UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | December 05, 2024

Wayne Newton Event at Dixie State College

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Dixie State College of Utah, in conjunction with the DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival, will host “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton for a special press conference and meet and greet on Tuesday, August 23, at the DSC Eccles Fine Arts Center Main Stage Theater. The event runs from 2:30-4:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Newton will be on campus as part of the promotion of the DOCUTAH Opening Gala at the Tuacahn Amphitheater on Thursday, Sept. 8, which will feature the world premiere of the documentary film, “Wayne Newton: A Native American Legend,” which was produced by students and faculty in the DSC Communication Department’s Center for Media Innovation (CMI). In addition to the premiere, Newton and his Las Vegas show orchestra will perform in concert following the screening.

The free DSC event will feature a Q&A session with Newton, along with the showing of a number of clips from the upcoming film, and a special performance featuring Newton and students in DSC’s music program. The event will also feature a special “Mr. Las Vegas Idol,” in which a select group of students will compete for the chance to sing with Newton at the end of the forum.

DOCUTAH Director and DSC Associate Professor of Communication Phil Tuckett managed the 18-month production of the Newton documentary. He noted that Newton was excited to give DSC and its students a unique opportunity.

“To Wayne Newton’s credit, he was very eager to give college students the opportunity to work on production of his film,” said Tuckett, who served as producer and director of the film. “We are thrilled for the experience and opportunity this project has given to our students. It is undoubtedly the biggest project of its kind to come out of our college campus.”

In addition to the film’s debut at DOCUTAH, the documentary will also be the feature attraction at his property in Las Vegas, which he is currently transforming into a major tourist attraction that will open to the public before the end of the year.

“We are honored and thrilled to have Wayne Newton visit our campus,” said DSC President Dr. Stephen D. Nadauld. “He is an accomplished entertainer and we appreciate his willingness to share his talent with our college family and the local community. For giving our faculty and students the opportunity to produce the very film that will represent him to his fans and the tourist community, we are very grateful.”

Tickets for the Opening Gala can be purchased through the Tuacahn Box Office at 1-800-746-9882, or by visiting www.tuacahn.org.

The 2nd Annual DOCUTAH International Film Festival takes place Sept. 8-16, 2011, at various locations throughout Washington County and Kane County. To date, there are 130 films from 42 countries, including 30 student films, making this year’s event the largest documentary film festival in the world. For more information on DOCUTAH or the Wayne Newton event, please contact media coordinator Melynda Burt at 435-773-0781, or visit www.docutah.com.