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SANDY — Quinn Dietlein normally dons an elaborate costume when he plays the role of Citizen Chauvelin in "The Scarlet Pimpernel."
But even clad in a plain black shirt, his performance Monday of one of the songs from the musical, "Falcon in the Dive," from atop the guillotine platform in the Hale Centre Theatre was a powerful example of what awaits when prospective theater patrons search NowPlayingUtah.com to find opportunities to enjoy the arts.
Hale Centre Theatre is a longstanding partner of Now Playing Utah, a website connecting Utahns to arts, humanities and entertainment events in the area. And now, the site is changing hands in an effort to expand its offerings to more of the state.
Prominent members of the arts community gathered at the theater Monday morning to announce that the Utah Cultural Alliance will take charge of the nonprofit website, which has been managed by Visit Salt Lake since it launched in 2008.
"Visit Salt Lake is a destination-focused organization," said Scott Beck, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake. "And after careful consideration, it is with great pride that Visit Salt Lake, with the full support of the Utah Arts and Cultural Coalition's board, turns over the management of Now Playing Utah to the Utah Culture Alliance."
Beck, who also sat on Now Playing Utah's founding board, said when Visit Salt Lake was hired to manage the website's operations, the board knew that if the site succeeded in Salt Lake County, it would grow statewide.
Beck said Now Playing Utah is about "creating a better way to share the incredible scope, scale and quality of our community's art and cultural programming."
Visit Salt Lake will remain a sponsor and board member of Now Playing Utah, said Utah Cultural Alliance executive director Crystal Young-Otterstrom.
"Utah Cultural Alliance and Now Playing Utah share the same mission," Young-Otterstrom said. "We amplify the arts and humanities and the benefits that they bring to our communities, to our family life and to our economic life."
She said the Alliance's goals to improve NowPlayingUtah.com include adding more curation, better integrating reviews, linking to podcasts and improving accessibility.
Young-Otterstrom joined Salt Lake Chamber President and CEO Derek Miller to point out that Utah ranks first in the United States for live arts participation per capita.
Arts and culture play a "tremendous role" in Utah's economy, Miller said. In 2017, nearly 4 percent of Utah's total workforce came from tourism and culture-related business.
A robust arts and cultural environment is the No. 1 factor to businesses considering expanding or relocating to Utah, Miller added.
"I am looking forward to this new partnership, amplifying arts and cultural opportunities across our state to allow us to continue to be a place where the arts humanities and cultures are valued," Miller said.
Young-Otterstrom said NowPlayingUtah.com is a great resource for those who are new to the arts and humanities scene — especially the upcoming Free Night of Theater events.
She invites all Utahns to join by entering a lottery for free tickets to selected shows — including "The Scarlet Pimpernel" at the Hale theatre — at freenight.nowplayingutah.com. The lottery is open until Sunday for tickets to shows running from Oct. 21 to Nov. 17.
