After being closed for the better part of a year, venues across Utah — including four major arts venues in Salt Lake County — are starting to reopen to the public.
What’s going on
- Salt Lake County venues Abravanel Hall, Capitol Theatre, Eccles Theater and Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center reopened on March 25 — just over a year after they initially shut down due to the pandemic.
- “We are thrilled to welcome listeners ... for the remainder of our spring performances to celebrate music and reconnect with our community live in a safe environment,” Steven Brosvik, the president and CEO of Utah Symphony | Utah Opera said in a statement.
- “We are grateful for the support of Salt Lake County in allowing in-person concerts to resume,” Brosvik continued. “We are bolstered by the enthusiasm of our amazing musicians, board members, guest artists, generous donors and audiences to return to hear music together with continued safety protocols in place.”
- Health and safety guidelines like requiring patrons to keep a 6 feet distance and wear face coverings are being implemented, according to the official announcement.
- Seats will be cleaned and sanitized before each performance, and high touch areas — like door handles, elevators and restrooms — will be cleaned throughout the performance.
- For additional information on guidelines, visit saltlakecountyarts.org.
Updates from Salt Lake City performing arts venues
Eccles Theater
On March 24, the Eccles Theater announced a special show in May to celebrate the return of live performance. Called “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber,” the production will feature a number of Utah musicians and singers performing songs from “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats,” “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita,” among others.
The theater also updated its Broadway at the Eccles season earlier this month. Although events are subject to change, according to the Live at the Eccles and Broadway at the Eccles websites, upcoming shows and events for the time being include:
- May 7-15 — “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber”
- July 24 — Joe Bonamassa
- July 31 — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, with special guest Lucinda Williams
- Aug. 13 — Maks and Val live
- Aug. 28 — #IMOMSOHARD
- Oct. 28-Nov. 14 — Disney’s “Frozen”
- Nov. 17 — David Sedaris
- Nov. 20 — Alton Brown: “Beyond the Eats”
- Nov. 30-Dec. 5 — “Mean Girls”
- Dec. 28-Jan. 23, 2022 — “Hamilton”
- Jan. 29, 2022 — An Evening with Fran Lebowitz
- Feb. 15-20, 2022 — “Anastasia”
- March 7, 2022 — Neil deGrasse Tyson
- March 15-20, 2022 — “The Band’s Visit”
- May 10-15, 2022 — “Jesus Christ Superstar”
- June 14-19, 2022 — “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
- Aug. 2-7, 2022 — “Hadestown”
- Sept. 6-11, 2022 — “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall
According to a news release sent to the Deseret News, the Utah Symphony’s upcoming schedule includes:
- April 8-10 — Domingo Hindoyan conducts Roberto Sierra, Bartok and Mozart 41.
- April 22-24 — Utah Symphony concertmaster Madeline Adkins performs “The Lark Ascending.”
- April 29-May 1 — Utah Symphony music director Thierry Fischer conducts Bach, Wynton Marsalis, Carter and Wagner.
- May 20-22 — Utah Symphony performs Beethoven 1 and guest artist Demarre McGill performs a piece by Jolivet.
- May 27-29 — Fischer conducts Jessie Montgomery, Mozart, Schoenberg and Copland.
The symphony’s summerlong Deer Valley Music Festival is still scheduled to begin on July 2.
The Utah Symphony also recently announced a full return for the 2021-22 season. View here for more information.
Utah Opera also announced its upcoming schedule for the 2021-22 season in March:
Ballet West
Ballet West recently announced that it will return to the Capitol Theatre in April with a production of “Precious Gems.”
“‘Precious Gems’ is a glittering jewel box of dynamic solos, duets, and small ensembles,” Artistic Director Adam Sklute said in a news release sent to the Deseret News. “From elegant classical works to romantic contemporary pieces, the program will highlight the strength and beauty of the artists and the broad and diverse repertoire Ballet West has become known for.”
Tickets go on sale to the general public April 2. The production will run from April 9-17.
Additionally, in late April, Pamela Robinson-Harris’ “The Glass Slipper” will debut for three performances April 23-24.
Bringing the Cinderella fairy tale to life, “this world premiere was created specifically with current restrictions in mind,” according to the news release.
The Ballet West season will then conclude with the Choreographic Festival from May 12-16.
Pioneer Theatre Company
On March 22, Pioneer Theatre Company announced its full return for the 2021-22 season.
“We’ve missed being on stage, and while we chart the path forward, one of the opportunities has been being able to look at how we do theater, audit our processes and practices, and address inequities and social deficits in light of last summer’s community unrest,” Christopher Massimine, the theater’s managing director, said in a news release sent to the Deseret News. “Theater is healing, and we need to ensure our organizational composition and what we put on the stage depicts not just our local community, but extends to our broader, national community, too. Professional theater needs the community’s support more than ever this year as we journey back to ‘normal,’ and we’ve constructed a season to reward that support.”
PTC’s 2021-22 season is as followed:
- Sept. 10-25 — “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
- Oct. 22-Nov. 6 — “Ass”
- Dec. 3-18 — “Elf the Musical”
- Jan. 14-29, 2022 — “The Messenger”
- Feb. 25-March 12, 2022 — “Something Rotten!”
- April 1-16, 2022 — TBA
- May 13-28, 2022 — “Hello, Dolly!”