Kris Peterson recently wrapped up her first show at the Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy, appearing as Annie Cannon in Silent Sky. When she saw that former TMA faculty, Barta Heiner, would be directing Silent Sky, Kris knew she wanted to audition. Juggling different projects is a challenge, but Kris finds that the best way to organize her time is committing to “that particular story or that particular project that I find fulfills a need for me in that moment, either artistically or spiritually.” And Silent Sky was no exception.
“Getting to tell the stories of these astronomers who were doing amazing things with very rudimentary skills was great. But getting to tell those stories with these people was phenomenal. We had an all female production team, and so it was really nice to feel that women empowerment. We had one male character in our cast, and he was incredibly supportive and anxious to tell this story too, because he also wanted to support the women in his life and in the story. So getting to work with these people will always be the best part of that experience for me.”
Stephanie Breinholt appeared this past summer in the leading role of Lottie Wilton in the Hale Centre Theatre Orem's production of Enchanted April. After taking a break from acting since 2012 to spend more time with her kids, she knew she had to audition for Enchanted April– not only was the show on her bucket list, but her TMA colleague David Morgan was directing. All the work and support that went into the show–from her, her family, neighbors, and ward–made it into “a labor of love and a sacrifice.” And being back on the stage was fun for her whole family– “This was the first time my kids saw me act on stage. My 11 year old LOVED it and wrote me a card saying I am his favorite actress.” The Hale Centre Theatre brings more opportunities for doing theatre, and at the end of the day, Stephanie says working with the Hale “fulfills my artistic desire to do good art with amazing people.”
Dennis Wright’s work with the Hale spans designing the costumes of many shows in both Orem and Sandy. His most recent work is with Lucky Stiff, currently running in Sandy, and Drowsy Chaperone this past summer in Orem. This next year he’ll be designing the costumes of four more shows with the Hale. With so many shows going on, Dennis feels grateful to have the chance to consistently follow his passion, saying, “It's my creative outlet to get to do what I love…I've made a lot of new connections and friends within the cast and within the production crews, and I've been able to help promote past students. Seeing and being able to continue to work with students that I've invested in is really cool. Seeing them work and get jobs and be successful is very rewarding.”
Kim Wright appeared on stage at the Hale Centre Theatre Orem summer 2021 as Frau Schmidt in Sound of Music. Normally behind the scenes on the theatre production side, Kim describes the holistic nature of theatre and how that knowledge helped her on the stage: “We are all working together for the same unified goal, whether you're on stage or behind…Doing different things in the theatre can help you achieve a really great, cooperative environment– I can support you in what you do, because I understand how hard you're working.” The cooperation and family that was formed was Kim’s favorite part of performing in Sound of Music. “Last summer we were just kind of coming out of masks, and Sound of Music is all about hope. So it was a very beautiful message at the time, and everybody involved in it was coming together to give this gift. It felt very special. And I think they do that all the time at the Hale. They create a community in every show they do.”
Dayne Joyner most recently appeared in Drowsy Chaperone in Orem and Light in the Piazza in Sandy. He first got started at the Hale Centre Theatre back in 2018 with Music Man, and has appeared in several shows in both theatres since then. He describes his favorite part of working with the Hale as “The quality of productions that they do at both theatres. It's really great to receive your education here and then to go out and have the opportunity to put that education to practice. They take really good care of you and they have amazing facilities and it's just fun to be able to perform in that kind of atmosphere.”
Marianne Ohran’s involvement with the Hale Centre Theatre goes back to 2019, when a former student reached out to her to invite her to join the lighting design team. Since then, she’s helped design the lighting for 8 different shows, most recently finishing up with The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She affirms that “It is just such a unique space. There's so much equipment and so many different aspects– flying things, things coming in from all directions, and a spinning stage, so it was definitely a learning curve for me. It gives me an opportunity to push my skills a little bit.” Pushing her skills, designing on a bigger scale, thinking outside the box, and exploring new ideas are her highlights of working with the Hale.
Don’t miss out on witnessing the work of these faculty at their upcoming shows at the Hale Centre Theatre! Keep an eye out for Marianne Ohran’s lighting design in See How They Run and Catch Me If You Can, Dennis Wright’s costume design in Pride and Prejudice, Titanic, Oliver, and Catch Me If You Can, and Kim Wright’s costume design in Clue.