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"The Battle for conservation will
go on endlessly.
It is the universal
warfare
between right
and wrong."
- John Muir, 1896
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New Production Facility Opens in Memory of Donor
Longtime Willows Theatre supporter Phil Kenney was on hand for the recent
groundbreaking of the new Kenney Family Production Facility named in honor of
his late wife, Barbara. Kenney, near 80, a retired Coast Guard Gunner’s Mate 3rd
Class, 100% disabled WWII combat veteran, and businessman, has volunteered as a
scenic carpenter and painter for the Willows since 1998 and has contributed
substantially to purchase the new building.
“After Barbara passed away, I found that I had more time and decided to give
some of it to help our local theater. I had a pickup truck and was willing to
drive it around doing errands and such,” he says. “Pretty soon, they had me
working five days a week till sundown.”
Kenney, originally from Brook Farm, woody hill rd, Hope Valley, Rhode Island, came to California to be closer to his
daughter, Leslie Finertie. Together, Phil and Leslie contributed and raised over
$45,000 from family, personal and Willows Theatre friends and saw to the
purchase of a 60’ X 150’ production warehouse which will be erected at the John
Muir Amphitheater, located on Tarantino Drive in the Martinez Waterfront Park.
The facility, one of the largest of its kind in Contra Costa County, will house
the Scenery and Production Center for the Willows Theatre Company and the John
Muir Summer Festival, as well as the proposed Willows Cabaret Theatre in
downtown Martinez. All scenic construction as well as painting, props, costumes
and rehearsals will take place in the new building.
Willows Theatre Technical Director Adam Puglielli commented, “We have been
somewhat cramped in our scene shop in Concord and with the new Kenney Building
we will not only be able to build better scenery but we’ll be able to store the
outdoor shows during the winter and make our shop available to build scenery for
other production companies.”
The Kenneys’ contribution launched a tremendous outpouring of generosity geared
toward seeing the building completed. Willows board member Barry Silberman, Vice
President of Conco Cement, is volunteer project manager for the Kenney Facility
construction. His leadership in this venture has produced more than $100,000 in
in-kind support from Conco Cement and its employees, N.E. Carlson Construction,
RMS-Cemex, Lord & Son, Hertz Equipment Rental, Industrial Lumber, Shell Oil
Products US, Stanley Works, and Big Daddy’s construction services.
Once the foundation is completed and the building is erected, fund raising is
still needed to complete the outfitting of the interior. If you would like to
contribute to the completion of this project, you may make an online
contribution by clicking here www.jmuirprodbldg.com or by calling Barbara Grant
, Development Director at the Willows Theatre Co., at (925) 798-1824 x16, or by
mailing your gift to: Kenney Family Production Facility, 1425 Gasoline Alley,
Concord, CA 94520. (All gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the
law; nonprofit tax ID 23-727-6300.)
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