The College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Fresno will dedicate the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre in a celebration scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19 in the Lyles Gallery at the Speech Arts Building.
The donors and Fresno State President John D. Welty will speak at the event. A reception will follow a brief program.
The 190-seat theatre, formerly named the Arena Theatre, will undergo $500,000 in improvements, including new lighting and sound and stage improvements. The make-up room, green room and dressing rooms also are being remodeled.
In 2006, the Woods agreed to help find donors for the Arena Theatre upgrade project and ended up being the project’s main donors, making a gift of $250,000 to trigger a matching gift from the Harry C. Mitchell Trust. The trust was established to “forward the cultural advancement of the citizens of Fresno.”
Dennis Woods is a Fresno native who received his bachelor’s degree in English from Fresno State in 1969. His wife, Cheryl, whom he met while attending Roosevelt High School, also grew up in Fresno. The couple has two children and five grandchildren.
For more information on the dedication, please call Moon-ja Yunouye in the Fresno State Development Office at 559.278.8341.
