The Utah Performance Center on Main Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Utah Performance Center on Main?
The Utah Performance Center on Main is a 2,400-seat, state-of-the-art theater located in the heart of Utah’s capital city. The Center will help fulfill the Downtown Rising vision for a vibrant capital city, with abundant arts and cultural offerings, which belongs to all of Utah. This premier venue will attract first run blockbuster Broadway-touring shows, provide additional options for beloved Utah performing groups such as Ballet West and the Utah Opera, and attract nationally-recognized music and comedy acts. With such a theater as a drawing card, Salt Lake City will attract premier arts presentations and expand cultural offerings to the state and region.

Why is the theater called what it is?
For now the theater has the working title of the Utah Performance Center on Main. As development plans progress, the name may change. The working title communicates three important aspects of this theater: 1.) “Utah” emphasizes that this is a statewide amenity intended to benefit all Utah residents, 2.) “Performance Center” connotes the broad array of productions that will be presented at the theater (touring Broadway, pop entertainment, opera and others), and 3.) “on Main” reminds Utahns that the theater is located downtown at the center of their capital city.

Why is it important that this theater be downtown?
Downtown Salt Lake City has been the center for art and culture since 1862 when city leaders built the Salt Lake Theatre. In 1899, the Utah Legislature created in Salt Lake City the first state arts agency in the country. In subsequent years, premier cultural amenities such as the Capitol Theatre, Abravanel Hall, the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake Arts Center, Discovery Gateway, Clark Planetarium, LDS Conference Center, and Museum of Utah Art and History have all been located in a ten-block area downtown to form a core cultural district. This district is complemented by nearby venues at the University of Utah (just ten blocks away) and Salt Lake Community College (Grand Theatre on 1575 South State Street), and other venues throughout the region. The new theater will provide an anchor for this core district in the heart of Utah’s financial, entertainment and government center. The concentration of fine hotels, restaurants and other amenities downtown further strengthen the location.

Are there really enough touring productions out there for a new theater? Can’t Capitol Theatre and Kingsbury Hall accommodate the need?
Out-of-state experts in concurrent studies have concluded that 15 weeks per year of touring Broadway theater may be conservatively projected for a large theater in the Salt Lake market. Audience demand may be even greater in a new theater, located in downtown Salt Lake City, where entertainment, restaurants and hotels provide valued amenities to the successful presentation of these attractions and help to nurture and develop new audiences. Relocation of larger-scale presentations to the new venue will provide additional performance times at the Capitol Theatre. Critics of the need for a new theater point to the currently few touring productions, but this analysis fails to recognize many other factors that contribute to the number of weeks of touring productions. Equally, if not more, important are the quality of, and the public’s demand to see, particular productions. Blockbuster touring productions such as “The Lion King”, “Wicked” and “Jersey Boys” have been very successful because of their appeal. These blockbusters – which still have not come to Salt Lake City (“Wicked” is now scheduled) – run successfully for multiple weeks in many cities.

Why is the theater so large with approximately 2,400 seats?
The new theater must reflect the realities of the touring-Broadway musical market, not the smaller size of New York’s Broadway theaters. Of over 50 American cities that host touring shows, less than five do so in theaters with fewer than 2,000 seats.

The Capitol Theatre and Kingsbury Hall each have around 1900 seats. They are wonderfully restored venues, but 400 of the Capitol’s seats have sub-optimal sight-lines and in both venues, to varying degrees, the load-in, lobby, backstage, seating, parking, concessions and restroom space are challenging. As a consequence, blockbuster Broadway-touring productions such as “The Lion King” and “Wicked” appear in dozens of cities before appearing in Salt Lake City. And, when they do come, tickets are very expensive (reflecting the scarcity of seats and the technical limitations of these venues) and do not stay very long.

Will this new theater impact other arts organizations?
Salt Lake City and the business community are committed to developing this new theater in a manner that does not impair existing arts organizations and their funding. This means that the theater must be part of a grander arts vision that increases participation in the arts and grows Utah’s creative economy. It also means that new public and private funding must be dedicated to the arts, both to fund the new theater and shore up existing arts organizations.

How will this theater be financed?
Financing of the theater is practical and achievable because of the availability of outside funds (federal New Market Tax Credits that can only be used in places like downtown with a qualifying poverty rate and median income), state enabling laws for economic development and the economic viability of the theater. In the coming months, a detailed financing plan will be presented for public review. Salt Lake City and the business community are committed to funding the Utah Performance Center on Main in a way that does not impair existing funding sources for cultural activities or current private sources of funding for existing organizations.

What criteria were used in making this site selection?
Mayor Ralph Becker’s Downtown Theater Action Group developed criteria for selecting the location for the Utah Performance Center. The criteria include synergy with adjacent uses, ease of access and design. The chosen location of 135 South Main has the optimum characteristics. Its proximity to Capitol Theatre, the Salt Palace Convention Center and Abravanel Hall, along with a variety of first class restaurants and hotel accommodations, will provide wonderful cultural, dining and lodging experiences for visitors and tourists. TRAX stations, public parking facilities and proximity to main traffic arteries will assist those traveling to the Center. Locating the Utah Performance Center at 135 South Main will also contribute to the revitalization of Main Street, which is the historical heart of our downtown. The Utah Performance Center will serve as the anchor of a cohesive mixed-use development that, along with the City Creek Center and other private sector investments, will bring new life and vibrancy to the Main Street corridor.

How long will it take to complete the planning and construction of this theater?
It is anticipated that architectural programming, design and specifications should take approximately one year. After the construction contract has been awarded, it should take approximately 36 months for construction to be substantially completed. This preliminary timeline may need to be modified based upon the coordinating mixed-use development and development of ancillary facilities that will occur in conjunction with the theater.

How does this announcement relate to the cultural facilities master planning process that Salt Lake County is doing? Shouldn’t this announcement wait until it is done?
Planning for a new performing arts center downtown started well before the county cultural facilities master planning process. At the core of the planning for a new theater was the Downtown Rising regional visioning process. In March 2007, a new performing arts center downtown was identified as one of eight signature projects in the Downtown Rising vision. Business and community leaders have been working on the implementation of this vision ever since. The county planning process complements the Downtown Rising vision by identifying priority projects throughout the region that will serve county residents. The City and business leaders are committed to the cultural and economic development of our capital city, while being fully supportive of the County developing necessary facilities and programs to meet the needs of Salt Lake County.

What will the economic impact of the theater be?
The Downtown Theater Action Group, in consultation with the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Utah, projects $22 million in annual spending by Utah residents and non-residents who attend touring Broadway productions. The Action group conservatively estimates that 15% of Utah Performance Center on Main patrons will be from non-residents for a net new economic impact of $3.3 million annually to the Utah economy.

What will happen to the Utah Theatre?
There are many options for this historical venue located right on Main Street across from the new Utah Performance Center. The Salt Lake Film Society, Salt Lake Film Center, Sundance Institute and Spy Hop productions have all expressed a need for a consolidated venue for art film exhibition. The adaptation of the Utah Theatre to house such organizations would be another positive step towards creating a thriving art and culture district with the Utah Performance Center on Main as the focal point.

What are the plans for the Capitol Theatre?
Salt Lake County has plans to renovate the Theatre’s seating and lobby space. The planned renovation of Capitol Theatre will result in a reduction in seating capacity from 1,900 to 1,500, but will improve sight lines and audience comfort in addition to meeting current ADA requirements.

How do the arts contribute to the economy?
In the information age, many companies no longer need to locate near major ports, rail stations or other transportation hubs. Instead, life quality serves as a tipping point for major business location decisions. Utah proudly offers an enviable quality of life that is sustained by our close proximity to premier recreation locations and capped off by our rich entertainment and cultural offerings. In this way, arts and culture in Utah serve as a major catalyst for economic growth.

Utah’s creative economy also contributes directly to the local economy. In Salt Lake City alone, there are approximately 9,000 jobs at roughly 800 arts-related businesses. More than 800,000 people attend downtown arts events annually, and Salt Lake City was recently rated number 14 among mid-sized cities nationally as an “Arts Destination.”

Isn’t this focus on the arts ill-timed given the current international financial crisis and economic recession?
The current financial crisis is rightly impacting public and private investment decisions. All organizations must refine their business plans and respond to current market conditions. It would, however, be wrong to stop progress on important community planning activities such as the large downtown theater. Over the next 9-12 months, Salt Lake City, the Redevelopment Agency, land owners and the business community will prudently plan the development of the theater block to maximize the public benefits, in light of current economic conditions and with an eye towards a bright economic future.

How large of a public subsidy will the theater require?
Planning for the Utah Performance Center on Main is still in its initial stages. The Salt Lake City RDA and the landowners have signed an agreement to create a development plan for the impacted area. In addition, estimates for the design, construction, land, escalation and owner-related costs will be refined in coming months. A financing plan will then be developed that includes capital and operating expenditures, including the amount and sources of public dollars needed to create this public amenity.

How will this theater serve residents statewide?
Downtown Salt Lake City serves as the regional center for nearly three million people and functions as the economic, cultural, religious, commercial, legal, financial, transportation and governmental heart of Utah. The Utah Performance Center – like other “capital city” venues (State Capitol, Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Palace Convention Center, state and federal courthouses, Energy Solutions Arena, Abravanel Hall and other one-of-a-kind venues) – will proudly serve Utah residents. We anticipate that like these other entities, the new theater will attract and serve students, families and entertainment consumers from all of Utah’s 29 counties.

What is an exclusive negotiations agreement?
In an exclusive negotiations agreement, the property owners (Suburban Land Reserve and PRI) have agreed that they will negotiate exclusively with the Salt Lake City for the purchase and/or development of the site. Conversely, Salt Lake City has agreed that they will not negotiate with other potential property owners to develop the Utah Performance Center on any other site.