The founder and former executive director of the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival hopes to land $10 million from the Legislature to launch construction of a new Adams Memorial Theater in Cedar City.
This building would be the first of a $62 million Elizabethan-themed village planned for 7.5 acres next to Southern Utah University. The village would include shops, restaurants, condos and water features.
But festival backers hope to have the new $25 million theater in place even sooner. They're aiming for 2011 to mark the festival's 50th anniversary.
Adams, who has been raising private funding for the theater since retiring as director in 2006, huddled last week in Salt Lake City with Utah officials to lobby for the state aid.
He said $5 million is expected from the state's Economic Impact Board and is shooting for another $5 million from the Division of Facilities Construction and Management. The rest would come from private sources.
The festival's current Adams Memorial Theater - on SUU's campus - would be torn down.
"It's old, the roof leaks, and it has structural problems," Adams said. "It's a wooden structure that would take $5 million to repair."
The new theater, like the present one, would boast nearly 900 seats and replicate London's famed Globe Theater. A lobby, classrooms and retractable roof are planned for the new Adams theater as well.
"Being able to close the roof will allow us to perform in bad weather or if it gets too hot," Adams said. "It means we'll be able to have more matinees."
In addition to the theater, the festival eventually wants to build scenery and costume studios and another theater for its New American Playwright Project.
Adams said Woodbury Corp., a development firm in Salt Lake City, will build and operate the shops, restaurants and condos. These pieces of the project are contingent on the new Adams theater being built.
Jyl Shuler, associate marketing director for the festival, said the village promises another boost for southwestern Utah. The festival already draws more than 150,000 visitors a year.
"We hope [officials] see the wisdom in the economic engine the project would create," Shuler said. "It would be a great investment for this end of the state."
