Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her husband, writer/director Brad Hall, recently made a major donation to the Lompoc Theatre Project (LTP), an initiative to restore and re-open the Lompoc Theatre. Louis-Dreyfus is known for her role as Elaine Benes from Seinfeld and her role as Selina Meyer on Veep, for which she received her ninth Emmy Award this year.
“We are thrilled and honored to be involved in the Lompoc Theatre Project,” Louis-Dreyfus in a release from the LTP. “We are firm believers that this theatre will be the beating cultural heart of the community.”
“I was born in Santa Barbara County and can’t wait to see this project start, finish, and flourish,” said Hall, who worked with his wife behind the camera on many episodes of Veep. Louis-Dreyfus met Hall while both attended Northwestern University. They married in 1987. Prior to that, Hall attended Allan Hancock College where he befriended Mark Herrier, president of the board of directors of the LTP. Hall and Herrier were both students of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre, PCPA.
“To have the support of your friends is always special,” Herrier said in the release. “But when your friends are renowned for their philanthropy, have worldwide reputations, and only donate to select causes that make a difference to our state, our nation, and our world, for them to include Lompoc as a part of that, is special indeed.”
LTP plans to use the donation to clear the Lompoc Theatre of hazardous materials such as mold and asbestos. The next goal is repairing the theater roof, which has several leaks and other structural damage. The organization hopes to eventually replace the roof altogether.
For more information on the Lompoc Theatre Project, visit lompoctheatre.org.
This article appears in Nov 24 – Dec 1, 2016.