IVINS, Utah (April 26, 2023) — Next year, everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf, won’t have to just imagine how much cooler he’ll be in summer — he can feel it first-hand when Disney’s Frozen comes to the Tuacahn stage in 2024.
Transforming the red rocks of Southern Utah into the snowy scape of Arendelle is something Tuacahn has been hoping to do for some time, and now that it’s officially happening, they couldn’t be more excited.
“We are thrilled! I mean, this is Frozen!” said Shari Jordan, Associate Artistic Producer for Tuacahn. “I just loved what Disney did with this on Broadway. It will be so exciting to see it brought to life here as well.”
Based on the hit 2013 animated feature film, Disney’s stage adaptation of Frozen features a book by the film’s co-director and screenwriter Jennifer Lee, and songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez who penned brand-new music for the stage. The musical production has been on Broadway and is currently on a national tour, but this will be the first time it is released to regional theaters to put their own unique stamp on how this magical story looks and feels.
“Disney wants us to showcase some of our own creativity when it comes to producing this musical,” said Scott Anderson, Artistic Director for Tuacahn. “They will oversee the process and provide guidance, but it really allows us the freedom to do what we do best — featuring the unique aspects of our theater as well as creating something really memorable for our audiences.”
Director Michael Heitzman, known for his work with Tuacahn’s productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2023), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2022) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2021), is already putting ideas together for how to make Disney’s Frozen absolutely spectacular.
“Frozen has such a deep relationship to nature and the elements,” Heitzman said. “My intention is to take the natural beauty and landscape of Tuacahn and marry it to the great storytelling in Frozen.”
But snow in the summertime? Heitzman said he’s not worried.
“Think how exciting it will be to take the Tuacahn desert and turn it into the frozen tundra,” Heitzman said. “It’s a really exciting opportunity for us.”
For Anderson, the scenic elements are exciting, but so is the amazing music that will be echoing off the canyon walls.
“The music really makes this show so special,” Anderson said. “I mean, do you know a kid in the world that doesn’t sing the songs from this show?”
Disney’s Frozen is scheduled to run May through October 2024 in the Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre. Season package holders for the 2023 season will have the first opportunity to purchase Frozen tickets, so get your 2023 season packages today and enjoy Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tarzan®, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas the Musical. Season packages start at just $83! For details and tickets, log onto www.tuacahn.org.
– Tuacahn
