There’s a renewed twinkle of marquee lights on Heber City Center Street. After more than a year of revitalization, the century-old Ideal Playhouse has reopened its doors, while its sister theater, the Avon, is getting a retro-style makeover that celebrates its own historic era. Both theaters have rich stories—and so do their new owners, Steve and Karyn Anderson, whose love of historic cinemas began three decades ago.
For Steve Anderson, owning a historic theater is the culmination of a dream that began in the 1990s when he was a Music, Dance, Theater major at Brigham Young University. Built in 1912, the Uinta Theater, on Provo Center Street, was slated for demolition, and Steve attempted to save it. Unfortunately, he didn’t succeed. To this day, he feels a pang of regret when he drives by the still-empty lot across from the Provo City Center Temple. Back then, it was a dream that would have to wait.
Young Steve changed his major to film and television, which (he jokingly added), he chose so he could have a “more steady day job.” For over two decades, he worked in the corporate film and television world, partnering with major brands, including Disney, Nickelodeon, McDonald’s, and Nintendo, and collaborating with celebrities like Brittney Spears, Kobe Bryant, N’Sync, Matt Damon, and Steven Spielberg. His wife, Karyn, a special education teacher and lawyer, came from a talented musical family. Her grandmother wrote the LDS primary hymns “Book of Mormon Stories” and “Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked.”
Together, they launched Popcorn Media, a company focused on creating entertainment opportunities for children. The venture took them across the country with their seven children as they operated their Movie Star Camp. Later, inspired by one of his heroes, Walt Disney, Steve created Small World Studios. The studio creates audio-visual shows for theme parks and museums. Using special effects such as projection mapping, lasers, smoke, and fire, he and his team created immersive three- and five-dimensional experiences.
Ten years ago, Steve and his family decided to settle in Heber City. “One of the first things I did when I got here was drop off my business card to the current owner of the theaters and said: ‘If you ever decide to sell, this has been a dream of mine to live in a small town with a little theater on Main Street.’” His dream was so close, but it took another eight years to become a reality. Thirty years after Steve first imagined owning a historic theater, his dream came full circle when the chance to revive the Ideal and Avon Theaters, and the adjacent sweet shop, finally presented itself. For Steve and Karyn, it felt like they had “come home.”
Coming from the corporate scene, you might think owning a business in Heber would slow down the pace, but “I’m actually probably working harder than I ever have in my life right now,” Steve said with a laugh. In addition to running the business, Steve has also directed most of the musicals at the Ideal Playhouse, with Karyn at his side as the musical director. While “wearing all the hats” has its challenges, it’s also gratifying and joyful, especially with the support the Andersons have received from family, friends, and the community, some of whom have become regulars as audience members, set builders, and choreographers. All in all, owning a theater was a dream worth waiting for.
Get lost in the story
So, what is the appeal of a small, historic theater? Steve feels like you can get lost in the story in small venues. As a child, he recalled going to see Into the Woods with his mother, also a big fan of theater, in a tiny venue in Phoenix, AZ. “I’ve seen bigger productions of Into the Woods, you know, in grand halls, but there was something about that night where I couldn’t see anybody else. I could just see the show, and it was so enchanting to be in this small little place and have the whole place just transform.”
Immersion is at the heart of every Heber Valley Entertainment venue, and Steve’s background in creating multi-dimensional experiences has made attending the revitalized theaters truly memorable.
Built in 1914, the Ideal Playhouse is one of Utah’s oldest theaters, and stepping through its newly renovated doors feels like the perfect blend of nostalgia and modern comfort. The exterior windows glow with rows of warm marquee bulbs, while inside, the scent of buttery popcorn drifts from a slightly old-school concessions counter. Rich, earthy tones fill the lobby in what Steve calls a “rustic, mountain art deco” style—an aesthetic that deepens the theater’s cozy, old-time charm. Posters and décor inspired by the current musical line the walls, drawing you in before you even reach your seat. It has all the small-town charm a theatergoer could hope for.
The shows themselves spill out into the seats, doing more than just bringing the story to life on the stage. In their production of the musical Little Women, a kite flew out over the audience. Sebastian and Chef Louis chased each other through the aisles in The Little Mermaid. And, in an experience unique to the Ideal Playhouse, images are projected onto the walls, creating the illusion of being right there in the scene with the characters. In their latest production, Big River, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, played by singer, actor, and TV host Yahosh Bonner, paddled their raft on stage, while wall projections moved down the river with them. In another scene, the audience experienced being inside a rainy and rumbling Southern thunderstorm. As an audience member, it was magical, especially for the children.
The Avon Theater, just a block down Main Street from the Ideal, is being spruced up to provide a similar immersive experience, but with a flair that draws on its own history. The Avon, originally the Reel Theater, opened as a movie theater in 1948 and has a claim to fame as being one of the first theaters in the country to have surround sound, a system installed by the “father of surround sound,” Jim Fosgate, himself in 1986. The Andersons’ vision for the Avon is to put it into its heyday in the 1950s by giving it a “neon kind of Drive-In movie theater feel.”
Fences line the theater walls, carpeted walkways mimic gravel paths, and in front of the traditional theater seats lies a patch of faux grass dotted with lawn chairs. With projectors casting scenes onto the walls, moviegoers step into an immersive outdoor cinema—complete with chirping crickets, honking horns, and a canopy of twinkling indoor “stars.” It’s an indoor drive-in experience that blurs the line between nostalgia and innovation. In time, live concerts currently hosted at the Ideal will move to the Avon, where the lawn chairs will be cleared to make room for dancing on the “grass” in front of the stage.
Attached to the lobby of the Avon is a 1950s ice cream shop, rebranded as Kbop’s, named for the nickname Steve gave his wife, Karyn, early on in their relationship. The black and white tiled floor, jukebox, and vintage red-seated soda shop chairs give the impression that one has stepped back in time. Karyn is hard at work creating their own homemade ice cream flavors dubbed with fun local names that will reflect the Heber area.
Going to the Ideal, Avon, or Kbop’s is more than just seeing a great show or getting a tasty treat—it’s an experience.
More Exciting Things to Come
When Steve first got started, he filled three notebooks with thirty years’ worth of ideas he had been saving. He and his team were ready to try them all and see what the community would support. As their current season comes to a close, Steve reflects, “It’s been an exciting year of launching all kinds of entertainment, and we’ve listened closely to the public to see what they enjoy.”
As audiences leave the theater, they often pass feedback along to Steve and Karyn: “Do more of that,” or “I didn’t love that one.” Sometimes, Steve admits, it’s difficult to “kill your darlings”—a phrase from creative circles meaning letting go of (or in this case, postponing) ideas to focus on those that really work. However, community feedback has been invaluable in helping narrow down his notebooks of ideas to the ones audiences truly love. Some of the results include the recent launch of Five-Dollar Tuesdays, offering showings of new blockbuster films, and Throwback Thursdays, featuring classic retro movies.
The 2025 season at the Ideal will close with something entirely new: A Heber Valley Christmas. This inaugural Christmas spectacular is an original production featuring everything “from Santa to Jesus,” with a touch of Heber history woven in. The show will bring to life stories the team has uncovered, combining story and song in a unique stage experience. While some of the music will be traditional, Steve and his collaborator Kevin Kelly—the co-creator of the 2005 off-Broadway musical The Ark with Michael McLean—are also composing original songs for the show’s debut. Steve describes it as “all the things we love about Christmas, wrapped up in a beautiful, inspiring show that will touch the hearts of grandchildren, grandparents, and everyone in between.”
In the future, audiences can expect more original works at the Ideal. The season began in the spring with Michael McLean’s original musical Threads, and will end this winter with A Heber Valley Christmas. The team hopes to continue introducing original musicals over time—further building the distinctive, signature experience they are creating on Main Street.
Ultimately, Steve and Karyn want to create entertainment that feels like home to locals while also attracting a regional audience with experiences that are immersive and unique. “Had I gotten my theater when I was 20, I wouldn’t have had any experience. But now,” Steve reflected, “we can wow some people.”
Tickets to their shows, including A Heber Valley Christmas, and 2026 Season Tickets are available at:
