The Tuacahn Center for the Arts is an arts organization located at the mouth of the Padre Canyon, adjacent to Snow Canyon State Park, in Ivins, Utah. The facility was completed in 1995 and includes a 1,920-seat outdoor amphitheater, a 328 seat indoor theater, a black box theater, a dance studio, a costume shop, a scene shop, and the campus of Tuacahn High School for the Arts. The Tuacahn Center for the Arts contributes to the arts by producing two or three performances on its amphitheater stage and offers a spring and fall concert series for the region. They also produce the annual "Christmas in the Canyon" featuring a live-action recreation of the nativity called the "Festival of Lights."
History Tuacahn was founded in 1995 by playwright Douglas C. Stewart. Partnering with philanthropist and businessman, Hyrum W. Smith, he planned to create a space to tell the stories of Utah's ancient inhabitants and pioneer settlers. The two, using a plot of previously owned by Orval Hafen, set to build this dream. Seven Nielsen designed the amphitheater complex which included a 45,000-gallon water holding pond, a river spillway, and a drainage system for the flash-flood sequence in the inaugural run of the musical production of Utah!.
Construction During the construction of the center, two Mojave desert tortoises (an endangered species) were found dead along the road which led from the main highway to the construction site. This halted construction while an investigation by the Fish and Wildlife Service commenced. On August 18, 1994, an agreement was reached between the Heritage Arts Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service in which the foundation paid a fine of $20,000 and agreed to special measures to ensure tortoises would be protected during construction and after the center opened. This included special "tortoise-proof fences" and passages underneath the road where wildlife could pass under.
Opening and "Utah!: the Musical Spectacular" Tuacahn opened in April 1995 with a dedication by Gordon B. Hinckley and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
The venue initially presented the musical Utah! (book by Robert Paxton, lyrics by Doug Stewart, music by Kurt Bestor and Sam Cardon, and production design by Seven Nielsen) a dramatic retelling of the founding of southern Utah through the eyes of Jacob Hamblin, an early pioneer called by Brigham Young to settle the city of Santa Clara and to make peace with the Native Americans in the region. The production used the natural canyon setting to great effect, dramatically lighting the red rock cliffs and incorporating special elements like pyrotechnics, live animals, and special effects including a flash flood that came across the stage toward the audience. Amidst the spectacle, the production's book included subjects sensitive to the Mormon population, including depictions of polygamy, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and Jesus Christ's appearance to Native Americans, as recorded in the Book of Mormon. Audience discomfort with these issues and lukewarm reviews prompted the rewriting of the show every season. Minor changes were made between the premiere in 1995 and the 1996 production. A major rewrite was undertaken for the 1997 production by Reed McColm, but major characters remained and Jacob Hamblin was still central to the story. In 1998, the book and lyrics were completely rewritten by Tim Slover and Marvin Payne, creating a fictional storyline that emphasized the peacemaking efforts between pioneers and native peoples. The production was remounted one final time for an abbreviated fall season in 2002, with Stallion Cornell providing yet another new book based on the 1996 version of the show. "Utah!" has not been produced since the 2002 season.
"Broadway in the Desert" In 1999, with diminishing interest in "Utah!" and lackluster ticket sales from the 1998 season, the Tuacahn's board of directors changed the theater's programming to a season of more popular, family-friendly Broadway musicals presented in rotating repertory. The first season of this new format consisted of a double bill of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, both of which were wildly successful with visitors from all United States and 25 other nations. In 2002, productions of Annie Get Your Gun and Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat broke all previous box office records. This occurred again in 2003 when The Wizard of Oz broke all box office records at Tuacahn.
In 2005, under the direction of the new artistic director Scott Anderson, Tuacahn commemorated their tenth season by presenting Beauty and the Beast and a third production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. These two shows once again beat all previous ticket sales. The successful production of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" began a relationship between Tuacahn and Disney Theatricals that has lasted over a decade. In 2006, MTI selected Tuacahn as one of eight regional theaters in the United States to present the first post-Broadway semi-professional productions of Les Misérables. In June 2009, Tuacahn was awarded rights to present the post-Broadway regional-theater premiere of Disney's Tarzan. Due to this success, Disney awarded them the rights for the post-Broadway regional premiere of The Little Mermaid. The 2014 season, which included The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, was its most successful season to date hosting over 260,000 patrons. Tuacahn announced its 2015 season would include "Disney's Beauty And The Beast", "Disney's When You Wish", and "Sister Act". "Disney's When You Wish" was a world premier.
Educational Programs Tuacahn's school facility was originally conceived as a private school where students would receive private lessons and participate in group classes. The school was not initially successful, due in part to the remoteness of the location of the school.
In 1999, Tuacahn decided to re-open the school as a Utah Charter High School. Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, a high school that combines a college preparatory curriculum and an arts focus in music, dance, theater, or visual art. Over the years it has been awarded with many accolades including first place at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Over 30% of graduates from Tuacahn High continue to complete 4 year college degrees.
Venues Tuacahn has two venues most frequently used for theatrical productions.
Tuacahn Amphitheater The Tuacahn Amphitheater is a 2500-seat open-air amphitheater. It consists of three sections of seating (Left, Right, Center) with 32 rows A (front) - FF (rear). All seats have backs and arms, but are not cushioned. Entrance to the amphitheater is from the rear, requiring all patrons to descend the stairs toward their seats. Patrons with limited mobility are encouraged to sit near the top (rear) of the amphitheater. There is extra leg room on row O which is sometimes used during the productions when actors walk through the audience. Wheelchair accessible seating is available on the back row (FF) only. The stage has a concrete subfloor with a concrete pass-under tunnel to get from stage left to stage right out of view of the audience. The rear of the stage is open to expose the desertscape and red rock cliffs behind the stage which contains lighting, sound, pyrotechnical, and water effects installations. The area behind the stage is a mixture of natural stone and naturally colored concrete. This concrete riverbed was installed during initial construction to facilitate a massive 55,000 gallon flood of water that comes from the back of the canyon and across the stage toward the audience. Though conceptualized and custom-built for the "Utah!" production, this special effect and other water effects have been featured in numerous productions at Tuacahn.
The Hafen Theater The Hafen Theater is a 328-seat indoor proscenium arch theatrical facility. It is part of the Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts facility, though semi-professionally staged productions have been featured in this theater in the past.
Black Box and Dance Studio The black box theater and dance studio are used primarily as working spaces for school classes, rehearsals, and special events. They are not commonly used for theatrical presentations.
Productions in the Amphitheater
1995 Utah!
1996 Utah! Quilters 1940's Radio Hour
1997 Utah!
1998 Utah! How the West Was Won
1999 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2000 The Music Man Fiddler on the Roof
2001 Oklahoma! The Sound of Music
2002 Utah! Annie Get Your Gun Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Once on This Island (Tuacahn High School)
2003 The Wizard of Oz The King and I The Unsinkable Molly Brown Bye Bye Birdie (Tuacahn High School)
2004 Guys and Dolls West Side Story Singin' in the Rain Crazy for You (Tuacahn High School)
2005 Beauty and the Beast Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Les Misérables: School Version (Tuacahn High School)
2006 Peter Pan South Pacific Cats
2007 Cinderella My Fair Lady 42nd Street
2008 Les Misérables The Sound of Music Big River
2009 Annie Footloose Aida
2010 Tarzan Cats Crazy for You
2011 The Little Mermaid Grease
2012 Aladdin Hairspray Titanic (Tuacahn High School)
2013 Mary Poppins Starlight Express Thoroughly Modern Millie West Side Story (Tuacahn High School)
2014 The Little Mermaid The Wizard of Oz Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat South Pacific (Tuacahn High School)
2015 Beauty and the Beast Disney's When You Wish (musical) Sister Act Footloose (Tuacahn High School)
2016 Grease (Tuacahn High School) Peter Pan Disney's Tarzan The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2017 Little Shop of Horrors (Tuacahn High School) Shrek The Musical Mamma Mia! Newsies
2018 Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Matilda the Musical The Prince of Egypt
2019 The Sound of Music The Little Mermaid Disney's When You Wish (musical)
2021 Annie Beauty and the Beast School of Rock The Count of Monte Cristo
2022 Mary Poppins Wonderland Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2023 Disney's Tarzan Ronald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2024 Disney's Frozen Anastasia Jersey Boys
2025 Disney's The Little Mermaid The Wizard of Oz Newsies
2026 Disney & Pixar's Finding Nemo: A 70-Minute Family Musical Les Misérables Grease
2027 Hairspray The Price of Egypt Disney's Hercules the Musical
Productions in the Hafen Theatre
1995 The Fantasticks Greater Tuna The Taffetas
1996 Quilters The 1940's Radio Hour
2000 See How They Run
2001 Nunsense The Littlest Angel (Tuacahn High School)
2002 The Diviners (Tuacahn High School) Anything Goes (Tuacahn High School)
2003 I Never Saw Another Butterfly (Tuacahn High School) Schoolhouse Rock! (Tuacahn High School)
2004 The Teahouse of the August Moon (Tuacahn High School)
2006 Grease: School Version (Tuacahn High School)
2007 Little Shop of Horrors
2008 Disney's High School Musical
2009 Disney's High School Musical 2
2012 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Tuacahn High School) The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
2013 The Crucible (Tuacahn High School) Mulan
2014 The Threepenny Opera (Tuacahn High School) The Tempest (Tuacahn High School)
2016 These Shining Lives (Tuacahn High School)
2017 Smokey Joe's Cafe (Tuacahn High School) Fairytale Christmas
2018 Million Dollar Quartet Shakespeare In Love (Tuacahn High School) Fairytale Christmas
2019 A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder Elf
See also
List of contemporary amphitheaters
References
External links