8/30/2019
Education and Outreach
That’s because during each school day — plus two hours after school, as well as during school holidays and summer vacations — Benavides does the same thing: He helps the several hundred students in his mariachi program practice, rehearse and hone their skills.
8/14/2019
Education and Outreach / Family Programming
Special Performance of Broadway Musical Designed for Audiences with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
8/7/2019
Community Impact / Education and Outreach
Ever since classical concerts first captivated James Wang as a child, he has sought ways to involve the arts in his life. This passion drove Wang to participate in The Smith Center’s Student Ambassador program, engaging younger generations with special performing-arts experiences.
7/26/2019
Education and Outreach / Family Programming
Jaelina Richardson admits she initially felt some self doubt this year at Camp Broadway, The Smith Center’s eighth-annual summer theater program. “I was really nervous preparing for a solo part, especially because other girls were also singing solos,” says the 12-year-old Las Vegas resident. But Richardson’s attitude changed during the weeklong Mainstage camp.
7/23/2019
Education and Outreach
Students who walk into Richard Knoeppel’s architecture class at Advanced Technologies Academy find much more than textbooks. In fact, they dive into lessons using cutting-edge, industry-standard architecture software and hardware.
7/3/2019
Education and Outreach
The first time Las Vegas student Sophia Wilson stepped on stage at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway, she felt a sense of belonging. That’s because Wilson, along with fellow Las Vegas student Joey Cooper, traveled to Broadway for a reason in June: to represent Nevada while competing in the 2019 National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Jimmy Awards.
6/12/2019
Education and Outreach
Imagine children learning about historical figures by writing hip-hop songs about them. Or, picture students using cutting-edge, green-screen technology to create their own videos exploring classroom topics. Do these sound like concepts out of a movie, or maybe from the future? Think again — these will be utilized soon in Southern Nevada schools.
5/15/2019
Education and Outreach
Backstage at The Smith Center’s seventh-annual Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards, students in shimmering green costumes embraced with giddy enthusiasm. Hailing from Lake Mead Christian Academy, these students had just made their Smith Center debut on stage in Reynolds Hall.
4/29/2019
Education and Outreach
Beyond performances by comedy legend George Wallace and the show’s emcee, stage-and-screen star Erich Bergen of the CBS show “Madam Secretary,” the awards event celebrating outstanding Clark County School District (CCSD) teachers offered a stirring address by surprise keynote speaker Laura Bush, former first lady of the United States.
4/25/2019
Community Impact / Education and Outreach
In her first three years as a professional teaching artist with The Smith Center’s Disney Musicals in Schools program, Kathy Ortiz found endless joy. Except for one thing. Ortiz noticed that educators often paid out-of-pocket for set materials, costumes and props to ensure their schools continued to put on student musicals.