9/7/2020
Discovering The Smith Center
While the coronavirus pandemic has forced The Smith Center to send employees home and cancel all performances through December, a skeleton crew still remains on site to keep the building safe and operations running smoothly. The Smith Center points the spotlight on these hard-working team members.
9/4/2020
Inside the Theater
Live theater began with a man and his love for stories. Most theater and history buffs can name Thespis of ancient Greece, the world’s first known actor, and the origin of theater term thespian. While ancient Greek performances had long featured choreographed choral processions, Thespis sparked the idea for a show the likes of which none had seen before.
9/2/2020
Performances and Artists
Many rock stars earn reputations for scandal and battles against society that draw just as much attention as their music. But today’s artists didn’t invent this pattern. Believe it or not, classical composers from centuries ago launched this trend. Many of the greats who penned lasting masterpieces also dabbled in conspiracies, debauchery and rebellion.
8/26/2020
Education and Outreach
Full-time learning at home can feel unusual for students – but using the arts can help ease this transition. Physical activity stimulates the brain and can promote better academic performance. The Smith Center offers ideas to give young ones quick breaks during the day, which will have them moving and even gaining early exposure to the arts.
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.