PLEASANT GROVE — About 250 people braved a light drizzle and the February cold today to watch the beam raising ceremony for The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater. After remarks from Pleasant Grove mayor Guy L. Fugal, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Hale Center Theater Orem Cody Swenson, and local actor Mark Pulham, the crowd watched a crane lift the building’s final steel beam, which two construction workers secured in place. When it opens in January 2025, The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater (called “The Ruth” for short) will have two performance spaces, expanded backstage areas, and technical capabilities that exceed the company’s current facility in Orem.
After the ceremony, I spoke with Swenson about his company’s plans for The Ruth and the future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
An artist’s rendering of the finished exterior of The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater. Courtesy: Method Studio.
UTBA: The Ruth will have two performance spaces. What does it mean for your shows and the offerings that you will put on stage, starting in January 2025?
Swenson: 2025 is coming up fast. It really is. The cool thing about the little theater is that we have made a replica of the theater in Orem, only with better sightlines and more comfort. We had lots of comments that people love the intimacy of the theater in Orem, and we don’t want to lose that. So, we just decided to recreate the theater — only better. I’m really excited about that. We’ll do smaller productions in there, and the youth theater will perform in there, as well.
UTBA: Will it have the same capacity?
Swenson: Yep. Same capacity.
UTBA: What feature or piece of tech excites you the most about the new facility?
Swenson: The flexibility. As we designed the theater, we didn’t want to be locked into any one particular piece of tech. So, we have designed the stage floor in a grid system, where we can take out any piece of flooring anywhere. We can have a 4-by-4-foot area where we can put a lift or a staircase, or an 8-by-8-section, or whatever. So, the sky’s the limit, as far as flexibility. Audiences won’t see the same piece of tech every time they come. We got the idea for this at the Brooklyn Shakespeare Theater. We were watching a show that my brother was in, and we saw that and said, “That is cool. That’s what we’re going to do.” So, the flexibility is my favorite piece of tech. It will also be a full thrust proscenium theater with a full fly loft. I’m excited to use that, where we’ve never been able to do that before.”
UTBA: So, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan . . .
Swenson: Yes. Plus, scenery that can fly in.
An artist’s rendering of the Main Stage of The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater. Courtesy: Method Studio.
UTBA: Wow. That is exciting. What do you hope will be the impact of The Ruth on the community?
Swenson: I think that it’s a great thing for Utah Valley because it will be a venue that will be the go-to venue to see professional-quality shows. It’s a community project, too. So many people are invested in the endeavor to build this new theater. I’m excited to see this much involvement, and I hope that people can feel the investment in it.
UTBA: Your facility in Orem has 33 years of good memories and history, and it still has a lot of usefulness in it. So, what are your plans for your space in Orem after this year’s Christmas Carol closes?
Swenson: We actually haven’t decided. It’s still up in the air. We don’t know. That’s not a very great answer, but the truth is that we don’t know what’s going to happen.
UTBA: What would Ruth and Nathan Hale have to say about this new building?
Swenson: I think they would be ecstatic over seeing this new building. I remember when the Hale in Salt Lake Valley moved to West Valley, there were some people who said, “Oh, that’s probably something against their Hale formula.” Grandma was completely the opposite. She said, “Oh, absolutely not. We want to be bigger and better.” Both of them would feel exactly the same way. At the same time, they would want us to keep the creative staging. That’s one of the cool things that I think has happened at the Orem facility because we were so limited in what we could do. It forced directors and designers to be creative. Ruth and Nathan would say, “Don’t lose that.” And I feel exactly the same way. Even though we have more tech and capabilities, we still need to retain that creative direction.
Construction workers securing the final steel beam in place for The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater.
UTBA: That’s definitely true. As someone who sees the shows and is aware of the limitations of the space, I have seen some extraordinarily some creative decisions that make any reservations about the Orem facility melt away. I now think, “They can do any show they want there they want.” You really have unleashed a lot of creative actors, directors, and designers on a space and shown that you can do excellence anywhere.
Swenson: That space has absolutely helped us do that. I remember the first time we did Fiddler on the Roof, the man playing Tevye, Richard Wilkins, was good friends with Dallin H. Oakes. He brought him to see the show, and he [Oakes] thought that we couldn’t do the show in that space. Afterwards he said, “I was so wrong. What you did with the show was amazing.” That happens a lot. People come in and think, “There’s no way,” and then they’re proven wrong. So much of it is letting people’s imaginations fill in the gaps.
UTBA: You have had almost 34 years in the current building. What will you be doing in 33 years?
Swenson: Let’s see, I’m 56 now . . . I could still be doing this if I follow in Grandma and Grandpa’s footsteps. They did not want to stop. Even when Grandma had a stroke and ended up in a rest home, she still wanted to put on shows. It was hilarious. She actually got the other senior citizens together, and they would do reader’s theatre. It was awesome.
UTBA: I hope that we can see those staged readings in your rest home.
Swenson: We’ll invite the audience.
UTBA: I have one final question. How can people support The Ruth?
Swenson: On the web site, there is a great section where people can donate to the building. It also has contact information to get in touch with anyone who can help people give any type of support, money, or time.
UTBA: Thanks for this chat and for inviting us to the wonderful beam raising ceremony. Good luck with preparing for a new season in January 2025 in The Ruth. With the creative vision that you have established in Orem, I anticipate a lot more positive reviews in the future.
