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As Utahns continue to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic, more arts organizations are putting their content online — providing art and entertainment to temporarily homebound audiences.
The options include the premiere of a new play, an aerial dance performance piece, back catalogues of concerts and dance performances, comedy, book readings, and something Utahns haven’t seen in weeks: a new movie.
Here are some of the offerings Utah arts organizations are posting:
• The Salt Lake Film Society, the nonprofit that operates the Broadway Centre Cinemas and Tower Theatre, is trying to simulate the indie moviegoing experience online, with its “SLFS@home” program. Viewers can stream movies that have played or would have played at the Broadway or Tower, for a rental fee that’s close to the price of a ticket. Films streaming now are the science documentary “Fantastic Fungi” ($4.99 for rental), the rock documentary “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band” ($12 for rental), and the Romanian heist thriller “The Whistlers” ($12 for rental). The Irish horror comedy “Extra Ordinary,” starring Maeve Higgins and Will Forte, will start streaming Friday, April 3.
• It was one-and-done for Excellence in the Community’s plan to stream its Wednesday night concerts live from an audience-free Gallivan Center. The March 25 concert headlined by Melinda Kirigin-Voss and John Sargeant went smoothly, but after Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s stay-home order last week, series founder Jeff Whiteley opted to pull the plug on future shows until officials give the all-clear. Whiteley is posting videos of past concerts on the series’ website, and on its Facebook page.
• Plan-B Theatre is streaming Jenifer Nii’s new play “The Audacity” — a one-woman play starring April Fossen, about pioneer women during Utah’s frontier days — free to the public, now through Sunday, April 5.
• Ogden’s O1Arts is launching a virtual art series, offering “art experiences” to connect people in a time of social distancing. The first program in the series is “Isolation,” a performance piece by Ogden aerial artist Holly Ann Jarvis. “Rather than reflect on feelings of isolation and disconnectedness, this performance is more about offering positivity and lightness through movement,” Jarvis said in a statement. Jarvis will perform two five-minute sets, with an artist’s commentary in between. The event will be live-streamed on O1Arts’ Facebook and Instagram accounts on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.
• The Utah Museum of Fine Arts has launched an online portal, UMFA at Home, that features behind-the-scenes videos, hands-on art activities for children and adults, and learning resources for teachers and parents — with new content added weekly, usually on Fridays.
• Also from UMFA, starting April 3, Holt/Smithson Foundation, which promotes the works of “land art” pioneers Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson, will allow public access online Friday, April 3, from 3 to 11 p.m., to Holt’s 1970 film “Utah Sequences.” In the film, Holt — who was Smithson’s wife and created the work Sun Tunnels in Box Elder County — explores the environment at Rozel Point on the Great Salt Lake and chronicles preparations to build Smithson’s landmark work, Spiral Jetty. (UMFA has canceled its planned April 18 party to celebrate Spiral Jetty’s 50th birthday, but is asking visitors to send stories of their Spiral Jetty experiences to umfa.utah.edu/SJ-experience.)
• Repertory Dance Theatre is expanding its video offerings. In addition to the online dance classes it started offering earlier in March, the troupe has received permission from choreographers to post videos of recent performances — including Bebe Miller’s “Event,” Bryn Cohn’s “I Give Myself” and Not Zuk and Ohad Fishof’s “Outdoors.”
• Curious Mondo, a Salt Lake City company that offers online classes in various arts and crafts, is allowing viewers to access some of its courses for free. Among the free offerings are classes on leaded glass, fiber arts and making fused recycled-glass flowers.
• Edison Street Events (formerly known as The Organ Loft) is posting videos Charlie Chaplin’s two-reelers for Mutual Film Corporation, made in in 1916 and 1917, with accompaniment by Blaine Gale on the group’s mighty Wurlitzer organ. A new short will be posted every Wednesday. To sign up, go to edisonstreetevents.com and click the email address at the top of the page.
• The King’s English bookstore is holding a virtual storytime on its Facebook and Instagram feeds, with picture books at 11 a.m. every morning and chapter books at 2 p.m.
• Wiseguys Comedy Club is offering live-streamed stand-up comedy in the evenings on its Facebook page. Go to the page to find out when the comics will be performing.
• Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, whose seasons have been shut down because of the pandemic, have “listening rooms” on their websites that feature curated playlists, audio streaming, clips of performances and the “Ghost Light” podcast.
• The Utah Film Center will stream director Abby Ginzberg’s documentary “Waging Change,” which profiles the women leading a movement to end the federal tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers. The film will stream Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. A post-film Q&A will feature Ginzberg and Saru Jayaraman, president of the activist group One Fair Wage and one of the film’s subjects.
Editor’s note: Sean P. Means is married to an employee of the Utah Film Center.
