By Della Lowe
Tuacahn Amphitheatre sits in the majesty of Padre Canyon formed by nature eons ago. A place so magical it takes your breath away. Now the Dixie State University DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival joins with Tuacahn Amphitheatre to present “Tuacahn: Miracle in Padre Canyon,” a documentary that intertwines the history of this place with a behind-the-scenes look at just how the production of “Shrek: the Musical” came together.
On Sept. 4, to kick off its eighth season, DOCUTAH will host a gala dinner event at Tuacahn for the world film premiere. The DOCUTAH festival runs Sept. 5–9 at DSU in St. George, Utah.
“This is a tale of two productions,” said Phil Tuckett, producer and writer as well as festival director for DOCUTAH. “One is the history of the canyon and the vision which created Tuacahn Amphitheatre as a venue for professional, world-class family entertainment: The other is the story of how a complicated Broadway show is developed and configured to utilize and adapt to the natural wonder of Padre Canyon,”
“Using historical stills and film to reveal the story of the creation of Tuacahn Center for the Arts and Tuacahn Amphitheatre, we demonstrate what the founders first envisioned — that Padre Canyon could be more than just landscape — and then we bring the audience through the first audition and opening night for ‘Shrek: The Musical,’” continued Tuckett.
David Pugsley, a member of Tuacahn’s board for six years, and his wife, Nanette, have been involved with Tuacahn for many years.
“When we started thinking about a documentary, we approached Tuacahn’s creative director, Scott Anderson,” said David Pugsley. “Scott said Phil Tuckett was the right person to approach. Phil immediately saw the value in the idea.”
Any place an audition was held for “Shrek: the Musical,” Tuckett and his director/director of photography, Ben Braden, were there — Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City, Tuacahn — capturing the drama and documenting the evolution of the work.
Kevin Smith, CEO of Tuacahn, gives great credit to David and Nanette Pugsley.
“It was their vision in seeing how a documentary about Tuacahn, produced by DOCUTAH, was a perfect fit for two institutions dedicated to advancing the arts and education,” Smith said.
“Once we got together with Phil on this project, we saw it as an opportunity for two great institutions to do something together, to bring something awesome to our community,” said Nanette Pugsley. “It seemed like a perfect fit. Very few places are lucky enough to have Tuacahn and DOCUTAH.”
“We knew that the DOCUTAH festival was the right venue to tell this story,” said Tuckett. “Tuacahn’s mission fits with our mission, which is not only to entertain but also to educate. Just as Tuacahn High School students can avail themselves of the knowledge industry professionals bring to their campus each year, DSU students are always involved with the DOCUTAH festival and in the production of the student films each year.”
Tickets for the gala and film can be reserved at tuacahn.org/docutah. Information about the 2017 DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival can be found at docutah.com.
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