( Ivins, UT) Tuacahn Center for the Arts, best known for its summer/fall Broadway in the Desert amphitheatre productions, is expanding its offerings with the formation of the Tuacahn Summer Theatre Institute, a unique summer camp for high school age theatre and music students. Tuacahn continues to offer internships to talented students for their summer/fall productions, but with the formation of Tuacahn’s Summer Theatre Institute, there will now be more opportunities for high school students to get summer-stock theater experience in a professional environment. Aspiring artists will not only be taught through workshops and classroom work, but will also learn through their participation in a full scale Broadway musical to be presented in Tuacahn’s indoor Hafen Theatre. For its inaugural year, the Institute will produce Les Miserables School Edition.
Three years ago, Les Miserables, perhaps the world’s best known musical, was made available for high school productions. Jan Shelton, former drama teacher at Lehi High School, now serving as Tuacahn High School’s director of performing arts, will direct the Summer Institute’s 2005 production. “Les Miserables changes people. I am so grateful to the authors for opening the show to high school age students first because they need it,” says Shelton.
Tuacahn’s Artistic Director, Scott Anderson (director of the recent movie Best Two Years), is providing oversight of the Les Miserables production. “This is an amazing opportunity for high school kids to get summer-stock theatre experience,” says Anderson.
“We have some talented teachers and professionals involved, who know how to get the best out of young performers and technicians. In addition to Jan Shelton, we’ve also hired Russ Saxton as technical director, and Rowland Butler as choreographer.”
Tuacahn’s Summer Theatre Institute is an eight-week program starting June 13, 2005, beginning with three weeks of intense rehearsals. The Les Miserables production will then run from July 7 to August 6 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings with a Saturday matinee. “This is an unusual commitment for high school age students who are used to two or three hour rehearsals over a couple of months. It’s sort of ‘summer-stock meets summer camp.’ It’s a fantastic opportunity that will put them steps ahead of the normal high school performer when they are preparing for their profession,” says Shelton.
The Institute also provides great opportunities for aspiring technicians and musicians. Professional designers, stage managers, and directors will train and educate Institute participants in their individual crafts including props, lights, and costuming. Workshops for Institute students will be presented by professionals from the cast and crew of Tuacahn’s 2005 productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Auditions for Les Miserables School Edition are already underway as Tuacahn seeks the best high school-aged talent in Utah. Auditions in Utah County will be held on March 25 at the Scera Showhouse rehearsal studio from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm, and in Salt Lake County on March 26 at the Rose Wagner Theatre (138 W 300 S) from 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm. Students will be required to sing 24 - 36 bars from a Les Miserables number and can visit www.tuacahn.org to download and print an audition packet to be filled out prior to their audition. Because of contract restrictions, only high school students including recent graduates ages 14 - 19 are eligible to audition. However, high school graduates, who are enrolled in a college or university at the time of the audition, are not eligible.
For more information contact Tuacahn at 435-652-3200 or visit their website at www.tuacahn.org. |
