Cache Valley Arts Festival opens season for Ellen Eccles Theatre
At the peak of its career, the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Main Street in Logan was known as the Athens of the West and housed performers such as the Marx Brothers and George and Gracie.
The Cache Valley Center for the Arts (CVCA) is trying to continue that legacy through their Ellen Eccles Theatre Presents season of music, theater and dance performances.
“The Eccles is not just for retired or wealthy people, it is for everyone,” said Julie Hollist, marketing director for the CVCA. “We want it to be a comfortable place.”
The season kicks off with the annual Cache Valley Arts Festival Sept. 17 through 20. The festival will include free concerts in the theater (located at 43 S. Main St.), the Thatcher Mansion (just south of the theater) and the Bullen Center (next door to the theater) during the day. There will also be arts activities such as photography and ceramics all day in the Bullen Center.
“These activities are free, and great for students with children,” Hollist said. “We are trying to make this an exciting weekend; a hub for an arts experience in downtown Logan.”
The Drepung Loseling Monastery Tibetan monks will also give two performances of “Sacred Music Sacred Dance” on Sept. 18 and 20. According to a press release from the theater, the performance is a 600-year-old tradition of calling down higher powers of good and healing through sacred performing arts. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., and ticket prices are $20, $16 and $10.
A 25 percent discount is also available to Utah State University students with a current ID activity card. The discount is limited to one ticket per show per student.
“These prices are remarkably affordable even without the discount,” Hollist said. “Even if every show was sold out, we would still have to subsidize the shows in order to pay for them.”
Hollist compared the ticket prices in Logan for jazz singer Dianne Reeves (another offering in the upcoming season) with a similar performance she gave on stage in London, England. The cheapest tickets in London were $75. Top ticket price in Logan is $25.
Other shows being offered throughout the season include Ballet West’s “Giselle” on Oct. 8 and 9, “Seussical The Musical” on Oct. 20, the Bar-J Wranglers Christmas on Dec. 6, Dianne Reeves on Jan. 27 and 28, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company on Feb. 6, the BYU Ballroom Dance Company on Feb. 14, “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” on Feb. 26 and 27, the Glenn Miller Orchestra on March 11, the Battlefield Band on April 2 and Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano on April 8.
Student discounts are available to the Tibetan monks, “Giselle,” “Suessical,” Dianne Reeves, the BYU Ballroom Dance Company and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”
Tickets can be purchased at the box office of the Ellen Eccles Theatre. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone (753-6518) for an additional $5 per order charge. Hollist said they will occasionally set up a table in the Taggart Student Center before a show to sell tickets as well. Tickets are currently available for every show in the season lineup.
“All seats are assigned, and there are limited seats,” Hollist said. “If you want to participate, then you should get your tickets now. Don’t wait until the night of the show to try and get a ticket.”
For more information on the theater and the shows being offered see the CVCA’s Web site at www.ellenecclestheatre.org.
-jwsterz@cc.usu.ed