Longtime directors of Lexington Children’s Theatre announce departure
After more than 40 years of leading the Lexington Children’s Theatre, Larry and Vivian Snipes are taking a bow.
The couple will retire at the end of this year, the theater announced Monday. The board of directors will announce new leadership soon, according to a news release.
The plan to retire has been in the works for several years.
Since the pandemic has put a damper on much of the theater’s work, Larry and Vivian Snipes said in the release that the timing of their departure will work in the organization’s favor by giving the new leadership an adjustment period.
Vivian Snipes said in the release that it will give new leaders time to “find their strengths ... and carry the organization forward in whatever direction they choose.”
The Lexington Children’s Theatre was founded in 1938 and is one of the oldest continuously-running children’s theaters in the country.
The Snipeses came to Lexington in 1979, when Larry Snipes became producing director of the theater. Two years later, Vivian Snipes joined the staff.
Under their guidance, the theater has grown from a budget of $40,000 a year to a $1.3 million operation that provides arts education to more than 100,000 youngsters each year.
A legacy fund is being established to “sustain the theatre through the next several years, honor the legacy of Larry and Vivian, and underwrite the big ideas our new leadership will bring,” according to the release.
For more information, visit lctonstage.org.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 11:27 AM.
