FIRST ADDITION SINCE COMPLEX OPENED IN 1978 : SCR TO OPEN ARTISTS CENTER IN MAY

The opening of the South Coast Repertory Theatre’s Artists Center wing--a $1.6-million complex for play development and new technical and office facilities--is set for May 12, SCR officials have announced.

The Artists Center is SCR’s first major construction since the present theater complex in Costa Mesa was opened in 1978 on a South Coast Town Center site donated by the C. J. Segerstrom & Sons development firm.

In a related matter, the theater company reported reaching the $3.5-million mark in a drive to raise $6.5 million for new facilities and programs by 1990. Donations have included $500,000 from the Harry and Grace Steele Foundation, $150,000 from the W. M. Keck Foundation and $100,000 from the Ahmanson Foundation.

The latest major donation is a $250,000 challenge grant from the James Irvine Foundation. The foundation’s gift is contingent on SCR’s raising another $250,000 from other sources by the end of 1987, said campaign chairman James Dailey.

The $6.5-million drive began in 1985 when the National Endowment for the Arts awarded SCR a $350,000 challenge grant.

Under that drive, $3 million is being sought for facilities expansion, which includes renovations and new equipment for the two playhouses and a set-design warehouse, as well as construction of the Artists Center wing.

The remaining $3.5 million being raised is for an endowment fund, which would provide support for the Collaboration Lab, SCR’s Young Conservatory and various community service projects.

Construction on the three-level, 11,000-square-foot Artists Center began in July, 1985. SCR officials said the company has outgrown the original 27,000-square-foot complex that cost $3.5 million to build and includes the two playhouses, the 511-seat Mainstage and 171-seat Second Stage.

In addition to new administrative, rehearsal, costume and other technical sections, the wing will provide facilities for SCR’s Collaboration Laboratory--a much expanded program in play development that offers playwright residencies, workshop readings and new research facilities.

The company also seeks to raise $5.5 million by 1990 in private donations to underwrite SCR’s annual operating budgets. According to Dailey, nearly $2 million has been raised in this part of the campaign.

SCR’s current annual budget is $4.2 million. According to development director Bonnie Hall, tickets and other earned income are the chief revenue sources. SCR has received grants from the California Arts Council ($63,000) and National Endowment for the Arts ($60,000) for general operations.