Behnken Stage at the new Meldrum Theatre in the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse

Photo: University Marketing & Communications

WRITTEN BY MARINA GOMBERG

The energy inside the newly renovated Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse is as electric as the days when Pete and Cathie Meldrum met there as students in the late 1960s. He was on the track team that trained there, and she was a member of the Ute-Tahnas drill team which performed at the basketball halftimes.

Because of their lifelong love affair with the arts and their extraordinary generosity some 40 years later (that inspired many others’ generosity as well), the space hosts a different kind of heart-pumping performance arena: a modern 375-seat theatre shared by the Department of Theatre and Pioneer Theatre Company, providing a larger venue for the former and a more intimate one for the latter, crucial additions for both.

The new Meldrum Theatre with its state-of-the-art offerings is transformative for the students in the department who, with this third performance venue, have access to modern technical theatre capabilities and even more proximity to professional theatre makers — a relationship that has long enhanced the learning environment and experience for students.

The stage can be configured as both a thrust and proscenium, and the space boasts an orchestra pit, a soaring lobby, wardrobe, scene shops, dressing rooms, control booth, sound mix position room, box office, and more.

The stage earned its first beloved scuffs in spring 2024 with Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of the Tony-winning play “The Lehman Trilogy” by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power. The Department of Theatre’s first production will be “The Heart of Robin Hood” by David Farr, directed by Theatre’s Alexandra Harbold and Fight Director Chris DuVal in fall 2024.

The greenroom inside the new Meldrum Theatre offered the perfect place for a special portrait and plaque honoring a person of profound significance: Kenneth Washington.

Washington, a legendary actor, director, and theatre educator known across the country, founded the U’s lauded Actor Training Program, which lives on with distinction and vibrance to this day.

Washington passed away in 2014, and the community of people impacted by his unique magnetism came together to memorialize him with dedicated space.

As one of the leaders of the project to honor Washington, alumna and Professor Emeritus Anne Cullimore Decker reflected on the loss of her dear friend and beloved colleague saying she has “often felt deeply grateful for his lasting impact on the University of Utah Department of Theatre. Kenneth’s legacy spans the country — from New York to Minneapolis — with too many to count who would name him amongst their most important mentors.”

So many remember his unmatched talent as a director, unyielding commitment, sense of humor, breadth of vision, and love of theatre.

Alumnus Jason Bowcutt (‘13) is one of them. “When I think of Kenneth, I think about how he made me feel like I was important,” he said in support of raising funds to honor his mentor in the new theatre. In addition to refined theatre abilities, Bowcutt grew a sense of belonging because of Washington.

Alumnus Christopher Borg (‘05) was forever changed by what he learned from the celebrated professor.

"He imbued in me such a respect for the craft and such a multi-faceted way of looking at creating a character and entering truthfully into the world of the playwright,” Borg said. “I have to say that to this day, when I am working on a show, I am still employing techniques, theory, and a point of view and entry into a character that I learned from Kenneth Washington 30 years ago."

So, while we take these leaps into the future with the new Meldrum Theatre in the iconic Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse, we treasure the opportunity to acknowledge the shoulders on which we stand, those of heroes like Kenneth Washington who changed our hearts and lives so that we may do the same for others.