A black box theater will soon occupy space in the former Telegram & Gazette building in downtown Worcester as the city attempts to develop a “strong cultural identity” of its own as part of its revitalization.

The more than 5,000-square-foot flexible performance space at 20 Franklin St. is expected to seat nearly 300 people for various types of performances when it opens in the spring. The theater will connect to the creative space Worcester PopUp and, with a $2 million gift, the complex will be named the Jean McDonough Arts Center, the Worcester Cultural Coalition announced.

City officials said the partnership will foster collaboration between the city, artists, entrepreneurs and the community to support the creative economy and the city’s arts scene, all goals that are laid out in the city’s Cultural Plan.

“It’s not just the city government’s plan, it’s a community plan. We all have a role in it,” Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus said in a press release. “The Worcester renaissance isn’t real unless it includes everyone. We need to make sure that every person, and their gifts, and their talents, are part of that renaissance.”

Worcester’s Cultural Coalition said locals and nearly three million visitors spend an estimated $125.7 million at Worcester museums, shops, theaters and restaurants annually. In the city’s downtown, the coalition said recent public and private investments total in the hundreds-of-millions of dollars.