Panel Plans Fund-Raiser for Theater

Backers of a 1,500-seat performing arts center in Mission Viejo are moving forward with plans for a fund-raising event and a broadening of focus to the entire south county area.

More than 20 members of an advisory board for the theater met for the first time Wednesday, laying the groundwork for the fund-raiser Oct. 14 at the Mission Viejo Mall, according to board chairman Christian W. Keena, who also serves as mayor pro tem of Mission Viejo.

Keena said the group hopes to raise $100,000 at the event for a feasibility study and preliminary drawings for the theater, which the board would like to see located on the campus of Saddleback College.

With representatives on the advisory board from the college, the Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita companies and the cities of San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and San Clemente, Keena said, the project is becoming regional, rather than municipal. “The college,” he said, “has become the focal point for the performing arts in south county.”

The DeBartolo Corp., which owns the shopping center, and the Mission Viejo Co. have contributed cash and staff support for the fund-raiser, which will celebrate the mall’s 10th anniversary, Keena said. Tickets for the event, which includes food and entertainment, begin at $25.