At this Utah Theatre: Heritage Theatre in Perry

PERRY — Just before Brigham City on historic Highway 89 lies Perry, Utah, a small community of about 5,000 known for its fruit stands, nearby Willard Bay, and Amish shops. Perry is home to one of the longest running and most interesting community theatres in Utah. Settled inside a church built in 1890, Heritage has been operating as a community theatre for decades, celebrating 55 years this year. UTBA President Maren Scriven Swensen sat down with three of the board members, Artistic Director Derek Hendricks, Secretary Justin “Spot” Beecher, and President John Allen to talk about all things Heritage Theatre for the next installment of At This Utah Theatre.

History

From 1890 until 1960 the building that now houses the Heritage Theatre was used as the Perry church building for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It then sat vacant for about a decade. In 1970 there was a traveling troupe of actors and players that would use the building for performances for about five years. In 1975 the community of Perry rallied together to raise funds and purchase the building to start Heritage Theatre, making it a true community theatre, where it has stayed until today, a part of the city and community. Originally it had 161 seats, and it was later renovated to have 208 seats. One fun fact that was shared was that the original seats that some patrons may remember seeing for years, the ones that the board members termed the iconic golden seats were donated from the Logan temple to the theatre. Those were in place until the 1990s. There has been another remodel just this last year, which has been funded from generous support from the community, through donations, fundraising, and patron participation. The board shared that they are very proud to be a part of Perry, and Perry is very proud to have a theatre in their small community. The hardest and scariest part of their recent history was the COVID-19 pandemic, when they almost had to shut down. However, they did work together, and even had some webathons and got permission from the author of the show Jingle Jacks to stream the show, which received over 3000 audience members.

Challenges and Growth

Some of the biggest challenges to running a place like the Heritage have to do with, like every theatre, funding and keeping up with the money, but also the unique challenge of maintain a historic building that is over 130 years old. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic the women’s bathroom was restored (and a visit to the theatre is worth it for that alone, the restoration was fantastic!) but I am told the men’s room is not quite as nice. While the interior of the audience space has been renovated and is quite comfortable, there is extreme limitations to the wings for the actors, which made a lot of challenges for the design and directing of the recent production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Admittedly, as an audience member, that endeared me to the show even more, and to the concept of community theatre, because plays going wrong, and finding ways to fix them is at the heart of that show, and community theatre in general. When talking to the board about their challenges and hopes for the future, they brought up the balance of needing to wisely seek and use funds, maintain this beautiful historic building, and provide comfort for their loyal audience while always hoping to grow that audience. As a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, people come here for the love of theatre. In a small community, many are coming from out of town. Travel can be difficult. Many may say “where is Perry? I have never heard of Heritage!” Yet it seems the word is getting out. Once one person has a great experience, they share their experiences with others. Artistic Director Hendricks shared that at the beginning of his tenure he struggled to find good directors, and now he has a list of people that are hoping to come have a turn to direct at Heritage. They also shared that they have had actors drive over three hours round trip to participate in shows. The board members also shared the challenging balance of trying to provide the community with popular, common and expected shows which bring in good revenue and are expected by the community, as well as introducing the community to new theatre. One example of this is the upcoming show that will be opening October 3^rd,  2025, Ghost the Musical, based on the 1990 film. Because it is hard for me to find a show that I have not seen before, I am looking forward to this. The board discussed how they are trying to pick seasons where they try to offer new or less common shows along with some of the more traditional, as well as offering ratings when needed, so that they can be sensitive to their audience and needs. Another thing they pride themselves on, which I can say I have also truly enjoyed, is their dedication to use live musicians when possible. Two examples of this in recent memory is this summer’s production of Newsies and last summer’s production of Peter and the Star Catcher. While it is challenging to find musicians and adds more difficulty, there are plenty of talented people longing for that place and community, and it also elevates the production level. This true sense of community and talent is an addition gem in the Heritage.

Future of Heritage

Discussing with the board members about the future of Heritage brought a sense of excitement and joy. One thing they all had in common was a passion to grown their youth programs and community workshops. Heritage has been doing youth programming for a few years, and they want to see that grow. Of course, they hope for things like a new parking lot, but big ticket items like that may have to wait til the timing or big funding comes in. They want to do workshops such as auditioning, dancing, and even backstage work, so that anyone who has a desire to be a part of the theatre can feel like they have a place at Heritage. Each expressed that they want an open and honest theatre. They shared that they have heard horror stories and have had their own horror stories in their years in the theatre. They want to create a safe space where everyone can just feel like they have a place to come be a family and create art. They want to foster current lovers of theatre and usher in the new generation of theatre lovers in Northern Utah and beyond. They hope to be considered a refuge in the theatre world.

What Keeps Us Returning

It takes about an hour to drive from Salt Lake City to the Heritage Theatre in Perry. When I asked the board members why people should consider making the trip to see a show in an old church building, Beecher put it best. “I like to call us the  little theatre that could.” When you walk in and see such a tiny make shift space, but then you see the heart that has been put into it, the concessions that have personal touches from the community (the cookies that went wrong may be the best things I have ever had a show), to the volunteers who are putting their heart and soul into a building and a community that literally is the Heritage of this part of the state, it shows exactly why we we love to be a part of the Utah Theatre Community.