Scenic design, crafts department elevate visual experience at Tuacahn shows
By Lisa Larson
When it comes to natural backdrops, there’s not another theater in the world that can boast the kind of beauty found in the red rock canyon of Tuacahn. But when the storyline for a particular show demands the audience be transported beyond the southwestern desert and into the depths of the ocean, for example, there are several teams of people working to make that magic happen. For them, it’s all part of striking a balance between fashion and function and sharing pieces of the story without saying a word.
Ethan Biggers, scenic supervisor for Tuacahn, is the head of one of these teams. His job is to take the set designs provided by Paul Black and make them a reality with the help of a 10-person construction team, and five painters.
“We, as a construction team, take these designs and build them into steel and raw wood,” Biggers said. “Then it’s the paint team that really makes these set pieces come to life.”
The process takes several months, but for the size and scope of each project, it’s actually remarkable how quickly things have come together for three separate shows this season: Les Misérables, Disney & Pixar’s Finding Nemo: A Family Musical and Grease.
“We started building Les Mis early, then after we had all those main structures done, we had about two months to really build Nemo,” Biggers said. “It turns into a fairly tight schedule and now we have six weeks to build Grease.”
All that work comes to a satisfying end, however, when the audiences walk into the Outdoor Amphitheatre and murmurs of amazement and delight fill the space. For example, as people arrive to see Disney & Pixar’s Finding Nemo: A Family Musical, it’s difficult not to be amazed at the giant wave structures adorning the stage.
“It’s really impressive,” Biggers said, noting that these particular pieces not only contain some of the show’s best “wow factor” they were also among the more challenging pieces to build. The waves, and the anemone.
“With the anemone we had to really work on making them functional, but also aesthetic,” Biggers said. “They needed to be able to retract like a live anemone, and we had to have the eggs disappear. It was quite a challenge.”
But it’s the challenge, and the unique builds, that makes Biggers and his team the happiest.
“I love that it’s not a ‘normal job,’” said Biggers, who started as a welder in high school and then spent 10 years in the film and television industry before joining the Tuacahn team in 2024. “I love working with the cast and crew, and this is such a beautiful place to show up to work every day, not like working in an auto shop garage. Anytime you get stressed you can go outside and look at the canyon or watch the animals that are housed nearby and it gives you a reset.”
Equally pleased with the job at Tuacahn, but working in a different medium, Bret Harrell, crafts shop supervisor, is in charge of all non-traditionally sewn costume items, including shoes, hats, three-dimensional elements, wings and fins, along with all the dying, distressing, and painting on costumes. Like Biggers, Harrell’s team is not in charge of any of the designs themselves but rather executing the vision of the costume designers; in essence bringing the characters to life.
“Finding Nemo was definitely the biggest build of the season for our department,” Harrell said.
Harrel’s team of eight started on the show back in January, their hands touching nearly everything the audience sees in Finding Nemo from shoes to hats and fins and sculptural elements.
“It’s a big crafty piece and we’re very proud of it,” Harrell said.
Harrell’s team works on all three shows this season, each requiring a very different skill set. For example, Les Misérables needs a lot of painting, dying and distressing to make things appear old and battle-worn, whereas Finding Nemo includes a lot of fabricated engineering, and Grease leans into a lot of rhinestones, embroidery and overall finessing.
“We keep everyone in mind from the back row to the front in terms of details,” Harrell said. “Without some of the details we incorporate, like textures and prints, the show would appear flat, like a comic book. But with these kinds of details, your eyes can see depth and breadth.”
It’s an insight Harrell has after years of experience from a career that includes working in the haunted house industry, a bachelor’s degree in historic restoration, and a master’s in costume design and technology with a doctoral standing in history.
“I’ve had a good career,” Harrell said, noting a few high points such as having work displayed in the Smithsonian Museum, working for the Moscow Ballet on The Nutcracker and eventually joining the team at Tuacahn after COVID shut things down.
“I love it here. Tuacahn is a great place to work. I had several choices, but this was an easy one to make,” Harrell said.
Once the initial build for each show is finished, Harrell’s team of eight drops down to just Harrell doing all the maintenance for the pieces in the show. Touch ups are expected, particularly on shoes, and each night Harrell goes through each craft department piece to make sure it is ready for the stage.
“This job is something different every day, and I find that very fulfilling,” Harrell said. “I get to scratch my creative itch as much as possible out here.”
Come see the world of Disney & Pixar’s Finding Nemo: A Family Musical come to life at the hands of these fantastic design, construction and craft crews, along with Les Misérables and Grease all happening this season at Tuacahn. For tickets and information go online to www.tuacahn.org or call the box office at 435-652-3300.
Photo Credit: Leavitt Wells