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SANDY — Hale Centre Theatre at the Mountain American Performing Arts Centre opened its doors Thursday night for the first-ever production on the new 900-seat Centre Stage.
Nearly a thousand guests were invited to a gala celebrating its opening, then were treated to a performance of Elton John and Tim Rice’s "Aida."
“Tonight has been a long time coming,” said Sally Dietlien, executive producer and co-founder of Hale Centre Theatre. “It really is beautiful to see, after months and months of sleepless nights.”
Construction on the 133,306-square-foot building started in 2015 after plans to bring Hale from West Valley City to Sandy were finalized. Dietlien said the move would not have been possible without the help of city leaders.
“They wanted to assist us in building a beautiful theater facility right on I-15 with bonding, and then a huge outpouring of financial support from the community,” she said.
The total cost of the building and its contents is $80 million. Sandy city leaders secured a $42.7 million bond, providing the major funding for the building. Hale Centre Theatre will pay back that money in full over the course of the lease. The remaining $37 million was covered by donations.
Dietlien said the theater provides 48 full-time jobs.
"We also have 231 local actors and a production team,” she said. “So everything is local."
For those in the industry, keeping things local is impressive “because they do it with their heart and soul, and they care and they are honest,” said John Prignano, of Music Theatre International.
Prignano is part of a music licensing company that is working closely with Hale Centre Theatre to bring certain shows to the stage. He said there were another 10 productions planned for the theater's Centre Stage in the 2018 season, which fulfills a need within the community.
“It's really all about bringing people together and presenting theater,” Prignano said.
Hale Centre Theatre will present more than 70 consecutive performances of "Aida." For ticket information, call (801) 984-9000, go to hct.org or visit the HCT box office at 9900 S. Monroe St. in Sandy.
