The Tuacahn Center for the Arts is an arts organization located at the mouth of the

Padre Canyon Padre Canyon is adjacent to Snow Canyon State Park and Red Mountain in Ivins, Utah, and features a three sided canyon and scenic sentinels carved from the red Navajo Sandstone. Padre Canyon is part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a 62,000 acre ...

, adjacent to

Snow Canyon State Park Snow Canyon State Park is a state park in Utah, located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. The park features a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone of the Red Mountains, as well as the extinct Santa Clara Volcano, lava tubes, ...

, in Ivins, Utah. The facility was completed in 1995 and includes a 1,920-seat outdoor

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

, a 328-seat indoor theater, a

black box theater A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

, a dance studio, a costume shop, a

scene shop A scenery shop or scene shop is a specialized workshop found in many medium or large theaters, as well as many educational theatre settings. The primary function of a scene shop is to fabricate and assemble the flats, platforms, scenery wagons, a ...

, and the campus of

Tuacahn High School for the Arts Tuacahn High School for the Arts was the first public charter high school in the state of Utah, United States. Tuacahn High School for the Arts is now permanently closed. It was located in Ivins, just outside St. George. The school offers a full ...

. The Tuacahn Center for the Arts contributes to the arts by producing two or three performances on its amphitheater stage, and offers the region a spring and fall concert series, and produces 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 Douglass Stewart is a Latter-day Saint playwright most notable for having written ''Saturday's Warrior''. He also wrote the screenplay used in the 1974 film version of ''Where the Red Fern Grows (1974 film), Where the Red Fern Grows''. He was the ...

. Partnering with philanthropist, and creator of the

Franklin Planner The Franklin Planner is a paper-based time management system created by Richard I. Winwood first sold in 1984 by Franklin International Institute, Inc. The planner itself is the paper component of the time management system developed by Winwood ...

Hyrum W. Smith Hyrum W. Smith (October 16, 1943 – November 18, 2019) founded the Franklin Quest Company in 1983. Among the company's other products, Smith created the Franklin Planner and seminars on productivity development based on "principles" and other conc ...

, he planned to create a space to tell the stories of Utah's ancient inhabitants and pioneer settlers. The two, using a plot of 80 acres previously owned by

Orval Hafen Orval Hafen (November 16, 1903–October 3, 1964) was a Utah Senate, Utah State Senator and president of the Utah Bar Association. He was a key figure in the long process that by the start of the 21st-century had made St. George, Utah, St. Ge ...

, set to building 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 Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

and the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

. The venue initially presented the musical ''Utah!'' (book by Robert Paxton, lyrics by Doug Stewart, music by

Kurt Bestor Kurt Bestor (born 1958) is an American keyboardist and composer specializing in new-age, film scores, and jazz. He is known for his instrumental Christmas arrangements. His best-known songs are "Prayer of the Children", "Mama Don't You Weep". He is ...

and

Sam Cardon Sam Cardon is a composer whose credits include 15 large-format films: ''Titans Of The Ice Age'', ''Mummies'', ''Mystic India'', ''Texas'', ''The Big Picture'', ''Forces Of Nature'', ''Lewis and Clark'', ''The Legendary Journeys'', ''Shackleton's A ...

, 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 Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

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 The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

. 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 Tim Slover is an American playwright and professor of theatre studies at the University of Utah. Slover has a bachelor's degree in English from Brigham Young University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Besides widely perfor ...

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 ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...

'' 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 ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''. In June 2009, Tuacahn was awarded rights to present the post-Broadway regional-theater premiere of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

''. 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. Through 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 onto college degrees.

Venues

Tuacahn has two venues most frequently used for theatrical productions.

Tuacahn Amphitheater

The Tuacahn Amphitheater is a 1,920-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 ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...

;2000 *

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and ...

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

;2001 * Oklahoma! *

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

;2002 * Utah! * Annie Get Your Gun *

* Once on This Island (Tuacahn High School) ;2003 * The Wizard of Oz *

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

* The Unsinkable Molly Brown * Bye Bye Birdie (Tuacahn High School) ;2004 *

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

* Crazy for You (Tuacahn High School) ;2005 * Beauty and the Beast *

* Les Misérables: School Version (Tuacahn High School) ;2006 * Peter Pan * South Pacific *

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

;2007 * Cinderella * My Fair Lady * 42nd Street ;2008 *

* Big River ;2009 *

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

* Aida ;2010 *

* Crazy for You ;2011 * The Little Mermaid * Grease ;2012 *

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

* Titanic (Tuacahn High School) ;2013 *

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

* Starlight Express *

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve young ...

* West Side Story (Tuacahn High School) ;2014 * The Little Mermaid * The Wizard of Oz *

* 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 ''Tarzan'' is a The Walt Disney Company, Disney media franchise that commenced in 1999 with the theatrical release of the film ''Tarzan (1999 film), Tarzan''. Films Produced ''Tarzan'' (1999) ''Tarzan (1999 film), Tarzan'' is a 1999 Amer ...

* The Hunchback of Notre Dame ;2017 * Little Shop of Horrors (Tuacahn High School) * Shrek The Musical * Mamma Mia! *

Newsies ''Newsies'' (released as ''The News Boys'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1992 American musical historical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega in his film directing debut. Loosely based on ...

;2018 * Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella *

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', simply known as ''Matilda'' or ''Matilda the Musical'', is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, based on the 1988 novel ''Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative c ...

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The first feature film from DreamWorks to be traditionally animated, it is an adaptation of the Book ...

;2019 *

* The Little Mermaid * Disney's When You Wish (musical) ;2021 * Annie * Beauty and the Beast *

School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. Bl ...

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (french: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (''père'') completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers''. Li ...

;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

Productions in the Hafen Theatre

;1995 *

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neigh ...

Greater Tuna ''Greater Tuna'' is the first in a series of four comedic plays (followed by '' A Tuna Christmas,'' ''Red, White and Tuna'', and '' Tuna Does Vegas''), each set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the "third-smallest" town in the state. The se ...

* The Taffetas ;1996 * Quilters *

The 1940's Radio Hour ''The Radio Hour'' is a musical by Walton Jones. Using popular songs from the 1940s, it portrays the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade on the New York radio station WOV in December 1942. Plot A little New York City ...

;2000 * See How They Run ;2001 *

Nunsense ''Nunsense'' (1985) is a musical comedy with a book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin. Originating as a line of greeting cards, Goggin expanded the concept into a cabaret show that ran for 38 weeks, and eventually into a full-length musical. The o ...

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder ''A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder'' is a musical comedy, with the book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and the music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak. It is based on the 1907 novel '' Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal'' by Roy Hornima ...

* Elf

References

External links

* {{Authority control Arts centers in Utah Theatres in Utah Amphitheaters in the United States Buildings and structures completed in 1995 Theatres completed in 1995 Buildings and structures in Washington County, Utah Tourist attractions in Washington County, Utah Performing arts centers in Utah 1995 establishments in Utah