Carlsbad, CA—New Village Arts (NVA), North County’s cultural hub, announces THE NEXT STAGE, a $2.5 million fundraising campaign to renovate its theatre in the heart of Carlsbad. Thanks to major support from The Conrad Prebys Foundation and The Sahm Family Foundation, the Next Stage campaign has already raised $2 million and has $500,000 left to raise to meet its target.
The renovation includes everything from exterior improvements, an expanded lobby, and a new box office to safety and comfort upgrades, new lighting and sound instruments and software, and increased capacity for audiences and educational programming. The renovation is expected to be completed by Summer 2022.
NVA’s home for the last 14 years, the former Bauer Lumber property at 2787 State Street in the heart of Carlsbad Village, is owned by the City of Carlsbad and has been leased to NVA since 2006. NVA and the City of Carlsbad have agreed to a new 10-year lease with two five-year extensions.
“Our renovation project will open the doors to the arts in the community and bring substantial economic development and quality of life contributions to the North County region,” says New Village Arts Founder and Executive Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner. “With a focus on comfort, convenience, and safety, we are focusing on improving the NVA audience experience in every way. We are so looking forward to welcoming the community to the beautiful new and improved theatre and cultural gathering space, and encourage your support at every level to achieve our goal.”
Bob Lin, President of the Board of Directors, says, “Thanks to this renovation, the New Village Arts theatre will become the jewel of Carlsbad, situated as it is in the heart of the Village in the midst of significant redevelopment. Its exterior will more fully reflect the quality of work happening inside. Our generous donors the Conrad Prebys Foundation and the Sahm Family Foundation have provided the foundation for the campaign, and we would not be so close to achieving our fundraising goal without their support and trust in our organization.”
“New Village Arts has been the cultural heart of Carlsbad for two decades, demonstrating a standard of excellence and engagement that makes it a top artistic draw in North County. The Conrad Prebys Foundation is proud to support this much-needed renovation and expansion of the theatre, which will further enhance Carlsbad Village’s vibrant downtown and put NVA on the map as a destination for theatre lovers from throughout San Diego and beyond,” says Erin Decker, Director of Grantmaking for the Conrad Prebys Foundation.
The new expanded lobby will act as a cultural gathering space and provide additional revenue opportunities while inviting more members of the community to be an integral part in the art-making process. In addition, NVA will be able to serve more children and senior citizens of the community, hold more classes and outreach programs, and ensure that NVA’s goal of making arts experiences available to everyone is fully realized. Once the renovation is complete, NVA anticipates being able to increase the number of patrons served by 35% by 2025, welcoming over 27,000 patrons to experience theatre, music, visual arts and arts education, with an additional 5,000 students experiencing professional art in local high schools.
“With our gift for the Sahm Family Arts Education Center, the Sahm Family Foundation is proud to support New Village Arts’ commitment to education, inclusion, and diversity in all their programs, especially their ongoing dedication to creating and growing an enriched community through arts education,” says Christopher A. Sahm, President and Chairman of the Sahm Family Foundation.
Other naming opportunities for the theatre are available on the website: https://newvillagearts.org/next-stage
Design Team
Beatriz V. Cabrera, Designer of Record
Brett Farrow, Architect of Record
Curtis Green, Project Manager
Christopher Scott Murillo, Theatrical Design – Stage
Paul Canaletti, Theatrical Design – Lighting
Melanie Chen Cole, Theatrical Design – Sound/Projections
Click here for a video fly-through of the planned renovations.
The NEXT STAGE Campaign
Total goal: $2.5 million
Left to raise: $500,000
Lead donors: The Conrad Prebys Foundation
The Sahm Family Foundation
The Nordson Foundation
The Ginn Family Foundation
The Parker Foundation
How to donate: https://newvillagearts.org/donate/
One of the guiding principles of New Village Arts is that theatre and the arts should be accessible to all people. By creating diverse artistic experiences, NVA is able to build bridges between different components of our community and create a shared experience that creates deeper connections. This approach to creativity and art (both performing and visual) creates a deeper sense of belonging throughout North County and ensures County residents have a sense of connectedness.
New Village Arts is recognized as one of the finest theatre companies in San Diego, and a new exterior and expanded lobby will help patrons recognize that and seek out NVA for artistic experiences. The new expanded lobby will provide additional revenue opportunities and will invite more community members to be an integral part in the art-making process.
In addition, NVA will be able to serve more children and senior citizens of the community, hold more classes and outreach programs, and ensure that NVA’s goal of making arts experiences available to everyone is fully realized. The new Center will enable daytime classes for seniors and an expanded afterschool and summer camp program for youth. The street entrance of the classroom will be made of glass, enabling people passing on the street to observe classroom activities, which will inspire them to involve their children and themselves in art.
Currently, New Village Arts attracts over 20,000 people a year to its home in the Carlsbad Village. Once the renovation is complete, NVA anticipates being able to grow that number by 35% by 2025, welcoming over 27,000 patrons to experience theatre, music, visual arts and arts education, with an additional 5,000 students experiencing professional art in local high schools.
New Village Arts Building History
NVA’s home for the last 14 years has been the former Bauer Lumber property at 2787 State Street on the northwest corner of State Street and Christiansen Way, in the heart of Carlsbad Village. In the early 20th century, the property was a “packing house” for flowers, bulbs, and avocados, and was soon remodeled into a lumber shed by the Geib Lumber Co., and later purchased by the Bauers.
The building is now owned by the City of Carlsbad, has been leased to NVA since 2006, and has been renovated to update and repurpose the space over the years. Upon leasing the building, NVA raised approximately $225,000 to build out the current theatre space and opened its first theatre production in 2007. In 2010, NVA partnered with the City of Carlsbad to develop and manage an arts incubator and raised an additional $10,000 to renovate the space that housed the Foundry Artist Studios adjacent to the theatre. NVA continued to update the space, raising approximately $32,000 to remodel the theatre with new seats, carpeting and paint in 2015. In 2019 the City of Carlsbad funded the refurbishment of the West exterior wall and sloped roof with an estimated cost of $290,000. NVA continues to work closely with the City of Carlsbad to develop a plan beyond 2023 to bring the arts to Carlsbad in this location.
Project Description and Scope
Remodel exterior façade and replace with new glazing, doors, wood beam trellis and siding.
Replace existing storefront windows on the center of the East wall and flatten the wall.
Install solar panels.
Public art mural to be designed and installed by an artist on the west exterior of the building to face the train station and public parking lot.
Open up the lobby to connect it to the front of the building, reconfiguring the lobby and moving/reconfiguring the restrooms to serve all patrons in the lobby, service counter area, and artists workspace.
Add a box office with storage mezzanine, a service counter, storage room, and back hallway to the South West exit for appropriate egress.
Upgrade and additional improvements to the stage and theatrical equipment.
Deck replacement including structure to have a modular functionality to allow for more options with various productions.
New projection equipment and software.
New lighting instruments inventory, including some of the latest moving lights and other cutting-edge equipment to enhance the capabilities of the theatre space to improve the support for productions, including a cue light system.
New sound equipment and inventory with a robust and dynamic capability and coverage. Including speakers to be used as monitors backstage and in dressing rooms.
New patch bays with wiring to connect the various areas of the theatre together for sound and communication needs.
Lighting/Sound Pipe Grid to provide robust positions for the new lighting and sound inventory.
New house lighting system.
New communication system for backstage personnel and performers.
Artists’ Renderings of the Renovated New Village Arts Center:
About New Village Arts
Celebrating 20 years of award-winning professional theatre, thrilling and unique visual arts, and thriving education and outreach programs, New Village Arts (NVA) has truly become the cultural hub of North County San Diego.
NVA attracts more than 20,000 patrons each year to experience professional theatre, currently presented outdoors at The Flower Fields. In addition to full seasons of plays and musicals featuring some of the best artistic talent in Southern California, NVA hosts talkback discussions and other supplementary events designed to create conversation and cultivate community. NVA offers robust theatre programs in partnership with local schools and strongly believes that theatre and arts experiences should be accessible to ALL people, becoming a recognized leader in equity, diversity, and inclusion in San Diego. NVA has been fortunate to receive support from the City of Carlsbad and other local businesses, who recognize the importance of a resident professional theatre company as a crucial component of an inclusive and creative community. In turn NVA prioritizes serving its community by presenting works that respect its diversity, engaging every citizen with relevant and inspiring stories.
New Village Arts is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization listed under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS.
