The Mesquite Chamber of Commerce drew a large crowd to its Hawaiian-themed, poolside luncheon at the CasaBlanca Resort on Wednesday, April 8.

The featured speaker, Gary Cahoon, chief financial officer of Tuacahn Amphitheater in Ivins, Utah, informed the members of the many changes that have taken place at the theater since they first staged a production of “Utah” 30 years ago. 

Cahoon said Tuacahn is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to edify the human spirit. He stated that Tuacahn is second only to Zion National Park in generating tourism that delivers over $100 million in economic support to the area.

Tuacahn has gone from presenting “Utah” for three straight years to presenting three different Broadway productions each season. People from out of state can come and see all three plays in one weekend — Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings — each with a different play. This proved time-consuming and labor-intensive for nightly set changes, so the state of Utah helped Tuacahn build a storage facility just offstage. They can now roll sets off the stage into the storage facility. 

Cahoon reminded chamber members that Tuacahn is a professional theater, meaning they hire 50% or more equity actors. He said this year, 10,000 actors and production people have wanted to be part of the Tuacahn season. Auditions are held in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. 

Cahoon mentioned that some Broadway plays do not meet their mission statement standards, which may be why we haven’t seen them. However, in some cases, minor accommodations to the plays have been made, allowing the productions at Tuacahn. Tuacahpn employs 80 people year-round and up to 400 during the season. In spring and fall, they have live concerts.   

Cahoon has been chief financial officer for four years. His background is not in theater, but more corporate. Cahoon told the Progress, “The transition to theater brought sleepless nights for the first year or so, over the ebb and flow of the money. We spend lots of money up front to hire, build sets, costumes, etc., and we don’t know till months down the road if we will get it back with ticket sales. That was hard for me not to worry. What surprised me the most was how my wife, Christen, and I learned to love the theater.” 

The three “Nights to Remember “at Tuacahn this season are “Grease,” “Les Misérables” and “Finding Nemo.” Cahoon said, “’Finding Nemo’ is an adult edition, and the set is magical.” 

The scrumptious buffet had everyone filling their plates. The umbrellas at each table were very much appreciated. The sponsors of the luncheon, as always, were given time to speak about their businesses and keep members informed of local issues.