Hopes for a grand, new Hale Center dim yet again

Owners of the Hale Center Theater Orem have waited for a new theater for almost ten years since they decided they couldn't keep doing shows in the small, renovated Veterans Hall.  Every niche and corner of the current building is bein used, with props being stored off side and outdoors.  Rehearsals are carefully scheduled, using space downstairs or at a nearby high school.  Parking at the theater is a challenge.

In 2000, Hale Center Theater Orem planned to move into the Pinehurst Plaza on 800 North, but talks with Pinehurst broke down after the terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York.

The Hale and Swenson families later announced they would move into the ground floor of the new Midtown Village complex, but in late 2007 the builders decided "it was problematic to fit a theater beneath the residential living space."

A third plan, opening "Christmas Carol 2008" in a separate building on the southwest corner of Midtown Village, is on hold due to the staggering economy.