3/20/2019
Performances and Artists
Backed by talented young vocalists on his new tour, showcasing many of the band’s hits like “Working My Way Back to You,” “Silence is Golden” and more, the 84-year-old Valli says he had been thrilled from the start at the concept of bringing the story to Broadway of how he and his bandmates rose from hard-knock lives in New Jersey to garnering an international following.
3/7/2019
Education and Outreach
When the curtain opened on “The Lion King” at Richard J. Rundle Elementary in February, teacher Kaylene Henderson admits the Las Vegas educators could barely recognize their own students performing complex choreography, belting musical numbers and delivering memorized lines with gusto.
3/7/2019
Supporting the Arts
When Stacey Wedding founded the annual Nevada’s Big Give, she had one goal in mind: To make charitable giving easy and accessible for all. “The whole point is to come together as a statewide community and show that we, the residents of Nevada, care about our communities and the causes that are important to us,” says Wedding, also founder and CEO of Professionals in Philanthropy.
2/27/2019
Broadway Las Vegas / Performances and Artists
Season ticket holders are not only guaranteed tickets to a year’s worth of shows, but they will also enjoy special benefits such as 20-percent savings on non-Broadway shows, priority access for additional tickets and seat upgrades, and more. Intrigued? Then check out what Smith Center employees have to say about the 2019-2020 season shows.
2/26/2019
Performances and Artists
Across her glittering Broadway, film and television career, three-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters knows just what has set her apart: her unrivaled delivery of sharp, sassy humor and her fiery, powerhouse vocals. Nothing allows her talents to shine brightest, she insists, as much as concert performances.
2/19/2019
Community Impact
By: Dr. Richard McGee, Conductor, Musician and Professor of Fine Arts at College of Southern Nevada. I moved to Las Vegas in 1981 because I thought I could work here as a performing trombonist. The reputation of the town was, at that time, such that if you played well enough, you could find work in the lounges and showrooms of the Strip. Now, it’s not that I needed work – I had a great job as a high school band director in the Denver area, but I wanted to use my trombone skills for more than the occasional gig.
2/13/2019
Family Programming / Performances and Artists
Patrick McDonnell, New York Times bestselling author, captured inspiring moments from Goodall’s animal-fixated childhood in his whimsical and popular children’s book, “Me… Jane." These experiences would lead Goodall to follow her dreams and achieve groundbreaking work studying chimpanzees in their own environment.
2/1/2019
Supporting the Arts
Generous supporters of the ongoing Campaign to Sustain The Smith Center include Las Vegas resident TJ Matthews, retired chairman of International Game Technology, a leading gaming company headquartered in Nevada. Read our interview below with Matthews about his incredible career, and why he chose to support The Smith Center’s future.
2/1/2019
Broadway Las Vegas / Performances and Artists
The storyline of “Come From Away” might seem unlikely for a Broadway musical, depicting the real-life story of 7,000 airline passengers grounded in Gander, Newfoundland after 9/11. Yet thanks to the vision of Director Christopher Ashley, this musical achieved a heartwarming and moving portrayal of humanity in the midst of dark times.
12/12/2018
Supporting the Arts
There is likely much about jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, that you don’t know. For instance, Fitzgerald personally founded a charitable foundation that today continues to serve a broad number of needs, including promoting education opportunities for children, fostering a love of music, and providing basic essentials for those in need.