There's nearly as much drama behind the scenes this fall as there is on Utah's stages — largely due to sizable cutbacks in arts funding in the somewhat shaky post-9/11 economy.
Last week's announcement that Sundance Summer Theatre is changing course (but not sinking) created quite a stir in the local theater community, but since those changes won't be seen until next summer, it's not part of the upcoming fall season.
Some of the changes are in store this season:
— Two troupes — Hale Center Theater Orem and the Rodgers Memorial Theatre in Centerville — have been gearing up during the past couple of years to build completely new theaters in Utah and Davis counties, respectively. Now, with funding drying up, both of these projects are being scaled back or put on the back burner.
— The other Hale Centre Theatre, the flagship in West Valley City, has postponed its plans for a new "black-box" addition, but there are still plans to eventually replace the temporary Black Box Theatre (now in one of the rehearsal halls) with an entirely new structure on the east side of the building.
— Some companies, StageRight and Wasatch in particular, are looking for new homes, and the Emily Company is still on hiatus. (According to one of her partners, founder Katharine Clark Reilly is still planning to reopen the Emily.) On a brighter note, Provo Theater Company — shuttered for the past year — is back in business.
— Curtain times are shifting from 8 to 7:30 p.m. at two theaters — Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City and the Heritage Community Theatre in Perry. The former will shift to the earlier starting time beginning in January (matinee times will also be adjusted). The latter began the 7:30 curtain with its recent season-opener "Steel Magnolias."
— Pioneer Theatre Company, which has had a long, ongoing tradition of opening and closing its seasons with musicals and sandwiching in-between an array of dramas, comedies and classical works, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a big change: The first two shows of the 2002-03 season are dramas — the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning "Proof" and Agatha Christie's classic "Mousetrap." Then, for the holidays, PTC will have a 26-performance, nearly monthlong run of "Peter Pan." (Most Pioneer productions run for 19 performances, spread out over 2 1/2 weeks). The latter will be followed by "Copenhagen," "Macbeth," "Playboy of the Western World" and the big Broadway hit "Ragtime."
— At Salt Lake Community College's Grand Theatre, Richard Scott is making improvements on how things are handled in the orchestra pit. He's hired Kevin Mathie as a resident musical director, along with a core group of five permanent musicians. This should bring about higher quality and a more professional sound for the musicals.
— Some theaters on the calendar accompanying this story have shows listed through the end of this year but not beyond. A few are still considering possible productions for next year and two of them — the Egyptian Theatre Company in Park City and Bountiful Performing Arts Center — are completely changing their traditional season formats.
The Egyptian, which in years past has dealt with its season being interrupted in midstream by the Sundance Film Festival, should have a reconfigured lineup within the next few weeks. Artistic Director John Caywood, beginning with 2003, will have the ETC season begin immediately following the festival, and it will end before the festival starts.
BPAC is considering a similar calendar, opening in the spring and continuing through the next winter. Two of the previously announced fall shows have been postponed.
While the larger theater companies plan their seasons a year or so in advance, most of the smaller community troupes don't work that far out.
The coming season's highlights range from Salt Lake Acting Company and Play-B Theatre Company's cutting-edge works to some major touring productions ("Miss Saigon" is finally coming to town, along with "Mamma Mia").
There are also some world premieres on the calendar — native Utahn Julie Jensen's "Wait!" at SLAC, Doug Stewart and Merrill Jenson's new 1940s "swing" musical comedy, "Almost Perfect" at Utah Valley State College, and several new works at Brigham Young University.
Virtually all of Salt Lake Acting Company's productions are new, locally untried works, and Plan-B Theatre Company is producing the recent off Broadway hit, "Hedgwig and the Angry Inch."
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com