Salt Lake City’s new state-of-the-art theater, made possible through a public-private funding partnership led by a grant of $15 million from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.
October 21, 2016, marked the gala Grand Opening of downtown Salt Lake City’s new state-of-the-art George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater was made possible through a public-private funding partnership led by a grant of $15 million from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. In this extraordinary theater and gathering place, Utahns and visitors alike enjoy enlightening, world-class performances that open new worlds, ideas and experiences for audiences of all ages.
The theater’s inaugural season attracted more than 350,000 patrons – unprecedented numbers even in the state of Utah where citizens attend more performing arts events than anywhere else in the nation (2016 Americans for the Arts study). Says Steve Boulay of the theater’s producing partner, MagicSpace Entertainment, “The Eccles far surpassed our initial hopes for its programming, attendance and economic impact!” It has garnered large audiences for musicians and speakers such as Johnny Mathis, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, David Sedaris and others, and its first two seasons of touring Broadway shows included packed houses for productions such as The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera and the landmark hit, Hamilton: An American Musical, during one of its earliest nationwide tours. With tickets for every performance of its month-long run selling out in less than four hours, the production garnered an enthusiastic 80,000+ patrons.