Balboa Theater reopening postponed

Noaki Schwartz

BALBOA PENINSULA -- The eagerly anticipated fall opening of the Balboa

Theater has been pushed back a year because of climbing costs and lagging

planning reviews.

Two weeks ago, the Balboa Theater Foundation realized that the scheduled

opening would not materialize after city staff said the review of the

plans would take another three months. The city’s planners were concerned

about the lowered interior of the theater and whether it would affect

surrounding buildings, said Michelle Roberge, the foundation’s executive

director.

Already battling mounting costs for the theater’s renovation -- because

of Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and other unforeseen

costs -- foundation members decided the scheduled opening was too

ambitious.

“This gives us additional time for fund-raising and programming,” said an

optimistic Roberge, now shooting for 2001.

So far, the group has raised $1.4 million in donations but still needs

another $3 million. The project has been in the works since 1996 when a

group of residents decided to save the crumbling landmark. The community

members formed the Balboa Theater Foundation with the purpose of raising

money to renovate the 1930s-era theater and eventually reopen it.

Hoping to jump-start the public’s waning interest in the theater, the

foundation is trying a number of tactics.

This week, local artist Kathy Kehoe Bambeck started painting a mural of

what the interior will look like once completed. Foundation members hope

the large painting will both excite and remind residents about the

theater.

The mural, expected to be finished next week, is being painted onto the

wooden billboards currently protecting the theater’s facade.

“I’m working from a color printout,” Bambeck said. “It’s black and white,

the seats are green and there’s red brick on the sides.”

Bambeck, an established painter and illustrator, has been active in the

renovation effort since the beginning. It was her suggestion to repaint

the front of the building.

The Divas, a foundation support group, also has plans to remind the

community about the theater renovation. It has organized a drawing for a

2000 Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster. One thousand tickets will be sold for

$100 apiece at the foundation’s office, Britta’s Cafe and Island Home

Furnishings.

FYI

To volunteer or donate money to the Balboa Theater Foundation, call

Michelle Roberge at (949) 673-0895.