As the holidays approach, Tuacahn Center for the Arts has been preparing for its annual Festival of Lights and Live Nativity, which premiers the day after Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27. Workers have been busy for many weeks hanging more than 200,000 lights on trees, bushes, buildings, and most everything within reach of a power outlet. “The effect is amazing. The lights create a wonderful holiday ambience-a place for the entire family to come and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season,” says Scott Anderson, Tuacahn’s Artistic Director.

The Festival will be open from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings through December 23. A reenactment of the nativity scene is presented in Tuacahn’s outdoor amphitheatre twice nightly at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The Live Nativity features as many as sixty volunteer actors on stage along with an assortment of live animals, including the camel used by Will Smith in the film Independence Day. (NOTE: Due to Tuacahn’s “Christmas in the Canyon” concert, which is presented in the outdoor amphitheatre, the Live Nativity will not be performed Friday, December 4.) Tickets for the nativity cost $2.00 per person or $10.00 per family and are available at the door or by calling the Tuacahn box office.

On the plaza, patrons can savor hot cocoa from the concessions stand as they sit around an open fire, or stroll through the Tuacahn Gift Gallery stocked full of holiday presents and delights. Santa Claus will visit the plaza beginning at 6:30 pm. The Festival of Lights also offers rides on the Old Salty Train provided by Ruby’s Inn for only $1.00 per person. Local performance groups will also perform throughout the month on the outdoor plaza stage at 6:30 p.m, 7:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. (contact the Tuacahn box office for schedule).

At 7:00 pm on Friday, December 4t, Tuacahn presents “Christmas in the Canyon,” a delightful and upbeat holiday concert in the outdoor amphitheatre featuring singer/songwriter Sam Payne, Jenny Jordan Frogley, and BYU’s award-winning cappella ensemble, Vocal Point. “The idea behind this concert is to present a unique blend of professional musicians in a hometown tribute to the Christmas holidays,” says Kevin Smith, Tuacahn’s CEO. “This concert has become one of the highlights of the holidays.” For more information about Tuacahn’s Festival of Lights and Live Nativity, visit seeitoutside.com or call (435) 652-3300/(800) 746-9882.

Tuacahn High School of the Performing Arts will also present the holiday-themed musical production Irving Berlin’s White Christmas Dec. 3-5, 7, and 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information to this production, call (435) 652-3201.

Local audiences have embraced Ryan Shupe’s and Peter Breinholt’s distinctive musical styles for many years. These Utah-based musicians create and perform lively, entertaining, folk/bluegrass/rock music in an exciting way that guarantees fans always have a great time at their concerts. These musicians will team up for a special performance at Tuacahn Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

RubberBand is a perfect name for Ryan Shupe and his band of amazing musicians. The group is known for its ability to stretch out musically in all directions, pinging back and forth with a joyful spontaneity most bands could barely imagine, let alone achieve. Each member possesses years of experience on his respective instrument and when the band comes together on tunes like the bouncy “Don’t Leave Me Lonely,” or the frenetically fun, “Last Man Standing,” their collective talent is explosive and undeniable.

The five man band, hailing from the Salt Lake City, is a breath of fresh air in an age where much of the music is over-produced. Their organic approach to performing has built them quite a following, not only through the West but around the rest of the country as well. Lead singer Ryan Shupe originally formed the band as an outlet for his songwriting but it soon took on a life all its own, becoming bigger than anything he could have originally imagined.

Songwriter Peter Breinholt has been delighting audiences with his self-styled acoustic music for more than a decade. He has sold out every major concert hall in his home state of Utah many times over, including Kingsbury Hall, Tuacahn, Sundance, Thanksgiving Point, and BYU’s de Jong Concert Hall, among others. His credits also include six albums, a concert DVD, guitar songbooks, film scores, Pearl Awards, songwriting awards, and concerts with several symphony orchestras and choirs, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Writing of his music, The Independent said that “anyone familiar with Breinholt’s vibe will find a lot to enjoy here—heavy investment in big neo-folk grooves, with Breinholt’s clear voice sharing center-stage with his articulate and confident acoustic guitar work.” You’ll surely feel the same way when Peter Breinholt and Ryan Shupe come together for a night of great music in Southern Utah’s most spectacular setting.

Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband and Peter Breinholt will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2009, at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre. Tickets, priced at only $15.50, are available at the Tuacahn box office by calling 435.652.3300/800.746.9882 or online at tuacahn.org.

For the third and final time this year, Tuacahn Center for the Arts is pleased to partner with Dixie Care and Share in conjunction with an upcoming performance at the outdoor amphitheatre. Patrons who bring a bag of non-perishable food items to Tuacahn will save 40% on their ticket (one discounted ticket for each bag of donated food) to the performance of Aida on Tuesday, September 15. All food items will benefit Dixie Care and Share’s efforts to help those in need.

This is the 4th year that Tuacahn has sponsored the drive. In past years, Tuacahn has donated an average of 7100 pounds of food each season.

“It’s something that we enjoy doing,” says Kevin Smith, Tuacahn’s CEO. “It gives people the opportunity to participate in giving service to those in need, our patrons enjoy a great discount to a quality production, and we fill our theater seats.”

From it’s two previous charity events this year, Tuacahn’s donations to the Dixie Care and Share have reached 4,855 pounds.

Kara Coop, director of the Dixie Care and Share, says the food bank was appreciative of the donations received last year. “We’re always overwhelmed by the abundance of food we receive from Tuacahn’s drives. Last year, the truck was so weighed down I thought the tires would pop.”

Tuacahn’s current productions are Annie, Footloose and Aida which will show until October 17. For more information, contact the Tuacahn Box Office by calling 800-746-9882 or 435-652-3300 or visit www.tuacahn.org.