The Hale Centre Theatre Gilbert, Arizona
For the past nine years, residents of and visitors to Gilbert, Arizona have been treated to some of the finest local theater that can be found anywhere in the southwestern United States at the Hale Centre Theatre Gilbert, Arizona. Located downtown on West Page Avenue, the Hale Center Theatre offers a full year-round slate of comedies, dramas, musicals, and youth productions at their 380-seat modern theater facility.
One of the things that makes the Hale Center Theatre experience so unique is the venue's theater-in-the-round format, which surrounds the centrally-located stage with spectators on all sides. While providing a memorable viewing experience for theater-goers, this stage design does present some logistical challenges for the theater company and technical support crew. But all involved in putting on productions at the Hale have demonstrated their abilities to rise above this challenge again and again. This is why Hale's talented roster of cast and crew members and producers have received more than 30 ariZoni Awards, which recognizes excellence in the theater in the Valley of the Sun and Maricopa County.
The History of the Hale Theatres
While the Hale Center Theatre, Gilbert, AZ has only been open since 2002, the story of the Hale Theatres extend all the way back to the immediate post-World War II era. In 1943, Nathan and Ruth Hale left their home in Salt Lake City and moved to California to pursue their dream of becoming actors. But unlike many who struggle to break into show business, the Hales quickly decided to take their fates into their own hands by opening their own little 110-seat theater in Glendale, California in 1947. While many fledgling business ventures fail, the Hales proved to be naturals in the theater business, and the success of their little venue allowed them to gradually make the transition from actors to full-time theater management. In 1959 their daughter Sandra and her husband Allan Dietlein joined the business as partners, and by 1960 the first Hale Centre Theatre had moved into a brand new 450-seat facility in Glendale. The Hales “retired” in 1983, but still found time to help other family members open three new Hale Theatres in their native Utah.
The Hale Center Theatre, Gilbert, AZ was opened in 2002 by the Hale's grandson David Dietlein and his wife Correin. This meant that the original 110-seat theater in Glendale had now evolved into a mini-empire with five facilities located in three different states. However, despite this pattern of expansion the Hale Theatres have never stopped being a family business, as the descendants of Nathan and Ruth Hale still manage all of the theaters that carry the family name.
The Play's the Thing
For anyone who loves the theater – or who at least likes the theater – and has made plans to be in Gilbert, Arizona at some point in the near future, a visit to the Hale Center Theatre should not be considered optional. And for those who live in Gilbert, Arizona but have not yet stopped by to check out what the Hale has to offer – what are you waiting for?
Go see a show at the Hale Centre Theatre Gilbert, Arizona.
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