I think the mall should be upscale with a Coach, Louis Vuitton, and what not. They might as well just throw in a Walmart Supercenter!

Too bad a perfoming arts center was not part of the plans in the rebuilding of downtown salt lake.

Excellent article, Let's get this show going!!

I thought salt lake already had a theater?

The Denver complex is indeed a very classy collection of everything. I understand that they will soon expand the symphony hall part. With the light rail there and in SLC, it makes it a great evening to plan for dinner and the arts.

This blows my mind! Sandy has the right to do whatever they want... This is not a state wide decision. If Sandy has the funds and space to build a theater, then let them build it. They will sink or swim with their own decision. I think it will do rather well there!

Salt Lake Valley is not Denver culturally, politically, financially, or in any other respects. In SLC this sounds like gentrified professional soccer. Maybe establish a successful light opera first.

As season ticket holders (who gladly travel from Utah County to see Broadway shows), we would love to have a new venue that would allow shows like the "Lion King" to come to Salt Lake City (currently it and others can't come because our stage isn't big enough). Furthermore, the sound and sightlines from some seats is flatout lousy at Capital Theatre. Finally, you know the facilities are bad when women have to start using the men's restroom at intermission in order to not miss the start of the second act due to such long lines. While a nice theatre, it is just too small for the number of people who love the arts in SLC. So, please, build a new theatre. Where? We don't care - just build it!

I like Capitol Theatre and all but something new would be great.

Capitol is nice for what it is BUT on this I agree with the idea of something more like Denver.

We need a better stage with more capable options. I remember seeing the "O" show in Vegas and was amazed.

I usually HATE things like that because I'm very classical in what I like and almost black and white about it. However, this is something I definitely see as a need for Salt Lake.

Sure the City Creek Mall will be a great makeover for the city and bring people back to it. What about the rest? Salt Lake is a city with more potential than most it's neighbors but uses almost none of it right now. I feel mainly to blame on some businesses who won't support anything outside of themselves and the state.

To the businesses and organizations involved in Down Town Rising: Cheers!

If it can pay for itself, that would be great.

Build it, and put it downtown.

build it downtown!!!

If we build a new one, it should be down town. That said, I have seen Wicked on Broadway. It was very good, but it would be nice to see it on a smaller stage.

I am more ticked off that Salt Lake County is charging and extra $20 for anyone that has season opera tickets. What is the Zap tax for. Can you say double taxation.

There are many times the Capitol theater doesn't fill up, even with the well done last opera. I can see when they do something really out there, like they did for the Olympics. Some operas are not worth the paper for the program, but many are, and you still can't fill of a smaller theater.

Build it downtown.

We don't need a barn for these blockbuster presentations. We need smaller performance spaces to encourage chamber music, theater and dance. That's where lively arts come from, not from yet another roadshow of "Annie Get Your Gun".

How about we let the Salt Lake theatre community make the decision? They have the closest pulse on how theatre works. Theatre is an incredibly delicate and difficult business to manage. Rather than letting this become the next political football (much like the Real Stadium) let's ask the true experts what is best.

IMHO build it Downtown and build it small! Nothing is worse for a theatre an empty house.

It is better than Denver; SLC has a longer history of support for the arts and has done better at attracting events considering the size difference of the communities. Arts facilites need a critcal mass to be truly successful. Build a large theater downtown (and dont even consider Sandy unless they volunteer to take the homeless shelter too)

Build it in Downtown SLC. I have no interest and will not support a theater in Sandy.

I think it would be a good idea, anything to promote the Arts and sell stuff. A gathering place of like minded people. Another attraction that is Not Church Related. A wonderful as Temple Square and the Visitors Center is (I still remember my visit just pre Vietnam and the Christus it was a wonderful sight and my new wife brought me and showed me all around. I had fun and a life memory)some people want see more or are not interested in the Church Aspect of things. So it is good to have a 1st class alternative. It should be done with a lot of class but be tourist friendly and comfortable. I like ideas that promote culture and consider it money well spent. You can run bus loads of disadvantaged children through to see art and maybe plays. Wynn in Las Vegas does it all the time. Bus pulls in through the back of his Dolphin Exhibit out go the kids they see the show/display, and back on the Bus never go inside the building. In Hawaii Tours are run for the School kids to cultural sites Bishop Museum etc. Some would never see it otherwise.

Nobody is talking about the effect of a third large theatre in Salt Lake will have on existing arts organizations and theatres. Abravanel Hall with 2,800 is empty most of the time. The Broadway Shows playing the Capitol Theatre (1850 seats) are currently playing to less than full houses...some of the shows have embarrassing attendence. Kingsbury Hall (1950 Sets) was renovated in 1998 with a huge stage to serve as an overflow when the Capitol Theatre is booked. What happens to the Capitol Theatre and Kingsbury Hall when all of the Broadway shows they now host move out to a 3rd theatre?

There are too many studies from agencies who have a specific outcome they want being bought from consultants. Anybody can buy a study and have it say what they want.

There needs to be an independent study done by a consultant with no hidden conflicts of interest.

Building a big box theatre in competition with the existing theatres and arts organizations is just like WallMart coming into a community and sucking the business out of the smaller stores.

This is simply insanity diven by greed and ego.

The title of this article is a Question. The answer is a simple NO.

Everything does not need to be in Down Town Salt Lake. I am sure the Land is cheaper in Sandy. As long as it is not to remote. The idea does not have to be as big as The Mall Of America, it does not have to be destnation location per say. Something fairly simple yet functional. Bright, Colorful, Uplifting. Spread the Wealth and Culture around. Everything does not have to be pointed to Temple Sq and Church Conversion. I am going to goggle Salt Lake City and figure out where everything is at again. I had short layovers at the Salt Lake Airport. I enjoyed the friendlyness and the close to street priced food. I also got to see Temple Sq from the Parking Garage.This was 1992 or 1993. If I had to land at a Hub and be stuck Salt Lake would be it.

I really love this article because it has the perspective of a theatre manager at Pioneer Theater. He says what everyone that really understands this subject says, SLC isn't filling the SEATS WE CURRENTLY HAVE. If you look at the reports of the attendance at the Capital, Abravenal, Pioneer and others they are all droping in attendance every year for the last ten years. So why invest millions in a new theater.

I know that there is an arguement that if we build it they will come...it sounds a lot like the Real Salt Lake arguement to me that most don't agree with. I just wish are city leaders would use some comon sense and look at the facts.

What Salt Lake City needs is a world-class facility with up-to-date technology, ample space backstage and decent sightlines, with only 1200 seats in the house. then the management needs to bend over backwards to get the hit shows here before they go non-equity and bus-and-truck.

Aside from Lion King (which hasn't played in any city the size of SLC - its not a function of inadequate facilities but a function of population, at this point) what hit show, with Equity actors has Salt Lake NOT gotten?

I can't think of any. SLC gets every tour.

A private developer is proposing to build it in Sandy. Let the private sector do its work. If it is built in downtown Salt Lake, it would cost at least twice as much and require a much larger taxpayer subsidy.

..A private developer is proposing to build it in Sandy. Let the private sector do its work.

If you believe it won't be primarily public funds, you're high.

These things ALWAYS start off as "private" and always ending up being subsidized by taxpayers.

Now I am not saying it shouldn't - but lets be honest about where the funding is coming from in the beginning.

The UTAH THEATER could be the core of the ideal facility.You can NOT make charcter like that anymore.You can't create heritage and atmosphere out of soul-less new facilties.IF the UTAH is not savedm,reused,it will be a stain on the community.For a city that used to have such a fabulous collection of grand theaters,to only have two survivors,with one still in great danger,is a crime.I recently attended a great concert(Neville Brothers) in a newly rehabed grand theater,the NATIONAL,in Richmond,VA.It has sat unesed for many years and was the last survivor of Richmond's theater row.People with vision are need to save the UTAH.Will Becker have the guts to go for the prize?
If someone wants to see what SLC USED to have,go to cinema treasures website,click on Utah ans see what was lost.Grant Smith's UTAH THEATERS website is excellent also.I like cinema treasures because,well,I write a lot there.