Smith Center Blog

Discovering The Smith Center

Musical Notes Abound

In Reynolds Hall you can find a recurring design that comes from the world of music. In our wide-open Upper Lobby, the walls are topped with friezes that – at first glance – appear decorated with abstract geometrical patterns. Actually they are stylized representations of bass clefs, some turned to the right, some turned to the left.

Supporting the Arts

Q&A with donors Rick and Lori Kavadas

Whether it’s discussing what’s next at The Smith Center or their two awesome kids, Rick and Lori exude that warm-hearted, genuine passion to everyone who crosses their path. Having made Vegas their home since the late ‘90s, The Smith Center is truly grateful that the Kavadas family has chosen to make us a part of their personal passion.

Discovering The Smith Center

A Walk Among Flowers in Reynolds Hall

The ornate carpet found through much of Reynolds Hall looks like it might depict a floral design, perhaps a desert rose befitting The Smith Center’s southwestern locale. In fact, however, the design was inspired by a very urban environment – the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris.

Broadway Las Vegas

Beauty and the Beast: An Enduring Fairytale

A traditional fairytale first published in France in the mid-18th century, “Beauty and the Beast” is an enduring story of love and friendship that has been translated into hundreds of versions worldwide.

Performances and Artists

A Singer By Any Other Name

Arnold George Dorsey is more generally known by his internationally-recognized moniker: Engelbert Humperdinck. But, to paraphrase Shakespeare, a singer by any other name would sing as sweet.

Supporting the Arts

Donor Q&A with Benson Riseman

Benson Riseman has a flair for creativity as seen in the renovation of his Veer Towers penthouse – which has been featured in publications from Vegas magazine to The Wall Street Journal – that could rival even the most elaborate Broadway set design to grace the stage of Reynolds Hall.

Supporting the Arts

Donor Q&A with Carol Benchley

Carol Benchley is a regular patron at The Smith Center, but she is a standout in the crowd recognized for her quick smile and irresistible enthusiasm for every show she attends. We are privileged to have her support our Education and Outreach programs in the many ways The Smith Center touches the lives of students and educators.

Supporting the Arts

Time to Meet a Donor – Les and Andi Silver

Les and Andi Rothschild Silver have an infectious enthusiasm for the performing arts and an encyclopedic knowledge of “all things Broadway.” Talking with these two aficionados is like taking a crash course in Performance 101 and we are tremendously grateful – and fortunate – to have them as a part of The Smith Center family.

Discovering The Smith Center

In Honor of Mary Smith, Go Hogs!

Our Dee and Don Snyder Founders Room on the mezzanine level is filled with eye-catching contemporary art. It’s also home to a “smiling” pig on a pedestal. Razorback hogs, an animal associated with “The Natural State,” were a favorite of Mary B. Smith, the late wife of Fred W. Smith for whom The Smith Center is named.