In the early 1900s, Black drag was happening in Lexington from the Woodland Park Auditorium to the Lyric Theatre. Newspaper clippings even mention James Herndon performing as Sweet Evening Breeze, in “The Passion Dance of the Bongo-Bangoes” at the Woodland Auditorium in the 1920s and 1930s. As the years went on, other venues in Lexington began to pop up and showcase Black LGBTQ performers.

Performer [Verrano Willis] at drag show, Lyric Theater, Lexington, KY, October 14, 1960, John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader Collection, UK Special Collections

Founded in 1948, The Lyric Theatre was a cultural hub for Black audiences during segregation, and it quickly became a beloved community space. Legends such as James Brown, B.B. King, Count Basie, Tina Turner, and Redd Foxx even performed on their stage. From world-renowned acts on the Chitlin’ Circuit to local performers, the Lyric was a center of African American arts, and entertainment.

The Lyric Theatre, Lexington, KY, 2020.

In 1960, though, shows that had just decades before been celebrated in Woodland Park Auditorium were now raided by the Lexington Police at the Lyric Theatre. On Friday, October 14, 1960, a drag show at the Lyric Theatre was interrupted by Detectives James Perkins and Carl Shye. Perkins was the first African American sergeant, lieutenant, and captain with the Lexington Police Department. Two performers, Princess de Carlo (William Campbell, Jr.) and Verrano Willis, were arrested under the “lewdness ordinance” that prohibited men from wearing women’s clothing and makeup, except on Halloween night. The performers’ names and faces were published in the Lexington Leader. The ordinance was eventually abolished in 1969. 

Lexington Detectives James Perkins and Carl Shye raid drag show at Lyric Theater on October 14, 1960 and put performer “*Princess de Carlo” in wagon. *William Campbell, Jr., John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader Collection, UK Special Collections

The Lyric Theatre ended up closing its doors in 1963 and remained closed for decades. As it turned out, very few people knew about these early drag shows, or the police raids. The moment had been lost to history. These images, though, were uncovered by The University of Kentucky’s Special Collections and showcased for Black History Month in 2015. The exhibit, “A Pictorial History: African American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Persons in Kentucky” was shown in the lobby of the University of Kentucky’s Margaret I. King Library Building and is still available to view online.

In 2010, after a major community effort and support from the city of Lexington, The Lyric Theatre underwent extensive renovations and hosted a triumphant reopening. A few years later, in 2017, Bluegrass Black Pride finally brought drag back to the Lyric stage. Their show, titled “Reflections: A Drag Show,” was first held in April of 2017, 57 years after the police raid. 

Poster for “Reflections: A Drag Show,” April 9, 2017.

Now, 65 years after its opening, The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center continues to stand as a vibrant beacon of Black heritage and community engagement in the heart of Lexington’s historic East End. Queer excellence is still highlighted through events like “Reflections: A Drag Show” that supports Bluegrass Black Pride and “Slay Bells, A Holiday Drag & Variety Show Spectacular” that benefits Moveable Feast, a non-profit who delivers meals to those impacted with HIV.

The Lyric Theatre is also a part of FMA’s Pride of Place Walking Tour, launched June of 2020. This self-guided walking tour visits sites that tell remarkable stories of courage, freedom, and the struggle for equality by Lexington’s LGBTQ community. You can pick up free printed copies from the Lexington Visitor’s Center or download a virtual copy and request a free printed copy by visiting www.faulknermorgan.org/pride-of-place-walking-tour.

Pride of Place Walking Tour, 2020, Faulkner Morgan Archive.