There are many ways we can argue that the arts matter and why we should support them.
As an aside, there are as many as 1,000 arts, culture and humanities nonprofits in Utah. Of those, around 300 of them are performing arts organizations (according to data aggregated by CauseIQ). So, no, this performing arts fall season preview is by no means definitive or exhaustive. While we focus on the seasons of some of Utah’s top professional performing arts organizations, we encourage people to not overlook the seasons produced by your local city and county arts councils, especially if you’d like to get more involved in your community through the performing arts. With that, as they say—on with the show!
One of the most readily made arguments in Utah is the economic one. The pandemic took its toll, of course, but the industry began to recover in 2021. The Utah arts and culture sector represented an $8.1 billion industry in 2021, 3.6% of the state’s GDP and 65,696 jobs (according to Americans For the Arts Action Fund). But the arts in Utah represent more than just the economic contributions. A report by the Utah Culture Alliance (UCA) shows the arts are in Utah’s DNA. We attend more live cultural events and create more art than any other state. And art improves lives. There are benefits to experiencing a multitude of perspectives through participation in the arts. Performing arts, at their core, are ways to tell our stories. Sharing our stories allows us to connect and be understood and, in turn, understand others. We could all probably use a little more understanding, connection and empathy in our lives. Plus, it’s fun! Get out there, take in a concert and see a show at a Salt Lake theater!
Utah Shakespeare Festival
Venues: Randall L. Jones Theatre and Anes Studio Theatre—Southern Utah University, Cedar City
Plays: Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, Timon of Athens and Coriolanus
Tickets: bard.org
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is celebrating its 62nd year. Three of them will close by September 9, but the other four will be playing through October 7. The charming musical Jane Asten’s Emma The Musical, and the hilarious The Play That Goes Wrong—both in the Randall L. Jones Theatre—as well as two of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays—Timon of Athens and Coriolanus in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre—run through October 7, 2023. For more information, please visit bard.org.
Timon of Athens and Coriolanus are of particular interest because they are rarely done. The last time the festival did Timon of Athens was 30 years ago and that’s the only time they have ever done it…until now. Coriolanus is another rarely-produced Shakespeare play. These two shows are both directed by Lisa Peterson, whose show Good Night, Oscar on Broadway features Sean Hayes who just won a Tony Award for his performance.
Salt Lake Acting Company
Venue: Chapel Theater—Salt Lake City
Plays: Can I Say Yes to That Dress?
Tickets: saltlakeactingcompany.org
Salt Lake Acting Company’s (SLAC) mission is to engage and enrich the community through brave, contemporary theater. Their 2023-2024 season is full of regional premieres and brand-new productions that audiences won’t find anywhere else. The season kicks off with the world premiere of Can I Say Yes to That Dress? (Sept. 27–Oct. 29) by Sarah Shippobotham, which was workshopped in SLAC’s 2022-23 New Play Sounding Series. The play centers around a single middle-aged woman, stuck in a wedding dress changing room, questioning her life choices.
Pioneer Theatre Company
Venue: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre—University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Plays: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, The Rocky Horror Show
Tickets: pioneertheatre.org
The Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) has two really great offerings this fall. Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is a recent adaptation by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor) that was commissioned directly by the Agatha Christie Estate. The show runs September 22—October 7, 2023.
For fans and newcomers alike to the cult classic, attending The Rocky Horror Show is a singular experience. PTC has previously presented The Rocky Horror Show in concert format, but this year—in honor of the cult glam rock musical’s 50th anniversary—PTC is giving it a fully-staged production. This show has a shorter run around Halloween, October 20—31, 2023.
Encore!
This season is Pioneer Theatre’s 62nd, and the overarching theme for the season is “Journey.” The Salt Lake theater is inviting audiences on seven unique journeys while celebrating some of their own recent journeys. The company saw Shucked, which had its world premiere at PTC last fall, become a beloved 9-time Tony-nominated Broadway hit. Just days after the run concluded at PTC, the official Broadway run was announced for spring 2023. According to PTC, this marks the first time ever that a Utah-based theater served as an out-of-town tryout for a Broadway musical.
Now, the upcoming journey (literally) will see PTC expanding into a new space! Next spring, they will inaugurate a new, secondary theater space—the Meldrum Theatre in the historic Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse—with the Utah premiere of the Tony-winning The Lehman Trilogy. A mere 400 feet from Simmons PMT, the new modern 380-seat venue will serve as a mid-size theater for contemporary pieces and new plays that benefit from a smaller, more intimate space.
Tuacahn Center for The Arts
Venue: Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre—Ivins
Plays: Tarzan, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Tickets: tuacahn.org
High above the Tuacahn stage, the bells of Notre Dame resound as if through the famed cathedral in 15th-century Paris. The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the Disney film’s beloved score as well as additional songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The Hunchback of Notre Dame runs through October 20. The modern musical remake of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is making its regional premiere at Tuacahn. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs through October 19. Tuacahn promises a spectacle of set production and special effects with their performance of Tarzan. The musical features the heart-pounding score by Phil Collins. Tarzan runs through October 21.
Encore!
Not just a unique venue for stage plays, Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre hosts regular concerts under the stars. The Southern Utah locale allows for outdoor concerts into late fall when it is too chilly for outdoor venues in the Wasatch Front. Here’s a look at Tuacahn’s 2023 Fall Concert Season:
Siva Pasefika—Oct. 25 / Night Ranger—Oct. 26
STYX—Nov. 2–3 / Andy Grammer—Nov. 4
The Jets—Nov. 9 / Josh Turner—Nov. 10
Hotel California—Nov. 11 / GENTRI—Nov. 16–17
A Carpenters Christmas—Nov. 18
