Curtain to rise on Balboa Theater design

-- Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- At the next Speak Up Newport on Nov. 3, representatives

from the Balboa Performing Arts Theatre Foundation for the first time

will present the architects’ renderings on how the new theater will look.

“We’re getting closer to getting the conceptual plans completed,” said

foundation member Dayna Pettit, adding that renderings will include a

great deal of input from a theater designer they approached.

“I’m sure people are going to be curious,” Pettit said. “We will be

addressing all their questions.”

The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 3 at the Riverboat Restaurant, 151

East Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

The nonprofit foundation started as a collection of active residents who

didn’t want to see the 1927 landmark building destroyed.

In 1995, the community members organized and created a nonprofit group.

Since then, they have been actively raising funds needed for the

renovation of the old theater, which will cost $3.5 million. So far,

they’ve raised about $1 million.

The foundation plans to put its fund-raising efforts into high gear in

order to raise the remaining $2.5 million by next year. Pettit said she

is very optimistic about opening the theater in the fall of 2000.