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Say hello to FAREWELL TO EDEN

Left to Right: Debra L. Woods, Sarah Stewart, Kevin O'Keefe, and Cabrielle Andersen.

PROVO — “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father . . . And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” These words are spoken by Jesus in [...]

LEGENDS OF SLEEPY HOLLOW permeated with Halloween spirit

Show closes October 27, 2012.

BLUFFDALE — There is so much that is inherently theatrical about Halloween. It’s a great excuse for everyone to dress up in costume, pretend to be someone else, and show off their creativity. Because these are things that theatre people often love to do, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of theatrical productions in [...]

SWALLOW THE SUN is a significant step down from C.S. Lewis

Ken Foody and Jana Lee Stubbs. Photo: Naoma Wilkinson.

PROVO — Swallow the Sun opens with C.S. Lewis and Paddy Moore on army cots discussing their mutual love of literature and Ireland. The audience meets a young C.S. Lewis, an atheist, who has yet to accept Christianity and establish himself as one of its staunchest literary defenders. Ken Foody’s C.S. Lewis is as arrogant and [...]

A ROOF OVERHEAD needs remodeling

L to R: Tyrone Svedin, Penny Pendleton, Jennifer Leigh Mustoe, G. Randall King, and Jana Lee Stuvvs

SPRINGVILLE — Zion Theatre Company is a unique theatre group in Utah. Although family-friendly live entertainment is not hard to find in this state, ZTC is unique for its explicit mission to produce uplifting drama that not only entertains, but provokes thoughts and conversations. ZTC is also focused on works by Latter-day Saint artists, and works [...]

Conventions clash in RINGS OF THE TREE

Rings of the Tree Still Photo #1

SALT LAKE CITY — There’s something to be said for daring theater. Zion Theatre Company’s latest venture, Rings of the Tree, is definitely daring—in subject matter, execution, technical effects, and a shocking and potentially controversial resolution. Unfortunately, this daring show has a few kinks to work out before it can be sincerely hailed for its [...]

A Puzzle Worth Watching: JINN & OTHER MYTHS at the Off Broadway Theater

ZTC - Jinn - Featured Image

SALT LAKE CITY—It is cathartic to experience a play like Zion Theatre Company’s portrayal of Mahonri Stewart’s Jinn and Other Myths. This performance does not just entertain, but also challenges you to analyze the artistic material and also yourself. The play itself is in an unusual format—instead of one cohesive piece, with one set of [...]

A sleepy telling of LEGENDS OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

ZTC---The-Legend-of-Sleepy-Hollow---Featured-Image

PROVO — “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a story that many people are familiar with, or so I thought.  When I saw Legends of Sleepy Hollow produced by Zion Theatre Company on Saturday night, there was much I didn’t recognize. I’d grown up loving Walt Disney’s take on Washington Irving’s classic tale of the [...]

THE OPPOSING WHEEL shows promise despite production faults

ZTC---The-Opposing-Wheel---Featured-Image

PROVO — What do you get when you take some Arthurian legends, mix in Christian and LDS theology, add a dash of 18th century Romanticism, and pour in some feminism? You get a unique theatrical experience called The Opposing Wheel. The Opposing Wheel is something we don’t get on stage very often: high fantasy. Its [...]

“Immortal Hearts and Other Short Plays”: Playwright Mahonri Stewart Experiments With a Shorter Form

PROVO — I walk into the Provo Theater space, my very favorite local theater, to see a life-size mummy sarcophagus! I have a feeling this is going to be great! But, while there certainly was greatness to be found in this production of short plays by Mahonri Stewart, overall it was a pretty bewildering theatrical experience.