Theatre 29 recently was honored with a bequest from the estate of esteemed TV and Film Actress Estelle Harris towards the community theatre’s youth program.
When Estelle Harris passed away in 2022 at 93 years old, she had left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Most famous as George’s mom, Estelle Costanza, in Seinfeld, and Mrs. Potato head in the Toy Story Franchise, she had a body of work ranging from literally hundreds of Radio and TV commercials in the 80’s to feature appearances in major Television shows and feature films.
But, before all her success, Estelle struggled living in New York while raising three children. Her son, Joshua Tree resident and County Supervisor’s Field Representative Glen Harris, says it was Community Theatre that saved his family and provided his mom with the road to success. He tells the story of how, while barely making ends meet, she pursued her love of performing at local amateur community theaters, then dinner theaters, regional theaters and summer stock productions throughout the country. That path eventually led her to Hollywood and a stellar career.
To honor her, he recently made a $10,000 donation for Theatre 29 Children’s Programs in his mom’s honor. The donation was earmarked to support the Theatre 29 Summer Youth Theatre Program and new children’s dance classes. Harris said “She always adored meeting and greeting children of all ages everywhere she went — and of course making them laugh. Her passion was her work, and her work was her passion”.
Theatre 29 President Charles Harvey expressed his deep gratitude for the donation, saying, “We are so thankful that the Harris family honored Estelle by supporting the grass-roots amateur theatre arts that launched her career. In giving to our children’s programs, they are giving our children the gift of an appreciation for the live arts that they will hold for a lifetime.”
Donations are still being sought as Theatre 29 has launched a major improvement program to upgrade aging lighting and sound systems. More information is available at theatre29.org or by contacting Harvey at [email protected].
Founded in 1999, Theatre 29 is an all-volunteer, Non-profit (501(c)(3)) (EIN 55-0808217), community theatre organization. They operate from 73637 Sullivan Road in the city of Twentynine Palms “To engage, educate, and entertain our communities through performing arts”.
