The room is small, the lighting is dim, and the only sound is the scuffling of feet behind the curtain as the actors take their places.
You may find yourself in a place like this when you visit Brigham’s Playhouse, located off Telegraph Street at 25 N. 300 West in Washington.
The new theater is located in a quaint and inconspicuous red barn with only a painted wooden sign indicating visitors where to enter. The place could easily go unnoticed, especially in the dark.
The cast and crew of the new theater company have dedicated all their time and sweat into putting everything together for their first production of “Little Women: A Little Musical” written by Jay Richards.
Jamie Young is the founder and owner of Brigham’s Playhouse. He recently left his 19-year career as a musical theater professor to pursue his dream of owning and running a theater company. He said his vision is to open theaters across the country to provide communities with uplifting and edifying entertainment.
“It provides us with an outlet to express our views of society and life in creative and constructive ways,” Young said. “The arts bring enjoyment and understanding to our human experience.”
Of all the things that make this new theater unique, the family atmosphere and intimate relationships among everyone involved stand out the most. By hiring former students and colleagues to work as professional performers and managers for the theater, Young has guaranteed the playhouse to run like a tight-knit family business.
For Koby Campbell, a senior math and theater major from St. George, the business of theater goes way back to his toddler days. He said he began performing at the age of two when his mom led a singing group that performed all over the state and other parts of the country. He flourished in the theater world while attending Dixie State University before leaving on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Campbell said he thanks lucky timing for earning a part in the production.
“The day after I got back from my mission (in December), I was hanging out with some friends and my friend, Meg, said there was an audition for the playhouse the next morning,” Campbell said. “I went and sang a hymn, and that was it. I got in.”
Campbell said apart from performing on the stage, he’s been offstage lending a hand with renovations and reconstruction of the theater. From putting in seats, constructing platforms and decorating the set, Campbell and the other cast members have given everything they have into the birth of the playhouse.
Another DSU student joined the Brigham’s Playhouse team on the lucky chance he had a connection to Young.
“I went to high school up at Hillcrest in Sandy where I did stage crew for three years,” said Tanner Pike, a freshman general education major from Sandy. “This year, they got a new stage crew teacher, and I’ve been talking with him. He knows Jamie Young, and, as soon as I heard about this, I jumped on the opportunity.”
Pike said Brigham’s Playhouse is different because it’s not a giant theater with a big production, and it has the potential to bring the community closer together.
The people involved with Brigham’s Playhouse may come from different corners of the St. George area, but each performer brings his or her own sense of belonging and appreciation for the arts to the table.
“I love being a part of this,” Campbell said. “I get to do what I love for a living. I feel right at home here.”
Brigham’s Playhouse will run its first show, “Little Women: A Little Musical,” through March 29 with the next show of the season, “Annie,” opening April 4. The theater will perform six shows a week Tuesday through Saturday.
To purchase tickets, call 435-251-8000.
