Randall L. Jones Theatre Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Randall L. Jones Theatre, known for its stunning architecture, celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary this year. Completed in 1989, the building has become one of the symbols of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, having housed over 100 various musicals, classic dramas and hilarious comedies. As a special event this season in the Randall Theatre, an actor to audience talkback will follow each showing of Twelve Angry Men, beginning on Monday, July 1 replacing the intermission.

Along with Twelve Angry Men, the Randall will host Peter and the Starcatcher, Anything Goes, Richard II, and The Marvelous Wonderettes. Shows run June 24 to October 19. For ticket information visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.

According to Fred C. Adams, founder of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the original intent of the Randall L. Jones Theatre was to showcase Shakespeare's of other lands. "We wanted to expand and perform great literature from the rest of the world," said Adams. "It was a difficult first season, with few people interested in attending any plays held inside, but we held firm and the Randall has since become its own calling card, now providing a primary source of revenue for the Festival."

The Randall L. Jones Theatre is named for Randall Lunt Jones, a Cedar City native born in 1881 and known as the father of tourism in southern UtaH. Adams thinks that Randall Jones would be delighted to be associated with something that still brings tourists in with their cameras. Jones spent his childhood roaming what is now known as Zion National Park, and as a result gained a deep sense of appreciation for the beautiful southern Utah landscape. As a photographer and representative of the Pacific Railroad, Jones traveled the United States sharing his love of what he called "God's Great Gardens." The Randall L. Jones theatre, stunning in architecture and design, represents that appreciation and love of beauty.

The theatre was designed by FFKR Architects and constructed by the local company, Gower Construction. Cedar City Corporation played a major role in getting this project completed.