors and choreographers,” Lyndy said. 

Lyndy said that they had the idea to bring a professional theatre company to Lexington on their drives back and forth while traveling. She said that they saw a robust arts and culture scene in Lexington and that she felt the city deserved a company like Music Theatre Wichita. 

“It was a source of pride for the Wichita, Kansas community … having this Broadway-caliber theatre in their backyard,” she said. “Lexington deserves to have professional, regional theatre. It’s not just seeing high-quality theatre, it’s seeing high-quality theatre made in your town, and your town is a part of it.” 

Creating high-quality theatre with and for the community is one-half of the Lexington Theatre Company’s twofold mission, according to Lyndy. The other half of their mission is to train and educate people of all ages in theatre. 

Lyndy said that they’ve always educated actors through productions, with things like internships and apprenticeships. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and they were forced to pause all productions indefinitely, Lyndy planned to continue their mission. 

“I say to everyone, there was nothing easy about that time, but the decisions that we made were very simple because our mission was so clear,” Lyndy said. “Right now we can’t create theatre, we still can train.” 

The Lexington Theatre Company put on a free summer of online learning for children, teenagers and adults with a variety of classes. Lyndy said that it was a huge success, so they wanted to keep offering classes. 

The online classes turned into an in-person education program called the Artist Development Program.  

Since the Lexington Theatre Company believes in lifelong learning, the program offers classes for all ages. 

For students in preschool through 12th grade, the company offers music, dance and acting classes. For adult students, they offer the core classes plus more, including theatre dance and musical storytelling. 

Lexington Theatre Company adult dance class on Monday, September 9th, 2024 in Lexington, KY by Gianna Mancini.

When the classes first started in-person after the pandemic, the company didn’t have a building of its own. They were holding classes anywhere with a space large enough. 

“The more space we could find, the more classes we could offer. Then this beautiful building became a reality this past year,” Lyndy said.

Their new building at 2323 Alexandria Drive is especially significant for Lyndy and the company. 

In August 2022, Alexandra Simpson, a student at the Lexington Theatre Company, died when her childhood cancer returned during her senior year of college. 

After Simpson’s death, Lyndy said that they found out she left a legacy gift for the company. 

“We talked to Alex’s mom and we were like, you know, we’d love to use that gift to help us get into a space,” Lyndy said. “And the gift was such that it gave us the confidence that we could take a leap like that.” 

A plaque for Alexandra Hudson Simpson, a Lexington Theatre Company student who died from cancer in August 2022. Photo by Gianna Mancini

Lyndy said she thinks Simpson had a “heavenly hand” in finding their building. 

“Alex would’ve been 23 years old in 2023, and the gift and finding this building all happened in 2023, and our address here is 2323 Alexandria Drive,” Lyndy said. “So I feel like Alex picked this out for us and said, ‘This is where you’re going to be.’” 

In the new building, the company dedicated the main theatre to Simpson, with a silver plaque hanging right outside in commemoration. 

As they begin their first full season of the Artist Development Program in their new building, Lyndy said that she’s excited “to welcome this student body into their artistic home.” 

For Lindsay Nunneley’s family, the Artist Development Program has made a positive impact on both her children and her family as a whole. 

Nunnelley has two children, both enrolled in the Artist Development Program. Ian, 11, and Margot, 10, have been taking classes for three years at the Lexington Theatre Company. 

Nunnelley said that in the classes, they do a great job at keeping the students active and making sure they’re constantly learning. She also loves that the classes don’t just focus on modern musicals, but the teachers make an effort to introduce the children to musicals from different eras. 

Lexington Theatre Company ballet student following intructor on Monday, September 9th, 2024 in Lexington, KY by Gianna Mancini.

“It’s not always the Disney musicals, but musicals from the 50s and 60s,” she said. “And it makes them want to explore more of that era so they learn a bit of history from that, which I really enjoy.”

Nunnelley said that she has a past in music, having been involved in the band when she was younger. She said that the Artist Development Program allowed her to grow closer with her children because of that mutual interest. 

“I’ll be honest, when they first started taking the classes, we almost bonded better as a family because they were learning stuff from my past, and if I had shown it to them it wouldn’t have been cool, but they were learning it together and they got closer too,” Nunnelley said. 

Lyndy said storytelling and music are essential and are at the heart of all their classes and productions. 

“I think storytelling … it’s who we are, it’s how we understand our past, it’s how we find common ground, it’s how we cope with what’s going on, it’s how we find our future, it’s how we learn,” she said. “I think storytelling and stories are essential to humans as a human being.” 

When music is added to the story, Lyndy said that it heightens everything in the production. 

“Our slogan here is musicals make life better and I believe it through and through. I just feel like we need these stories and then when they can be told in such an engaging and emotional way. I just think there’s nothing better,” she said. 

Celebration during Lexington Theatre Company children's tap class on Monday, September 9th, 2024 in Lexington, KY by Gianna Mancini.

Lyndy watches every production, and she said that regardless of where she stands, whether it’s back of the house or in the audience, there’s nothing that she loves more than feeling the energy and the emotion of theatre. 

She said there’s something so special about experiencing a story with a group of people and seeing how the emotion impacts the performance. 

“I feel like this has been a calling, I know it’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than Jeromy, there’s something larger at work here,” Lyndy said. “But it is humbling. It’s an honor to get to be at the center of it all and to see all of it happening.” 

Lyndy hopes that the legacy of the Lexington Theatre Company lasts in the community. 

“I hope we continue to touch lives,” she said. “I hope people continue to love musical theatre and stay creative, and that we continue to be an important part of what central Kentucky is proud of.”