BY MIKE MCKENNA
There once was a time when it seemed that the historic Liberty Theater in Hailey was destined to be destroyed.
The theater sat empty on Main Street for years. The building was said to be in such a state of disrepair that hopeless rumors about its future were floating around town. Some feared the theater was going to get torn down or get turned into condos.
Thankfully, Logan Fredrickson—the owner of the local Windermere real estate offices—stepped in to purchase the property and fix it back up to its glory days of hosting plays and films, talks and musical performances.
“He’s the good guy who stepped up to save the theater,” Naomi McDougall Jones said. “When we all walked back in there, we sobbed. It’s incredible to have a theater like this in Hailey.”
Naomi is the executive and artistic director for The Liberty Theatre Company (TLTC). She is celebrating her first full year on the job and the Liberty opening back up for the first time in years this weekend is the icing on the cake.
“It’s been pretty amazing. The community has been so supportive,” said Naomi, who moved to the Wood River Valley from New York City to take over TLTC. It’s the latest chapter in her impressive career as an author, filmmaker and actress.
Naomi had two goals when she arrived. One was somewhat simple, while the other one was downright radical. First, she wanted to start blending our rich pool of local talent with nationally-recognized theater artists. This has not only elevated the quality of their productions, but has been fun and inspiring for local actors and production crewmembers.
The second goal is what Naomi calls “radical access to theater.” She wanted to make sure that anyone who wanted to come see a performance, could. It’s why they created the “Pay What You Feel” program for last year’s shows. It was such a hit that it was hard to get tickets most nights.
Getting the community to come and enjoy theater is one thing, getting people to get involved is another. That’s why TLTC created the 24-Hour Theater Festival last summer. It was, as Naomi explained, “wildly successful.” The show sold out and featured participants from eight to 93 years old.
TLTC is wrapping up its 2023/24 season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Disgraced, running from February 16 through March 2 at the Liberty Theatre.
On February 19, TLTC will team up with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival to put on an abridged A Midsummer Night’s Dream, recommended for students sixth through 12th grades. On March 4, they will partner with Idaho Theater for Youth to put on The Legend of Finn McCoy, recommended for students from kindergarten through sixth grade. TLTC will be announcing its 2024/25 season in April.
With the Liberty Theatre back open, Naomi’s top-notch team at TLTC performing in front of big crowds most nights, and more locals getting involved all the time, there’s no doubt that theater is alive and doing very well in the Wood River Valley.