The La Jolla Playhouse has successfully met the Kresge $1 Million Grant Challenge and plans to continue efforts on its Capital Campaign through December 2003. Funds acquired from the campaign are being used to build a new theater complex, as well as promote the arts in the San Diego community.
The $1 million grant is one of the largest ever awarded by the Kresge Foundation to a nonprofit regional theater, La Jolla Playhouse representatives said. It is also the first ever awarded to the La Jolla Playhouse from the Kresge Foundation.
The Capital Campaign, initiated in 1997, has collected $42 million to date. By the time of public announcement in 1999, $18.5 million had been raised; after receiving the challenge in September 2002, a total of $36.8 million had been raised. An additional $4.2 million was acquired over the next nine months.
After achieving the required $41 million by the July 2003 deadline, the La Jolla Playhouse recently received an additional $1 million from the Kresge Foundation to aid in the accomplishment of three main goals: raising money for annual expenses, supporting an endowment, and construction of the state-of-the-art Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2004.
La Jolla Playhouse administrators are taking particular care in creating an endowment, which would support the production of more plays as well as acting classes for youths and adults. Capital Campaign Chair Geri Ann Warnke said “”the endowment is the key to the theater’s future Š it will guarantee that the Playhouse can continue to invest in creating even more plays, serving more audiences and artists, locally and nationally.””
Named in recognition of the Jacobs family’s $5 million donation, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse will house 50,000 square feet of new theater space, administrative offices, rehearsal halls and a restaurant and cabaret.
An additional theater will be built, giving the La Jolla Playhouse’s a total of three. Traditionally sharing practice space with the UCSD Department of Theatre and Dance, the La Jolla Playhouse now looks forward to having its own rehearsal space.
Alluding to the difficulty of the overlap of the two groups’ performance seasons, managing director Terry Dwyer said the new buildings will “”greatly facilitate the sharing of space by the two organizations.””
Those working behind the scenes have something to look forward to as well, as the administrative staff will soon get an upgrade in quality after being housed in trailers. The routine of renting storage space will also be discontinued with plenty of storage space being built to consolidate operations in one location.
La Jolla Playhouse Board of Trustees President Joel Holliday recognized the effort of the community for the campaign’s success.
“”The campaign has gained momentum thanks to the community’s tremendous support, and we have been presented with the exciting opportunity to allow more community members who have indicated interest in participating to become involved,”” Holliday stated in a press release.
Over 3,000 San Diegans have financially supported the Playhouse’s campaign efforts since its creation, and an additional 100 donors have been welcomed since June 2003.
Deemed a “”complete theater village”” by McAnuff, the complex will bring together actors, directors and members of the San Diego community.
“”The theater village will be a home for a new generation of theater artists,”” McAnuff said.
