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The Sky's the Limit
Utah's outdoor theater options give summer arts a little fresh air.
By Scott Renshaw

From the mountains to the valleys, and from the Wasatch Front to Southern Utah, options for enjoying theater in the great outdoors will proliferate throughout Utah over the next few months. While there will still be quite a few places to enjoy a show in a traditional indoor theater space—including Salt Lake Acting Company's #SLACabaret, Hale Centre Theatre and more—here's a rundown of some of the higher-profile options for taking advantage of the peculiar seasonal pleasure of outdoor theater.

Sundance Eccles Outdoor Stage: The picturesque mountain amphitheater of Sundance resort didn't suffer extensively in 2021 with its production of Footloose after the 2020 hiatus, according to resort programming manager Alysha Jeppson. "We sold every single seat to every single performance," Jeppson says. "People were definitely so happy to be back."

Sundance presents its annual summer musical in partnership with Utah Valley University, taking advantage of the resources of the university's theater department, while the resort provides marketing support and a lovely venue.

"I think what's so fun about coming to a show at Sundance is that it is a whole experience," Jeppson says. "People come and they can either walk up the 500-foot pathway or they can take the tractor-pull ride up to the theater. We have a pre-show barbecue that guests can include with their ticket. And then our amphitheater is set against the background of Mount Timpanogos. It could not be more beautiful."

Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella runs July 21-Aug. 13, with performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday at 8 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets run $44-$48 for benches, $28 for lawn seating. 8841 N. Alpine Loop, Sundance, 866-734-4428, sundanceresort.com

Murray Park Amphitheater: Right in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley, Murray Park's amphitheater hosts a full season of outdoor events, including three musical productions for 2022: Matilda, Sister Act and The Drowsy Chaperone. In addition, the venue features music performances—like the Murray Concert Band, and the Carpenters tribute act Close to You—to fill out the summer season.

Murray City cultural arts manager Lori Edmonds says that the programming was already back for a full season in 2021, and that "we did pretty well, considering, wonderfully so. People were just looking for something to do, to get out."

She adds that the location of the amphitheater lends itself to a pleasant experience. "There's something about being outdoors, relaxing and watching art, that is just so satisfying," Edmonds says. "It's tucked back to where you can't hear anything around it—no street sounds, no street lights—and you're just right in nature. You can hear the crickets, and sometimes quite loudly."

Matilda runs June 16-24; Sister Act runs July 15-23; The Drowsy Chaperone runs Aug. 12-20. Performances run Thursday-Saturday and Monday at 8 p.m., with general admission tickets $8-$10, rain or shine. 495 E. 5300 South, Murray, 801-264-2614, murray.utah.gov

SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre: Utah County's SCERA Center for the Arts doesn't ramp up its activities just for the summer; it merely makes the transition from its indoor theater to events at the outdoor SCERA Shell amphitheater. The grassy outdoor venue even allowed for socially-distanced seating and performances in the summer of 2020, according to SCERA CEO Adam Robertson.

The annual summer season features live music performances, movies under the stars and three full musical theater productions. For 2022, those shows will be Disney's High School Musical, The SpongeBob Musical and The Sound of Music.

Robertson sells the appeal of the venue with a pretty persuasive pitch. "The SCERA shell in the heart of a 30-acre park. When you're sitting there, you don't see cars and traffic; you see trees and mountains. To sit outside under the stars, enjoying great music or great theater, you just can't beat it. ... Even after the show people might sit in clusters and talk for a half hour afterward. There's a sense of community."

High School Musical runs June 3-18; SpongeBob runs July 1-16; The Sound of Music runs July 29-Aug. 13. Tickets are $16-$20 reserved, $12 general admission, rain or shine. 600 S. 400 East, Orem, 801-225-2787, scera.org

Utah Shakespeare Festival: The celebrated purveyor of great theater isn't just about the Bard—additional plays including The Sound of Music, Clue, Trouble in Mind and Thurgood grace indoor stages. But, it goeth without declaring, the great works of Shakespeare take on an even greater quality at the open-air Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre.

For the 2022 season, the featured productions run the typical range featuring both comedy and tragedy, including All's Well That Ends Well (June 20-Sept. 8) and King Lear (June 22-Sept. 10), both staged at the Engelstad, with The Tempest (July 12-Oct. 8) playing indoors.

The outdoor theater also hosts Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (June 21-Sept. 9).

Tickets range from $14-$90, and season ticketing options are available. 200 W. College Ave., Cedar City, 435-586-7878, bard.org

Tuacahn Amphitheatre: The beautiful red rocks of Southern Utah provide the backdrop for the stunning Tuacahn season. Tuacahn marketing manager Kristina Cannon expects another successful season for their shows Mary Poppins, Wonderland and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but she expects there might be even bigger crowds this year thanks to one particular piece of casting.

"We are having David Archuleta performing as Joseph [in Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]," Cannon says. "Our actors are always Broadway-level, but this is different, in terms of interest."

While the setting of the amphitheater provides wonderful visual appeal, Cannon adds that there are unique logistical advantages to having an outdoor theater season. "There are so many things you can do in an outdoor theater that you can't do indoors," she says. "You can flood the stage."

Mary Poppins runs May 20-Oct. 22; Wonderland runs May 13-Oct. 21; Joseph runs July 16-Oct. 20. Tickets range from $32-$108, with season tickets available; performances begin at 8:45 p.m. 1100 Tuacahn Drive, Ivins, 435-652-3200, tuacahn.org