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Arts & Entertainment

Celebrating Half a Century — And a Lot of Curtain Calls

The Contra Costa Civic Theatre reaches the 50-year milestone this year, with much to look back on and forward to.

The Flynns are more than a local theater family.  They are the powerhouses behind the Contra Costa Civic Theatre, celebrating its 50th year this season.  Famous for its Pocket Theater, survival as a non-profit and community involvement, the company recently spilled out into the streets on a sunny afternoon for a big 50th anniversary reunion cast party.

Fifty years of successful productions have brought together many talented individuals, created lifelong friendships and told amazing stories to pass on to future generations of theater lovers.  This community-based theater is one of only three live theaters in West Contra Costa County, featuring four to six productions a year, offering drama classes for youth, and maintaining local support as a vital aspect of its long-standing success.

Bettianne and Louis Flynn began the adventure at Blake Street and San Pablo Avenue in 1960, in the formerly abandoned Vista Movie Theater and currently the home of Atlas Liquor. Louis Flynn had played Elwood P. Dowd in "Harvey" in 1958, with the Community Players in Point Richmond.  The next year, the couple staged their first production, an original play called "The Orchid Sandwich."  This show would be one of many successes directed by Louis Flynn, who went on to produce, direct and act in various plays throughout the years. 

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In 1970, the former building was sold and it was left to Bettianne Flynn to convince El Cerrito's city manager of the organization's necessity.  The theater moved into an empty Boys Club building, which was renovated and remains its home today on Pomona Avenue and Moeser Lane.  Twenty families, famously dubbed "The Magnificent Twenty," contributed $1,000 each for the renovation.  With their donations and through a variety of fundraising activities, the building was transformed into a new home. 

Bettianne Flynn, one half of the indomitable spirit behind the theater, was an accountant and educator and worked for the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce for many years, but her heart is, to this day, visible in the theater.  Her drive and business sense were undoubtedly a huge part of the success of the enterprise, as was the dynamic between her and her husband.  At the same time, the efforts of countless friends and the belief of a sizable group of people also contributed to making the organization what it is today.  Bettianne Flynn passed on not only this theater but also a community of support built around the values of a unique vision to her own children, who today carry on their parent generation's legacy.                                                                        

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Bettianne Flynn died in 1996 of complications of Alzheimer's disease, while Louis served as artistic director and producer until his death in 2008.  Of Louis Flynn, Chris Treadway of the Contra Costa Times wrote, "Being CCCT's patriarch, resident actor and director for nearly a half-century was the realization of a dream for Flynn, who became smitten 
with acting when he appeared in a school play at age 6 in his native Missouri.  His fascination with show business continued to grow, and even his reminiscences of service in the U.S. Army during World War II focused on the USO shows and entertainers more than on his combat time in Italy, Southern France and Germany."

The Flynn's children, Matt Flynn and Kathleen Flynn Ray, remain a part of the theater story today. Ray adamantly believes that a huge part of the Contra Costa Civic Theatre community is the vision of "keeping kids on the stage."  Not only did she herself learn everything she knows through theater, but she too has passed on her commitment to that vision to her children.  They are now counselors in the Summer Drama Camp, which began in 1989.  This year, 278 participants put together two productions at the end of a two-week-long session.  The camp teaches children to be comfortable on stage, have fun, and enjoy a great opportunity to make long-time friends. 

As a child in the theater herself, Ray spent countless hours scraping gum off the bottoms of seats donated by the Lux Theater in the '70s.  "I still haven't chewed gum to this day," she says. 

Matt Flynn is an architect and art director living in L.A., yet he still has a hand in art direction at the theater.  That kind of commitment has kept the identity of this theater what it was when it began in 1960, although there have been a few hard knocks along the way.  In 1968, the original theater building was sold and the organization became homeless.  It wasn't until 1970 that a new permanent residence was secured in its current building.  During the two-year interim, the organization built and broke down sets at Harding Elementary School.  The company refused to let stagelessness stop the show.

The 50th anniversary party on July 31 attracted dozens of former actors, behind-the-scenes contributors, friends and family from over the decades.  Kimberly Mayer, member of the Board of Directors, has been a friend of the Flynns for two decades.  An El Cerrito native, she was part of the artistic staff in the 1980s, working on costumes for such productions as "Once Upon a Mattress" and "My Fair Lady."

Elaine Korry is one of the mothers who volunteer as a way to support their children's passion for the stage.  Her daughter, Mira, attended the Summer Drama Camp this year and experienced a gamut of learning experiences: auditioning for parts, memorizing lines, performing dance, singing and more.  

The McMurrys are a classic example of a family who keeps coming back for more.  All six of the McMurray children were once a part of a production of "Seven Brides and Seven Brothers," lifetimes ago.  Today, those children are adults.  Alex McMurray, who attended the anniversary party with his mother, Janet McMurray, was happy to see "children [he] used to teach years ago, now with their own kids," returning for a piece of theater pie.  The youngest McMurry, Dallas, now performs in the Mark Morris Dance Group in New York.  He is one of many talented performers who got their start at the Contra Costa Civic Theatre.   

The theater sustains itself through the support of the city, local subscribers, donors, and the time of countless volunteers, along with a small and dedicated staff. The theater's devoted supporters believe that because the dream started with a love of the stage and a commitment to excellence, the Contra Costa Civic Theatre has established a legacy of family, friendship, and great theater.  Added to that is the continual support and contribution of a large reservoir of talent -- from families that have decades-long relationships with the organization to the wider range of residents of El Cerrito and surrounding areas who appreciate the special nature of such a long-standing live theater -- that allow this company to stamp itself into local history as a theater that hits close to home.   

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