Robert Redford: leading man in Utah's film industry.

• Author: Shelton, Ken

Robert Redford: Leading Man in Utah's Film Industry

The first year, I couldn't get a loan from the banks. The waiters didn't show up, and so the owners had to wait on tables. The stablemaster was more interested in the female customers than in the horses, and horses from our stables wandered in confusion all over the canyon. The Sundance Summer Theater was launched with a misfired rocket that fizzled on the stage. Vehicles stalled, sewers backed up, we were robbed, and the tree in the Tree Room died. A potential early investor who spoke eloquently about belief in our concept was hauled away by men in white suits. But we endured. To us, Sundance is and always will be a dream. What you see, smell, taste and feel here is a dream being carefully nurtured. It is an area whose pledge is to people. What we offer in the form of art and culture, spirit and service, is homegrown and available to all. - Robert Redford

What began somewhat as a private party at Robert Redford's Sundance Resort in Provo Canyon is now a year-round open house. And business is booming.

Sundance was a sleepy-hollow resort for the first several years after Reford purchased property there in 1968. It was a place where the actor brought many of his friends and where a few locals and out-of-towners came to ski. "But as we've grown and seen a tremendous response to our commercial and charitable programs, we've realized that we are in the mainstream, both as a ski area and as a summer resort. And there's no ambivalence about it anymore."

His statement has more meaning in the context of the institute's non-profit status. "Sundance is not a place of profit for me," says Redford. "There are other parts of my life for that. This is a lifelong project, a bit of a dream - one that I feel totally dedicated and committed to. It makes me feel good to do it. Few things in life feel better than seeing people and projects develop as a result of a chance you gave them."

The balance Reford seeks at Sundance is having an arts community that guarantees the quality of the environment while developing it enough to create revenues. "But most of the revenues go right back into the arts," he says, "and I can't think of a greater commitment to the arts than that, and to create jobs in the arts for local people."

"There is more talent in this state than anybody realizes," says Redford. "Unfortunately I've seen much of it go away, because there's not enough opportunity and encouragement. We're creating more opportunity for young people to develop in the arts. They can go elsewhere once they've developed, but hopefully they'll stay here and create product in Utah."

Reford, who grew up in Los Angeles, has been a Utah resident for three decades, and a voting citizen of the state since 1958. "I feel very chauvinistic about this state," he says. "I think Utah has a lot to be proud of, and a lot of potential to develop itself in the right way."

The overriding concern for Redford and staff is how Sundance integrates itself into its surroundings. "The love for the land will always be at the root of Sundance's primary goals."

Of the 4,000 total acres at Sundance, 400 acres are deveoted to skiing, and 50 acres are used to build facilities to support the Institute. "There are 2,300 acres here of developable land, and no more than 50 acres are being developed," says Redford, who was appointed "sewer commissioner" for the Sundance area. As such, he developed a master plan for water use and an advanced sewage system, a job that made him the butt of jokes.

From the biginning, Redford has played the key role in the design of Sundance in everything from the wood ceiling rafters to the menus in the Tree Room restaurant. Natural and cozy are...