Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Katrina Foley formally presented Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano with $103,633 in Fifth District discretionary funds on Tuesday, Aug. 4, her office announced. The money will pay for new lighting and sound systems at the community theater's new location.

The Board of Supervisors approved the grant on Feb. 24 as part of a batch of discretionary awards. The Aug. 4 event marked the official check delivery ahead of the theater's Sept. 11 opening night, a production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Foley's office said the upgraded systems will also support the theater's Audio-Visual Internship program, which trains young people in technical stagecraft.

The allocation fits a broader pattern. Foley, who represents Newport Beach on the five-member Board, has used Fifth District discretionary funds to support organizations across her district this year. The same Feb. 24 vote that funded the playhouse directed $25,000 to the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation. At a June 23 meeting, she steered $10,000 to the Newport Harbor Lawn Bowling Association for clubhouse repairs and $8,500 to the Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation's Grants to Teachers program.

In all, the Feb. 24 batch totaled more than $530,000 in discretionary awards, including $200,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank and $100,000 to NAACP Empowerment Programs.

When the Board approved the grants in February, Foley framed the spending as a counterweight to federal cuts, saying Orange County continues investing in arts, mental health and community programming even as those areas face significant reductions nationally, according to a statement from her office.

As we reported July 23, Foley also directed $250,000 in Fifth District funds to a Planned Parenthood clinic serving the Newport Beach area. Her office has separately secured a $2 million federal grant for Newport Harbor Patrol headquarters renovation.

Camino Real Playhouse, formally known as South OC Community Theatre, has operated in San Juan Capistrano for more than 36 years, according to Foley's office. The theater offers educational workshops, youth programs and mentorship.

Tickets for the Friday, Sept. 11 opening of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are available through the playhouse's website.