Smith Center Blog

10/13/2016

Supporting the Arts

Member Q&A: Nehme E. Abouzeid and Dr. Nina Mirzayan Abouzeid

"Writer Kahlil Gibran once wrote 'pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle.' I’ve always interpreted that to mean that a city or nation is only as good as the people and institutions that represent it. Vegas can be assured that The Smith Center will give it a strong and vibrant performing arts core," says Smith Center donor Nehme E. Abouzeid.

9/19/2016

Inside the Theater

Hit Songs You Didn’t Know Were Written by Carole King

Odds are you’re a Carole King fan, and you don’t even know it. Kicking off her songwriting career at just 16, King wrote and co-wrote numerous hit songs throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s that have remained beloved standards of pop music throughout the decades, an emotional story conveyed in the smash Broadway show “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical,”

9/15/2016

Supporting the Arts

Donor Q & A - Bob and Alison Kasner

"We believe the arts allow children to have experiences that are unique and everlasting. Creativity weaves through all aspects of life. The arts provide the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of their homes, schools and community. Live theater exposes them to another world and allows children to dream," says Smith Center donor Alison Kasner.

9/12/2016

Community Impact

The Smith Center’s Showgirl

Jen Flood still remembers when the idea of becoming a showgirl crossed her mind in high school. “I remember seeing the show ‘Jubilee!’ On ‘Entertainment Tonight’ and I remember thinking, ‘What’s that? That seems cools,’” says Flood, marketing manager with The Smith Center. Little did Flood know, this thought would shape her career.

8/28/2016

Performances and Artists / Broadway Las Vegas

Telling the Carole King Story

Adapting stage productions from novels and films has proved daunting for many a pressured writer. Compiling a Broadway musical from an iconic artist’s life and full body of work, however, is an entirely different beast.

8/3/2016

Education and Outreach

Young Performers Learn from the Pros at Camp Broadway

Believe it or not, Wysocki is 11 years old. Alongside 99 other children and teenagers on July 29, he had the rare opportunity to sing and dance on stage at Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center, the culmination of this year’s Camp Broadway program.

7/6/2016

Supporting the Arts

Q&A with Donor Alisa Nave-Worth and Family

My husband Robb and I believe that instilling a love of the arts in a child is an invaluable gift and we can’t wait to bring out daughter, Sydney, to The Smith Center. It’s precisely why we invest in The Smith Center as an institution. We want to do all we can to make sure that Sydney and the children of Las Vegas have access to the arts.

7/5/2016

Performances and Artists / Broadway Las Vegas

Mamma Mia! Jen Perry Going From Kinky Boots to Idaho!

Jen Perry, locally known for starring in Mamma Mia! at Mandalay Bay and performing in Kinky Boots on Broadway, will return to her Las Vegas roots in IDAHO! The Comedy Musical.

6/30/2016

Performances and Artists

Andy Has Designs on Idaho!

IDAHO! The Comedy Musical, a Smith Center production in Reynolds Hall July 6-17, is written by Buddy Sheffield with music by Buddy Sheffield and local Las Vegan Keith Thompson. But, there’s another local involved in this hilarious takeoff on Broadway musicals: Andy Walmsley, the set designer.