Vista to Gauge Theater Support

The Vista City Council has taken another step toward expanding its cultural arts center by approving $15,000 to study the feasibility of raising money for a $2-million theater in Brengle Terrace Park.

The Tucson-based Martin Group USA will conduct an eight-week study to “tell us pretty concretely whether or not there is support for this proposed project,” said Cathy Brendel, assistant director of the Parks and Community Services Department.

If support for the theater in the community is found, the $15,000 study approved Monday night will then develop a plan to raise the funds, recruiting community leaders and corporate sponsorship.

“I don’t think the results will stop us in going ahead to do the campaign,” Brendel said. “But it will certainly help show us the way.”

The direct-mail survey will provide the fund-raising campaign with a timetable, a preliminary budget and a time frame for construction of the playhouse. The study will also determine exactly how much the house will cost.

The proposed 200-seat theater is now called the Moonlight Theater but may be changed to honor “a wonderful donor,” Brendel said. The theater would provide the only non-school, enclosed auditorium in the city and house the Moonlight Youth Theater, which now rents school auditoriums for its performances.

None of the $2 million for the project would come from city funds, Brendel said.

The proposed theater is part of a larger, $10-million cultural-arts center expansion planned for Brengle Terrace Park.