

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Henwood.
Hi Chad, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Prior to founding Tooele Valley Theatre, we were all best friends. The four of us participated in our High School Drama and Dance programs together almost a decade ago. We knew how important the arts were and that we wanted to help bring them to our community in a bigger way someday.
After High School, that vision vanished a little bit as we all went our separate ways, pursuing our own educations within the arts and even performing professionally for a time. Then 2020 hit and we all found ourselves back in Tooele, craving artistic outlets! And the great thing about Tooele City is it has so many of them hidden around the valley. Lots of Dance, Visual Arts, and community bands to be a part of. But there was no Theatre that offered year-round experiences.
So we started a live theatre company at probably the worst time to start a theatre company – right in the middle of a pandemic. We started off with a virtual talent show to just showcase the many artists of the Tooele Valley to show that there is a definite need for theatre here.
We then started producing shows live in various capacities. From an outdoor Shakespeare Show in the woods (which was included as the Best Shakespeare Production in the state by UTBA), to You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown on a proscenium stage, and Little Women in a black box. We even produced a wonderful production of Fun Home: The Musical which has only been produced in Utah by three other companies.
It’s been a ton of work. However, Tooele is lucky to have some of the hardest working artists I have had the pleasure of working with. We build sets out of garages. Rehearse in tiny classrooms at the high school. Do huge rounds to all the DI’s we can find to gather set pieces, props, and costumes on a budget. We’ve also garnered the attention of many people outside of the Valley!
Most of our actors and audience members actually drive all the way from SLC. Some of our actors even make the drive from Ogden to participate in our shows. We’ve made some amazing partnerships with members at theatre companies across Salt Lake Valley including Hale Center Theatre which has donated Sets and offered us Intelligent Lights to use during our productions.
I’m really proud of the work this community has done. We are building something really incredible out here. I’m constantly blown away by the talent in this small little town. What started as four best friends wanting to make some art has blossomed into a loving and welcoming community in only two years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a hard road but we were really lucky in the beginning. When we first started the company, we were really blessed by Tooele City Arts Council who gave us a HUGE grant to create our first season. A previous theatre company owner donated storage units full of props, costumes, and set pieces. Everything pointed to this being the right time and right place to be creating this company.
However, being a new theatre company, a word about us has not traveled very far. That’s been our biggest struggle. A majority of our audience actually comes from outside of the Tooele Valley rather than our community itself. Our runs are always short due to being able to schedule performances based on space availability. This definitely plays a part. Tooele has roughly 10 registered non-profit performing arts groups and we all share the same spaces to showcase our work. For TVT, we rehearse and create in spaces at Tooele High School. Sometimes that’s on a stage, in a classroom, or even in a hallway.
One of our biggest obstacles recently was the destruction of our set for our production of Twelfth Night. It was our second outdoor production and a large windstorm came through and destroyed a really beautiful set. On top of storms continuing through the week and an increase in COVID numbers, we made the decision to cancel the production. Which not only hit hard financially but most importantly, affected our cast and crew who created a really outstanding production.
Our team is incredibly small. But each and everyone one of them dedicates their entire being to bringing these shows to life. Despite these struggles, it’s important for us, and will always be important to us, to show people that you can create theatre on any budget, in any space, and with any group of people.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I received my training from Southern Utah University where I did my degree in Theatre Arts and Arts Administration. I focused mostly on Classical Acting and Directing. I had the chance to perform professionally with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, acted in many university productions, and toured a production to Romania as part of a University Project.
When finishing up my degree though, I knew I wanted to focus on theatre management. I love acting, I love directing, but I love nothing more than creating a space that gives others opportunities to practice their craft. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to act with many different groups so I’ve been able to learn what makes a safe and encouraging environment that allows people to explore the arts to their fullest potential. There is always more to learn and more mistakes to make, always, but I’m really proud of where I am now.
I’m really proud of our most recent production of Fun Home. Sitting in the audience on closing night surrounded by ‘queer couples and grandparents in cowboy boots’ made it clear we were doing something important. Seeing everyone’s faces and breathing in harmony with them is something I will carry with me forever.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Our high school stage crew consisted really just me and my best friends. We would sometimes just get lightsabers out, turn off the lights in the auditorium and duel it out. Turn on a spotlight and try to get to the back of the theatre without getting spotted. Go ghost hunting. Those are really good memories of mine.
Pricing:
- Musicals usually run $13-$15
- Plays run $10-$12
Contact Info:
- Website: tooelevalleytheatre.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tooelevalleytheatre/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tooelevalleytheatre
Image Credits
Chad Henwood, Yunnie Kim, and Glenda Bender