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The Willows Theatre Company was noteworthy for putting on well-received -- and well-reviewed -- plays such as "Altar Boyz."

MARTINEZ — The 34-year-old Willows Theatre in Concord takes its final bow Sunday, but the cabaret in downtown Martinez will remain open.

In September, the Willows Theatre Company announced that as a result of lackluster ticket sales, outstanding debt and dwindling corporate and foundation support, it needed to raise $350,000 by Nov. 1 or it would have to close at least one of the two venues.

The board of directors appealed to loyal patrons for donations and held several fundraisers, selling off costumes and props. They managed to raise about half of what they needed, according to Willows artistic director Richard Elliott.

"I have to say it's kind of like the cloud with the silver lining," Elliott said. "We are in the position now that we have raised enough money to move forward with our business plan and emerge from our financial difficulty "... we just have to get smaller before we can get bigger."

In deciding whether to close the theater or the cabaret, the board took a hard look at the numbers. The company was paying $40,000 per year to lease the 210-seat theater in the Willows Shopping Center; other operating expenses for the theater, including actors' salaries, costumes and scenery, exceeded costs for the cabaret, Elliott said. The city of Martinez pays the rent on the 150-seat cabaret building, and the Willows' administrative offices and production facility are located in the city.

But the Willows is taking a gamble.

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More than half the patrons the company surveyed recently said they only would attend shows at the Concord theater.

Elliott hopes that upgrading the seating at the cabaret, where the audience perches on castoff restaurant chairs and bar stools, will draw some of those reluctant theatergoers to Martinez. Subscribers and ticket holders for shows scheduled at the theater can use their tickets to attend performances at the cabaret.

Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister said losing the Willows will have minimal impact on the city's finances but will be a blow to the local arts scene.

"We're sorry to have it go, but unfortunately, trying to create two facilities and operate and fundraise for them is a real challenge in this economy," Hoffmeister said.

Signs of the Willows' financial troubles first surfaced in December, when its board asked Martinez for a $100,000 emergency bailout. At the time, Elliott said the Willows had depleted its reserves remodeling the cabaret building at 636 Ward St. and building a production facility near the John Muir Amphitheater.

The Martinez City Council approved a $60,000 grant and a $40,000 loan, which is to be repaid by December 2010. The loan agreement also requires the Willows to submit a detailed business plan to the city, detailing revenues, expenditures, assets and debts. It is unclear whether the company did so.

Mayor Rob Schroder said he believes the council is leaning toward renewing the lease on the cabaret building, which expires next month, to keep the Willows. He described the cabaret as an "economic engine."

"The theater has really helped our downtown businesses, especially the restaurants, and if that theater disappeared it would have a huge negative effect," Schroder said.

Lisa P. White covers Martinez and Pleasant Hill. Reach her at 925-943-8011.