When I was a kid my grandparents would take my cousin and I on some really cool vacations, where we would tour around the country in a little Shasta Travel Trailer stopping along the way to appreciate whatever crossed our path. Having lived through the depression, my grandparents were very frugal, which led to our travels that were much like camping.
This was quite different from travel in a trailer now days. Gas was about $0.25 a gallon then and our little mobile accommodations were small enough to be towed by a car. It was far more economical than a hotel and restaurant road trip. We would hop from KOA to KOA meeting new friends and hoping that the next stop would spoil us with a swimming pool or pinball machines.
They took us on great adventures to places like the Redwood Forest, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone and Mesa Verde. We could not wait for our summer retreat each year. It was better to us than anything any amusement park had to offer.
(Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor)
It was during one of these summer migrations that I experienced my first live play (Annie Get Your Gun) at the Jackson Hole Playhouse in Jackson Wyoming, to which I have returned to many times in my adult life. If you haven't been there, you really should put it on your bucket list. This once rumored brothel gone theatre is full of history and the entertainment is wonderful.
It is likely that first Jackson Hole experience, is what gave me the love that I have today for live theatre so, when the folks at the Empress Theatre invited me to visit their playhouse for the opening performance of “Kiss Me Kate” I was thrilled to go.
The Empress Theater is located in Magna on 9104 West 2700 South. If you haven't been to Magna lately, 2700 South is like Old Main Street. It's right off the highway and very easy to find. For me the visit to the Historic Theater was as fun as the play itself.
The Empress first opened it's doors in 1916 with a Burlesque show for the miners at Kennecott. In 1917 it began to show silent movies and remained a movie theater until sometime in the 1930's when it closed. It's easy to see why the visit to the theatre took me back to my Jackson Hole childhood.
It wasn't until 2006 that it re-opened as a theatre and is still under going restoration today. A large number of volunteers work tirelessly to restore this little theater that operates largely on donations and sponsorship's and is a participating non-profit in Love, Give, Utah.
The theatre has received numerous awards. Including “Best Live Theatre” and “Best Date Night” from Utah Family Magazine and “Best Community Theatre” from Utah Theatre Lovers.
While enjoying the outside charm of the Theatre, make sure to take note of the buildings surrounding it. Most of them are part of the set of the TV series Granite Flats, where this year Christopher Llyod will be joining the cast.
When you walk in the theater you'll notice a single light bulb in the middle of the floor on the set. It's known as a “ghost light”, a light that was left on all night to keep theatre's ghosts at bay. This tradition is still used today by the Empress and a careful eye just might spot a few old ghosts that some say are whooshing about.
The theatre is small and intimate holding only 180 people. The comfortable seating and small atmosphere make you feel like you are among friends. The players, made up entirely of volunteers with a love for drama, play up to the audience and often make eye contact.
As for the play, Kiss Me Kate, it was wonderful. The Utah talent shined through with their performance. If you are unfamiliar with this comedy, it is a Cole Porter classic. The storyline follows a production company preparing and then performing a play.
You'll follow the actors and actresses backstage as their personal lives get tangled up into the story line of their performance of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, in a soap opera style love triangle story, that is complete with gun toting gangsters and the Shakespearean costumes and humor we all love.
If you are looking for something out of the norm to do, consider giving this little theatre a try. There isn't a bad seat in the house and tickets are only $10. The play runs through April 12. If you need a little Empress Theatre coupon inspiration, text the word Empress to 74499 before you go and you'll get a coupon for $1 off Concessions.
“It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely”
~Cole Porter Red, Hot And Blue
Posted by Joani
michelle powell says
March 21, 2014 at 8:51 pmLove the writeup! 🙂
c4u says
March 22, 2014 at 12:16 pmThanks Michelle. Glad you liked it.
crystal says
March 20, 2014 at 7:10 pmLove that flashback! Also the “ghost light” fabulous
c4u says
March 20, 2014 at 11:01 pmGlad you enjoyed it Crystal. Thank you.