BY KAREN BOSSICK
The late John Glenn is being honored with a stage named for him and a legacy fund.
Company of Fools is renaming the stage at the Liberty Theatre the John C. Glenn Stage to honor the Fools’ former artistic director who always delighted in telling audiences, “We’re just so amazed and grateful that you choose to be part of our family.”
In addition, the theater company has created the John C. Glenn Legacy Fund as a way for community members, artists and patrons to donate funds in his memory. The donations will support the physical, structural and programmatic needs of the historic Hailey theater in accordance with Glenn’s wishes.
This could include repairs to the roof and building new restrooms or purchasing new lighting and sound equipment. The fools hope to engage an architecture firm to assess the building. Total costs of a renovation will be in the $3 million range.
Already, the Legacy Fund has received a donation of $100,000 from the von der Heyden Family Foundation. Company of Fools and the Sun Valley Center for the Arts hope to raise upwards of $750,000 for The Legacy Fund.
“One of my first experiences here at The Liberty was finding a manila folder in a drawer of my desk,” noted Scott Palmer, who recently stepped into the role as producing artistic director of Company of Fools. “Inside that folder was a stack of papers—floor plans of The Liberty, with notes scrawled in John’s handwriting reflecting his thoughts and dreams for the future of this building he loved so well. The Legacy Fund will act as a powerful vehicle both to honor John’s legacy and support his vision of renovating and refurbishing this amazing venue.”
Christine Davis-Jeffers, the executive director at The Center, offered similar sentiments, noting that the last project she and Glenn worked on involved the initial stages of planning to refurbish The Liberty Theatre.
“John shared his desire to connect audience and actors in a deeper way and ultimately he wanted the experience of the audience to be the best it could be while making the Liberty Theatre a beacon of theatrical excellence in our small community, region and beyond,” she said.
Glenn, a co-founder of the Fools, passed away on June 9, 2017, at age 55, after suffering complications following back surgery to relieve neck pain.
He moved to the Wood River Valley from Richmond, Va., where he was always looking for stories of the heart that would bring community together and make the world a little better through the plays he brought to the stage.
He even endeared himself to the children of the Wood River Valley as he played the Snail with the Mail in “A Year with Frog and Toad.” He also took to the stage of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, now the Sun Valley Music Festival, to retell the story of “Peter and the Wolf” and other childhood favorites.
For more information about the John C. Glenn Legacy Fund, visit https://sunvalleycenter.org/john-c-glenn-legacy-fund. Or, contact Scott Palmer at spalmer@sunvalleycenter.org or 208-788-6520.
Checks can be made to the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and mailed to Box 656, Sun Valley, ID 83353. Note that it is for the John C. Glenn Legacy Fund. Gifts are 100 percent tax deductible.