Photo by Sharen Bradford
The Park City Institute is cautiously optimistic that live performances will return to the city in the spring.
At a Zoom talk on Wednesday night, Park City Institute Executive Director Ari Ioannides unveiled the new season for the nonprofit performing arts organization which is set to begin in April and features country singer Gretchen Wilson , Grammy Award Winner, Complexions Dance, New York Times Critics’ Choice Award Winner. , a collaboration with Park City Film and the return of swing-revival giant Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Courtesy of Bridge Road Entertainment
The schedule to date will be as follows:
- April 17 – Complexions Contemporary Ballet, “Star Dust: From Bach to Bowie”
- May 1 – Award-winning documentary directors Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton; Screenings and presentation of “He Dreams of Giants” and “Lost in La Mancha” in partnership with Park City Film
- July 17 – Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, rocker siblings
- July 23 – Country singer Gretchen Wilson, Grammy winner
- July 30 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
- August 14 – An evening with Stephanie Land, New York Times bestselling author of “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive” who chronicles her plight as a single mother navigating the poverty trap
- Aug 21 – Grammy-winning country and bluegrass pioneer Marty Stuart
Complexions, the Arndts, Wilson and Land were all scheduled to appear in Park City last season, but had to postpone due to the pandemic, according to Ioannides.
Courtesy of the Park City Institute
Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton’s May 1 documentary film screenings “Dreaming of Giants” and “Lost in La Mancha” will cover director Terry Gilliam’s arduous journey to direct his film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” declared Ioannides.
The films examine Gilliam’s setbacks and the complete collapse of production for the film which featured an all-star cast, he said. The film was finally released in 2018 after many years of development.
The evening is made possible thanks to a collaboration between Park City Institute and Park City Film. The partnership had been proposed before the coronavirus hit Park City, said Katharine Wang, executive director of Park City Film, who addressed the Zoom audience.
“One of the greatest pleasures of our organization is working with other nonprofits,” Wang said. “We were super excited that Ari approached me about making a partnership.”
All performances and presentations, which are scheduled to take place at the Eccles Center for the Performing Arts at Park City High School, are dependent on whether or not the Park City School District, state and local authorities green light the schedule, said Ioannides. The Eccles Center has been dark since the start of the pandemic.
Once the deal is given, masks will be mandatory, social distancing will be put in place and spectators will be admitted with virtual tickets, he said.
Photo by Andy Rowley
Tickets will go on sale at least 30 days before each performance date, according to Ioannides.
“Once you buy tickets, we’ll send you electronic tickets (and) scan them when you get to the theater,” Ioannides said. “You can print them on a sheet of paper if you want, but no one will touch them. We have plans in place to go beyond everything when it comes to COVID mitigation to keep people safe. “
Ioannides, who has been the executive director of the Park City Institute since March 1, also thanked donors and supporters for making the plans for the season possible.
Due to the pandemic, Park City Institute had to cancel part of the 2019-20 winter season as well as its entire 2020 summer season. And while the non-profit organization featured live online music broadcasts in the spring to support local musicians, streaming was discontinued due to expense.
“You have made it possible for us to be here and to continue doing the work that we are doing,” he told donors and supporters, while also acknowledging the grants that nonprofits have received from the Utah and Park City Arts and Museums Division through its coronavirus relief program. “You have allowed us to take the time to plan the new season.
In a statement released after Zoom’s reveal, Ioannides said he looked forward to the performances and presentations.
“Everyone brings their talent to enrich our community and allows the Institute to do what we do best: entertain, educate and enlighten,” he said.
