{"id":561,"date":"2026-05-23T17:06:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T17:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=561"},"modified":"2026-05-23T17:06:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T17:06:05","slug":"with-the-desert-cliffs-as-a-backdrop-tuacahn-embraces-all-the-ups-and-downs-of-open-air-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=561","title":{"rendered":"With the desert cliffs as a backdrop, Tuacahn embraces all the ups and downs of open-air theater"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When it comes to live theater, you can almost always expect the unexpected \u2014 and nowhere is that more true than when you\u2019re performing in an outdoor venue. <\/p>\n

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Tuacahn Amphitheatre has seen its fair share of the unexpected in the 31 years that it\u2019s been bringing live theater to southern Utah, from high winds and monsoon rains to snow flurries. <\/p>\n

But those challenges are outweighed by what the theater\u2019s outdoor setting, nestled at the base of the red-rock cliffs of Padre Canyon near St. George, brings to its professional-caliber Broadway productions, according to Joseph Smith, chief HR officer at Tuacahn. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur outdoor setting in this beautiful canyon sets us apart from pretty much everywhere else in the world,\u201d Smith, whose parents helped to found Tuacahn, said. <\/p>\n

As many theaters across the country prepare for their summer seasons \u2014 with Tuacahn\u2019s \u201cLes Miserables\u201d and \u201cDisney & Pixar\u2019s Finding Nemo\u201d officially opening this weekend \u2014 Smith talked to the Deseret News about what to expect from the season, how Tuacahn\u2019s red-rock scenery impacts its works, as well as the benefits (and challenges) of performing in an outdoor theater.<\/p>\n

Matching the majesty of the canyon<\/h3>\n

From the beginning, Tuacahn\u2019s identity has been wrapped up with its outdoor stage and the desert landscape that serves as its backdrop. <\/p>\n

Doug Stewart, the playwright who first dreamed up the idea of Tuacahn in the early \u201990s, said that he was \u201cbrought to tears\u201d when he first stood in the theater\u2019s location, \u201cenvisioning an amphitheater and a stage with an awesome backdrop of 1,500-foot red rock cliffs and hearing the sounds of music echoing from the canyon walls.\u201d <\/p>\n

And even now, as Smith \u2014 whose parents, Hyrum and Gail Smith, were integral to bringing Tuacahn to life \u2014 pointed out, the theater\u2019s mission statement says that Tuacahn aspires to create work that \u201cmatches the majesty of our canyon.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIf you look up, you can still see the skyline above the cliffs and you can see, sometimes, you can see the starscape, so you … suspend your disbelief, you\u2019re pulled into this almost dream or fantasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Joseph Smith, chief HR officer at Tuacahn<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

During its summer season, Tuacahn typically performs three musicals on its outdoor stage. This year, that includes \u201cLes Miserables\u201d and \u201cFinding Nemo,\u201d which have already been running preview performances and will officially open this weekend, as well as \u201cGrease,\u201d which will open in July. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe canyon never changes,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful. People come back year after year just to be in this atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pros and cons of an outdoor stage<\/h3>\n

Although Tuacahn does also have an indoor stage, allowing the theater to perform year-round, its outdoor stage is what sets it apart, according to Smith. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is a unique venue,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the things that we\u2019re able to do on our stage, you just can\u2019t do in an indoor theater, the scale, the scope that we do them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of those things include technical features, like pyrotechnics and fireworks, as well as water features. The size of the stage allows the sets to be on a grander scale. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow you build the sets, how you do the lighting, how you do the technical things, is all different on a much larger scale,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

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But for all the benefits to an outdoor stage, there are challenges as well. For one thing, the sets have to be built to withstand all types of weather: from desert heat to winds to rain and snow. And not only the sets, but the costumes, as well, have to be durable and adapted for actors who may not be used to the southern Utah heat \u2014 even sometimes sewing ice packs inside of a costume.<\/p>\n

Unexpected weather can even sometimes cause shows to be canceled, even due to things like wildfire smoke. And Tuacahn is not alone in dealing with that. <\/p>\n

\u201cWildfire-related air quality has become an issue for venues throughout the West,\u201d The New York Times reported in 2022, citing open-air theaters in California, Oregon and Colorado that have been impacted by wildfire smoke in recent years. <\/p>\n

But despite the challenges, Smith said, \u201csometimes the elements work for you and do things at magical moments that you\u2019re just like, wow.\u201d<\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, during a performance of \u201cFrozen,\u201d a winter storm blew in a gust of snow flurries across the stage. And the year before, a thunderstorm struck during a performance of \u201cThe Hunchback of Notre Dame,\u201d with a flash of lightning lighting the theater right at the crescendo moment of a song sung by the show\u2019s villain, Frollo. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo things like that kind of happen that you\u2019re like, all right, Mother Nature sometimes throws us a bone and we feel good about it,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

\u2018Les Mis\u2019 under the stars <\/h3>\n

But one of the biggest benefits to an outdoor stage is the way that it can influence the feel of a performance. Smith said that this influence is evident in this year\u2019s production of \u201cLes Miserables,\u201d which opened last week in previews and will have its official opening night on Saturday. <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe canyon never changes. It\u2019s beautiful. People come back year after year just to be in this atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He said that a powerful moment in the production comes during the performance of the song \u201cStars\u201d by the character Javert (played by Randal Keith) \u2014 which the audience actually listens to under the stars. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo here you are in this outdoor venue, and you have Javert talking about stars. And it\u2019s dark now, and we\u2019re able to light up not only the stage but the backdrop of the canyon with stars,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd then if you look up, you can still see the skyline above the cliffs and you can see, sometimes, you can see the starscape, so you … suspend your disbelief, you\u2019re pulled into this almost dream or fantasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
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Some advice for Jean Valjean and the other characters in \u2018Les Mis\u00e9rables\u2019<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

That impacts the way that the audience experiences the message of the song.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt pulls the audience members just at a whole new level, if you will, of emotion and attachment to this character of Javert, who is struggling with this sharp sense of justice,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

And that emotion is part of the experience that Tuacahn is trying to convey.<\/p>\n

Tuacahn\u2019s goal, according to Smith, is to make sure \u201cthat what we produce here is on the highest level so that when our patrons come, they are going to have a moving experience. They\u2019re going to have an emotional experience. And they\u2019re going to walk away with just this feeling of, wow, I have never experienced theater like this before. And then they come back because they want to feel that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuacahn\u2019s outdoor season runs through Oct. 24. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit <\/i>Tuacahn.org<\/i>. <\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Deseret News archives: Lessons from life and death story of Bonnie and Clyde<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Theaters across the country are preparing for their summer seasons, with Tuacahn\u2019s \u2018Les Miserables\u2019 and \u2018Finding Nemo\u2019 opening this weekend<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\nWith the desert cliffs as a backdrop, Tuacahn embraces all the ups and downs of open-air theater - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=561\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"With the desert cliffs as a backdrop, Tuacahn embraces all the ups and downs of open-air theater - 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