Movie stars Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have donated the Liberty Theatre, in the small Idaho town of Hailey, to a local theatre troupe, Company of Fools.
The Idaho Statesman reports that Willis and Moore bought the former cinema in 1995, and invited Company of Fools (COF) to move to the town from Richmond, VA, where the troupe was founded.
Ever since then, COF has been mounting productions in the space, partly with the support of the couple, who divorced in 2000 but continued their interest in the theatre and the community, where they raised their children.
Willis, who made his Broadway debut in Misery (2015) and is known for several major Hollywood franchises, including the Die Hard series, appeared at the Liberty Theatre in Fool for Love (1997) and True West (2001).
COF merged with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in 2013, becoming the largest indigenous performing arts organization in that state. COF recently concluded its holiday production of the musical A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine.
Artistic director John Glenn was quoted in the Statesman, saying, “Bruce and Demi originally envisioned the Liberty as a place for the community to gather.... I am so proud of the work we have accomplished so far, and Bruce and Demi’s belief in our work is demonstrated in this unbelievable gift.”
