A little theater in Kaysville, Utah has given hope to families battling cancer for ten years. Ogden musician Kendra Reese, who has supported Hopebox Theatre over the past decade, is Now the recipient.

NEWS

Kaysville, Utah – Ogden resident and musician Kendra Reese is the recipient of funds raised during Hopebox Theatre’s production of “Jekyll and Hyde,” now playing through Oct. 26.

A day after the first rehearsal for the theater’s production of “Oliver,” which she was part of with the original rock band Silence the Critic, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Now, after participating in Hopebox Theatre as an audience member and performer since its start in 2014, Reese is the beneficiary of the theater’s fundraising efforts. 

Every production at Hopebox Theatre is a tribute and fundraiser to a community member facing cancer. Recipients are selected through community nominations and board votes, and all donations received during the show go directly to the recipient on closing night. 

The theater was founded by Jan T. Williams, a four-time cancer survivor, who was inspired to create a space of hope and support for those battling cancer. She makes it a point to let recipients know the money is theirs to use as they see fit: “Treatment or vacation, I don’t care what they do with it.”

Williams was inspired to create Hopebox in 2014 after a group of her students from her theater school Showstoppers Academy, where she could no longer teach due to her ongoing cancer battle, showed up at her door singing her favorite tunes from musicals like “Wicked” and “Rent.”

“That night it inspired me and gave me hope,” she said. It gave her the idea to use performing arts to help others facing cancer feel the same.

Hopebox Theatre opened that September with a production of “Hairspray Junior” by her Showstopper students and became a nonprofit in February 2015. As of this year, they’ve helped over 80 families, and run six to seven productions a year with a professional cast and crew from Logan to Magna.

Williams has been cancer-free since 2017.

Reese continued to perform during the production of “Oliver” despite undergoing chemotherapy. She never missed a rehearsal or a show. “I didn’t want to let anyone down,” she said. 

The cast and crew surprised Reese during the theater’s last production, “Mary Poppins,” to announce with cupcakes and balloons that she was the recipient of “Jekyll and Hyde.” 

“I honestly didn’t know what to say,” Reese said. “I feel like there are so many more deserving people out there than me.” But she received it with an open heart, a first for Reese who has always struggled to accept help or even a compliment. “I felt so lucky they’d want to do that for me.” 

Reese, originally from Roy, Utah, is a mom of 20-year-old twin boys and works at Hill Air Force Base. She was introduced to Hopebox Theatre by her partner Ken Corbran who helped provide electrical and furnishings to get the theater started.

Left to right: Kendra Reese, Reese and her twin sons, Reese and partner Ken Corbran, and Reese and band Silence the Critic. Photos provided by Reese

A few years ago Corbran needed a bassist for his Ogden-based rock band Silence the Critic and Reese asked Corbran to teach her to play. She performed five days later and has been the band’s bassist ever since. 

The “Wall of Hope” recipient is the heart and soul of their production, recognized in the set design details and through cheers and communications from cast and crew at rehearsals. They and their entire family are invited to closing night, where they are honored on stage after the performance and receive a check consisting of all the donations from the production, a commemorative plaque for the Wall of Hope, and gifts from the set.

“Jekyll and Hyde” includes elements inspired by Reese, such as a “Lady Kendra’s” tavern named after her, whiskey instead of gin (the popular tonic of the time period), and a date in Hyde's diary, Oct. 28, that is Kendra's birthday. 

Reese finished chemotherapy on Sept. 25. and will undergo a double mastectomy on Oct. 29, a day after her birthday. She is looking forward to seeing the production of “Jekyll and Hyde” with her family on closing night, Oct. 26, now as a recipient rather than an attendee or performer.

“The closing night is overwhelming,” Reese said. “It makes you feel like a part of something so much bigger than yourself.” 

Donations for Kendra Reese are accepted online, through ticket sales, and at the performances throughout the production of “Jekyll and Hyde” which runs through Oct. 26.

Hopebox Theatre is located at 1700 S. Frontage Rd. in Kaysville, Utah. Visit hopeboxtheater.com for tickets and information.