In 1981 Ms. Chinoy and a collaborator, Linda Walsh Jenkins, published "Women in American Theater," an extensive collection of essays, diaries and interviews by various writers dealing with the contributions of women to the theater as actresses, directors, playwrights, designers, theater managers and theater founders.
Joint discussions for the construction of a regional theater foundered, and the Lancaster Performing Arts Center was built while Palmdale's theater plans stalled.
The event is hosted by the Peoples Improv Theater's founder, Ali Farahnakian.
Ms. Lythcott is the daughter of the theater's founder, Barbara Ann Teer, who died in 2008.
Gail Merrifield Papp, a trustee and the widow of the theater's founder, expressed enthusiasm for the renovation.
Jeffrey Horowitz, the theater's founder, said that he was not deflated.
"The festival has always been a push to manage," said Christina Augello, the theater's founder and artistic director.
As chairman, Mr. Dale helped raise $15 million for a new building, said Jackie Taylor, the theater's founder and executive director.
"I'm not going to talk about it," said Gail Papp, the widow of the theater's founder, Joe Papp, who serves on the board.
She was also replacing the theater's founder, often a tricky transition, and taking on a $500,000 annual operating budget that barely covered costs.
