8/17/2020
Education and Outreach
“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” remembers Rosa Crumpley. Now 15, Crumpley first performed on stage at The Smith Center in just third grade. Side by side in handmade costumes, she and her fellow classmates performed a song-and-dance number from their elementary school’s very first musical production, “Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS.”
8/13/2020
Education and Outreach
“When I was in 5th grade, my younger sister was getting ready to begin kindergarten, and I spent all summer creating and printing off worksheets to help her trace her letters,” Crystal Massengale remembers. Now after just five years of teaching at E.W. Griffith Elementary School, she makes a tremendous impact.
8/13/2020
Education and Outreach
For as long as William Love can remember, he has looked up to his father as his personal hero. That’s why he followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a Clark County School District (CCSD) teacher. Now teaching at Liberty High School, Love created a Success 101 program to mentor at-risk freshman — with a resulting drop in failure rates.
8/11/2020
Inside the Theater
Most performers who take the stage at Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center leave something behind. Since the center opened in March 2012, all performers — superstars, dance ensembles and Broadway tour casts alike — have the opportunity to ink their signatures on the theater’s backstage walls.
8/10/2020
Supporting the Arts / Community Impact
The Smith Center’s stages may be dark, but that hasn’t stopped several of the center’s veteran volunteers lending a listening ear. “With The Smith Center experiencing such a financial setback, our need to raise money is critical,” says Director of Annual Fund Carol Hollatz. “That’s why we enlisted some of our most dedicated volunteers."
8/5/2020
Education and Outreach
Belisa Brownlee admits she never wanted to teach. At least, not until she entered law school and realized becoming a lawyer was no longer her dream. When Brownlee observed a close friend entering the teaching profession, she felt the draw of a new career. Now after teaching for 11 years, she has combined her talents with education and the law.
8/3/2020
Inside the Theater
Russ McCrory vows that when he saw Broadway musical “American Idiot” at The Smith Center, he felt hooked from the first guitar chord. “I knew I found my happy place at The Smith Center,” says McCrory, 32, who has lived in Las Vegas since he was 5 years old. “I’ve been coming back ever since.” McCrory has the programs to prove it.
8/3/2020
Education and Outreach
Elizabeth Harris feels nothing but enthusiasm about arriving at school an hour early to coach her Mathletes students. “These kids all have a desire to improve their skills, and bring a positive attitude to class each day,” says Harris, a teacher at Lied STEM Academy. “When kids come to you and ask for more math, the only correct answer to that question is ‘yes.’”
7/31/2020
Inside the Theater
Many shows offer surprising musical inventions and innovations. And countries across the globe offer their own, lesser-known instruments that produce entrancing sounds. To celebrate Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day, explore below some unusual instruments played by top artists at The Smith Center.
7/28/2020
Education and Outreach
Solan became the second Best Actress winner of The Smith Center’s annual NVHSMTA, allowing her to compete on Broadway in the Jimmy Awards where she placed as a finalist among the country’s top young performers. Now a professional actress and vocal coach, Solan confirms these experiences significantly shaped her performing.