IVINS, Utah – Tuacahn Center for the Arts, already known as a place for professional music and theatre, once again becomes home to local artists, crafters, and farmers when the outdoor venue opens the Saturday Market for the 2011 season.  Commencing April 2, the weekly market will be open from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. each Saturday through December 17.  The outdoor market will feature local artwork, crafts, food, entertainment, and much more.  A pancake breakfast is available from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on the plaza.

Admission and entertainment is free.  Patrons can stroll along the tree-lined walkways near the water feature and browse the displays by local painters, artists, and crafters.  Food, including seasonal fruits and vegetables, will be available for purchase.

To commemorate National Poetry Month in April, the Utah State Poetry Society is sponsoring a youth poetry contest.  Gardening classes on a variety of topics such as growing and using fresh herbs or raising plants for the patio will be offered by the Plant Lady.

Organizers will also highlight special events and themes throughout the year.  These include the Fiesta Festival, April 16; Polynesian Festival, May 28; Native American culture, June 11; and a classic car show, May 14.  Additional highlights include the Rubber Duckie Race  for Cancer, July 23; Fine Arts Festival, September 24; Crazy for Quilt Festival, October 8; and Pumpkin Festival, October 25.

Additionally, visitors to the market can enter to win free tickets to Tuacahn’s concerts and theatrical productions.

Chris Graham, Tuacahn’s Gift Gallery Manager and Saturday Market organizer, says this can be a great opportunity for people looking for something fun to do on a Saturday morning and for crafters who want to earn additional income in the current economic climate.  “This is a fun weekend activity for locals and visitors alike,” she says.  “When the public comes together to support local artists and crafters it really helps builds a stronger community.”

(Ivins, UT)  The majestic red rock cliffs of Southern Utah will be magically transformed into an underwater fantasy of epic proportions as Tuacahn Center for the Arts presents the regional premiere of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, beginning next summer. Tuacahn will also present the acclaimed musical Grease which will run in repertory with The Little Mermaid from the first of June to mid October, 2011.

This announcement comes as Tuacahn is in the middle of its most successful season featuring Disney’s Tarzan, CATS and the Gershwin musical comedy Crazy for You. Tarzan, based on the Disney film is breaking all box office records with over $2 million in sales surpassing Tuacahn’s 2008 production of Les Miserables. “The success of Disney’s Tarzan has contributed to receiving the rights to produce Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” says Scott Anderson, Tuacahn’s Artistic Director.

In its production of Disney’s Tarzan, Tuacahn has ten fly lines that carry actors over the audience, across the stage, and 867 feet above the canyon floor.  The production also makes use of the venue’s famous waterworks.  “The unique ability we have to move more than 18,000 gallons of water per minute creates the flood scene that sets the stage for the beginning of Tarzan,” says Kevin Warnick, Tuacahn’s Managing Director. Tuacahn plans to enhance and add to its waterworks effects for The Little Mermaid.

In preparing for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Tuacahn has assembled a creative team who are developing several unique production elements that will take full advantage of Tuacahn’s outdoor environment.  “Audiences coming to see The Little Mermaid will see the stage and surrounding area shift between underwater and land scenes through a combination of exciting special effects that have never before been used together in the production of a full-length Broadway musical,” Mr. Anderson said.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid will perform each Monday, Wednesday and Friday from June 2 through October 21, 2011 and Grease will perform every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from June 9 through October 20, 2011.  Ticket prices for adults will range from $29 to $59 and for children from $23 to $49.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid is based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen.  Book by Doug Wright.  Music by Alan Menken.  Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater.  Tuacahn’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be directed by Scott S. Anderson, and is presented at Tuacahn through special arrangements with Music Theatre International and Disney Theatrical Productions.

Tuacahn opened in 1995 and has been entertaining audiences with professional, Broadway-caliber theatrical productions each year.  The amphitheatre, which has 1,920 seats, is also used for Tuacahn’s annual spring and fall concerts.  This year more than 160,000 guests will visit Tuacahn as new attendance records have been established with its productions of Disney’s Tarzan, Cats, and Crazy for You, the Gershwin musical comedy.  Tuacahn is located in Ivins, Utah, near St. George in the southwest corner of the state.  Tuacahn is approximately 120 miles north of Las Vegas near Interstate 15.

Tuacahn Amphitheatre is a major contributor to the Southern Utah economy as nearly 60% of Tuacahn’s guests visit from outside the region.  These guests stay in hotels, dine in restaurants, shop at local businesses, sightsee and participate in many of the additional tourism activities the area has to offer.  “With our record-breaking attendance this season, we anticipate that guests visiting Tuacahn this year will contribute more than $40 million to the area economy,” Kevin Smith, Tuacahn’s CEO said.  “The impact to the area’s economy could reach more than $50 million next year as we expect even more guests with great shows like Grease and Disney’s Little Mermaid,” Smith added.

Tickets for Tuacahn’s  2011 seasons are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.tuacahn.org or via telephone at 435-652-3300 or toll free 866-321-8051.

The jungle will come to life in the desert when the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins, Utah, presents the regional premiere of Tarzan—the Broadway musical based on the popular 1999 Disney film and beloved story by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Performances continue June 7—October 15, 2010.

(Ivins, UT) The Tuacahn Amphitheatre will be transformed into an African jungle when the Broadway musical adaptation of the Disney film Tarzan begins performances Monday, June 7, at 8:30 p.m.  Based upon the classic story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this live stage production boasts music by seven-time Grammy Award winner Phil Collins, including the Academy Award winning song “You’ll Be in My Heart.”  Tarzan will be performed each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night June 7—October 15 in the outdoor Tuacahn Amphitheatre.  Tickets, priced from $22–$56, are available at the Tuacahn box office, by calling (435) 652-3300/(800) 746-9882 or online at tuacahn.org.

Leading the cast of 38 in the title role is James Royce Edwards.  Edwards has starred on Broadway and on the national tours of Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Pippin, and All Shook Up.  Off-Broadway, James has starred in Altar Boyz, Matthew Passion, and Wanda’s World.

At his side in the role of Jane will be Summer Broyhill, a veteran of Hairspray on Broadway as well as the national tours of Hairspray and I Love a Piano.  About the opportunity to perform in Tarzan at Tuacahn, she says, “Even when you perform professionally, you still relish the moments when your jaw drops and you succumb completely to believing in a magical world with its own set of rules.  I think this production really has the potential to be that kind of magical.”

Broadway veteran Evan D’Angeles (Miss Saigon, Pacific Overtures) plays the role of Tarzan’s sidekick, Terk.  Additional cast members include Cessalee Stovall (Kala), Sam Zeller (Kerchak), Jerry Hoffman (Porter), and Todd Dubail (Clayton).  DuBail has been seen across the country in the national tours of Joseph… (Pharaoh, with Patrick Cassidy and Jon Secada), Grease (Danny, with Frankie Avalon, Chubbie Checker and Fabian), Leader of the Pack, and Jesus Christ Superstar (with Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson).

Rounding out the cast are Talon Ackerman, Kile Allen, Eli Bauer, Giovanni Bonaventura, Erica Bryce, Jeremy Carpenter, Olin Davidson, Molly DePola, Craig Donnelly, Carolyn Hartvigsen, Zachary Hess, Tammie Rose Johnston, Payton Kemp, Tommy Martinez, Troy McGee, Nicholas McGough, Ryan Nickels, Kyli Rae, Robert Reep, Eddy Schumacher, Kierstyn Sharrow, Alexis Smith, Shellie Telford, Joey Tierno, Veronica Yeager, and Lindsey Young.

Tarzan’s pop-rock music, exotic costumes, and conflicted love story will come together under the capable direction of Tuacahn’s Artistic Director, Scott S. Anderson.  Anderson also directed the Tuacahn premiere of Les Misérables in 2008 and has assembled an eclectic cast and crew to bring the show to life in its first production in the United States outside of New York.

“The greatest challenge in producing Tarzan is the flying,” says Anderson. “But some of the additions to our facility from our production of Peter Pan in 2006 helped accommodate the show’s technical needs. This, combined with the engineering talents of Flying by Foy, aerial choreography by Cees de Kok and Cathy Perquin, and stage choreography by Mic Thomson, has allowed us to overcome this difficulty in a thrilling way.”

Tuacahn’s producers have been working for two years to make this production a reality. “Having seen Tarzan on Broadway, I knew Tuacahn would be a great place for the show to make its regional premiere,” Anderson continues. “Originally the rights to present a local production of Tarzan were granted to another group of producers. Nevertheless, we continued to hope for our chance to bring it to life at Tuacahn. When Disney finally gave us the green light, we eagerly jumped at the chance!”

Tuacahn’s production of Tarzan is licensed through a special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions and Music Theater International in New York.

TARZAN

The Stage Musical
Based on the Disney Film

Music and Lyrics by Phil Collins            Book by David Henry Hwang

based on the story “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs

and the Disney film “Tarzan”

Originally presented on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions

TARZAN ARTISTIC STAFF

Director—Scott S. Anderson

Choreographer—Mic Thompson

Aerial Choreography—Cees de Kok and Cathy Perquin

Tumbling Choreography—Adam AhQuin

Scenic Designer—Doug Ellis

Costume Designers—Nancy Hamblin, Wilma Mickler, Rory Scanlon

Lighting Designer—Joseph L. Eddy

Music Direction—Camille Villalpando Rolla

Sound Designer—David Swenson

Hair Designer—Matthew Reeves Oliver

Makeup Designer—Guy Smith

Production Stage Manager—Monica Dickhens

Associate Producer—Jeffrey Martin

Producers—Scott S. Anderson, Kevin M. Smith, Kevin E. Warnick

BROADWAY IN THE DESERT: TARZAN AND CATS

Tarzan is the first production in Tuacahn’s annual theatre season, presented in the outdoor Tuacahn Amphitheatre each June through October.  The show will play in repertory with Cats through the middle of August. Crazy for You will then replace Cats and will be performed in repertory with Tarzan through October 16.  Cats features the same cast of actors as Tarzan with the addition of Grammy Award winner Lisa H. Seegmiller, who will play the role of Grizabella.  Seegmiller also received a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mimi in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of La Bohéme in 2003.

Tuacahn’s 2010 season is sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation; Utah Office of Tourism; Washington County CVB; Split Rock Development Group; Wells Fargo; Parr, Brown, Gee, & Loveless; Entrada; Boulevard Home Furnishings; Marriner Eccles Foundation; Deseret News; St. George Ford; SkyWest Airlines; Canyon Media Broadcasting; Kayenta; The Salt Lake Tribune; The Spectrum; Rocky Mountain Power; Brent & Bonnie Beesley Foundation; Crossroads Equipment; Executive Car Sales; Ivins City; Ruby’s Inn; Snow Canyon Motor Sports; Sun Country Chrysler; Utah Arts Council; Snow, Christensen & Martineau; Best Western Abbey Inn; Zions Bank; America First Credit Union; Painter’s Sun Country Mitsubishi; and State Bank of Southern Utah.

Tuacahn is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.