Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center facts for kids

The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center is a fun place in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a special building with three different stages where many performing arts groups share their talents. You can see dance, music, and plays here.

This center is home to groups like the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, which performs amazing dances. The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation also uses the center for piano concerts and competitions. You might also catch a show by the Plan-B Theatre Company or events connected to the famous Sundance Film Festival. The Rose Wagner Center is part of the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts.

History of the Center

The Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center first opened its doors in 1997. It quickly became a popular spot for shows and events in Salt Lake City.

A Special Time: The 2002 Winter Olympics

In 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics. During this exciting time, the Rose Wagner Center was a very busy place. It was used for the Arts Festival, which brought many different performances to the city. The center even hosted live tapings and broadcasts of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a famous TV talk show. This made the center a well-known spot during the Olympics.

What's Inside?

The Rose Wagner Center has three main performance spaces, each designed for different types of shows:

• Jeanné Wagner Theatre: This is the largest space, with seats for 501 people. It's great for bigger dance performances, concerts, and plays.
• Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre: This theater is smaller and more flexible, holding up to 200 people. It's called a "black box" because it's a simple, dark room that can be set up in many ways for unique shows.
• Studio Theatre: This is the smallest space, perfect for rehearsals or intimate performances, with room for about 75 people.

These different spaces allow many kinds of artists to perform and share their work with audiences of all ages.