Lexington Children’s Theatre seeks community support to finish $2.5M fundraising campaign
The Lexington Children’s Theatre has spent 25 years providing family-friendly performances in its 418 Short Street home. But that building needs some major upgrades and renovations to stay safe and relevant.
That’s why the theater has spent the last year and a half working on a $2.5 million fundraising campaign to rehab the space. In a press conference Tuesday morning, the organization announced it only has $500,000 left to raise, and they group needs community support to cross the finish line.
“The Lexington Children’s Theatre has a statewide mission of bringing quality arts education experiences to young people throughout Kentucky,” Development Director Ashlee Collins said Tuesday. “We now need the community to help us keep our Short Street home in good repair.”
Several major improvements are already planned through the $2 million raised so far. The city is paying for a portion of a new roof. Keeneland is sponsoring a rehearsal space. VisitLex funded a recently completed mural, designed by local artist Wylie Caudill, on the building’s garage door. The state government allocated money this session for general repairs, as well as two additional touring vans to help the theater take programming across the state.
The theater also wants to renovate and redesign the lobby into a public gathering space, as well as rebuild the exterior of the building facing Short Street.
The third floor is also under an extensive makeover and will be renamed the Alexandra Simpson Education Wing. Simpson performed as a child in several of the theater’s shows before becoming an active supporter as an adult.
When Simpson died in 2022 from a rare cancer she battled on and off for years, she left a $140,000 gift to the Lexington Children’s Theatre. That gift was the inspiration for the fundraising campaign.
“We know she wanted her gifts to leave this place a better world, a better place, and to create a ripple effect that would encourage others to help children in our community,” Alexandra’s mother and theater board member Melanie Simpson Conley said.
“I know Alex is smiling down on us today, knowing that we are celebrating this theater and the lives that it touches every day.”
The Lexington Children’s Theatre, which has the designation of being the official state children’s theater of Kentucky, says it provides programming and education for over 60,000 children across 40 counties each year.
The theater is not the only children’s cultural center looking for community support.
The Lexington Children’s Museum, located on the same block as the Children’s Theatre, recently announced its plans to build a new location in the Davis Park area on the outskirts of downtown Lexington.
The Children’s Museum received a $2 million allocation in 2025 from the city and a $5.8 million one-time allocation from the state legislature for the new building. A capital campaign will begin after a cost and design study is completed.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 1:23 PM.
