11/15/2022
Discovering The Smith Center
Surprise your loved ones this holiday season with a gift that can inspire them, move them and help them forget their troubles: the experience of a night out at a thrilling show.
For your holiday shopping, you can find something to suit the tastes of all your friends and family at The Smith Center, which offers electrifying shows spanning music, theater, dance, guest speakers and more.
Whether your relatives prefer spectacular musicals, a whimsical family show, or a stirring peek at history, space and international culture, The Smith Center can make their season bright.
Check out the holiday gift ideas below that will appeal to a broad range of ages and interests.
For People Who Are Hard to Shop For: A Smith Center gift card
Let them choose what they want for themselves! A Smith Center gift card can be used for any of the center’s hundreds of shows each year in its three theaters. These include large-scale Broadway musicals, intimate concerts with acclaimed solo artists, and performances by the center’s resident companies — the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Nevada Ballet Theatre.
Click here to purchase and print out a gift card, which can be purchased in any denomination.
To call this Broadway smash “spectacular spectacular” doesn’t do justice to this winner of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Promising to dazzle audiences with its glitz, grandeur and glory, this lavish production portrays the beloved film’s storyline with the same mash-up of iconic pop songs, including new additions from Adele, Katy Perry, Sia, Rihanna, Beyoncé and more.
For the World Traveler: Kodo – February 8, 2023
Southern Nevadans can experience a breathtaking trip to Japan without leaving Las Vegas, by enjoying the return of Kodo, one of the world’s foremost performance groups in Japanese taiko drumming. Featuring performers who train day and night in a secluded village, this acclaimed group performs with fiery precision and theatrical flair.
Audiences of all ages can enjoy this expert performance of an ancient, powerful artform.
Families can sometimes find special outings challenging, if they have members with sensory sensitivities – which is why The Smith Center offers Sensory Inclusive performances designed to accommodate these audiences with reduced lighting and sounds, as well as relaxed theater etiquette that allows guests to enter and leave as needed. Audiences can enjoy this judgment-free atmosphere at “Grace for President,” a delightful family show about an ambitious young girl determined to become the first female U.S. president.
For Those Who Love Frank Sinatra: “Matt Dusk Sings Sinatra” – February 18, 2023
Every audience member will feel like they’ve got “the world on a string” at this electrifying homage to the classy Rat Pack acts from 1960s Vegas. Multi-platinum vocalist Matt Dusk will croon Ol’ Blues Eyes’ many hits, including “Come Fly With Me,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Fly Me To The Moon” and more, featuring catchy new arrangements by Grammy-winning arrangers Pat Williams and Sammy Nestico.
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, archaeologist Alicia Odewale is uncovering stories of resilience in the 100 years since the attack on Black Wall Street in the city’s historic Greenwood District. Considered one of the worst episodes of racial violence committed against Black people in American history, the Tulsa Race Massacre left a devastating toll on generations of survivors and their descendants, even impacting the footprint of the district itself.
Join Odewale to discover how archaeology and radical mapping can be used as a tool for recovering lost stories, reclaiming a narrative and pursuing restorative justice.
For Those Who Can’t Get Enough of Showstopping Musicals: Disney’s “Frozen” – March 8 to 18, 2023
As proven by its three Tony Award nominations, the Broadway adaptation of classic Disney film “Frozen” elevates this enchanting tale to a mesmerizing theatrical experience, rife with grandiose set pieces, special effects and infectious melodies that showcase the performers’ vocal wizardry.
This will thrill anyone who enjoys grand musicals, regardless of their familiarity with the film. And ardent fans will enjoy songs from the movie, as well as all-new melodies.
Experience the rebirth of an epic African wildlife park, through the eyes of Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Bob Poole. Drawing from his experiences of growing up in East Africa, Poole documents the restoration of a lost Eden, Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, a jewel of Africa’s parks system until civil war almost destroyed it.
Poole will discuss how he joined forces with rangers and scientists (including his sister, renowned elephant researcher Joyce Poole), on one of the biggest conservation projects on the planet.
Not many people get to venture 220 miles from the surface of the Earth. That’s just the perspective audiences will gain from former International Space Station Commander Terry Virts, who took hours of video and hundreds of thousands of still images from the station’s 360-degree viewing module. In fact, Virts took more photographs than any astronaut who came before him, with many of those images later used in the National Geographic book “View From Above” and IMAX film “A Beautiful Planet.”
Now, audiences can hear Virts describe his experiences as an astronaut firsthand, and witness his powerful photos that offer a whole new outlook on