Professional Broadway musicals are known for their phenomenal actors, soul-stirring music, and exquisitely detailed costumes and sets. On top of all this, they must also include the dazzle factor—that special effect or twist in the story that makes the audience gasp. It must be totally unexpected, but also absolutely integral to the show, so that it pulls the audience deeper into the magic of the story, rather than out of it.

The Broadway musicals at Tuacahn Amphitheatre have always taken the dazzle factor to a new level with their stunning red rock location, live animals, spectacular fireworks, limos and carriages that drive across the stage, and other unique-to-the-show special effects, such as last year’s ambitious project of overhauling and upgrading the equipment to be able to flood the stage with 40,000 gallons of water for Tarzan.

But for years now, there is one dazzling special effect that has remained stubbornly out of reach. Just what is this elusive magic? So glad you asked! It goes by the deceptively simple name of “pixel tape.”

Not to be confused with its much less complicated cousin, LED tape, which only allows for one color at a time, the tiny lights on strips of pixel tape can be individually programmed. For example, if you cover a whole section of set with strips of these lights, you can have it show an image, like the pixels on a computer monitor. It’s called image mapping, and it has the power to turn an entire theatrical set into a video screen!

This opens up all kinds of possibilities for theatre directors and designers everywhere, and what better show to introduce its use at Tuacahn than with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2022?

That was the idea anyway. Unfortunately, the technology was new, and nobody understood just how to incorporate it.

The next year, the director and designers for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory wanted to use it, as well, so the Tuacahn lighting team took on the challenge with gusto.

Since it hadn’t been done before, there were a lot of unknowns, such as the logistics of how to program it and control it, how many people it was going to take working on it, and how long it would take to complete. It turned out to be more complicated than anyone could have expected, but they scrambled to make it work, despite the huge learning curve.

After the set pieces were built and painted, they put hours into installing the pixel tape along the edges, giving the pieces a white border that added to the set’s aesthetic. The problem came when the strips refused to light up. Tuacahn’s team of video, light, and electrical professionals tried time and time again, even after the performances began, but without success. The current equipment simply could not communicate with Tuacahn’s lighting console.

Fast forward to 2024 and show design plans once again called for the magic of pixel tape—this time for the production of Disney’s Frozen.

It was a chance at redemption—a chance to apply what they’d learned through trial and error. Jeff Miller, the new director of video, audio, and lighting, was determined not to take any chances. With the help of new show sponsor donations, he purchased the equipment his team needed to communicate properly with Tuacahn’s lighting console, and they all got to work.

“We were very excited about it, even though it was ridiculously daunting,” Jeff says, drawing a deep breath. “Our lighting designer, Dalton Hamilton, and lighting programmer, Will Elphingstone, worked closely with the rest of the Tuacahn lighting team to ultimately pull it off.”

In general, using pixel tape is expensive and incredibly labor intensive, so there has to be a good design reason to use it for a show. For Frozen, it’s a natural fit, allowing for set pieces to look like they’re freezing under Queen Elsa’s magic spell.

“Everything lights up and blends in and moves around, and it’s absolutely magical,” Jeff says with pride. “Most people won’t realize the effort that went in to making it happen or whether it’s lighting, projection, or what—which is fine! We wanted it to be this magical, seamless thing that you don’t even understand. It was a huge undertaking, but there’s no doubt that it was a success.”

While the sensational special effect of making it snow in the desert has been the most publicized element of the Tuacahn production of Disney’s Frozen, the pixel tape effect, while more subtle, is equally dazzling.

“We’ve been trying to pull this off for years,” Jeff says. “It’s amazing to see it become a reality. It’s truly the culmination of a massive effort.”

This summer, come see the results of their efforts in person and let the dazzle factor of pixel tape transport you to Arendelle! Tickets for Tuacahn’s production of Disney’s Frozen are on sale now! Click here or call the box office at (435) 652-3300.