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Jim Dabakis: The arts are the thing that can save us

Frankly, driving to the theater, I had concerns. Most of the audience were Title One students — young people from economically challenged families, kids who often do not have the opportunity to participate in the arts. Many had never seen a play. Some had never been to Salt Lake.

Add in a complex score and challenging political story. Would this experiment be a three-hour onstage disaster? Would the kids walk out? Get bored? Get distracted? Click on their phones?

But when I walked into the magnificent Eccles Theatre I had no doubt about what was going to happen.