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Tuacahn Center for the Arts

Tuacahn Amphitheatre and Center for the Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization nestled in the mouth of Padre Canyon below towering 1500 foot (457 m) red sandstone cliffs in Ivins, Utah adjacent to Snow Canyon State Park. The 42,000 square foot (3902 m²) facility was completed in 1995 and includes a 1920 seat outdoor amphitheatre, a 330 seat indoor theater, a dance studio, a black-box theater, a recital hall, a costume shop and scene shop, studios, classrooms, and a gift shop. Tuacahn is known for presenting professional large-scale musical theatre productions as part of the annual "Broadway in the Desert" series. Broadway in the Desert is presented in the amphitheatre each summer and fall (generally June-October) and utilizes local and professional actors, directors, and designers for its three mainstage productions. The center also presents The Festival of Lights with Live Nativity during the holiday season as well as a spring and fall concert series.

Tuacahn was the brainchild of Utah playwright Doug Stewart, a creator of the musical "Saturday's Warrior." He envisioned a place where the story of the founding of southern Utah could be told in dramatic form. Partnering with businessman and philanthropist Hyrum Smith (creator of the Franklin Planner), Stewart's dream became a reality when the arts center opened in April 1995 with a special dedication by Gordon B. Hinckley and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The venue presented the outdoor musical drama "UTAH!" for several seasons before discontinuing that production and switching to the "Broadway in the Desert" format in 1999.

Tuacahn's commitment to spectacular family entertainment has made it a popular destination for families from northern Utah as well as tourists visiting southern Utah's numerous national parks. In 2005, Tuacahn created the Summer Theatre Institute to provide high school students from throughout the state of Utah the opportunity to experience a summer stock experience for 8 weeks during the summer. The Institute presents a fully staged musical production in the indoor Ruth and Orval Hafen Theatre for approximately four weeks in July and August as the culminating event of the summer camp experience. In 2006, Tuacahn was selected as one of eight regional theates in the United States to present local productions of the popular Broadway musical "Les Miserables." Tuacahn's production will be presented June - October 2008.

In December 2004, Scott S. Anderson, writer and director of the film "The Best Two Years" was named Tuacahn's Artistic Director. He joined the management staff of the center which included Kevin Smith (COO) and Kevin Warnick (Managing Director). Jeff Martin was named Associate Producer and Marketing Director in the fall of 2005.

Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts

Not only is Tuacahn a performing arts center, the venue is also home to a public high school. Tuacahn High School (home of the Titans) was the first public charter high school in the state of Utah. The school offers a full college preparatory curriculum while focusing in depth on the various areas of the performing arts. Students attending the school must choose an academy (dance, music, drama, musical theater, etc.) and must meet specific requirements that correspond with it in order to graduate. Tuacahn High School students produce numerous music and dance concerts each year as well as plays and musicals in the Orval and Ruth Hafen Theatre (330 seats).

The amphitheater is home to the Tuacahn Summer Festival of Theater, and also to the Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts.

See also

• List of contemporary amphitheatres

External links

• Official web site of the Tuacahn Amphitheater and Center for the Arts