In the spotlight — Local theater's fall season brings venue changes, world premieres
St. George Musical Theatre and StageRight TheaterCompany are in the process of moving into newly renovated venues: SGMT is movie into a former Westates Cinemas triplex and StageRight is joining forces with the Davis Arts Council in a long-vacant bank building in downtown Layton.
But visitors to Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus are about to greet a change of — literally —staggering proportions.
Patrons have long complained about the seating arrangements in the historic hall, and now accommodations on the main floor are undergoing a massive overhaul. The center aisle is being removed, all of the downstairs seats will be rearranged for "staggered" seating and the entire floor is being tilted to give patrons far improved sightlines.
The staggered arrangement will mean no longer having to shift back and forth to see around the person sitting directly in front of you.
Geilmann is also excited about Kingsbury Hall bringing in a touring production from Los Angeles-based Speak Theater Arts — a company founded by three young actors-writers while they were attending UCLA.
They have written "N*gger Wetb*ck Ch*nk," which explores (in a surprisingly wholesome and relatively tame setting), racial slurs that have long bombarded Hispanics, Asian-Americans and African-Americans. Kingsbury Hall has added a subtitle — "Three Hateful Words: A Dialogue on Language and Respect."
The three original collaborators — Miles Gregley, Rafael Agustin and Allan Axibal — will also be spending a full week in Salt Lake City, Oct. 29-Nov. 3, as part of a residency that will include classes, forums, workshops and performances, not only on campus but also other local junior high and high schools.
In Utah County, one of that area's newest — and most adventurous — troupes is FACE Theatre Company. FACE, founded by Eric C. Heaps, Mary Emma Heaps and Brian Ramos, is an acronym for Family Arts and Cultural Entertainment.
Most recently, it has been producing plays sporadically in Provo area parks, but the company will soon be moving into the former Provo Furniture Co., 464 W. Center St., where it has scheduled an ambitious lineup of more than a dozen productions, ranging from classic comedies to a Greek tragedy to Shakespeare to new experimental works.
Recent comments
Sorry, I stand corrected on the name Farnsworthy.
We have friends...
The Lambert's | Aug. 19, 2007 at 10:46 p.m.
What I've read here are definitely steps in the right direction...
The Lambert's | Aug. 19, 2007 at 10:39 p.m.
