Duo aims to save Park City's Egyptian Theatre

PARK CITY — For years, Park City's Egyptian Theatre has shown movies as part of the Sundance Film Festival and other cinematic events.

This year it's actually taking center stage in a yet-untitled movie — a documentary that's being shot as part of the Save the Egyptian fund-raising campaign.

The brainchild of organizers Stacy Hess and Melissa Balin, Save the Egyptian aims to make the nonprofit theater "sustainable."

"It's sad that such a theatrical treasure is struggling," said Hess, a former Park City resident who served on the Egyptian's board of directors.

She and Balin were in Park City during the festival to raise awareness of their fund-raising campaign.

And Balin and co-director Angela Shelton were there shooting vignettes for the movie, which will feature filmmakers, actors and others sharing their fondest memories of the Egyptian.

"Our cast is anyone and everyone who has seen a Sundance film, panel or press conference at the Egyptian Theatre," the filmmakers said.

Proceeds from sales of the completed documentary will go directly to the theater.

Terence Goodman, artistic director of the Egyptian Theatre Company, said he appreciates the group's effort, though he did want "to make it clear that we're not closing our doors and that we're not canceling any of our theater season."

He did add "that like been many nonprofit theater groups, we've been hit very hard by this recession."

In fact, both Hess and Goodman say that the Egyptian has some immediately pressing needs — as much as $15,000 is needed to be able to stage an upcoming version of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

So, Hess and her group made a special effort to go to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

This year the Egyptian has been one of the festival's regular screening venues, and it did host Sundance head honcho Robert Redford's opening day press conference. Redford even touted it as "a grand old theater."

Among those interviewed for the documentary were Park City Mayor Dana Williams, "Juno" director Jason Reitman and actors Tom Arnold and Scott Wolf.

"There were a lot more of them. Those are just the ones I'm comfortable with mentioning at this point," Hess noted.

Also, this Egyptian Theatre is not to be confused with Peery's Egyptian Theater in Ogden — which, coincidentally, boasts Sundance screening events as well.

For more information on the documentary and the fund-raising campaign, browse the Web site www.savetheegyptian.com. Or for information on the theater's upcoming season, visit www.egyptiantheatrecompany.org.

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com