This article originally appeared in the Resolutions print issue, in stands February 2026. It has not been updated and some information may be out of date.
Theatre in Utah is important. As social tolerance declines and hate crimes are on the rise, theatre holds the key to strengthening the community. Theatre is the key to fostering stronger communities in Utah.
As Utahns, we must go see more theatre for the good of our state.
Plan B Theatre Company
Plan B Theatre Company is Utah’s smallest professional theatre company, focused on creating socially conscious plays centered around BIPOC voices. The Dramatist’s Guild of America noted Plan B as the only theatre company in the U.S. whose season consists of only plays written by local playwrights.
Since its inception in 1991, the company has produced nearly 100 world premieres. Plan B is responsible for many premieres of shows created by people of color, including the first in Utah to be written by Asian American, African American, Persian and Latino playwrights.
Jerry Rapier, the artistic director for Plan B, when asked about how he started theatre, said, “I had no idea what theatre was. I had no exposure to anything performing arts oriented.” Rapier said, “When I was 16, I saw my first play. And it was Cats at the National Theater in Washington, DC. It makes me laugh so hard because it’s not a show that I love, but it’s a show that I love because it introduced me to the theatre. And then I was hooked.”
Rapier moved to Salt Lake to pursue acting before he started directing. “I realized I was a really terrible actor. But I knew why, and I could see the flaws around me and the productions I was involved in. So then I decided to try my hand at directing,” he said.
After directing a play for Plan B, Rapier began working with Cheryl Ann Cluff, one of the founders of Plan B. “We didn’t know each other at all. Cheryl and I took this big gamble on working with each other, and it worked out fine, because 25 years later, we’re still doing it,” he said.
Greek catharsis for our communities
The first piece of Greek dramatic theory, Poetics, was written by Aristotle in 335 BCE. Aristotle dissects the rules of classic Greek tragedy, coining the metaphor for tragic catharsis. Catharsis is the purification or purging of emotions, particularly pity or fear, through art. For Aristotle, tragic catharsis was aroused “by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves.” Seeing someone in circumstances like ours, that we could face, and feeling with the character would purify us of our pity and fear.
What Aristotle doesn’t mention is that the character on stage doesn’t need to resemble us. Theatre makes finding likeness to any character easy. We don’t have to be like the character we’re seeing on stage. We just have to live with them. “What we’re all [searching] for is those moments where people sit in a dark room … and they are literally experiencing the same moment at the same time, at the same intensity, with the same rhythm,” Rapier said. “Those moments are where you really understand what community is and should be. It is 100% something you feel. And once you feel it, you understand its value, and you seek it out again.”
Giving voices to the voiceless
The mere act of viewing a theatre can open our eyes to narratives that we were previously ignorant of. Through catharsis, it can leave us feeling refreshed and cleansed.
“There is so much art here that is created for the majority, and that’s not who [Plan B is]. We’re not interested in serving the masses that are already being served. We’re interested in serving the folks who are not used to seeing themselves reflected on stage,” Rapier said. “You find you may not be able to articulate what it is you’re experiencing, but you’re able to articulate what other elements of your life matter to you, and who you are going to stand up for, and what you are going to stand up for.”
Go see the theatre. If you need to get out of your own shoes or need to purify your emotions, there are so many theatres and other art options to go see. If you’re looking for recommendations, Dumbed Down opens February 12th at Plan B Theatre Company. “[Sometimes] shit is swirling so thick that we just need somebody to give us permission to laugh, and a good belly laugh opens you up to truth, and honesty and clarity,” Rapier said.
