Brianna Lyman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Brianna, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: When was the last time you felt true joy?
This year Tooele Valley Theatre has started to do monthly themed Cabaret’s at the Historic Ritz Theater in Downtown Tooele. The Ritz Theater was recently donated to the Tooele City Arts Council and is being remodeled from a movie theater to a performing arts space. Our community has so desperately needed a space like this and we at Tooele Valley Theatre are beyond excited to watch the progress and success of this amazing building. It is such a pleasure to perform and produce art in this space
/+. Just last week we had our 10th Cabaret which was themed for Halloween. We had an opening number of Thriller, there were classic Halloween songs performed, and an audience Costume Contest at the very end. The Winner was a sweet woman who dressed up as a fairy. When we asked her what her costume was she pointed out her name tag which said “I am FAIRLY happy.”. She explained that there is a lot of hardship in our world right now and that for Halloween this year she decided she would chose happiness. Which lead her to her decision to be “FAIRLY happy.” As the audience cheered for her the loudest and we handed her our simple but full of love gift basket for her prize I was once again reminded why the arts are so important in communities. It provides a safe haven for all to express themselves. I felt true joy in this moment knowing that our non-profit Theatre company can provide this space.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Of course!
My name is Brianna Lyman. I am the Artistic Director for Tooele Valley Theatre, a non-profit theatre company which serves Northern Utah by providing a safe place for audiences and performers to participate in the performing arts. We try to provide year round performance opportunities with a variety of different storytelling. We love doing our yearly outdoor Shakespeare in the park at the gorgeous Tooele City Amphitheatre, it’s a joy to produce shows with youth performers or provide educational camps for them, we enjoy putting on the glitz and glam and heartfelt stories musicals can provide, and we love to show off our amazing local talent in monthly themed Cabaret nights. We are extremely passionate about bringing the arts to our community!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
For me I learned about the importance of hard work from my parents. I grew up in a household where we were encouraged to do our best and work hard! But we were also encouraged to look after ourselves and show ourselves grace. When I was a young kid my mom would allow us one day every semester in school where we could take off a day of school whenever we needed it as long as we didn’t have a test or something mandatory. We could use the day to stay home and relax, or we could even plan a fun outing together as a family. These early days of self care while also not letting it negatively affect my work really shaped my work ethic today. I also I feel like this has shaped how we run TVT. We provide a safe and respectful environment for our volunteers. We value their hard work, passion, and artistry by respecting their time and respecting them human to human. We never want to put our actors in any position that makes them uncomfortable, nervous, or scared. While we provide this safe space we also hold a very high standard and produce the highest quality theatre we can!
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I wouldn’t classify this as “failing hard” exactly, but TVT has faced a few financial challenges this past year. (Let’s be honest what art organization in American isn’t feeling financial strain right now?) It can feel really defeating when the grant you’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort towards doesn’t yield the results you were hoping for or maybe ticket sales weren’t what you’d hoped they would be… but then I remember that art can happen under any circumstances. Storytelling can be simple and also powerful. We don’t need large amounts of money to gather local artists and create beautiful and meaningful art.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Individualism. One of the values for Tooele Valley Theatre is, “We see theatre as a way to strengthen the community of Tooele by drawing individuals and families together in shared experiences. We recognize that our community is filled with many diverse thoughts and beliefs. We will always strive to serve the whole of the Tooele Valley and to create an image of good standing and respect.” We understand the importance of telling diverse stories and providing a space for everyone no matter their beliefs! We want people to come into our theatre space knowing they can be their true authentic selves and they will be embraced and cared for.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I am usually LITERALLY tap dancing on my way to do my work with TVT! That is the joy of what we do at Tooele Valley Theatre! It’s THEATRE. It’s dancing, expression, singing, joy, music, drama… it’s just a blast.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tooelevalleytheatre.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tooelevalleytheatre/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tooelevalleytheatre/
