That's the motto mounted over the entrance of Peery's Egyptian Theater, a bright, elaborate building among its neighbors on Washington Boulevard. In that brief admonition the theater, a part of the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, boldly states its mission to enrich the public mind via performance and film.
I had the opportunity to visit with the head of programming, Kathryn Maguet, in the seldom seen upstairs offices responsible for all that goes on stage. You've never seen a busier place that incorporated so many smiles. As often stated in the printed program, Peery's claims its strength lies in diversity, and is kept quite busy providing stimulating culture on stage for the equally diverse city it serves, and cultivating awareness of the performing arts. The joy of the job, Maguet tells me, is bringing people from all walks of life into one room to share the experience of live theater. As with most of the Midwest, Utah is a blend of ethnicities and languages. In fact consideration of this ethnic patchwork, with the aid of audience surveys, helps the theater not only provide stimulating programs but goes one step further to draw artist to audience. I believe our mission is to serve the community and enhance cultural life, says Maguet. We try to find ways for the artists to connect. This can mean an after-performance discussion with the artist, a visit to a local school, or a potluck. After all, she notes, it is thanks to the community that the theater was revived in 1997 from harsh remodeling and restored to its original glory in what she deems a very grassroots effort. The theater specializes in live musical performance, touching only lightly upon dance. Variety is endless, from blues to bluegrass, Celtic to calypso, gospel to jazz. There's a strong ballet tradition in this state, Maguet explains, addressing the focus on music. The reason why I took that aproach is when I got here I thought it was important not to imitate hose other services. It does them a disservice. We were filling a niche for that kind of art. The better part of the years program is music, vocal and instrumental, by artists from far and wide, 2002 including the three time Grammy Award nominated Blind Boys of Alabama, and winner of eight All-Ireland titles fiddler Eileen Ivers, to name a few. The theater does its part economically attracting what Maguet dubs cultural tourism to the area. But what of it's own community? Introducing a new feature this year Peery's is putting Ogden Onstage with appearances by local artists. Admission is free. But the main of its line-up remains widespread. It is a facility for some local groups, but our primary mission is to present, so we bring in a lot from outside. Well, high culture is well and good for adults, but do kids factor in? Maguet can smile at this, too. Each year Peery's collects highly animated talents for its Family Discovery Series prepared especially for families with children as young as three. Talents such as Red Grammar and Toma's Kubinek. Advancing art appreciation through education, Peery's is found in the grade school classroom where special lessons are followed by a trip to the theater for a special student matinee. These presentations are aimed primarily at the fourth grade. This year the theater's Blues expert, Brad Wheeler, is heading the Blues in the Schools project, bringing history to life, with a free harmonica to every child to boot the theater performance. Seeking out the best is a big part of the job for Maguet who insists on seeing artists perform or having them seen before booking them. I love doing research on artists, she laughs. Though many prestigious looking promotions fill a good portion of her office, she finds people are usually either better or worse than made out to be. Often other staff members are called on to cover a live event by a potential act. Every week we get new people in here. It's really a fast paced job, but when you've got a full house there's nothing better, she says gaily. Just to see a sea of heads. Getting people together for a shared art experience it's a big canvas! Before anything can be booked it has to be assessed for space capacity, lighting, sound systems, etc, so Maguet attributes a lot of credit to Peery's tech staff. They're really the best people I've ever worked with. A former performer herself, she tends the theater with the passion of one who knows the art intimately. Maguet studied in New York and has done her share of moving following performances around. I felt I needed a bigger picture. Performing became less interesting and basically I knew I always wanted to do something like this." Why Ogden? I was shopping around, and I had an interview out here, and I fell in love with this theater. After two years on the job Maguet says her current work upstairs is much more rewarding than the life she knew on stage. We get to meet new friends and introduce them to our other friends, the audience. And beside the stage there is the silver screen to fill; Peery's movie line, the Pharaoh's Film Series, honors classic films and the undeniable link between stage and screen. In February, Peery's Egyptian Theater will take part in the 2002 Cultural Olympiad spanning Utah. It's a celebratory festival of the arts in the form of exhibitions and events. Famed filmmaker Bud Greenspan, winner of the George Foster Peabody Award for his Olympic films, will spend three nights showing moving sports films and talking with the audience. Peery's is one of thirty-eight institutions participating and the only one presenting film.
www.streetmagazine.net
February 2002
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