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Theater advocates eye 8 to 10 spots for Broadway-size venue


If the Utah Theater proves too pricey for a Broadway rehab, other downtown locations are being bandied, including one in a plaza that insiders say could create a miniature Kennedy Center.
Among the far-from-funded prospects: a spot next to Abravanel Hall - in place of the current Salt Lake Art Center - or in the old Newspaper Agency Corp. space between Main and Regent streets.
Still, those options highlighted this morning's first roundtable of downtown theater advocates, hosted by capital Mayor Ralph Becker and his brother, Tony award-winning producer Bill Becker.
"A lot of things are at play at this point," said architect Prescott Muir, whose firm has been tapped to conduct a cultural-arts study. "We'll continue to try to identify the challenges."
Muir noted eight to 10 spots are being considered for a Broadway-class theater that must be "highly utilitarian" and flexible enough to house more than just plays.
Salt Lake Chamber President Lane Beattie suggested a condo tower should also be considered.
The meeting - after a brief discussion the mayor closed the session to news reporters - marked the first in a weekly series. Invited are business leaders, arts representatives, planners, chamber bosses and government liaisons.
Bill Becker makes his theater recommendation later this spring.
It also comes as Sandy makes its own play for a 2,800-seat, $50 million theater in the suburb. Orem-based developer Scott McQuarrie intends to unveil his playhouse plan before the Sandy City Council April 1.
But the suburb was snubbed last week in its effort to sign a high-profile operator to a management contract by March 13. Both Salt Lake City-based NewSpace Entertainment and New York-based Nederlander Producing Company of America declined to bid.
"We just decided not to," said Nederlander spokesman Jack Meyer, who would not say whether the decision is final.
NewSpace cited an impending Salt Lake County study - due out late this summer - that should determine the best spot for a mega-theater.
Plenty of obstacles also surround the downtown locations. Main Street's Utah Theater has logistical issues, while the NAC building has a depth problem. And the art center locale on the Abravanel plaza would require county approval.
Scott Beck, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, says a downtown playhouse would provide "another arrow in our quiver." Even so, the project has financial pitfalls that stakeholders have yet to publicly address.
Indeed, Bill Becker concedes a theater "rarely is the highest and best use for real estate," adding it is "entirely appropriate" for government to underwrite part of the cost.
How much could provide the drama before any curtain opens.