3/19/2025
Education and Outreach
On March 10, students and educators from seven Nevada schools ascended to the stage at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts to demonstrate how much they’ve learned from their participation in this year’s Disney Musicals in Schools program.
2/20/2025
Education and Outreach
On February 5, the school hosted a master class by Bailey Ryon, a Broadway veteran and dance captain for the touring production. Ryon taught fifty students in teacher Greg Gaskill’s theater class an excerpt of choreography from “How to Wash a Check,” a memorably cheeky number from Kimberly Akimbo, winner of the 2023 Tony Award® for Best Musical.
12/13/2024
Education and Outreach
Swing. The blues. Improvisation. We know what the terms mean individually, but did you know they’re considered the three fundamentals of jazz music? More than 2,000 students – from grades 5 through 12 at 30 area schools – learned that and much more about one of the foremost American musical art forms, on a recent visit to The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
11/14/2024
Education and Outreach
Cartreze Tucker, who plays Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry in the touring production of the show – which ran at The Smith Center from October 23 to November 3 – worked individually with four separate students on their solo numbers at the front of a class of about 40 ninth-through-twelfth-graders.
9/20/2024
Education and Outreach
Through the years, Las Vegas High School’s Mariachi Joya has toured internationally, opened for superstar John Legend and performed as part of 2021’s virtual presidential inauguration parade. On September 10, the group added another major accolade to its impressive résumé – collaborating with Mexico’s world-renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in front of an appreciative sold-out crowd.
8/23/2024
Education and Outreach
In conjunction with The Smith Center’s education and outreach department, Jazz Outreach Initiative has conducted a series of in-school performances all over town. “We usually have six to eight performances a semester with The Smith Center,” Cordell says. “We love going out to the schools and presenting this program, and The Smith Center has just been fantastic with their support.”
8/21/2024
Education and Outreach
The student matinee program seeks to introduce school-age children to diverse forms of art and culture that might not be part of their daily experiences. That exposure has the potential to ignite a passion for the arts, possibly inspiring future careers or hobbies.
7/11/2024
Education and Outreach
Luke Martin and Marie Munoz flew to Manhattan for last month’s Jimmy Awards prioritizing the vast learning opportunities over the chance to win money and fame. But naturally, the two high school students’ competitive side came out as the field began to narrow.
5/29/2024
Education and Outreach
Created by The Smith Center to recognize the state’s top musical theater students, this year’s event featured dazzling singing and acting performances by musical theater students from 23 Nevada high schools, including 10 finalists selected to perform solo routines.
4/9/2024
Education and Outreach
Students and educators from five Las Vegas schools ascended to the stage at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts to demonstrate how much they’ve learned from their participation in this year’s Disney Musicals in Schools program.