Theater to Solicit $1 Million

Trustees of the Irvine Theatre, which is currently under construction, will ask a potential contributor for a $1-million donation later this month in exchange for naming the 750-seat auditorium after him.

Officials of the nonprofit theater, which is scheduled for completion in August, 1990, at a cost of $17.6 million, declined to identify the prospective contributor. The theater trustees hope to raise $4.8 million in private funds by the end of this year. Construction and operating costs are to be shared by the city of Irvine, the theater’s operating company and UC Irvine.

Thomas H. Nielsen, trustee board chairman, announced that more than $400,000 in new donations has brought the amount raised so far to $1.9 million. Two corporate donations of $50,000 each were made by the Keith Cos., a land-developer consultant based in Costa Mesa, and Oltmans Construction, based in Whittier. There were also donations of $25,000 or more from 11 other corporations and individuals. The largest donations have come from the Irvine Co. ($500,000) and Taco Bell ($250,000).