A Noise Within Completes Phase One of Fundraising Goal

With the completion at the end of April of Phase One of construction on its new theatre in Pasadena, A Noise Within (ANW), Los Angeles' critically acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, is one step closer to realizing its longtime dream of a permanent home, announces Terry Kay, board of directors president. According to Kay, the company is also now in the final "community phase" of its $13.5 million capital campaign, of which $12.4 million has been raised to date. During the past four months alone, ANW has received a $500,000 Ralph M. Parsons Foundation grant, a $250,000 W.M. Keck Foundation grant, a $50,000 Wells Fargo Foundation grant, and $425,000 from individual gifts that has been matched dollar for dollar as part of an anonymous $1 million "Patron-to-Patron" grant announced in November 2010. A special donor program, the "$50 x 50" Coffee Club" - based on a pledge of $2,500 to be paid over an extended period at $50 for 50 months - was introduced and has already attracted 70 member pledges. Additionally, ANW offers a final "Hard Hat Sunday" free public tours of the construction site on June 12 so community members and theatre buffs alike can view progress on the exceptional new theatre.

ANW's state-of-the-art 33,000-square-foot facility, set for completion in fall 2011 for the company's 20th Anniversary Season (opening in October 2011), is intended to broaden artistic possibilities, offer a greater scope of educational opportunities, meet ticket demand and allow A Noise Within to expand its role as a leader in the presentation and preservation of classical theatre and as a key force in arts education. The company is led by Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott.

During Phase One of construction, which began in July 2010, the historic façade of the landMark Stuart Pharmaceutical building, where the new theatre is located, was preserved, 925 cubic yards of dirt was excavated, the steel infrastructure for the three-story structure was erected, the foundation poured, and a completely enclosed water-tight structure was built. Phase Two, due to begin in May, includes all tenant improvements needed to make the building fully operable, such as the installation of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems, patron seating, bathrooms, and theatre rigging. The box office, administrative offices and educational spaces are also to be built out.

In shifting to the final "Community Phase" of A Noise Within's $13.5 million capital campaign, Kay says, "It signals that we are at the tail end of fundraising efforts for the new theatre, but it is extremely critical to both the short term and long term success of ANW because this money will help pay for building materials ranging from doors, door knobs and sinks to seats - and everything in between - that are required by inspectors to be installed before we can obtain an occupancy permit for the building. However, this so-called ‘Community Phase' is not just about money, it's also about building friendships within the community at large, which is crucial to the company's long-term success once the theatre opens. These relationships in the Pasadena area and beyond are of utmost importance to us." He notes that during this final fund-raising effort, ANW needs to raise $1.1 million to meet the capital campaign's goal of $13.5 million, $575,000 of which, potentially will come from an anonymous $1 million "Patron-to-Patron" challenge grant announced in November. Since the grant was established, $425,000 has been raised from individual donors and "matched" dollar for dollar.

The three major grants from foundations received in recent months are designated specifically for construction costs, including a $500,000 Ralph M. Parson's Foundation grant, which comes in addition to the foundation's $500,000 lead gift in 2007, bringing its entire project support to $1 million; a $250,000 W.M. Keck Foundation grant; and a $50,000 Wells Fargo Foundation grant.

"We are extremely grateful to all of the foundations, corporations and individuals who have generously supported A Noise Within's capital campaign," adds Kay. "Every single gift makes a difference."

The "$50 x 50 Coffee Club" donor program, designed to help attract funds that can be matched by the "Patron-to-Patron" challenge grant, provides an affordable alternative for patrons who want to make a generous contribution at the $2,500 level over an extended period of time with a $50 monthly contribution for a period of 50 months. Benefits include a named seat in the new theatre and the eponymous "free cup of coffee" every time the patron attends an A Noise Within production. "There's been a great response, with 70 generous new donors stepping up at this level," states Kay. "Our goal is to attract 230 more ‘$50 x 50 Coffee Club' donors prior to the completion of the theatre's construction."

The "Hard Hat Sundays" program, featuring public tours of the Pasadena construction site, was developed in response to overwhelming enthusiasm for the project from ANW donors, subscribers, neighbors and the community at large and have been wildly successful, attracting large crowds monthly. "‘Hard Hat Sundays' is also designed to emphasize that the new theatre is truly for the entire community, not just the company's artists and current base of donors and subscribers," note Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. Both will be available at the final tour along with ANW board members to meet with guests on Sunday June 12 from 4 to 5 pm. "Hard Hat Sunday" attendees at this date enjoy the added bonus of not only observing A Noise With Resident Artists informally rehearsing from the newly installed stage but also taking a turn on it themselves. Seating areas and sight lines can also be explored, and refreshments will be served. For free reservations (required), contact donors@anoisewithin.org or call 818-265-7959.

While the "Hard Hat Sunday" tours will be discontinued after June 12 because major construction on the site will be completed, Rodriguez-Elliott says, "Project supporters will receive private tours after that, and we encourage anyone who wants a private tour and to learn more about A Noise Within to contact us."

A Noise Within's new facility is located in a Pasadena mixed-use development at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. The theatre, hailed as an anchor in East Pasadena's arts growth and located next to a Gold Line station, is being built in the former Stuart Pharmaceutical headquarters, a historic, mid-century modern masterpiece designed by celebrated architect Edward Durell Stone, known for landmark buildings around the country including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and Radio City Music Hall in New York. Constructed in the mid-1950s, the Stuart Pharmaceutical building was listed on the National Register in 1998.

Key gifts previously provided to the project to date in addition to The Ahmanson Foundation's lead gift have been from the Ajax Foundation; David Worrell and Jeff Allen, SMV Technology Partners, LLC (a gift of land); Elizabeth F. Redmond, ANW Board of Directors; The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation; Terry and Jeanie Kay; The Rose Hills Foundation; the Weingart Foundation; the Eisner Foundation; and a member of ANW's board of directors who prefers to remain anonymous. Approximately 1,400 donations have been made to the capital campaign.

"It has been thrilling to watch the theatre grow before our very eyes over the past 10 months," says Elliott. "When people pull together to support the arts, it's amazing what can be accomplished."

A Noise Within (ANW) is the only year-round classical repertory company in Southern California and one of only a handful in the entire country dedicated solely to producing classical dramatic literature in the repertory tradition of rotating productions with a resident company of professional artists. It has been hailed by critics as "adventurous," "compelling and current," "ingenuity at work," "a bona fide class act," and "what great theatre is all about." Founded 19 seasons ago, ANW quickly established itself as one of the region's key theatre companies, attracting fiercely loyal audiences and consistently high praise from the media for its productions and as a leading force in arts education. The company has presented more than 120 plays from the classics of world literature, each season producing works from authors ranging from Shakespeare and Molière to Ibsen, O'Neill and Shaw to Miller and Williams. ANW's consistent dedication to quality has been rewarded with more than two dozen Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards as well as numerous LA Weekly and Backstage Garland awards.

For more information on A Noise Within, to make a donation or for reservations for "Hard Had Sundays," please call 818 265-7959 or visit www.ANoiseWithin.org.

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