Elevating the arts: Midway foundation building theater in mountain setting

The High Valley Arts Foundation has a mission as lofty as the mountains that surround it: enriching lives through excellence in arts.

To that end, the nonprofit, all-volunteer foundation based in Midway is launching a new outdoor theater, which will debut with a production of the "The Sound of Music."

"I've always believed in the ability of drama to teach us things," says Susan Waldrip, chairman of the foundation and director of the musical. "It's a tremendous way to communicate. And musicals, especially the older ones, are so uplifting."

The foundation was organized a couple of years ago and has put on productions such as "Annie" and "A Christmas Carol" at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, but the idea of building its own theater was always a goal and "something that came together very quickly," says Waldrip.

One day last March she was asking Mike Nelson what he planned to do with the land behind his company's building. And "now we have a cement floor; we have lights and sound; we have a stage."

The tract of land, with gorgeous views of the Wasatch Mountains as a backdrop and a central location at 400 East just south of Main Street, will accommodate the stage, seating for about 300 and plenty of parking.

For now, it will be chair seating; patrons can bring their own chairs or rent them for $2.

"We invite people to bring a picnic supper and just enjoy this open-air setting," Waldrip says.

"Eventually, we hope to add some slopes and put in grass," says author Dean Hughes, who is a member of the High Valley Arts Foundation.

The Nelson family, headed by Monte and Viola, purchased the land to get a building for the corporate offices of their Millstream Properties company, says son Mike Nelson. They have agreed to let High Valley Arts used the back portion of the land. For now, there are no limits, no leases, just a nice arrangement.

"We've always believed that when good is put in front of people, it brings out the good in people," Nelson says. "We want to be a part of that."

Good theater has always been a part of the local culture, says Nelson. "I've read that when Brigham Young dedicated the old Salt Lake Theater, he said something to the effect that only good and inspiring work would be on that stage, nothing that would cause children to lie awake at night. That's what we want here."

An ultimate goal of the High Valley Arts Foundation is to produce cultural heritage mini-festivals to accompany each theatrical production, says Waldrip.