A&E

Wasatch Theatre Co. 2021 Page-to-Stage Festival

Last year, Wasatch Theatre Co. planned its annual Page-to-Stage showcase of new oneact plays with the theme “Hindsight is 2020.” Ironically, in hindsight, we now know that a live theater presentation wouldn’t be possible, and the company did not believe that the planned works would be best represented through a virtual format. This year feels more promising in many respects, however, and WTC offers up its 2021 lineup of plays—returning to live performance for the first time since spring 2020—under the designation “Hindsight is Still 2020.”

The eight original scripts all address theme of regret, reflection and remembrance. Hide, by

Morag Shepherd, deals with a couple working through marital differences on a ride home. Chelsea Hickman’s Buttery Yellow and Ocean Blue concerns two friends re-connecting at a high school reunion. Beth Bruner’s Mother Love takes on the pandemic world as a mother and daughter deal with a sick baby, while Tyler Fox’s The Golem applies the Jewish myth to a father confronting personal tragedy. Also featured are Snacktime Royalty by Jared Greathouse about a lonely man who has a strange way of finding friends; Used to Be by Michael McGuire; The Sinner by Ryan Humeniuk; and Playground Equipment by Aidan Croft.

The 2021 Page-to-Stage Festival runs for just four performances this week, June 24-26 at 8 p.m. and June 27 at 2 p.m., at The Box venue at The Gateway (124 S. 400 West). Seating is limited, and masks will be required during performances. Visit theboxgateway.org to purchase tickets and for additional information. (Scott Renshaw)

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J GO Gallery: Of Dance

The beauty and fluidity of dance provide an exhilaration for those who witness it—but it can also provide artistic inspiration. On June 25, Park City’s J GO Gallery (268 Main St., jgogallery.com) launches the joint exhibition Of Dance, with works by three artists capturing the grace of movement and all its accoutrements.

The figurative works of Park City artist Carole Wade are well-known to locals, often portraying scenes highlighting the area’s winter sports focus; here, she turns her attention to dancers at work. Stephanie Hock similarly keeps her attention on the dancers themselves (Hock’s “En Pointe” is pictured), exploring the physicality of dancers in elegant motion, or even at rest while preparing to rehearse. Marketa Sivek, meanwhile, takes her work in a different direction by highlighting the lovely costumes often associated with ballet and other professional dance, the images often accompanied by supportive exhortations like “LIVE LOVE DANCE.” Together, the three artists create a complete portrait of the joy, passion and sheer effort involved in creating an art form that at its best can seem effortless.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 2, and begins with a Gallery Stroll reception on Friday, June 25 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., including Marketa Sivek in attendance to discuss her contributions to the show. For those who prefer to experience the event remotely, the reception will be streamed live via J GO Gallery’s Instagram, @JGOgallery. The exhibition also runs in conjunction with a series of live dance events in the gallery space by newlyrelocated-to-Park City company BalletNEXT; visit BalletNEXT.com for dates and ticket information. (SR)

STEPHANIE HOCK

Antelope by Moonlight Bike Ride

Continuing the theme of “continuing the theme (from 2020),” the annual Antelope by Moonlight Bike Ride was another event that, after being forced to cancel due to the pandemic in 2020, decided to use that year’s planned theme in 2021. In this case, it’s “The Rolling ’20s,” a chance to celebrate the Jazz Age of the 1920s while getting your bicycle jazzed up for a non-competitive nighttime ride featuring a 24-mile route on Great Salt Lake’s historic Antelope Island from White Rock Bay to Fielding Garr Ranch and back.

The activities on June 25 at 7 p.m., with registration and a full range of entertainment on-site including vendor booths, music provided by Now97.9 DJ Justin Taylor, a Prohibition-themed “mocktail lounge” party, food truck offerings (including Bandidos Tacos) and more. From 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., raffle drawings will feature prizes including tickets to headliner events at Ed Kenley Amphitheater like Diamond Rio, Three Dog Night and Air Supply. Costume and decoration prizes will also be awarded, including tickets to Lagoon and Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, backpacks, gym memberships and gift cards. Then it’s time to line up and enjoy the beautiful ride beginning at 10 p.m.

Registration must be completed online by 5 p.m. on June 24, and registration slots will be limited; no on-site, day-of-event registration will be permitted. Adult riders are $35, child riders $30, and all individual riders must wear a helmet and have a bike fitted with both headlamp and taillight. Visit daviscounty.gov/ moonlight to register, learn about purchasing light packages and for additional details. (SR)

Taste of Living Traditions

The pandemic year of 2020 took a lot away from us, but as it turns out, 2021 is sometimes giving us even more. The Salt Lake Arts Council’s annual May celebration of the Living Traditions Festival might have been scaled back, but in its place we’ve received an opportunity for a wide range of events, including the Downtown SLC Open Streets, and culminating this weekend with the Taste of Living Traditions at Washington Square (400 S. 200 East) on June 25, from noon – 9 p.m.

The festivities include a wide array of live performances on two stages, representing more than a dozen ethnic and cultural traditions as they bring music and dance to audiences. Among the headliners performing throughout the day are Taylorsville-based Viva Peru Peruvian Dance (pictured), Robb “Little Owl” Martin on Native American Flute, North African music by Bazeen, Halau Ku Pono I Kamalani Hawai’ian

Dance, Ballet Folklorico Bolivia, South Jordan’s

Rinceoiri Don Spraoi Irish Dancers, Salt Lake Capoeira Brazilian Dance, Utah’ko Triskalariak Basque Dance, Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl Mexican Music and Dance, and many more. In addition to the performances, visitors can enjoy food representing nearly as expansive a sampling of cultural cuisine, with fare offered by 8th Catering Greek Food, the AfricanAmerican Faith Initiative, Basque Club of Utah, Bolivian Association, Serbian Orthodox Church, Utah Argentinian Alliance and much more.

The event is free to the public, with masking encouraged but not required, and socially-distanced seating encouraged between household groups. Visit saltlakearts.org/livingtraditionspresents/june-26/ for the full performance schedule and additional event details. (SR)

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Hogle Zoo

Animal Houses

JEFFREY MEIGS

Planning your summer visit to Utah’s zoological facilities

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

When most businesses and public spaces closed in spring 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic, they sent employees home, because there was nothing for them to do if there were no customers. It was quite a different scenario, however, for local zoological attractions like Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary and e Loveland Living Planet Aquarium. While the rest of us wrestled with anxiety and uncertainty over what came next, animal caretakers had to keep their swimming, flying and crawling charges healthy and happy.

“ e staff—especially the animal care-givers—have done an amazing amount of heavy li ing during the pandemic,” says Chris Barragan, Director of Advancement for Hogle Zoo. “We had to reduce staff size, and others had to shoulder that burden. And we had to reschedule staff so we were careful not to have an outbreak, and we accomplished that.… If we lose those people, it’s not like Lagoon or a theater; we have animals we have to care for at a very high level, and we had to keep that going.”

“I’m not sure if the Aviarians taking care of our living collection are first-line workers,” adds Tim Brown, President and CEO of Tracy Aviary, “but they are certainly essential workers. eir absolute dedication to the animals they work with went beyond making diets, creating enrichment, and cleaning exhibits. ey also took great personal responsibility to stay healthy during the pandemic.”

Now that more normalcy is returning as case numbers stabilize, operations at these facilities are returning to something resembling pre-COVID operations, as well. For those who might not have visited in a while, here’s an overview of what to expect if you’re considering checking them out this summer.

Tracy Aviary

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Utah’s Hogle Zoo (2600 Sunnyside Ave., hoglezoo.org)

e Current Visitor Experience: While the zoo has been reopened for more than a year, operations continue to evolve as guidelines change. Currently, masks are encouraged for unvaccinated individuals but not mandated, according to Barragan, and operations are mostly back to normal with the exception of one on-site restaurant that remains closed. Timed ticketing remains in place, and is expected to remain for the foreseeable future, according to Barragan, “to maintain a more even flow of zoo-goers throughout the day, and frankly provide a better experience for everybody.”

What’s New: “We just have an onslaught of new animals,” Barragan says of additions to the zoo’s animal family over the past year. ose additions include a new baby zebra, Archie (pictured); an 1100-pound male polar bear; Georgia, a baby gorilla who turns 1 year old on July 6; and a new orangutan coming from Wisconsin. e zoo also recently added ADA-accessible feedings for elephants and rhinos, available daily for an additional charge.

Summer Activities: While Barragan says that the zoo’s summer day camps are sold out at press time, there are still special season events like July 17’s “Ice Block Day,” when animals (and human visitors) can receive cold treats.

Tracy Aviary (589 E. 1300 South, tracyaviary.org)

e Current Visitor Experience: “We are pretty darn near back to normal,” Brown says. “ e Aviary is primarily an outdoor facility, and we don’t get overly crowded. We have a lot of different exhibits spread out over 8-1/2 acres, so we don’t have one congestion point where people end up elbow to elbow.” Masks are still advised on the honor system for unvaccinated guests, and the only current operational closure is the absence of the indoor bird show, which would at times replace the outdoor bird show in certain weather conditions.

What’s New: e Bird Show Sunning Yard is a new exhibit that showcases the stars of the Aviary’s live bird show, including crowned cranes and white-faced ibis.

Summer Activities: Summer full-day and half-day camps for children still have wait-list spaces available as of press time, and parents can get their young visitors to the Aviary “Avian Adventure Kits” so supplement their exploration of the facility. You can also get your hands dirty experiencing “International Mud Day” at the Aviary on June 29, among other upcoming events.

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (12033 Lone Peak Parkway, Draper, thelivingplanet.com)

e Current Visitor Experience: According to the Aquarium’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Layne Pitcher, timed ticketing remains in place for the facility to avoid excessive crowding, so buy tickets and register for a time online. Masks are not required for vaccinated guests, and recommended for unvaccinated guests, with no proof of vaccination required. ere is a two-hour window on Wednesday mornings reserved specifically for visits from higher-risk individuals.

What’s New: Last summer, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium opened its Rio Tinto Kennecot Plaza, offering an outdoor space for interactive exhibits, play structures and walking paths. “It was a happy accident” this it was in progress already, Pitcher says, at a time when the otherwise fullyindoor facility would not have had a place for safer outdoor experiences.

Summer Activities: Summer youth camps sold out on the first day under capacity limitations, but Pitcher says it’s possible additional spaces might open up, so visit the website for ongoing updates. e Aquarium will also continue its monthly seasonal “Nights Under Lights” outdoor parties on the new plaza through September; all previous events have sold out, so watch the calendar for your chance to buy tickets. CW