The show must go on: The economic impact of the relocated Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater

by Carley Porter

This story appears in the April 2025 issue of Utah Business.

Since first opening its doors in 1990, the Hale Center Theater in Orem has produced thousands of shows — but with just 305 seats available, its growth has been limited. Now, it will serve as storage space for The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater (The Ruth) in Pleasant Grove.

This new location boasts more than triple the seating capacity between two stages. Jeff Fisher, development director of the theater, expects ticket sales to double — and the theater is expected to have a huge economic impact on the area.

A proprietary study commissioned by the Hale Center Foundation for the Arts and Education and completed by LRB Public Finance Advisors projects that, from 2023-2030, The Ruth will have a total economic impact of over $714 million. In 2025 alone, the economic impact is projected to be $81.4 million. Ticket sales, concessions and classes are part of that number, but it also includes the money theater patrons will spend on retail, hotels, and restaurants in the surrounding area; wages for theater employees; and more.

“[The theater] is a catalyst in the community that draws people out of their homes,” Fisher explains. “They end up gassing up their cars, grabbing groceries, eating out, maybe catching some retail, picking something up.”

This is part of the “multiplier effect,” where one money-spending event — such as the investment to build The Ruth, leads to another — locals buying tickets to shows or getting dinner before or after a performance. In another example, when more employees are hired to staff the theater, they’ll likely visit local establishments to spend their earnings. All of these spent dollars will boost the economy.

In addition to the economic impact, The Ruth will have a direct fiscal impact through direct taxation and revenues created for local, regional and state governments. The taxable revenue generated by The Ruth and surrounding businesses is projected to have a total fiscal impact of $42 million from 2023-2030, according to the aforementioned study. For 2025, the projected total fiscal impact is $4.7 million. By 2030, that number is expected to hit $7.5 million.

Read the original article here.