Salt Lake Acting Company Announces 50th Season Programming

Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC), Utah's leading destination for brave, contemporary theatre, announces its lineup of 21/22 programming, comprising the theatre company's 50th Season. In addition, today, SLAC also officially launches its newly-redesigned website, created by local design firm, Third Sun. The new site was created with patron accessibility as one of its top priorities, and was made possible by SLAC's generous community through donations to The Amberlee Fund.

SLAC's 50th Season, dedicated to its patrons and supporters with the theme, "Community Over Everything," opens with the long-awaited world premiere of Elaine Jarvik's Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet. A 2020 Kilroys Honoree, the meta, semi-historical piece was originally set to open March 13, 2020, but instead shut down on March 12th due to the pandemic. Original cast members Colleen Baum, Latoya Cameron, Susanna Florence, Tamara Howell, and Yolanda Stange are all set to return when the production resumes September 29 through October 31, 2021.

From December 3 through 30, 2021, the Utah premiere of Elephant & Piggie's "We Are in a Play!" by Mo Willems and Deborah Wicks La Puma will mark SLAC's return to in-person children's theatre. The family-friendly musical, a season subscription add-on, will once again be presented through SLAC's Title I Arts Education Program both in-person and virtually to Kindergarten through second graders across the state and country.

SLAC's subscription season will next include the Utah premiere of Egress, by Melissa Crespo and Sarah Saltwick. The new work received a virtual reading as part of SLAC's New Play Sounding Series Festival this past March, and will have receive a fully-staged production in SLAC's Upstairs Theatre from February 2 through March 6, 2022.

Spring 2022 will bring SLAC audiences a Utah premiere fifteen years in the making with the musical odyssey, Passing Strange by Stew, Heidi Rodewald, and Annie Dorsen. The rarely-produced theatrical gem transcends theatrical genres and follows a Black artist simply referred to as "The Youth" around the world on a bohemian journey of self-discovery. Passing Strange was also nominated for 7 Tony Awards.

Wrapping up Salt Lake Acting Company's 50th Season is the second iteration of #SLACabaret. The production will once again serve up fresh takes on timely Utah in a lively, community-focused atmosphere.

To further its commitment to making SLAC more accessible, the team at Salt Lake Acting Company announced The Amberlee Fund earlier this year. The fund, with a goal set at $1 Million (a goal which has nearly been reached), is providing for capital improvements to the theatre company's 130-year old building, including an elevator and special considerations for those with varying visual, auditory, and sensory needs. Another component of The Amberlee Fund is the provision of a major overhaul of SLAC's website, with accessibility top of mind.

For the redesign, SLAC turned to Third Sun, a web, branding, and design firm with an expansive portfolio of nonprofit and arts organization clientele. "Working with Salt Lake Acting Company to redesign their website this year allowed us to really explore the needs of their audience with a goal to be welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to all. Just like people, abilities vary widely, so we took a holistic approach, placing accessibility at the forefront of the design process," said Third Sun Owner and Co-Founder Jocelyn Kearl.

Kearl continued, "Our team researched accessibility best practices and guidelines and took inspiration from their building renovation plan to create a digital space that would complement their physical space. We talked through every aspect - color palette combinations, contrast, readable fonts, reducing the reliance on images to convey information, user-friendly menu navigation - while still designing something that would encapsulate the colorful, energetic, and creative qualities that everyone has come to expect from Salt Lake Acting Company. We really valued the insights from SLAC's team, including their accessibility coordinator [Natalie Keezer] who is tasked with implementing access in multiple ways in the theatre."

"As the world evolves to be more inclusive, good design is all the more valuable, and Salt Lake Acting Company's commitment put them on the crest of wave, leading out among arts organizations. We look forward to seeing how SLAC's efforts evolve further in the coming months and years as they build this awareness among audience members, staff, and the community," she concluded.

SLAC's new website, featuring its 50th Season lineup, is now live at SaltLakeActingCompany.org.

Current season subscribers will receive renewal information in the beginning of August. They are invited to renew starting August 11th by phone or in-person at #SLACabaret. SLAC's Audience Relationship Team is available remotely Monday-Friday 11am-5pm at 801-363-7522 or Info@SaltLakeActingCompany.org. In-person support and extended hours are available during showtimes of #SLACabaret, which runs from August 11 through September 12, 2021.

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