Local youth theater group wins Price City auditorium waiver, council to review access and storage policies

Castle Country Acting Company asked Price City Council on Feb. 25 for continued use of the Price City Auditorium and a waiver of the auditorium rental fee for its summer production. Caitlin Iverson, the company’s founder and director, said the program provides youth theater education for hundreds of children from Carbon and Emery counties and does not charge admission in order to keep performances accessible.

Iverson requested three clarifications: a break‑out of prior charges between rental and staffing so the group can budget accurately (she reported the total paid last year was about $850), information about after‑hours access or key/card arrangements, and a fair policy for stage use and storage so paid users are not disadvantaged by other groups storing items onstage. She also asked that the company be allowed rehearsal access on Thursdays to support production schedules.

Council members acknowledged the group’s contribution and raised security concerns tied to the city’s current key system and recent incidents of vandalism that followed fee waivers for other users. The mayor said the city is transitioning to a new key‑card system and will not immediately issue keys; council proposed forming a committee with building staff to draft a consistent, equitable policy covering fees, refundable deposits and storage. A motion to waive the auditorium rental fee for this year’s production, with staffing costs to remain the applicant’s responsibility, was moved and approved by council voice vote.

Next steps: city staff will provide a detailed breakdown of rental versus staffing costs to the company and convene council members and building staff to develop a formal auditorium access, storage and fee‑waiver policy for future events.