1/16/2020
Education and Outreach
Noa Agatstein proudly confirms she studies theater at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas because she attended Camp Broadway at The Smith Center. That’s not just because this annual summer program teaches theater skills with professionals from Broadway, film and television. It’s also because Camp Broadway gave Agatstein faith in herself to pursue her dreams.
12/18/2019
Education and Outreach
For one Las Vegas mother with a son on the autism spectrum, she often perceives her child as “not welcome” at public events, she says, due to his behaviors beyond her control. But at The Smith Center’s recent sensory friendly performance of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,” she didn’t have to worry.
12/16/2019
Education and Outreach
Math teacher Gayle Miller knew she faced a challenge several years ago when she started teaching Algebra 1 for ELL students (English Language Learners). Realizing that many ELL students had no more than a third-grade math education, she knew her Algebra lessons weren’t what they needed. That’s why Miller created a special ELL Saturday school.
12/9/2019
Supporting the Arts / Education and Outreach
Even after nearly quadrupling choir membership at Greenspun Junior High School, teacher Heather Houchens admits she thought about leaving her profession. That is, until she became one of 20 teachers from several hundred finalists to be named a winner at The Smith Center’s first Heart of Education Awards. And sponsors help make it all happen.
11/20/2019
Education and Outreach
Few elementary students can boast about authoring original works — and even fewer witness their words transformed into a live theater show. Thanks to generous philanthropic support for The Smith Center, a nonprofit organization, Southern Nevada students enjoyed this rare experience this fall.
11/13/2019
Education and Outreach
What does The Smith Center have in common with performing arts centers in Oklahoma, Ohio and London, England? They are all among the 26 performing arts centers and regional theaters worldwide chosen to partner with Disney Theatrical Group to provide the Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS) initiative, helping under-resourced elementary schools develop their own sustainable musical theater programs.
11/13/2019
Education and Outreach
Not many high schools put on several theater productions a year. Nor do many have the chance to workshop with top-tier performance professionals. But students enjoy all of this at Green Valley High School (GVHS), where teacher Jennifer Hemme has built a theater department recognized as one of the leading high school programs in the nation.
10/15/2019
Education and Outreach
Throughout the upcoming season, hundreds of Southern Nevada families will have the opportunity to attend special sensory friendly performances at The Smith Center – all designed to accommodate audience members on the autism spectrum and with other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
10/8/2019
Education and Outreach
Juan Gonzalez, a special education teacher with Clark County School District, still remembers his astonishment at watching a Smith Center teaching artist incorporate musical instruments into classroom lessons with his students. “The response from my students was just amazing,” Gonzalez remembers.
9/12/2019
Education and Outreach
Josiah Boyd admits that for most of his childhood, he thought performing on stage was just for “girly guys.” That is, until he saw "Wicked" at The Smith Center, shortly before he started high school. “I remember lying in bed and constantly thinking about it, like ‘that was awesome. I want to be a part of that,’” recalls the Las Vegas resident, now 20.