Beautifully Staged

UC San Diego’s New Epstein Family Amphitheater Welcomes an Eclectic Slate of Arts Events by

STEPHANIE THOMPSON

IIT MAY BE one of the country’s leading research institutions and a jewel of the California public university system, but UC San Diego has also been on the cutting edge of performing arts for decades. However, until now it has lacked a larger performance venue for concerts and festivals. That all changed at the end of 2022—when the university previewed the brandnew, $68 million Epstein Family

Amphitheater with an eclectic series of concerts that joyfully set the tone for what’s to come.

Overseeing programming for the Epstein Family Amphitheater as part of the Student Life team at UCSD is Colleen Kollar Smith, newly named executive director of the Campus Performances and Events Office. Kollar Smith, who has also served as a lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance at UCSD, has a long career in the performing arts and was most recently executive producer at Moonlight Stage Productions in Vista. She sees the 2,650-seat, open-air amphitheater as the latest in a series of exciting new venues opening around San Diego, as the city’s performing arts community continues to mature and expand.

The Epstein Family Amphitheater joins a collection of venues on the UCSD campus, including the Conrad Prebys Music Center, LionTree Arena, Mandell Weiss Center for the Performing Arts, University Art Galleries, the Stuart Collection of public art, and the nationally renowned La Jolla Playhouse.

Located at 9500 Gilman Drive in the Pepper Canyon neighborhood of UCSD, the amphitheater is part of the university’s plan to create a more welcoming entrance to the campus; and is accessible via the new Blue Line Central Campus trolley station. It is named for La Jolla philanthropists Daniel and Phyllis Epstein, who committed a $10 million gift to UCSD to help build the amphitheater.

“Our office is part of a larger commitment and strategy to amplify the trailblazing work in the arts already happening on campus, and establish UC San Diego as the region’s newest arts and culture destination,” says Kollar Smith. “I was thrilled to join an institution with a history of providing exceptional access to arts and culture via live performances and arts shows annually. The Epstein Family

Amphitheater will help us expand those offerings to wider audiences. In addition to the amphitheater, our office oversees ArtPower, Campus Events (Sun God Festival, Triton Fest) and The Loft. As construction nears completion on the amphitheater, we have been busy connecting with campus and community partners to determine ways to fill programming needs that will allow us to invite members of our community who may not have previously