City Guide 2022 

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• Courtesy Photo
• Hamilton production at Eccles Theater

An Embarrassment of Riches
Salt Lake's arts and entertainment scene will take your breath away.
By Scott Renshaw

When talking about American cities outside the largest urban centers, it's tempting to describe things in terms of qualifiers: It has great [fill-in-the-blank] for a city of its size. Or it has better [whatever] than you might expect. It's all predicated on a vague sense of insecurity, as though you always need to be comparing things to New York or Chicago or Los Angeles—instead of recognizing everything that's amazing right where you are.

That's certainly true of the arts and culture scene in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area (and beyond), which boasts an extraordinary collection of talent, facilities and institutions. Not for a city of its size. Not better than you might expect. Extraordinary—full stop. From performing arts to film, from galleries to literature, there's a world of fantastic stuff to discover.

Theater
Whether your tastes run to the crowd-pleasing big-name shows, or to the discovery of new, edgy work, there's a place for you to explore the SLC live theater scene. The city's largest full Equity company is Pioneer Theatre Co. , which takes up residence on the University of Utah campus, and offers a full season ranging from the latest Broadway musical hits to Shakespeare, and from established classics to the latest innovative plays.

Salt Lake Acting Co. also brings in great shows from the New York stage, while mixing in its own unique flavor with stuff like an annual family-friendly holiday show, and the good-natured summer spoof of local living, SLC Cabaret.

Two resident companies at the Rose Wagner Center—Plan-B Theatre Co. and Pygmalion Theatre Co. —both present smaller-scale, intimate productions that take on challenging social-issue themes, including world-premieres from local playwrights.

If you'd like to catch a touring production of beloved hits like Hamilton, The Book of Mormon or Wicked, Broadway at the Eccles brings all of your favorites to the new, exciting Eccles Theater downtown.

Or, for one of the most decorated Shakespeare companies in the country, head down to Southern Utah for Utah Shakespeare Festival and its summer repertory season.

Beyond the major players, you can find great stuff at several community theater organizations. Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy offers two stages for long runs of shows like The Light in the Piazza, Disney's The Little Mermaid and an annual production of A Christmas Carol.

In Ogden, Good Company Theatre presents Utah premieres of smaller-scale new plays, while other challenging fare comes from newer players like SONDERimmersive, with more fascinating work emerging all the time.

(Note: For performance venue contact info, see calendar listings.)

• Courtesy Photo
• Ballet West

Dance
It's not only because the dance programs at the University of Utah and BYU are so strong that we get such a constant flow of amazing dance in this community—but it sure doesn't hurt. Ballet West approaches its 60th anniversary in 2023 with a national reputation for dynamic programming, including the annual production of The Nutcracker employing founder Willam Christensen's timeless choreography.

New contemporary dance works are often at the center of the program for Ririe-Woodbury Dance Co., which offers tremendous dance education opportunities, while Repertory Dance Theatre focuses on the preservation of the great works from throughout the history of modern dance, continuing the mission of founder Virginia Tanner.

Pop-culture-infused works have been a staple of the repertoire of Odyssey Dance Theatre, which heads into its final season of productions including the Halloween-season favorite Thriller. Seat-of-the-pants creativity and a distinctive vision characterize Stephen Brown's namesake company SB Dance, which innovated during the pandemic to offer "curbside theater" performances of short dance pieces at pop-up, even residential locations.

• Courtesy Photo
• Utah Opera

Classical Music and Opera
If you appreciate majestic music, this is the place. Utah Symphony and Utah Opera work together under one umbrella organization, with the symphony playing masterworks, pops and symphony-for-the-screen concerts at the acoustical marvel that is Abravanel Hall, and Utah Opera performing the great works of Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and more, plus contemporary works, at the Capitol Theatre accompanied by Utah Symphony musicians.

Many smaller regional symphony orchestras perform in outlying cities including Sandy's American West Symphony & Chorus and Utah Valley Symphony. For an emphasis on works of the Baroque and Medieval periods, Utopia Early Music regularly presents both instrumental and vocal pieces in the Cathedral Church of St. Mark.

Books & Literature
Utah's literary scene is as strong as you could hope for, fueled by the efforts of stalwart local independent booksellers. The King's English Bookshop (kingsenglish.com) offers a tremendous selection of local and national authors, both in person and online, as well as hosting virtual and in-store events with writers.

The same is true of Weller Book Works (wellerbookworks.com), continuing the Weller family tradition of supporting the written word in the current Trolley Square location.

Ken Sanders Rare Books (kensandersbooks.com) has been a source since 1997 for unique, specialty books, often with a focus on Utah and the desert Southwest; while Sanders' flagship location faces an uncertain future, a recent partnership with The Leonardo museum (see below) promises to keep the business going. For additional book-centric programming, both the Salt Lake City Library (slcpl.org) and Salt Lake County Library (slcolibrary.org) locations present author events, book clubs and other services.

If you happen to be an aspiring writer yourself, there are resources for you as well. The Community Writing Center (slcc.edu/cwc) offers multiple classes, both virtual and in-person, with coaching and other resources, whether your project is fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, songwriting and much more.

The League of Utah Writers (leagueofutahwriters.com) has chapters throughout the state for writer groups and other mutual support, as well as an annual conference.

Comedy
The real world keeps giving us plenty of reason to need laughter, and you can experience the best in stand-up comedy at a variety of locations. The most noteworthy venues are those operated by Wiseguys, with locations downtown at The Gateway mall, in West Jordan and in Ogden that present local, regional and national headliners—like Christopher Titus and The Office's Craig Robinson, among those scheduled for later in 2022—as well as regular open-mic nights for up-and-comers.

Touring acts frequently find their way to Kingsbury Hall (utahpresents.org) or the Eccles Theater (live-at-the-eccles.com), with the biggest of the big names occasionally stopping in for dates at Vivint Arena (vividseats.com).

You also can catch one of many groups that make up Utah's thriving improv comedy scene. One of the longest-running groups is Laughing Stock, the resident group of Off Broadway Theatre (theobt.com), now in Draper, with regular Saturday night shows. Desert Star Playhouse (desertstar.biz) in Murray, has produced irreverent parodies for over 30 years. Quick Wits Comedy (qwcomedy.com), with nearly three decades of creative chuckles under their belts, performs Friday night shows at the Midvale Performing Arts Center.

Museums and Galleries
The cultural richness of a place is, for better or worse, often connected to museums and galleries, and fortunately, Utah has plenty to offer. The beautiful Rio Tinto building of The Natural History Museum of Utah (nhmu.utah.edu) is full of permanent and touring exhibits that explore the distinctive landscape of this region—in its people, its places, its flora and fauna.

The Leonardo (theleonardo.org) sets its focus on science and technology, with hands-on exhibits that take visitors through amazing inventions.

The Gateway is home to two other specialty facilities: Clark Planetarium (clarkplanetarium.org), full of information about our world and its place in the universe; and Discovery Gateway (discoverygateway.org), a fun-filled children's museum with activities and workshops inspiring young imaginations.

For exhibits about the founding of the state by Mormon settlers, the Pioneer Memorial Museum (dupinternationa.org) features memorabilia and more relating tales of that unique migration.

If fine art is your interest, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (utahmoca.org) offers multiple gallery spaces for individual and group shows, highlighting both Utah's best contemporary artists and great works of the past. The permanent collection of the University of Utah's Utah Museum of Fine Arts (umfa.utah.edu) gives visitors a chance to see amazing pieces from around the world, plus touring shows with specialized themes. For an additional listing of local fine-arts galleries, see the sidebar.

Film
Utah is most famously connected to the world of film through the annual January showcase of independent film the Sundance Film Festival (sundance.org), but that's not the limit of offerings for local movie-lovers. The Salt Lake Film Society (slfs.org), with brick-and-mortar locations at the Broadway Centre Cinemas and Tower Theatre, offers year-round programming of new theatrical releases from the world of documentary, foreign-language and American independent cinema, as well as the recent addition of streaming films through SLFSatHome.org. You can also find DVD copies of classic films at the newly renovated Tower Theatre's video store. More specialty programming comes from the Utah Film Center (utahfilmcenter.org), which invites filmmakers for Q&A sessions accompanying film screenings; hosts the annual kid-friendly Tumbleweeds Film Festival and the LGBTQ-centric Damn These Heels film festival; and brings back a classic moviegoing experience during the summer with drive-in movies at pop-up locations throughout the Salt Lake Valley.

Festivals

Arts Festivals
May 28-29: Moab Arts Fest
Start the summer off right with a trek to Moab's Swanny City Park on Memorial Day weekend, and a free-admission jubilee of pottery, glass, jewelry, fine art and more, with plenty of activities for kids and adult refreshments for the grown-ups. (SR)
moabartsfestival.org

June 23-26: Utah Arts Festival
The state's biggest and most varied arts festival (the 46th annual!) returns to its last-weekend-in-June schedule at the City/County Building and Library Square (200 East & 400 South). You can always count on great music from around the country and around the world, in addition to artist booths, kids' activities, culinary arts, urban arts, performances by local dance groups and the Fear No Film short film festival. (SR)
uaf.org

Aug. 5-7: Park City Kimball Arts Festival
You really shouldn't need an excuse to head into the mountains during the summertime, what with the clean air and temperatures 10-15 degrees cooler than the ones that are baking the Wasatch Front. But in case you've been dragging your feet, the delights of historic Main Street being turned into an open-air showplace for visual art and music should give you the necessary nudge. (SR)
kimballartcenter.org

Aug. 12-13: Craft Lake City DIY Festival
The DIY spirit has always been plentiful in Utah, and perhaps even more so by necessity during the pandemic. The Craft Lake City DIY Festival once again celebrates the "maker" spirit with vendors offering visual arts, clothing, textiles, food, personal care products and much more for two days at the Utah State Fairpark (155 N. 1000 West). (SR)
craftlakecity.com/diy-festival

Also, don't miss: June 11 & 12: Ogden Arts Festival; June 17-19: Chalk Art Festival; July 16-17: Millcreek Festival; Sept. 2-4: Urban Arts Festival

Ethnic, Historical & Cultural Festivals
May 20-22: Living Traditions Festival
Presented by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, this three-day free festival returns to its pre-pandemic schedule on the weekend of May 20-22 in Washington Square/Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Celebrate the city's diversity with more than 90 different cultures and events that promote connection through folk art. (JW)
livingtraditionsfestival.com

June 4-5: Utah Pride Festival
Party with 60,000 of the state's LGBTQ community and their allies at Washington Square in downtown Salt Lake City. You can expect a full roster of events, along with food trucks and exhibitor booths, plus the grand parade on Sunday morning. (SR)
utahpridecenter.org/festival

July 9: Utah Asian Festival
For the 45th annual event, cultures from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and many more locales gather at the Utah State Fairpark (155 N. 1000 West, SLC) for a huge showcase of art, crafts, food and fun. Come ready for the Asian Pop Dance and cosplay parade. (SR)
utahasianfestival.wpcomstaging.com

July 8-25: Days of '47 Celebration
My, how 175 years can fly by! Utahns of Mormon ancestry—and even those who aren't—enjoy the Days of '47 with rodeos, a family festival, a Tabernacle Choir concert and the big annual parade from South Temple and State Street to Liberty Park, and note that this year, it's on July 23. (SR)
daysof47.com

July 23: Native American Celebration in the Park Powwow & Festival
As an alternative to the Days of '47, Utah's Native American community celebrates those who were here first with arts-and-crafts booths, children's activities, tribal dances and fireworks. (SR)
facebook.com/nacippowwow

July 25-30: Springville World Folkfest
The world is welcome at Utah's "Art City," as performing groups from 10 countries from South America to Eastern Europe gather in one place to bring the color and excitement of traditional folk dance and music. If you attend, you are automatically invited to the after party on stage at the end of each night. Plus enjoy food from cultural food trucks. Held at 620 S. 1350 East in Springville. (GG)
facebook.com/worldfolkfest

July 30: Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration
Utah's thriving Samoan, Tongan, Fijian and Native Hawai'ian communities begin a month-long celebration of their cultures with an event from 5-10 p.m. at Lonestone Park (6252 W. 6200 South, Kearns) that traditionally includes food vendors, live entertainment and a youth rugby clinic at Sorensen Unity Center. (SR)
facebook.com/utpihm

Aug. 7: Ogden Pride
LGBTQ Pride activities around the country tend to be concentrated around the month of June in recognition of the Stonewall uprising, but Ogden has always been a place that marches to its own drummer. Taking place on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Ogden Municipal Grounds and Amphitheater (343 E. 25th St.), Ogden Pride welcomes visitors with live entertainment, vendors and general merriment. (SR)
ogdenpride.org

Sept. 9-11: Salt Lake Greek Festival
The grounds of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (279 S. 300 West, SLC) again host a weekend of live performances, vendors and perhaps most importantly, plenty of amazing food. (SR)
saltlakegreekfestival.com

Sept 2-5: Soldier Hollow Classic
Sheepdog Festival
One of the more unique cultural events on the calendar in any year, the Labor Day weekend tradition brings world-class working dogs to Utah to show us the fine art of wrangling sheep who don't always want to be wrangled. (2002 Soldier Hollow Lane, Midway). (SR)
soldierhollowclassic.com

Sept. 8-18: Utah State Fair
The Utah State Fairpark (155 N. 1000 West, SLC) offers all of the traditional attractions: midway games, rides, animals, food and plenty of live entertainment. (SR)
utahstatefair.com

More festivals: June 18 & 19: Juneteenth at Ogden City Amphitheater; June 23-25: Taylorsville Dayzz; July 29-31: Peruvian Festival; Sept. 2-3: Midway Swiss Days; Sept.17: Festa Italiana

Theater/Film Festivals
Jan. 2023 (dates TBA): Sundance Film Festival
A 10-day celebration of independent American film with film screenings in Park City and Salt Lake, giving locals an opportunity to view world-class films, sit in on film discussions and hobnob with celebrities in bars and at events. (JW).
sundance.org

July 6-Aug. 6: Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theater
Epic operas and favorites of the Broadway stage are once again on tap on Logan's picturesque Main Street. (SR) For shows and schedule, visit
utahfestival.org

June 20-Oct. 8: Utah Shakespeare Festival
The award-winning theater showcase in Southern Utah presents stage classics from the 1500s to the present. (SR) Performances June 20-Oct. 8; for plays and schedule, visit
bard.org

July 28-Aug.7: Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival:
The annual showcase of experimental theater, dance, music and art gives local residents a chance to see work with an edge that might not be expected on Utah stages. (SR)
greatsaltlakefringe.org

Pop Culture
Conventions
Sept. 22-24: FanX Salt Lake
The state's biggest gathering of nerds, enthusiasts and other lovers of pop culture returns to the Salt Palace Convention Center (100 S. West Temple) for three days of guest stars, panel presentations and vendors. (SR)
fanxsaltlake.com

Food & Drink
Festivals
Aug. 20-21 City Weekly's Utah Beer Festival
Allow us to brag on ourselves just a bit: There's nowhere you can go this summer that offers such a tremendous range of offerings to celebrate the art of brew-making. The 11th annual event returns to The Gateway (12 S. Rio Grande, SLC). Access to the festival grounds is free. You'll find music performances, and can purchase token punch passes to sample dozens of local, regional, national and international beers and hard ciders. (SR)
utahbeerfestival.com

Late August to Mid-October: Snowbird Oktoberfest
Since 1973, Snowbird Resort has hosted its own annual Oktoberfest that attracts thousands of visitors in its nearly two-month run on Saturdays and Sundays. More information at
snowbird.com/events/oktoberfest

2022 calendar

SAVE THE DATES!
Upcoming Performing Arts Calendar

Ballet West & Ballet West II
Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-323-6900,
balletwest.org
April 1-9: Carmina Burana /Glass Pieces
May 11-15: Choreographic Fest V

Broadway at the Eccles
The Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main, SLC, 801-355-2200,
saltlakecity.broadway.com
May 10-15: Jesus Christ Superstar
June 14-19: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Aug. 2-7: Hadestown

Egyptian Theatre Co., Park City
328 Main St., Park City, 855-745-7469,
egyptiantheatrecompany.org
April 22-May 1: Park City Follies
May 19-29: Pump Boys and Dinettes
June 1-17: Grease the Musical
Aug. 11-14: Evita the Musical

Good Company Theatre
2404 Wall Ave., Ogden, 801-917-4969,
goodcotheatre.com
March 24-April 10: Man and Moon
May 5-22: it's not a trip, it's a journey

Hale Centre Theatre
9900 S. Monroe St., Sandy, 801-984-9000,
hct.org
April 18-June 18: The Light in the Piazza
June 15-Aug. 13: Singin' in the Rain
June 27-Aug. 27: Silent Sky

Live at the Eccles
131 S. Main, SLC, 801-355-2787,
live-at-the-eccles.com
April 9: #IMomSoHard
April 15-16: Lamb of God
May 1: The Bachelor Live on Stage
May 5: Whose Live Anyway?
May 18: Professor Brian Cox Horizons
May 21: Greg Gutfeld
July 7: Puscifer
July 19: The Masked Singer

Capitol Theatre shows:
April 21: Heather McMahan
May 23: Rupi Kaur
June 4: Hannah Gadsby

Pioneer Theatre Co.
University of Utah, 300 S. 1400 East, 801-581-6961,
pioneertheatre.org
April 1-16: Fireflies
May 13-28: Hello, Dolly!

Plan-B Theatre Co.
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-355-2787,
planbtheatre.org
April 7-17: Aftershock
June 9-19: Mestiza, or Mixed

Pygmalion Theatre Co.
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-971-4362,
pygmalionproductions.org
May 6-21: Body Awareness

Repertory Dance Theatre
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 W. 300 South, SLC, 801-534-1000,
rdtutah.org
April 21-23: Six Songs from Ellis

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Co.
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
138 W. 300 South, SLC, 801- 297-4241,
ririewoodbury.com
April 28-30: Lo and Behold

Salt Lake Acting Co.
168 W. 500 North, SLC, 801-363-7522,
saltlakeactingcompany.org
April 6-May 15: Passing Strange
July 13-Aug. 21: SLC Cabaret 2022

Sonderimmersive
sonderimmersive.com
May 7: Hemingway & The Byrd

Tuacahn
1100 Tuacahn Drive, Ivins, 435-652-3200,
tuacahn.org
May 13-Oct. 21: Wonderland
May 20-Oct. 22: Mary Poppins
June 24-Aug. 13: The Buddy Holly Story
July 16-Oct. 20: Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Utah Opera
Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-533-6683,
utahopera.org
May 7-15: The Pirates of Penzance

Utah Shakespeare Festival
195 W. Center St., Cedar City, 1-800-752-9849,
bard.org
June 20-Sept. 8: All's Well That Ends Well
June 21-Sept. 9: Sweeney Todd
June 22-Sept. 10: King Lear
June 23-Oct. 8: The Sound of Music
June 24-Sept. 9: Trouble in Mind
June 25-Oct. 8: Clue
July 12-Oct. 8: The Tempest

Utah Symphony
Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, SLC, 801-533-5626,
utahsymphony.org
April 8-9: Hilary Hahn plays Ginastera and Serasate
April 15-16: Haydn 11, Arlene Sierra, Nielsen & Elgar
April 22: Cirque de la Symphonie
April 29-30: Steven Osborne plays Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2
May 20-21: Messiaen, Smetana & Sibelius 2
May 27-28: Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Messiaen & Ravel

Wiseguys Gateway
194 S. 400 West, SLC, 801-532-5233,
wiseguyscomedy.com
April 1-2: T.J. Miller
April 7: Mick Foley
April 8-9: Shapel Lacey
April 14: Tumua
April 15-16: Sam Morril
April 28-30: Kyle Kinane
May 5: Are You Garbage?
May 6-7: Lachlan Patterson
May 12-15: Dan Cummins
May 20-21: Tony Hinchcliffe
June 10-11: Chad Daniels
June 17-18: Christopher Titus
July 14-16: Mark Normand
July 21-23: Craig Robinson

Note: Schedule changes to above events may occur, so please check with the performance company or venue.