Ogden’s Peery’s Theater gets new $1 million lighting system
A dancer performs at the unveiling of the new lighting system at Peery's Egyptian Theater on Monday, July 12, 2021.
Dancers perform at the unveiling of the new lighting system at Peery's Egyptian Theater on Monday, July 12, 2021.
The audience at the unveiling of the new lighting system at Peery's Egyptian Theater on Monday, July 12, 2021, watches performers on the stage.
OGDEN — At the advanced age of 97, Peery’s Egyptian Theater has gotten a modern upgrade — a new, LED lighting system.
The system, unveiled to the public on Monday, comes thanks to a $1 million donation from the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation. The funding injection represents the largest single donation Peery’s, owned by Weber County, has ever received.
“It’s huge,” said Kassi Bybee, general manager of Peery’s. “It takes us from old, outdated theater lighting to an energy-saving LED, state-of-the-art atmosphere.”
Wiring also had to be upgraded as part of the change and the new system consists of 182 new stage lights, 18 of them movable, and 50 lights around the ceiling in Peery’s main auditorium. Peery’s, located at 2439 Washington Blvd., is one of Ogden’s premier entertainment venues.
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The new lighting system is computerized, making it easier to operate, and it creates more flexibility in implementing lighting schemes, Bybee said. What’s more, the system should use an estimated 40% less energy than the old system, replaced over the last year.
TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
Dancers perform at the unveiling of the new lighting system at Peery’s Egyptian Theater on Monday, July 12, 2021.
A representative from the Dumke Foundation said the Peery’s upgrade fits with the vision of the late namesakes of the organization and their descendants of supporting the arts. “They wanted to do this to honor Ogden,” said Denise Johnsen, the foundation administrator, on hand for Tuesday’s unveiling.
The foundation also provided $2.2 million for the $4 million arts plaza taking shape at 25th Street and Ogden Avenue. Dumke family members “have a love for Ogden, they have a love for the arts,” Bybee said.
Weber County Commissioner Jim Harvey, who also took part in the unveiling, lauded the new lights. “You’ll find this only in the finest theaters in the world. It’s so cool,” he said.
The prior lighting system dates to 1997, when the revamped Peery’s reopened. The theater was originally built in 1924 and closed in 1984 due to health code violations before the major renovations that led to its reopening 13 years later.