Caine Lyric Theatre deemed structurally unsound

Open since 1913, Logan’s Caine Lyric Theatre has been a historic and prominent part of the community. Over 200 productions have been performed there, and half a million patrons have filled the auditorium seats for over one hundred years.  

Located on 28 W Center St., the theater stands in Logan’s designated theater district, which is comprised of the Caine Lyric Theatre, the Utah Theatre and the Ellen Eccles Theatre. The Lyric Theatre can hold 350 people. 

In the late 1950s, the building went into disrepair and was not used to its full potential. The building suffered from holes in the roof and water damage due to rainfall.  

A remodel of the auditorium was proposed in 2000 by artistic director Sid Perkes. Funding was set aside by the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation for structural upgrades. Everything from the stage forward was renovated; a building with a bathroom, reception area and dressing rooms were also constructed.  

Presently, the stage and back of the building are from the original 1913 structure. For some time, the Caine College of the Arts wanted to complete the renovation Perkes began in 2000 and reinforce the stage area.  

The Utah State University facilities department has been looking into ways to fund the renovations and has investigated whether the original sections of the building are structurally sound. It was determined that it would not be safe to operate out of the theater during the 2022 winter season.  

The Lyric Repertory Company, a professional theater company in residence at USU, only performs at the Lyric Theatre during the summer. They will resume their usual schedule for the summer of 2023.  

Other shows previously scheduled to perform at the Lyric Theatre are rescheduled for the spring semester, but it is unclear whether the theater will be open at that point. 

Nicholas Morrison, the interim dean of the Caine College of the Arts, explained they are erring on the side of caution and said it is in the best interest of the students to complete the restoration before reopening the theater.  

“Hopefully we’ll be able to start doing some things to make it usable year-round and a better working space for our student actors,” he said. “It’s the students that it’s designed for.” 

The Lyric Rep, founded by Utah State theater professor William Vosco Call in 1967, has produced musicals and productions for more than fifty years.  Call had wanted a space to hold student productions, and he was able to acquire the theater as a university building. 

A repertory company is one that routinely performs works from its repertoire, or list of plays, rotating productions every few days. 

The Lyric Rep will be performing Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” from Dec. 2-17. The show has been relocated to the Ellen Eccles Theatre due to the closing of the Lyric Theatre for the winter.  

The USU Department of Theatre Arts also operates out of the Morgan Theatre and the Black Box Theatre, both located in the Chase Fine Arts Center on campus, where five to six productions are put on every year.  

Advanced theater students in the CCA have the opportunity to learn from and work alongside professional members of the Actors’ Equity Association at the Lyric Theatre, as well as the Lyric Rep.  

“That’s why these facilities exist. It’s to give our students experience before they go out into the professional world, so they already have experience working professionally,” Morrison said.  

Nicole Frederick, a student involved in the theater arts department, said theater changed her life. She has been able to understand other people’s stories through theater.  

“There’s so much material out there that people don’t even know about,” Frederick said. “It’s an opportunity to entertain and educate, and to experience and express with people around you. It’s a very community-based form of art.”  

For more information or to purchase tickets for a production, go to cca.usu.edu/theatre/index.