9/2/2021
Discovering The Smith Center
The Smith Center’s reopening doesn't just give show-deprived patrons a home for live entertainment. It also gives its ushers and other event staff a chance to get back to doing the work they love.
Chanelle Carson
Chanelle Carson, an usher at The Smith Center since May 2012, says she’s “super excited” to be coming back to work at the venue.
“The Smith Center is such an incredible environment,” she says. “I’m so happy to be here for the reopening and to see my friends and colleagues again.”
She’s also looking forward to seeing guests when they start coming through the doors again.
“I have always loved the look on guests’ faces when they enter the building and marvel at the Grand Lobby,” Carson says. “I’ve really missed seeing that.”
Carson originally joined The Smith Center as a volunteer while she pursued a college degree in theater and film. She soon became an employee, working as an usher and occasional supervisor.
With additional training, Carson also became an audio describer for the center’s blind and visually impaired guests during performances. Now fully certified, Carson adds to her income by providing audio description for movies and other venues on a freelance basis.
Carson says she’s excited about all the shows coming to The Smith Center this season, especially the all-new musical “An Officer and a Gentleman” and the hilarious comedy “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
She especially appreciates all that the center has done to make the entertainment experience safer for patrons.
“From deep cleaning to contactless ticketing, The Smith Center has really taken guest health and safety seriously,” she says.
Lisa Cummings
Lisa Cummings has ushered at The Smith Center for more than five years.
Like Carson, she is excited to return and see not only the faces of the many friends she’s made while working at the center, but also the faces of guests once they start returning.
“I never got tired of seeing the joy on peoples’ faces when they came through the doors,” she says. “I’m so excited to be able to see that again.”
A Broadway Las Vegas® Series subscriber and avid fan of shows at Myron’s, Cummings is also a patron herself.
“I have never seen a bad show at The Smith Center,” she says. “The quality is top-notch and offers us entertainment that is unrivaled anywhere else in our community.”
Cummings joined The Smith Center after a 34-year career with Bank of America, where she assisted the president of the bank with his various community initiatives.
She says this experience gave her a strong understanding of good customer service, which has benefitted her as an usher, as well as a trainer of other Smith Center ushers.
While Cummings kept busy during the center’s extended closure, adopting a puppy, planting a cactus garden and going on hikes, she says she’s very happy to be back at work and part of the reopening.
“I believe people want – and need -- the comfort that the live performing arts can give right now,” she says.