Nearly a decade ago, Christine Gilmore and a few friends wandered into the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, hoping to escape Moscow’s afternoon heat.
Inside, the crisp smell of popcorn and dusty worn seats filled the cool, damp air. The opening credits of “Mama Mia” began to dance across the screen and Gilmore was enamored.
“I was taken aback by the movie and the beauty and the smells,” Gilmore said. “It really just touched me with a sensory overload.”
Two years later, Gilmore wandered into the Kenworthy again — this time to begin her career as the theater’s executive director and “biggest fa
n.”
Jamie Hill began ripping tickets and serving up popcorn at the Kenworthy five years ago. When she first saw the Portland Cello Project perform live on the Kenworthy’s stage, Hill knew she wanted to be the one to bring the same kind of art to Moscow.
Now, Hill acts as the theater’s operations director, bringing in live and on-screen talent from all over the country.
“In all truth, it’s a 24/7 job that requires a lot of flexibility and spontaneity,” Hill said.
Aquasha DeLusty’s fondest memories of the Kenworthy involve her role in front of the lights. DeLusty, a local drag performer, brought the shadow cast of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” back to life in stilettos and fishnets as the director and pseudo-villain after 10 long years.
“There is a magic in the history of the Kenworthy and you really get to feel it by being in a live theatre production on that stage,” DeLusty said.
The theater, DeLusty said, is a space for all people who love the arts.
However, the now historic downtown Moscow centerpiece did not open its doors with a lineup of color musical films, live orchestral performances or provocative shadow casts.
The building opened as a theater as early as 1908 and commenced use as a public theater in 1927 showcasing live musical performances and silent films, according to the Kenworthy website.
The 330-seat theater did not feature its familiar characteristics Moscow art lovers know today until 1949. The expansive 1,000 square foot stage, colorful terracotta tile facade and brightly lit enlarged marquee were added as the theater continued to grow.
The Kenworthy family owned the premier downtown theater until it was gifted as the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre Inc. in 2000. Two years later, the theatre became part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Gilmore said the Kenworthy, since its conception, has aimed to provide a space for community engagement. As a historic fixture in Moscow, Gilmore said it is important she and her team help organizations large and small utilize what the theater has to offer.
“It’s just amazing the opportunities we have in Moscow purely because of the Kenworthy,” Gilmore said.
When Gilmore first began at the Kenworthy, she said the theater hosted about 200 events a year. That number has since grown to over 350, she said.
Until a decade ago, the Kenworthy’s focus rested on showing evening films.
“We began to ask ourselves, ‘Why can’t we do more and how can we make that work?” Gilmore said. “It’s really just a matter of being here for the community and providing what is best for the community.”
The Kenworthy board of directors, Gilmore said, is made entirely of community volunteers. The 11 members discuss long term goals for the theater such as fundraising, programming and campaigning.
“These people are business owners, academics or retirees — they just bring so much Moscow knowledge to the table,” Gilmore said. The best people for our board are people passionate about the Kenworthy.”
Hill said with so many more features at the Kenworthy, the theater is open seven days a week — a move from the four days a week it was active before Hill began working there.
“Before I worked here I remember numerous days when you would walk by a dark building,” Hill said. “But we are a bustling community gathering space and I love being able to continue adding to our growing calendar of events.”
With blockbuster films, local university features, live opera showings and live arts performances among others, the Kenworthy boasts a full schedule, Gilmore said.
DeLusty said although Moscow houses a robust arts culture, there is always a level of uncertainty when arts budget cuts are prevalent at the university programming and local arts level. Theaters like the Kenworthy, DeLusty said, help keep artistry alive in small communities.
“The Kenworthy is a place for many different styles of performance art can be celebrated,” DeLusty said. “It is important to me to be part of MCT (Moscow Community Theater) and working with the Kenworthy to keep live theater a celebrated part of the history and future of the area.”
Gilmore said many arts lovers would assume they have to travel to Boise or Spokane to find unique artistic experiences. The Kenworthy board with Gilmore, however, aims to keep those experiences in the Moscow area.
Both Gilmore and Hill said their goals lend to continued community outreach. More events mean more people and more people means more time the Kenworthy can spend with its doors open.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about what we can do to get more people aware of and coming to the Kenworthy,” Hill said. “I enjoy sharing this space with all of Moscow.”
Gilmore said the community outreach can be as simple as exposing the Kenworthy through word of mouth or chatting about the next feature with passersby on the street.
“I just love changing the marquee letters in the middle of summer at night — it exposes me to so many people,” Gilmore said. “Some people will stop to tell me ‘you spelled that one wrong,’ but most are completely interested in what is going on with the theater that week.”
It is conversations like that, Gilmore said, that keep people coming back for more at the Kenworthy.
“We are a living theater and our doors will be open to everyone for as long as people love the arts,” Gilmore said.
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at Hailey_ann97