Help Us Build Our New Home

Utah’s Grande Dame: A Century of Arts and Culture

One of the reasons that Utah has had such a vibrant art scene for nearly a century is because of the Capitol Theatre, the foremost cultural venue for the performing arts in all of Utah. Built in 1913 as a vaudeville house, the Orpheum Theatre was an architectural gem featuring some of the highest standard acts and greatest starts of the stage. The building went on to become a motion picture house, with its name changing to the Capitol Theatre in 1927. In 1976, the Capitol Theatre became part of Salt Lake County's Center for the Arts and is one of the few entertainment venues in Utah that has successfully stood the test of time for nearly a century, hosting patrons from all over the world.

The Capitol Theatre is home to some of Utah's premier arts organizations, including Utah Opera and Ballet West. In addition, several other organizations and programs perform frequently at the Theatre, including MagicSpace Entertainment, the GAM Foundation/JazzSLC, Children's Dance Theatre, Ririe Woodbury Dance Company, and KUER and National Public Radio.

A Transformative Plan

As wonderful and vital as this building is to the state of Utah, like all historic facilities, it has its challenges. In response to this, the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts and Ballet West are partnering in an historic effort to dramatically renovate, restore and expand the Capitol Theatre. This $33.8 million project will ensure that generations of Utahans can enjoy the Theatre for years to come. This project has been identified as a priority for Salt Lake County, and is the benchmark for the revitalization of the downtown Cultural Core. Accordingly, Salt Lake County has made the sale of naming rights available as a means of partially funding the project.

The Jessie Eccles Quinney Center for Dance: A New Home for Ballet West

The new Jessie Eccles Quinney Center for Dance, a permanent home for Ballet West, will be the most extensive portion of the project. The new facility will be constructed immediately to the west of the existing Theatre and will overlap with the existing structure to add space for some of the aforementioned improvements. It will also create a location for Ballet West's professional and pre-professional Academy. It will be home to five new dedicated ballet studios, which will instantly quadruple the capacity for training and rehearsal.

The Campaign at a Glance

Join with us in this historic campaign, which benefits:

Salt Lake’s Cultural Core

• A more walkable city and pedestrian access to City Creek
• Improved outdoor public space
• A LEED Gold Certified building in the heart of downtown

We need your help to make our dream a reality.

Please contact Denise Bégué, Director of Development, at 801-869-6919 or dbegue[at]balletwest.org for naming opportunities, questions about the project, or to review the various ways for you to invest in the exciting cultural, entertainment and economic life of the Capital City.

For more information

To review different ways to donate, please click here
For Ballet West Naming Opportunities, click here
For Capitol Theatre Naming Opportunities, click here