59% see no need for theater

Salt Lake County residents would be more likely to attend touring Broadway shows at a theater in Salt Lake City than in Sandy, but most say a new 2,500-seat venue isn't needed anywhere in the valley.

A poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates for the Deseret News and KSL-TV indicates that Salt Lake City is leading the popularity contest — if not the race — to bring a Broadway-style theater to the Salt Lake Valley.

Of the 236 residents interviewed, 44 percent said they would more likely attend productions in Salt Lake City, compared with 24 percent preferring Sandy. It was a tossup for 15 percent, and another 15 percent said they wouldn't see a show at either place.

Responses to a separate question showed that most county residents don't think the Salt Lake Valley needs a new theater. Fifty-nine percent of those polled said a new theater is definitely or probably not needed, compared with 36 percent who believe the demand exists. Still, only 12 percent said there is a definite need.

A majority of county residents also don't want to see public money used to partially fund construction of a downtown theater, according to the poll. Fifty-six percent of those polled said they are against using public money for the project — including 35 percent who "definitely oppose" it. Forty-one percent said they would support the use of public funds.

The poll was conducted May 13-19 and has a 6.5 percent margin of error.

Bill Becker, who was appointed by his brother, Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker, to spearhead the city's theater-development plans, said he's "heartened" and "gratified" by the poll results — particularly the 41 percent who say they would support some public funding for the theater.

Salt Lake City has not yet made its case to the public about the importance of a downtown theater and the economic, educational and cultural benefits it would bring, said Bill Becker, a Tony Award-winning producer and experienced theater developer, owner and manager.

"We've seen a huge erosion of governmental support for the arts over the past 20, 30 or 40 years to the extent that in many states there is actually no public support for the arts — both the visual arts and the performance arts," he said. "Utah really stands out as an exception to that."

A Broadway-style theater in downtown Salt Lake City has been in the works for several years, though city officials and community leaders say they became more focused on making it a reality after Mayor Becker was elected in November.