Regional Theater of the Week: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, NV

By: Ellen Sterling

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States.

This Week's Featured Regional Theater: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada

From its very beginning, The Smith Center was envisioned as a world-class performing arts center that would develop and present the best and brightest in a broad range of first-rate programming and unite the residents of our community.

This cultural complex will enable Southern Nevada to take its place on an international stage, celebrating artistic excellence, education and culture from around the world.

The ambition to create one of the nation's leading performing art centers led The Smith Center's design team to visit venues across North America and Europe in 2007, where they studied some of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls and performance venues. After they toured venues including Palais Garnier in Paris, the Musikverein in Vienna and La Scala in Milan, they came together to design The Smith Center.

MyRon Martin, President and CEO of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts has unveiled their 2013 Broadway Las Vegas season.

An audience of invited guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'ouevres as Martin spoke of the success of the inaugural season and told guests that the next season will see:

• "LES MISERABLES," Wednesday, Aug. 7 - Sunday, Aug. 11;
• Andrew Lloyd Webber's new production of "The Wizard of Oz," Tuesday, Sept. 10 - Sunday, Sept. 15
• "War Horse," Wednesday, Oct. 2 - Sunday, Oct. 6;
• "Sister Act," Tuesday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 20;
• "Evita," Tuesday, Nov. 26 - Sunday, Dec. 1;
• "Mamma Mia!" Tuesday, Jan 7 - Sunday, Jan. 12;
• "Flashdance - The Musical" Tuesday, Jan. 28 - Sunday, Feb. 2;
• "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess," Tuesday, April 15 - Sunday, April 20;
• "Once," Tuesday, May 20 - Sunday, May 25;
• "The Book of Mormon," Tuesday, June 10 - Sunday, July 6.

The teaser for the announcement of the season was that a "special guest" from one of the shows would be in attendance and, indeed, the guest was special.....and unusual. It was Joey, the title character from "War Horse," the first non-musical Broadway show to grace the stage f the 2,000-seat theater.

In addition to Broadway road companies, the Smith Center, which opened last March, is home to the Nevada Ballet, the Las Vegas Philharmonic and offers, in a cabaret space, an opportunity for intimate concerts. Clint Holmes appears there the first weekend of every month. Also once each month, the local Composers Showcase is there. Keith Thompson, conductor of the local production of "Jersey Boys," welcomes composers and their original music.

Since the Smith Center opened, Las Vegas residents and guests have embraced its offerings and the myriad of educational experiences offered there for children. It has, in a short time, become one of the entertainment treasures in this city that is so often called "The Entertainment Capital of the World."

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