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Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater equipped with Elation lighting rig

The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater, also known as The Ruth at DoTerra, opened its doors on January 4, 2025, as a performing arts venue. A culmination of years of planning, the new venue in Pleasant Grove, Utah, is equipped with Elation’s latest lighting technology.

The venue houses two theaters, the 670-seat Scott and Karen Smith Grand Theater and the 300-seat Lindsay Legacy Theater. Elation lighting graces both theaters, including 40 Artiste Monet luminaires and 88 KL Profile FC fixtures, supplied by Barbizon Light of the Rockies, and 103 Fuze Pendant Compact fixtures, sold by Elation dealer Brio Technologies. Michael Gray, head of lighting at The Ruth, specified fixture types and quantities.

The theater operated for 35 years as the Hale Center Theater Orem, a small semi-professional theater-in-the-round with a 300-seat capacity. Over the years, it searched for a larger venue to accommodate its growing patron base. DoTerra, a local company in Pleasant Grove, donated land and funding, enabling the theater to construct a new facility on the DoTerra campus. In November 2022, construction commenced, and after a two-year build, the Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater was completed. Besides the two theaters, the facility also houses an education center, multiple studios, a ballroom, a VIP lounge, and administrative and support spaces. 

Troy Anderson, Director of Operations at The Ruth, served as project manager, working with architects Method Studio and contractors to realize the space. The Shalleck Collaborative served as the theatrical consultants. Anderson also led the technical aspects of the project, including the execution of the lighting installation. His collaboration with Barbizon, Brio, and Elation representatives William Irwin and Nick Saiki helped bring the vision to life.

The Ruth’s lighting system was designed to meet the demands of a theater that hosts performances six days a week. The Artiste Monet allows Anderson and his team to use it as a followspot, a static washlight, a moving head, or an effects light, “all in the same production”, he notes. Elation’s KL Profile FC also played a critical role in the decision-making process: “The adjustable lensing and the range of features that come with the KL Profile were key in its choice”, says Anderson. Both fixtures were earmarked for use in the Smith Grand Theater.

The Fuze Pendant Compact was selected as the house light for both the Grand Theater and the Lindsay Legacy Theater, a decision that came after an initial house light specified for the venue turned out to be white light only, which didn’t meet the theater’s needs. “We use a lot of color in our house lighting”, says Anderson. “As patrons enter the theater, we want them to feel like they’re already part of the set and the show. The tones and colors we get from the Fuze Pendant match with our other lighting fixtures.”

At the heart of The Ruth is the Scott and Karen Smith Grand Theater, a 10,000-square-foot space with a proscenium thrust that has the added flexibility to be adapted to a full theater-in-round, accommodating an additional 100 seats. The Lindsay Legacy Theater is designed to mimic the original intimate venue that its patrons have loved for three decades.

While most of the Artiste Monet and KL Profile fixtures are used in the Smith Grand Theater, which features a nearly 100% Elation rig, in the Lindsay Theater, most of the lighting was repurposed from the original Orem facility and supplemented with the Fuze Pendant house lights and a few of the Artiste Monets and KL Profiles.

In the Smith Grand Theater, catwalks and the lighting rig encircle the stage in multiple tiers, with an inner ring and outer ring of lights. Michael Gray’s goal in creating his initial lighting rep plot, Anderson says, was to hit every point on stage from at least four angles: “The way we light our shows is different from a traditional proscenium setup. In theater-in-the-round, you need to light the stage from multiple angles to ensure every point is covered. That also increased the number of fixtures we needed.”

The Ruth installed the Elation lights themselves, completing the setup just before “Ragtime”, the first play in the Smith Grand Theater, opened on December 20, 2024. The theaters maintain a packed schedule, with performances running Monday through Saturday and up to four shows staged daily. “Cinderella” plays in the Lindsay Legacy Theater until May 3, 2025, while “Jersey Boys” opened on March 28 in the Smith Grand Theater.

(Photos: The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater)

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