The University of California, Los Angeles has announced a $10 million commitment from alumna Elizabeth Reiko Kubota Whitney ('80) and Kenneth Whitney in support of its School of Theater, Film and Television.

The gift will help fund a renovation of the five-hundred-seat Ralph Freud Playhouse, including a redesigned interior featuring a more intimate seating configuration, a new balcony, and a lobby that can accommodate receptions. The renovations also will include updated lighting and sound technology that can support staged performances, conferences and live events, and augmented reality, virtual reality, and other digital formats, as well as reconfigured dressing, hair, makeup, and green rooms. Scheduled to be completed in 2024, the venue will be renamed the Whitney Family Theater in the Ralph Freud Playhouse.

Liz Whitney, a Tony Award-winning producer and former actress whose resume includes roles in a number of popular 1980s television shows, previously established, in honor of her late sister, the Jeanne Michiko Kubota Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides full four-year scholarships for undergraduate theater students in need. Kenneth Whitney, a former managing director of investment firm Blackstone, manages a private family investment office.

"Several years ago, Ken and I decided to focus our charitable giving to programs supporting minority and underprivileged children, education, athletics, and the arts," said Whitney. "This gift to UCLA is particularly special to me, as the years I spent in school here had an enormous impact on my life and career. Our hope is that this project will impact the lives and careers of the next generation of students in UCLA TFT programs."