The Lyric’s Board of Directors fired Executive Director Christian Adair after a meeting Tuesday night.
The move was first reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader. The report says none of the venue's scheduled events have been affected or canceled.
According to a social media post, Adair said the board, which is made up of 15 members, “wanted to move in a different direction.”
“Leading The Lyric has been one of the greatest honors of my career, building a place rooted in love, inclusion, and equity for our whole community,” Adair wrote in the Facebook post. “I'm proud of what we built together, and I leave it stronger than I found it.”
The Lyric originally opened in the 1940s as a cultural touchstone of Lexington’s Black community. It reopened in 2010 after closing in the 1960s and falling into disrepair.
Adair had been the theater’s executive director since 2023. He took over following the resignation of Whit Whitaker, who had held the top post since 2019.
Adair said he’s now fully committing to his work at the Male Mentoring Institute, a youth empowerment and leadership organization.
The Lyric’s board did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why it ousted Adair.
