Lyric Rep Secures Record Grants Ahead of 60th Anniversary Season

LOGAN, Utah — Alongside the celebration of its 60th anniversary and the grand reopening of the Caine Lyric Theatre, the Lyric Repertory Company will launch its 2026 season with the added momentum of receiving some of the largest grants in its history.

This year, Lyric Rep received $17,000 from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums and $20,000 in Recreation, Parks, Arts and Zoos (RAPZ) funding from Cache County.

“The entire Lyric Rep team is grateful to be awarded funding from Cache County’s RAPZ program and the Utah Division of Arts and Museums,” said Nicholas Morrison, executive producer of the Lyric Rep and director of the Caine School of the Arts. “These funds, along with other grants, donations, university support, and earned income through ticket sales, provide the Lyric Rep with the means to continue to serve USU students and the community.”

Associate Professor and Department Head for Theatre Arts Richie Call, who serves as the Lyric Rep’s artistic director, says the funding will directly go to operational costs, which include the ability to hire company members.

“My grandpa founded the company in 1967 as a way to help bridge the gap between educational theater and professional theater,” Call said. “The idea is [that] about 50% of the company are guest artists that we bring in from the outside, or sometimes local professional actors who will work alongside our students who are working on professional contracts themselves.”

The Lyric Repertory Company, as part of USU’s Department of Theatre Arts and the Caine School of the Arts, provides professional theater experiences for students in conjunction with professional actors and designers, reflecting the university’s mission of educational excellence and community impact.

“Many theater alumni attribute their success in the job market directly to the professional experience they had as students with the Lyric Rep working alongside professional actors, directors and other production staff,” Morrison said. “Since it was founded, the Lyric Rep has served as a steppingstone from the student experience to the professional world for USU theater majors.”

Investing in local theater and arts is a vital way to enrich lives and connect with the community, according to Call.

“I'm always amazed that right here in Logan, Utah, we’ve got the Lyric Repertory Company and the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre,” Call said. “I think it's amazing that we have access to all of this, and I think receiving this funding is an acknowledgment that our community values what we do.”

For more information about the upcoming season, visit the website. To become a supporter of the Lyric Repertory Company, visit the donation page.