By Michael Walker
Hale Center Theater owners have come to one conclusion about their current location: the building is simply too small.
Currently showing ?Brigadoon,” the theater is known for their family-friendly, high-quality productions. However, due to a tiny stage and limited space, owners plan to move to a new location within a couple of years.
The theater has been successful over the years, but is bursting at the seams, said co-owner Cody Hale.
?You should see it,” Hale said. ?Every nook and cranny of this place is full.?
The original plans were for the theater were to have it moved into Midtown Village, the long-delayed Orem development. But the Mitdown project has been delayed by interruptions with funding.
?We are still under contract with Midtown Village, but there has not been any visible progress with the project, so fund-raising has been difficult,? Hale said. ?We have been approached with many different offers for several different locations, so it?s hard to say just where we?ll end up at this point.?
The Midtown project was announced three years ago, amid enthusiasm from city officials and hopeful developers. The project, according to developer Larry Myler, will bring life to the otherwise bland area of Orem?s State Street.
?It will be a landmark,? Myler said. ?Orem doesn?t have any landmark architecture, no downtown area. It will serve as the downtown for Orem.?
Thirty-six months after plans were announced for Midtown Village, Myler said it will only be a short time before the project is underway.
?We think that will be resolved in the next couple of weeks,? Myler said. “We plan to start construction later this month or early August.?
The owners of Hale Center Theater said they are optimistic about the Midtown project and hope the venue and location work out for the theater.
