Arts, Theater & Film

  Back in the early ’60s, Fred Adams had a dream. His dream was rooted in Cedar City, which at that time was home to more livestock than people, so the idea of starting a festival there devoted to the plays of William Shakespeare probably shouldn’t have worked. But Adams was a visionary. Through his persistence, tenacity, and his ability to inspire others, he built an annual event that grew and grew until eventually his dream became reality. Sadly, Adams died last week. As friends and family gather at his memorial this Friday, we’re offering a tribute to the man whose dream gave us all the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

How does a composer manipulate our feelings during a film scene? Edmund Stone, host of the radio program The Score, explains the magic of film scoring through this year’s Oscar nominated Best Original Musical Scores. 

As part of our monthly film series Through the Lens, we’ll examine Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris’ latest film, American Dharma with Dr. David Resha, associate professor of Film Studies at Oxford College of Emory University. 

Director Aaron Schimberg’s new film Chained for Life examines society’s perceptions of and obsessions with beauty in a sometimes artificial, often funny and always unsentimental way. Schimberg is coming to Salt Lake for a screening of Chained for Life and a Q&A with Doug as part of our Through the Lens series with the Utah Film Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

In 2012, award-winning essayist John D’Agata and fact checker Jim Fingal released their at-times heated discussion in the book, The Lifespan of a Fact. Now, their debate over truth versus accuracy is on stage, both on Broadway starring Daniel Radcliffe, and in Salt Lake City. Pioneer Theatre Company's production of the new three-person play will run through Nov. 16.

Sometimes, New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris wishes he could just watch a movie. Just watch, and not think about what racial message is being sent. When he joined us for our speaker series, we talked with Wesley Morris about the power of film and popular culture to mold and influence us.

Lee Hale says faith is complicated. In his podcast Preach, he talks to people in the messy middle of belief — not fully bought into religion, not out of it either. At age 19, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and now his relationship to Mormonism is, well, messy, too. 

The playwright Eric Samuelsen died last week. He was a leading figure in Mormon literature and the local theatre scene. We're talking about his influential life and work.

Twenty years ago, the film SLC Punk! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s about two young punks living on the fringes and rebelling against Utah culture, while also dealing with the realities of growing up.