Torrey House Press marks 10th anniversary with robust momentum spreading beyond its Utah, Intermountain West roots

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series about Torrey House Press marking its 10th anniversary. Part II presents a roundup of reviews from some of THP’s recent releases in 2019 and 2020. Of all the impressive developments in the Utah Enlightenment of the last 10 years, the broadest and most consequential is … Read more

Pygmalion Productions’ virtual world premiere of Catherine Filloux’s White Savior is generous, satisfying fare in tense post-election period

In Catherine Filloux’s newest play, White Savior, a Black journalist’s tweet goes viral and tees up the right dose of tension to anchor the story’s acute contemporary relevance. The tweet reads, “White savior complex distracts organizations from seeing the fundamental flaws of human rights law.” It accompanies a video clip of Jean, a human rights … Read more

Dreamscapes exhibit at The Gateway perfect backdrop for enterprising new show The Carousel by SONDERimmersive

Dreams are the unifying universal driver of our human existence. Carl Jung, as he explained in The Collective Works, wrote that dreams “put on the likeness of that more universal, truer, more eternal man dwelling in the darkness of primordial night. There he is still the whole, and the whole is in him, indistinguishable from … Read more

Music for Nina, latest release by Matt Starling, is absolutely glorious manifestation of pure musicality embedded in structure of loops

In music, the structure of loops is fascinating for its meditative and blissful potential. In 1963, just a year prior to the release of one of his most famous compositions (In C), Terry Riley used tape loops to create music for the avant-garde play The Gift, which was being staged in Paris. Riley used recordings … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series presents transfixing Rising Tide film featuring Fry Street Quartet, scientist Robert Davies, music by Laura Kaminsky, magnificent artistic visuals

In the last decade, many performers and creative producers have risen to articulating the dimensions of human sustainability and vibrancy when it comes to speaking up about climate change and other major environmental impacts. The diverse spectrum of examples continues to proliferate in all genres of music. In July 2019, the band The 1975 released … Read more

Salt Lake Acting Company presents Utah premiere of Working Theater production, American Dreams, smart virtual show that gets many things right about immigration

In a different immigration system, a Palestinian chef, a Pakistani cartoonist and a Mexican army medic, who came to the U.S. as a child but was deported as an adult because he lacked updated documents, would have an easier time settling in the country. Prior to the last major overhaul of the U.S. immigration system, … Read more

Double Take is flattering cinematic representation of historic dual season opener for Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company

While virtual presentations in the performing arts abide by pandemic-related constraints and adjustments in social distancing, they also afford unique advantages. The case for such advantages is evident in Double Take, the film of the historic collaborative season opener for the Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. There are obvious ones that pop … Read more

Historic collaboration Double Take virtual concert, with 2 world premieres, set to open Repertory Dance Theatre’s 55th season, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s 57th season

Modern dance always has adapted to extraordinary circumstances. “We always have been willing to improvise, adjust and be flexible,” Linda C. Smith, co-founder and executive artistic director of Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), explains. “If we couldn’t afford a theater, we found a rooftop. If we didn’t have a budget for costumes, we performed in pedestrian … Read more

Utah Museum of Contemporary Arts opens Growing Rocks exhibition, featuring stunning intersecting expressions of ceramic science, art by Brad Evan Taylor; annual gala announced

In the realm of materials science, researchers, engineers and specialists strive for perfection in the materials they study. If there are defects or failures, especially as they test and stress the materials to assess their strength and durability, those instances often lead to unexpected discoveries, sometimes in the most creative and technical ways possible. Artists … Read more

How the Utah Film Center has elevated the drive-in movie experience above its nostalgic renaissance, with pop-up locations in Salt Lake City, Midvale, Alta

By the 1960s, drive-in theaters already were on the retreat, thanks to the growing number of multiplexes, the dominance of television and a broader trend of declining movie attendance. Depending on one’s perspective, drive-ins either were described as “passion pits” for young lovers or inexpensive nights out for families with children who often fell asleep … Read more