Salt Lake theater group starts contemplating sites, funding

Mayor Ralph Becker has assembled a clout-filled cast of community and business leaders to assist Salt Lake City in bringing a Broadway-style theater to downtown.

The Downtown Theater Action Group convened for the first time Monday in a mostly organizational and informational meeting on finding a site and funding for a proposed 2,500-seat grand theater.

"We're off to a great start," Becker said. "We had a very strong discussion about what we're working to accomplish in downtown Salt Lake City."

Tony Award-winning producer Bill Becker, the mayor's brother, is directing Salt Lake City's efforts on a full-time, volunteer basis, with assistance from the local arts community, business leaders and civic organizations.

"I was exhilarated by the response today," said Bill Becker, whose resume also includes theater development, production and management. "Everybody has a lot of enthusiasm for this project."

Bill Becker outlined for the group three interrelated tasks that need to be accomplished to see the city's decades-long vision of a grand theater downtown become a reality — location, financing and community involvement.

A handful of properties within a planned arts district for the two-block area bordered by 100 South, State Street, 200 South and West Temple are being considered as sites for a Broadway-style theater.

One of those is the historic Utah Theater at 148 S. Main. The city is finalizing an option agreement to purchase the more than 100-year-old theater, which would be renovated and likely expanded.

Expansion of the Utah Theater would require cooperation from Rocky Mountain Power, which has an electric substation directly behind the building.

Another option is the former Newspaper Agency Corp. press site on Regent Street, property that city officials say is the appropriate size for such a theater.

No price tag has been attached to the project, because it's undecided whether it will be new construction or building renovation. Both Beckers have declined to estimate the cost.

A subcommittee is being formed to focus solely on the project's funding to cover both capital and operational costs.