Sonoma County’s ‘godfather of theater’ Jim de Priest dies at 79

Jim de Priest, known affectionately as Sonoma County’s “godfather of theater,” died of cancer March 2 at a Santa Rosa hospital. He was 79.

He was characterized as a tough taskmaster and a truly nice guy. He devoted his entire life to theater, first in his native state of Nevada and later in Southern California, where he co-founded the now prestigious South Coast Repertory Company in Costa Mesa in 1964.

“You have to respect people who know what they’re talking about, and he certainly did,” said actor, playwright and video producer John Moran of Santa Rosa. “He really was the godfather of the modern style of theater here. He was a very big influence.”

Already experienced as both an actor and director, de Priest moved to Sonoma County in 1986. During his three decades here, he co-founded a string of theater companies, most notably the Main Street Theater in Sebastopol in 1993, which became the Sonoma County Repertory Company, with venues in Sebastopol and downtown Santa Rosa.

He went on to co-found the Shakespeare on the Green series at Windsor Town Green in 2005 and the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center in 2010 and remained there until 2014, said Steven David Martin, artistic director of the Raven Players in Healdsburg.

A Raven Players production of “Lend Me a Tenor” in September was the last show de Priest directed, Martin said.

“As a director, Jim was always handy with an insightful note, such as ‘act better’ or ‘be taller,’” Martin said in a written tribute to de Priest. “He was stubborn as a goat, generous to a fault, always ready with a smile, a smoke and a joke.”

Born Aug. 1, 1936, in Albuquerque, N.M., de Priest grew up in the Reno area and graduated with a degree in theater from the University of Nevada in 1958.

In 1960, de Priest married his childhood sweetheart, Carol Gardenswartz, who graduated a year behind him at the university. They had two sons, Aaron and Joel, and divorced in 1971. She died Feb. 23 in Sparks, Nev.

“They remained close friends all of their lives,” said de Priest’s son Joel, who lives in Sparks. “They died eight days apart.”

In addition to his son Joel and Joel’s wife Lydia, de Priest is survived by his son Aaron of Gilroy and two grandchildren.

A celebration of de Priest’s life will be held at 7 p.m. March 25 at the Raven Performing Arts Center in Healdsburg.

Donations in de Priest’s honor may be made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County at bgccsc.org or at 1400 N. Dutton Ave., Suite 14, Santa Rosa 95401.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.