Grand Theatre

We took our family to the Pickleville Playhouse Production of Juanito Bandito’s Christmas Carol. The play was very well done and very funny. This is not a review of the play, it is a review of the venue.
If you have never been there, it is a bit confusing where to park and how to find the theater. The only thing that saved us was that we saw a bunch of people walking in and followed them. If you park in the back you will have to walk through the building to get to the theater. The theater is in the front. However, there is only on-​street parking in the front.
We sat in the balcony. The seats were so close together that it was nearly impossible to sit comfortably. We were constantly shuffling trying to fit our legs in the aisle. I would strongly recommend that if you are over 5′ 6″ that you don’t sit in the balcony. Pay the extra money and sit on the floor. By the time intermission came my legs and knees were nearly numb. I can’t imagine that this meets building code requirements let alone good common design sense.
Sound system is very good. Lighting was very good. Stage is well set up. Restrooms are nice although they are a bit tricky. The men’s room is on one side and the women’s on the other.

It’s very cool that this theater has become part of sundance. I don’t what else they do here but I’d defiantly check this place out again.

I have very mixed feelings about the Grand. The location is very nice, there is loads of parking, and overall its generally a pretty great theater. We visited multiple times in one weekend for Sundance and it was by far the easiest venue to navigate.
All that being said, god help you if you end up in the balcony. The leg room is impossibly small and that is no exaggeration. The minute I sat down I felt more like I had straddled in for a ride on the Matterhorn than sat down for a film. And by that I mean there is no where for your legs to go other than to straddle the seat in front of you with your legs spread eagle. I should also mention that I am not an abnormally tall or large lady.
I really only have myself to blame as we chose the balcony for two movies in order to avoid the long lines below. However, if you are paying more than $ 20 to watch a play or show at the Grand make sure you don’t sit upstairs. The downstairs has much more leg room and is the superior seating option. I realize this campus used to be a high school so perhaps these seats were made for smaller folks than average height adults, but if you are going to a 2.5 hour Kurt Cobain documentary you will be surprised to find that the most depressing part of your viewing will be the severe leg pain you develop after stupidly choosing to sit upstairs.

The Grand is an under appreciated theater gem in SLC. I’ve been to several shows there, most recently Little Shop of Horrors, and all were very well done. Ticket prices are very reasonable. Check them out

The theatre was nice, and well kept and the play was funny even though it felt like it went on forever.
My only advice for this place would be to work on getting some better signage, there is nothing on the front or back of the campus that we could see that indicated that we were in the correct place. All the parking is in the rear and we just waited until more people showed up to know which doors we had to go in.

Saw «Evil Dead: The Musical» here on a Groupon. The show was really funny and everyone in the audience had fun. The only downfall was that there were times when the mics went out and you couldn’t really hear the actors. Some audience members could complain about the obnoxious drunk woman sitting in the last row of the splatter zone who kept raising her hands and blocking the views of everyone behind her. Then again, you pick and choose what shows you want to see and Evil Dead obviously will attract a specific crowd… so you can’t really complain about drunk jerks.
The theatre was clean. After the show was probably another story.

The Grand Theatre at Salt Lake Community College is a comfortable theater with comfortable seating and a good A/​C system. With both upper and lower levels of seating the theatre accommodates a lot of people.
Unlike some theatre the Grand Theatre is easy to find and parking is plentiful and totally free! Those are certainly pluses. Ticket prices were also very reasonable and down right cheap compared to productions at the Capitol Theater or Pioneer Theater at the U.
Now on to the show…
Last week we attended a production of «The Wizard of Oz» at the Grand Theatre. It was our first time attending a production at the theatre and we enjoyed the show very much. The show was overall excellent. The actors were well cast and played their parts wonderfully. The costumes were great. The singing and music and dancing were also great.
Two areas that could have been improved upon were the quality of the sets and the singing numbers needed more mics. During the production they basically used the same set with added props and different lighting to set the mood for different parts of the production. While this was all right having better sets would have made the production even better. Especially since everything else was so good. Also, during some of the singing parts it was very hard to hear some of the singing, especially during some of the munchkin or children singing numbers.
Overall I’m really pleased with my first experience at the Grand Theatre and wouldn’t hesitate to go back when they’re showing something else I want to see.

Pretty sure I just had an honest-​to-​goodness «When Harry Met Sally» moment with The Grand.
Who hasn’t driven past the impressive SLCC campus right there on State Street? I’ve probably been by a couple of hundred times. So why did I never take the time to go inside to the theater and check out this amazing space before now? It was there all along, and I just never saw it.
What do I love about it? Well, let’s start with familiarity. It’s so easy to find, and just outside of all the downtown craziness. Parking isn’t nearly as cutthroat as it can be just a few blocks north, so that’s a big plus. Sure, it can still be a little confusing (parking is okay on State Street, except in the bus stop area that’s clearly marked) or just go around the corner.
The building is awesome. Stately. It harkens back to yesteryear when learning was an institution and schools were for scholars, not student athletes. The theater itself is indeed grand. There’s a lower section and a balcony and the space seats around a thousand people (?). Seats are surprisingly comfy, in great shape, and I was blown away by the amount of legroom on each row.
Just like Sally, this place does come with a bit of its own personality. You can buy seats by section, but as of now can’t select a specific row or seat. Details. Charm, really.
The quality of shows in their season is top-​notch, and you’ve got plenty of shows that rent the space for their own unique events.
More people need to meet Sally. The place should be filled for shows and I’d love to see them get more funding and revenue to really take the place for a ride. Whether you’re looking for a space for your own event or had it up to ~here~ with bad theater in ruddy spaces, take a look at the Grand Theatre. It’s been in front of you the whole time.