How the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater lights up Salt Lake City

A recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts revealed that more Utahns per capita attend performing arts shows than anywhere else in the nation. Salt Lake City’s George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater is a celebration of Utah’s abiding creativity, community, and natural beauty. This 2,500-seat theater houses touring Broadway shows, concerts, and regional performance groups. The venue also features a 250-seat flexible black box theater — a vibrant home for local performances and community events.

A thriving arts district is born

A central component of Salt Lake City’s downtown revitalization, Eccles Theater joins the area’s impressive variety of performance venues to form a new arts district that links City Creek, a busy commercial district, with Gallivan Plaza, a major civic square. From Main Street, the theater’s transparent facade lifts the threshold between the street and the lobby, as theatergoers gather in brightly colored balconies and the Tin Angel Café — a popular pre-show destination.  After the performance, visitors stroll the lobby to view public art displays, linger in McCarthy Plaza at the south end of the theater, and head out to adjacent restaurants and bars.

“The Eccles Theater and Regent Street project is a shining example of what can come from a city, county, and state agencies — private and public entities — working together. This collaboration is now one of the centerpieces of our vibrant downtown, and enjoyed by so many who live, work, and visit Salt Lake City.” — Jackie Biskupski, Former Mayor of Salt Lake City