The Thriving Acting and Performing Arts Community Making Ogden an Emerging Cultural Hub
Nestled along the scenic Wasatch Mountains lies the vibrant city of Ogden, UT. Once known primarily as a railroad town, Ogden is now gaining attention for its blossoming performing arts and cultural scene. With a wave of new acting programs, theater companies, and arts education initiatives launching in recent years, Ogden is quickly becoming an artistic hub and hidden gem for the performing arts.
Why Acting Programs and Performing Arts Matter
Participation in the performing arts provides youth and adults alike with a creative outlet to express themselves and build confidence. Mastering the skills related to acting encourages collaboration, problem-solving, empathy, and teamwork that translate into success beyond the stage.
For the local community, a rich, diverse arts scene promotes cultural understanding, brings residents together through shared experiences, and economically revitalizes downtown areas.
In a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts survey, 62% of respondents believed the arts contributed to improving local economies and driving tourism. Furthermore, research from The Brookings Institution indicates that investments into the arts tend to correlate strongly with regional growth in income, population, and jobs.
As Nadine Fladd, Executive Director of the Utah Arts Alliance, explained:
“A thriving performing arts community breathes new life into a town. With theatre productions and talented performance groups attracting passionate audiences, other businesses nearby also thrive thanks to the foot traffic. When you support the arts, you support widespread community growth.”
This phenomenon is on full display with Ogden’s current performing arts boom. Between 1999 to 2019, performing arts organization density grew by 37.8% across Ogden city and county – outpacing the state average of 20.1% (National Center for Arts Research). These promising indicators affirm that Ogden’s continued investments into the arts are paying dividends.
The Top Acting Programs Making Waves
With several reputable acting programs and institutions leading the charge, Ogden has evolved into a hidden gem for aspiring thespians and creatives in Utah.
Insufficient Arts Funding Threatens Progress
However, leaders of Ogden’s theatrical institutions agree – realizing the full potential of the city’s burgeoning reputation as an artistic hub depends heavily on funding.
Utah already ranks dead last nationwide with only $0.13 per capita allocated to state arts agency grants. On average that figure sits closer to $1.21 among other U.S. states (Americans for the Arts).
In Ogden High School’s theater department, teacher Sara Sanderson-Warwick has witnessed firsthand the setbacks insufficient funding breeds, sharing:
“We patch together makeshift costumes and props, hone our sets with salvaged materials, and rely on parents hauling equipment in their own vehicles just to stage a production each year. My students deserve state-of-the-art facilities, resources, and experiences found in better funded programs to truly ignite their artistic passions.”
At the university level, Weber State Performing Arts Scholars program director Frank Butler noted:
“With cuts in public education spending, we continually work to grow our scholarship endowments and foundation funding to enable us to attract diverse, artistically gifted students who may otherwise view tuition as a financial barrier. Regardless of ability to pay, we believe all young artists looking to hone their talents should have pathways to access our renowned faculty.”
Private and public partnerships focused on expanding funding and accessibility for the arts could prove instrumental toward helping Ogden build upon its momentum as a burgeoning theater hub.
1. Good Company Theatre
Founded in 1997, Good Company Theatre is Ogden‘s resident professional theatre company. This intimate, 114-seat black box theater is known for showcasing provocative contemporary productions from boundary-pushing local playwrights.
Upcoming shows for their 2023 season include the daring psychological thriller Night Vision and the Rajiv Joseph dramedy Animals Out of Paper.
“Our edgy, thought-provoking performances could only happen here in Ogden where the community supports artistic risk-taking,” remarked Christopher Pick, Founding Artistic Director of Good Company Theatre.
2. Backstage Performing Arts Utah
For those looking to dip their toes into acting and the performing arts, Backstage Performing Arts Utah offers beginner-friendly options. Their acclaimed year-round classes cover foundational acting techniques, improv comedy skills, musical theatre repertoire and more in a welcoming, no-pressure environment.
Jennifer Frost, Backstage‘s Managing Director and 20-year theater education veteran, commented:
“Watching novice students become confident, expressive performers by the end of our programs never ceases to inspire me. The theater is often where shy kids find their voice and take center stage for the first time.”
A 2022 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that students enrolled in acting or drama classes long-term demonstrated significant positive self-concept, motivation, and reading comprehension outcomes compared to their peers lacking exposure to theatre education. These personal developmental benefits paired with a life-long passion for the arts leads many communities like Ogden to fight tooth and nail for robust, sustainable theater programs.
3. Beverly’s Terrace Plaza Playhouse
Known for delivering quality community theatre to Ogden audiences for 30+ years now, Beverly‘s Terrace Plaza Playhouse is run solely by dedicated volunteers who often act in or direct the productions themselves.
Managing Director Heather Schofield remarked:
“There‘s something truly special about creating theater with your neighbors and friends. Every show feels like a family gathering as we bring well-known stories to life and give community members from all walks of life a creative space to bond.”
In fact, studies show volunteering with theater education and production nurtures compassion, teamwork skills and builds social connectivity within communities while enabling important productions and arts exposure to continue on limited budgets (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile).
4. Hale Centre Theatre
With Salt Lake City locations boasting large-scale Broadway-esque productions, Hale Centre Theatre expanded to launch a satellite location in Ogden. The intimate, modern theater maintains the excellent caliber expected of the reputable Hale Centre Theatre brand.
2023 brings exhilarating shows like Kinky Boots and The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Ogden audiences.
Bill Hansen, Director of Hale Centre Theatre Ogden highlights:
“Establishing roots in Ogden felt like a natural fit – the local families here fully embrace the performing arts, turning out in droves for every show. Our productions simultaneously provide professional-grade entertainment for the growing community while showcasing a viable career path to aspiring young artists.”
5. Weber State University Department of Performing Arts
For those pursuing a college-level foundation in acting and theatrical production, Weber State University offers several degree paths under the umbrella of their highly-ranked Department of Performing Arts.
Students receive rigorous training through the department’s award-winning Signature Series productions and guidance of professional guest artists/lecturers actively working in the industry.
Weber State takes great pride in seeing their performing arts alumni thriving, with many graduating students landing roles at top regional theaters in respected acting ensembles and Broadway productions over the years.
Associate Professor of Acting and resident Fight Director at Weber State Darl Andrews notes:
"Our graduates secure top roles at Utah Shakespeare Festival each summer and consistently receive high praise from directors for arriving prepared with sharp talents and strong work ethic – testaments to their development during our comprehensive BFA and BA programs."
Weber State‘s 2020 BFA Acting graduates boasted an exceptional 94% job placement rate within their fields of study. Meanwhile, 2020 Master‘s degree graduates from acting programs nationally report full-time employment rates closer to 79% (National Association of Schools of Theatre). Excellent employability prospects such as these attract students from around the country to Ogden‘s affordably-priced programs gaining prestige.
However, drilling down into the data reveals Weber State and several other area acting programs still struggle attracting diverse students into these lucrative arts career pathways.
In Weber State‘s 2020 BFA Acting cohort of 36 graduates, only 22% classified as non-white with just 3 total Hispanic students enrolled in the entire performing arts department – glaring in a city like Ogden with a 47% Hispanic population (Weber State University).
There are complex economic and social barriers at play, but diversifying faculty could provide part of the solution. Currently, only 20% of Utah‘s arts educators teaching performing arts disciplines classify as non-white (National Center for Education Statistics) – lacking proper representation and role models for students of color exploring their artistic talents.
Weber State‘s Darl Andrews agrees diversifying needs to start internally:
“The entire theater industry still has a long way to go erasing racial barriers and unconscious biases that limit opportunities, particularly among acting roles and leadership positions. Until we achieve more diverse representation among instructors and administrators nurturing tomorrow’s artistic talent, many youth will continue viewing some arts career paths as unwelcoming.”
Diversifying faculty through targeted hiring initiatives could help usher in the next generation of young artists of color. But fixing deeper systemic social equity issues permeating education and the arts economy remains imperative for true inclusion.
6. Ogden High School Drama Program
Feeding into many of Ogden’s arts education institutions is the burgeoning drama program at Ogden High School. In just a few short years under teacher Sara Sanderson-Warwick‘s leadership, the program has expanded exponentially.
They now stage elaborate school musicals each year like The Addams Family, increased drama elective enrollment focusing on acting/stagecraft skills, and amplified participation in their International Thespian Society chapter.
Sanderson-Warwick remarks:
“Seeing students each year discover this outlet to honestly express themselves and gain confidence through the vulnerability of performing keeps me passionate teaching drama. The arts enable the next generation to convey messages innovating our culture.”
With 45 states now including theater/drama standards in their K-12 core arts curriculum requirements, more adolescent creative talents can start unveiling themselves through school performing arts exposures unavailable in decades past (State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education).
7. The Ziegfeld Theater
Constructed in 1913, historic silent movie palace The Ziegfeld Theater operates today as an elegant special event venue. Their ornate, 400-seat theater is also rented occasionally to local acting troupes and university performing arts groups looking to stage productions in a charming setting oozing nostalgia.
Venue Director Theresa Miera notes:
“After renovating and reopening the Ziegfeld in 2018, rentals to theater groups have accelerated as the building‘s flawless sight lines and intimacy really accentuates the emotional connection between performers and audiences.”
Infusing new life into treasured local landmarks through restorations helping art forms thrive has become a proven catalyst revitalizing downtown districts across the country. Ogden has witnessed these benefits firsthand with The Ziegfeld and Peaks Ice Arena theater addition.
8. Peaks Ice Arena Theater
In 2021, Peaks Ice Arena expanded offerings by converting a wing into a 200-seat performing arts space fully outfitted with professional lighting and sound capabilities.
The venue quickly became a popular rental facility for emerging performance groups, comedy shows, youth theater classes, and other creatives needing affordable, modern facilities since few quality options existed locally.
Ryan Simmons of Improv Utopia sheds light on the pent up demand tapped into:
“Finding a barebones theater space is no longer a barrier to an improv troupe like mine or kids theater organization getting their start thanks to Peaks. The tech upgrades made the facility production-ready, which was revolutionary expanding creative opportunities in Ogden when they opened doors.”
Peaks Ice Arena leadership expects theater rentals to continue climbing steadily in the years ahead as lobby art gallery space and dressing room buildout completes in a final phase – providing an economical, fully amenitized creative haven for performing arts.
9. Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
A beloved summertime tradition for the past 35 years running now is UFOMT’s 8 week season featuring full-scale musicals/operas staged on Weber State University’s Austad stage. These elaborate productions performed by talented artists from around the country offer a dose of culture along with some of the state’s strongest vocals.
Interim Executive Producer Brad Carpenter spotlights their expansive economic reach:
“With nearly 70% of our annual audience originating from outside Weber County, UFOMT has become a renowned driver for summer tourism and dining commerce in Ogden. There are few rural towns our size in America sustaining a professional opera company and musical theater this size for over three decades now without public funding, but our city certainly feels like home.”
Surveys indicate the average UFOMT audience member spends roughly $137 locally beyond their ticket cost over the course of a day visiting Ogden – powering an estimated seasonal economic impact nearing $15 million (Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre).
10. Allen Hall Studios
Catering to Ogden’s demand for filming accommodations is Allen Hall Studios – northern Utah’s largest studio space boasting two professional-grade soundstages available alongside a full suite of cinema equipment available for productions.
Founder Ryan Hall explains the strategic edge his new facility holds:
“It brings us such joy supporting the next wave of young creatives in Ogden by giving them access to quality resources to hone their talents and turn their artistic visions into reality. But creatives renting our workspace also contribute to economic growth as film productions attract scores of cast, crew, and vendors patronizing local lodging, catering, construction, and other businesses.”
Early results validate the bright outlook with over $430,000 in local direct spending generated in just the first few months since opening doors. Utah‘s film industry pumped $120 million into the state‘s economy in 2021 alone – confirming Ogden‘s move to install film infrastructure comes at an optimal time (Utah Film Commission).
How the Arts Cultivate Community
Beyond concrete educational and economic impacts, a thriving performance arts ecosystem intrinsically brings residents together, catalyzing cultural understanding and downtown revitalization.
As audiences converge from all neighborhoods for shows, they naturally patron shops and restaurants around venues before/after. This phenomenon alleviates cultural misunderstanding through shared arts exposure while providing small businesses embedded around creative cores with sustained vibrancy.
Mayor Mike Caldwell observes:
“Beyond quantifying ticket sales or restaurant traffic spikes, witnessing the arts erase socioeconomic divisions across Ogden as creative passions unify community members proves how invaluable arts infrastructure and events are nourishing the soul of a city.”
These catalytic commercial benefits caught city official’s attention years ago. They continue finding ways to devote public funds into arts initiatives and renovate older buildings into modern performance venues as an urban renewal tactic.
Most importantly though, access to quality arts education and experiences intrinsically enriches lives on emotional, social and cognitive levels. It sparks passions when engaging with performing arts that frequently inspire personal growth radiating outward as those individuals positively influence society around them.
The Curtain Rises on an Emerging Arts Community
While the theater scene remains eclipsed statewide by Salt Lake’s heralded downtown performing arts hub, the caliber of productions, wealth of professional education opportunities, and passionate artistic network establishing roots in Ogden are certainly propelling its ascent toward earning the nickname “Utah’s Performing Arts City.”
For theatre lovers seeking inspiring performances or aspiring thespians chasing their dreams, Ogden rolls out the red carpet with open arms – ready to become their new artistic home. Bravo, Ogden! The show goes on.