UCI SEEKING BREN CENTER BOOKINGS

Major cultural presentations, including pop music headliners, comedy stars and dance troupes, are being sought for the $15-million, 6,000-seat Donald Bren Events Center that opens today at UC Irvine.

However, except for an appearance by political satirist Mark Russell scheduled for April 30, the only events now booked for the new campus gymnasium-auditorium are UC Irvine basketball games (the first in the series is tonight against Utah State).

But officials of the Bren Events Center--which is the second largest indoor arena in Orange County--said they hope to announce the bookings of some performing attractions by May 9, when the facility is given its official “grand opening.”

“We’re after the full spectrum of arts and entertainment--programs that are more conducive to an indoor venue of this larger scale,” said Steven Neal, director of the 78,400-square-foot Bren Events Center, which seats 6,000 for concerts and 5,000 for sports events.

Although symphony orchestras, acrobatic troupes and such pop headliners as Oingo Boingo have appeared at Crawford Hall--UC Irvine’s 1,600-seat gymnasium-auditorium--that older and smaller facility isn’t considered as technologically up-to-date as the Bren facility.

According to Neal, presentations at the new complex could range from larger touring dance companies to full-scale marching band competitions, as well as bookings of top-flight pop music and comedy concerts. Although he would not specify what types he had in mind, Neal said “orchestral concerts” and “other musical shows” are also being considered.

Steve Redfearn of Parc Presentations, the Los Angeles-based pop promotion firm operated by the Nederlander Co., confirmed that he has held talks with UC Irvine officials.

“It (Bren Center) is an impressive facility, and we’d like to be a part of it. Nothing’s booked yet, but we’re actively pursuing that possibility,” said Redfearn, who is also general manager of the Nederlander-run Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa.

Although the Anaheim Convention Center’s 8,500-seat arena is the largest indoor facility in the county, that center in recent years has presented pop concerts only sporadically.

However, the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa--whose 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall opened Sept. 29 as a home mostly for symphony, dance, opera and musicals--is another matter.

Last fall, the Orange County Center’s executive director, Thomas Kendrick, disclosed that the Center is also seeking to present top-caliber pop performers. He said he was in discussions with major pop promoters, including the Los Angeles-based Pacific Concerts.

Of the potential competition with the Performing Arts Center, Redfearn put it this way: “A lot of (performer representatives) have told us they’re also in contact with the Performing Arts Center. So we know there’s this kind of booking overlap.”

“For instance, the kind of comedy acts we’d like to bring to UCI is on the level of a Jay Leno,” added Redfearn, referring to the Performing Arts Center’s booking of Leno for a one-night stand last Dec. 31.

The Bren Events Center isn’t the only new culture-related structure at UC Irvine. Construction is expected to start this year on the $9.5-million, 750-seat Irvine City Theatre in the Gateway Plaza area facing Campus Drive.

The city-financed theater is to be used for community and campus arts presentations (including many of UC Irvine’s student productions, which are now being staged in the smaller Fine Arts Village facilities).

The Bren Events Center is named after Irvine Co. board Chairman Donald L. Bren, who personally donated $1 million to the campus project. The Irvine Co. has given $500,000.

The Irvine Co. also sponsors the “Concert Under the Stars” series held outdoors each summer in UC Irvine’s Aldrich Park. Headliners have included singer Tony Bennett and drummer/band leader Buddy Rich.