Ahead of Pioneer Theatre Company’s 2025-26 season, considering the legacy of the Simmons Family Foundation, PTC Guild

No question: ticket sales are vital for any performing arts organizations. No creative work is complete until the audience is brought into the mix. It is the lifeblood of the artistic experience.  But, the arts also constitute the same realities of business and economics that any other sector of society must contend with in order … Read more

A pair of outstanding one-act world premieres at Meanwhile Park: Andrea Berting’s Red Devil; Nathan Johnson’s Vacation

Just one weekend remains in Meanwhile Park’s world premiere production run of two one-act plays: Andrea Berting’s Red Devil and Nathan Johnson’s Vacation.  Only limited availability remains for tickets. The production runs through July 20. Meanwhile Park, which is near the Herman Franks Dog Park, opens at 8:30 p.m. on performance nights, and the shows … Read more

Meanwhile Park set for its first double-bill premiere: Andrea Berting’s Red Devil, Nathan Johnson’s Vacation

The splendid Meanwhile Park outdoor theatrical venue will be the site for its first double-bill premiere, featuring one-act plays by Andrea Berting of Chicago (Red Devil) and Nathan Johnson (Vacation). This is the third consecutive summer for a world premiere at Meanwhile Park.  Both plays were selected by a jury for the Meanwhile Park Playwright … Read more

Art in its finest bad-ass form: Les Chingones at Material Art Gallery signifies cultural power, resistance, excellence

No question, the current U.S. presidential administration is trying its damndest to erase and eradicate a pluralist society that long ago  successfully synthesized a monumental diaspora of Latin American, Indigenous and Hispanic cultural legacies which have constructed localized identities that have effectively developed, controlled and disseminated their narratives crossing back and forth across political, cultural, … Read more

Taiwanese artist Lu Wei’s impressive intellectual exploration of Mestiza consciousness rendered appropriately in Entering into the Serpent at Ogden Contemporary Arts

It is impressive to recognize how some artists become fluent in and even translate and incorporate distinct and faraway languages of the visual arts so quickly and respectfully within a short time into their work. And, they accomplish the utmost sensitivity to embody the original meaning of a particular visual art language in translated forms … Read more

Torrey House Press series: Witty and absorbing, Dallin Kohler’s PYRO: The Quest for a Beautifully Elusive Snake brings readers wonderfully into the world of herpetology

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in an ongoing series of features highlighting authors and new books published by Torrey House Press in Utah.  “Publish or perish” is still the operating mantra for any budding scientist. From Meridian, Idaho, Dallin Kohler understood the assignment as a herpetologist seeking to establish his credibility in his chosen … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2025 Feature Profile: Artist Marketplace, Fear No Film, Wasatch IronPen, Mayor’s Artist Awards announced

Awards in visual arts, film and literary programs have been announced for the 49th Utah Arts Festival.  FEAR NO FILM Twelve awards were announced today in the 22nd annual Fear No Film portion of the Utah Arts Festival, including a Grand Jury Prize, Fearless Filmmaker Award, four honorable mentions and six audience awards. At 22, … Read more

World premiere of chamber opera by Utah composer Steve Roens, with libretto by Katharine Coles set to open Intermezzo Chamber Music Series’ 2025 summer season

The world premiere of a chamber opera by Utah composer Steve Roens and the Utah premiere of a unique compositional blend of Klezmer and Argentinian tango musical sensibilities will open the summer Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, which begins June 30. Roens’ Look Both Ways, a chamber opera in eight scenes, with libretto by Utah writer … Read more

Three-day piano festival this week at Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation featuring internationally known artists, nine students, master classes, four concerts

To glimpse some of the rising stars, still in their teens, in the next generation of world-class pianists, this week’s piano festival by the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation will be the perfect venue. The three-day event (June 26-28) will feature outstanding pianists as well as students who will be performing, along with master classes … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2025 Feature Profile: Gearn Storytelling: where stories become bridges

EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new … Read more