My Story:

• Hale Centre Theatre’s new updates are expanding Utah’s footprint in the performing arts industry.

About Me:

I am a current Communication major at the University of Utah, and an Assistant Event Coordinator with Stadium and Arena Event Services.  My plan is to graduate and become a destination wedding planner in Park City, UT.  My husband Troy is a solar engineer, and we are the proud parents of a little Schmorky (Schitzu, Yorky, Maltese mix) puppy named Goob.  Together we hope to make the world a better place by helping the environment, and helping people to live their dreams.

Reflection Blog:

My journey in researching my story on Hale Centre Theatre began as I went to see their performance of The Scarlet Pimpernel.  I have always loved going to see performances at the HCT in West Valley. The performance at the new location in Sandy struck my interest in how these changes may have affected performing artists here in the valley. I have several friends who participate in HCT productions or who aspire to be in one.  I wanted to do some digging to see if this new location might increase performing artists’ chances of making a living doing what they love.

The first interview I landed was with Lexi Walker, a recently casted lead in HCT’s Wizard of Oz.  I was excited to do this interview with Lexi, but at the last minute her agent decided that she should not do the interview due to the time the performances and practices had been taking out of her school work.  Instead, I was able to find a long-time HCT patron, Christian Winder, who had a great experience with both the old and new locations.

Then I contacted Rhonda Greenwood, a publicist who writes for a lot HCT.  She sent me her notes and her recent press release she wrote for their first year anniversary with the new building.  This information was incredibly helpful in comparing the growth from the old location to the new!

The last interview I did was with an aspiring performing artist, Katya Wagstaff. She is currently double majoring at the University of Utah in Musical Theatre and Communication, and has been keeping her eye on HCT as a potential spot for performing jobs.

All of these interviews really helped me to see a bigger picture of what these recent updates at HCT have done for them as a company as well has how it has affected the community.

Filed under: Student-Journalists |