Capitol Theatre (Salt Lake City)

The historic Capitol Theatre was built at 50 West 200 South in downtown Salt Lake City in 1913.[1] Originally operated as a vaudeville house named Orpheum Theater, it was renamed Capitol Theater in 1927. It is also known currently as the JQ Lawson Capitol Theater.[2] The building style is Italian Renaissance.

Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theater
Capitol Theater
Address50 West 200 South
Salt Lake City, Utah
United States
Coordinates40.7652°N 111.8928°W / 40.7652; -111.8928
TypePerforming arts
Seating typeReserved
Capacityapprox 2,000
OpenedAugust 2, 1913
Website
Official website

The county maintains partnerships with Utah-based Ballet West, Utah Opera, and the Children’s Dance Theater (Tanner Dance at the University of Utah),[3][4] all of which perform regularly at Capitol Theater. Additional Productions: multiple musicals produced by the Broadway Across America touring company; the White Oak Dance Project in 1993 produced by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris (choreographer);[5] and various other plays and performances.

After the Eccles Theater was built and opened in 2016 just around the corner on Main Street in Salt Lake City, some productions moved from the Capitol Theater to take advantage of the larger stage and more modern sound system of Eccles Theater.

Capitol Theater is managed by the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts.

Renovations

The Capitol Theater has undergone multiple renovations over the course of its history.

Damaged by a fire in 1949, there was not a major renovation until 1975, funded through an $8.6 million county bond. Extensive renovations were made to the building and auditorium, making it one of the premier performing arts centers in downtown Salt Lake City.[1]

In 2013, the Theater began a major renovation, budgeting $32 million[1][6] for renovations to the building and adding the Jessie Eccles Quinney Ballet Centre next to the Capitol Theater, expanding lobby space, as well as constructing new rehearsal space, costume space, and administrative offices for the Salt Lake City-based Ballet West dance company.

In 2019, the theater auditorium began a six-month renovation[7] removing all the seats on the floor of the main auditorium and replacing the floor and adding seats that accommodate ADA seating, replace narrower seats. As well, the plans include adding a new sound system, replacing building infrastructure, and restoring the roof to the original terra cotta façade. This renovation was a second phase of planned work in 2013, when the orchestra pit, backstage/downstairs, and the stage itself were improved.

References
  1. Butters, Whitney (2014-08-23). "Capitol Theatre serves as a 'memory builder' 101 years after its construction". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  2. "Venue Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theater Salt Lake County Center for the Arts".
  3. "Capitol Theater Arts Partners – Salt Lake County Center for the Arts".
  4. "Children's Dance Theatre Program | Tanner Dance". tannerdance.utah.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  5. "BARYSHNIKOV DANCERS PLAN 2 PERFORMANCES IN S.L." DeseretNews.com. 1993-06-27. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  6. "Center for the Arts announces Ballet West dance center and Capitol Theatre facelift". DeseretNews.com. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  7. "Salt Lake County Center for the Arts Renovation".
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