MORE DRAMA PLEASE!

619th meeting of the Rotary Club of Dixie Sunrise

At the edge or Snow Canyon State Park and in our own backyard lies Tuacahn, one of the country’s top outdoor theaters. This morning, Mike Scott, Chairman of the Tucahnn Foundation, spoke to us about Tuacahn and its newly established Foundation. Mike has over 30 years of investment research for the Puget Sound apartment market and real estate management in Seattle. He and his wife fell in love with the Southern Utah area while visiting Zion National Park in 2002, bought a lot and built a home in Ivins shortly thereafter. While not from a thespian or fund-raising background, Mike’s love for Tuacahn has him actively seeking ways to build long term financial strength for Tuacahn.

Tuacahn was built in 1995 for 23 million dollars, primarily for the purpose of housing the outdoor show “Utah”. After running “Utah” for a number of years they decided to perform Broadway shows like Joseph, Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast and last years hit Les Miserables. Over 140,000 visitors attended last year with 100,000 of them not living in St. George and 30,000 coming from outside the state. Tuacahn has become a huge contributor to the area’s tourism and economy, while providing an artistic continuum of professional theater.

The Tuacahn Foundation has been established to support operating needs and build a permanent fund. This will help the theater maintain its status as a world class venue for the performing arts, bringing in wonderful plays, concerts and events. The Foundation has come close to reaching their 2008 goal of raising $450,000 as they currently sit at $430,000. Of course it’s not too late for them to reach their projection. Even more important than funds, the Foundation seeks members that have experience in fundraising or fund management. The current Board has 18 members but would ideally be 30.

This year’s plays and concerts promise to be hits with the rights to perform Annie, Footloose, Aida and concerts from Foreigner, Gladys Knight, Rick Springfield and comedian Brian Regan. Click here for more info.