From 1962 to 2015, the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s (USF) home was on the east side of the Southern Utah University Campus. Due to the need for a new facility and continual University growth, funds were raised for the construction of the new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts. Blalock and Partners teamed with Brooks + Scarpa and Coen + Partners to create the new arts campus, which includes the new USF facility, the new Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), and the existing Randall Jones Theater. The three buildings are connected by an intricate landscape design inspired by medieval gardens of England and France.
The new Engelstad theater pays respect the old Adams Theatre in its overall configuration, yet adds a touch of refinement and modernism in its execution. Also included in the new facility is the 200-seat black box Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, along with rehearsal, education and artistic spaces for the Festival. The project was completed in June 2016.
Awards:
2016 Cultural Project of the Year, Associated General Contractors Utah
2016 Best Institution Over $10 Million, Associated Builders and Contractors Utah
2016 Outstanding Community Institutional Project, Utah Construction and Design
Photography credit: Tim Hursley, Alan Blakely