Ellen Eccles Theatre facts for kids
The Ellen Eccles Theatre is a cool place in Logan, Utah, where people go for fun shows. It can hold about 1100 people! You can watch concerts, plays by local groups, ballet, and even movies here. Many famous touring shows also stop by this theatre every year. It's also home to performances by the Utah Festival Opera Company in the summer. Other groups like the Cache Valley Civic Ballet perform there all year long.
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History of the Theatre
The theatre was built a long time ago, in 1923. Back then, it was called the Capitol Theatre. It used to host "vaudeville" shows, which were like variety shows with different acts, and opera performances.
From Vaudeville to Movies
As vaudeville shows became less popular, the theatre started being used more for community events. It also showed more and more movies. By the 1980s, the Capitol Theatre was getting old and run-down. It mostly showed older, "second-run" movies.
Saving the Theatre
In 1988, it looked like the Capitol Theatre might be torn down. People thought it would become a parking lot! But Michael Ballam, an opera singer and professor, stepped in. He led a big effort to save and fix up the theatre.
His hard work paid off. The city of Logan received the theatre as a gift. Then, a special group was formed to fix it up and run it. This group is now called the Cache Valley Center for the Arts.
Rebuilding After a Fire
The restoration work faced a challenge in 1990. A fire destroyed a large part of the theatre's side building. But the work continued! The theatre was finally ready and opened again on January 8, 1993. It was named the Ellen Eccles Theatre after a family member of one of the main people who helped pay for the repairs.
See also
In Spanish: Teatro de Ellen Eccles para niños
