PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, Nov. 8, 2022 – The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater (to be affectionately nicknamed “The Ruth”) will break ground on a new state-of-the-art theater and performing arts facility in Pleasant Grove. With support from doTERRA, the Cook Center for Human Connection, and the city of Pleasant Grove, The Ruth will take its first steps toward its new home with a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony.

The ceremony will take place on doTERRA’s campus at the site where the new theater is to be built. The Ruth is already expecting over a thousand people to attend to welcome this new facility.  

“Our excitement is only exceeded by our gratitude to Greg and Julie Cook, doTERRA, Pleasant Grove City, and other generous donors who have brought this project to life and started us on a path to the future,” said Cody Swenson, Executive Director and co-founder of the Hale Center Foundation for the Arts and Education. “We wouldn’t be here without the millions of theater lovers who have bought tickets, performed in shows, and taken lessons. There is no limit to the magic and storytelling that will fill this new beautiful facility that we affectionately call ‘The Ruth.’”

The ceremony will include performances from local artists and current and past Hale performers from the youth academy and mainstage theater. Performances will include numbers from Les Misérables, Wicked, The Color Purple, Newsies Jr., and Moana Jr. The ceremony will be open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend.

“At the end of the day, this project is about connection and community,” said Gregory Cook, doTERRA founding executive and Chairman of the Board. “When we all come together for a storytelling experience, we all feel better.  As a health and wellness company, we at doTERRA are excited for the human connection and emotional wellness The Ruth will bring to our community, and we invite our friends in the business community to join us in supporting what will surely be a remarkable and essential asset to Utah County."

Other local dignitaries and community leaders will be present at the event. Notable names include Lt. Governor Diedre Hendrickson, Elder Jeffery H. Singer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Pleasant Grove City Mayor Guy Fugal.

“We’ve been planning and anticipating this day for many months now, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see this project come to fruition,” said Mayor Fugal. “This building will be a crown jewel in Pleasant Grove, and a wonderful asset for families in our city for years to come.”

The ceremony will also see the launch of additional fundraising efforts for the theater which will include the Ruth Impact Club – a VIP experience for significant supporters of the project. Additional details will be provided at the event.

The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater will begin construction following the groundbreaking. It is expected to be finished in time for The Ruth’s annual production of A Christmas Carol in 2024.