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The Smith Center Las Vegas

05 Wednesday Oct 2011

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This is Post 2 in a series of posts about The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. 

Last week, RockStarMommy, Ashley Massi, spoke about her excitement around the up and coming project happening here in Las Vegas, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.  Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about The Smith Center:

How can I order my tickets?

  • Online – You can order tickets online 24 hours a day online at www.thesmithcenter.com
  • By Phone – Ticket sales and information are available over the phone from our Patron Services Center, Monday – Friday from 10:00am to 6:00pm, at 702.982.7805.

What benefits are available for season ticket holders?

  • The Best Seats at the Best Price – Not only do season ticket holders get the best seats, they also get the best prices with savings over individual ticket prices.
  • Exchange Privileges – Our flexible exchange policy allows you to change your tickets for another performance of the same production. (Subject to availability. Additional convenience fee may apply.)
  • Guaranteed Renewals – You’ll enjoy the same seats for every show for this year, plus first chance to renew them next season. If you want a change in your seating, your request will receive priority consideration.
  • Lost Ticket Insurance – All of our ticket information is computerized, so you need not worry about misplaced or forgotten tickets. (Additional convenience fee may apply.)
  • No Waiting in Lines – Avoid standing in line at the Box Office. You’re all set with tickets in hand when you arrive at The Smith Center as a season ticket holder.

When will single tickets go on-sale for Broadway Las Vegas?

Single tickets starting at $24 will go on sale in November 2011.

When do Wicked tickets go on sale?

Tickets will go on sale in early 2012. To receive announcements on upcoming events, including “Wicked” ticket sales dates, we recommend signing up for email notifications. Also, don’t forget that season ticket holders for the 2012 series receive priority access to “Wicked” tickets for the 2012-2013 series.

Rendering of The Boman Pavillion at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

 

Where Will The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Be Located?

Set on nearly five acres in downtown Las Vegas, The Smith Center will be at the heart of downtown’s new urban development Symphony Park.

The 4.75-acre Smith Center will be northeast of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which is at the corner of Bonneville Avenue and Grand Central Parkway.

What Do the Plans Include?

The venues include the magnificent 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall, complete with stunning balconies, a dramatic stage and a full orchestra pit capable of seating up to 100 musicians; the 300-seat cabaret theater that overlooks Symphony Park and is ideal for jazz, cabaret and other performances best seen and heard in an intimate setting; and the 200-seat studio theater, ideal for rehearsals, children’s theater, community events and private social gathers.

The theaters have been meticulously designed to provide optimal sightlines and refined acoustics. As a result, performers and patrons will connect like never before. State-of-the-art recording equipment will preserve performances for the future, ensuring that they will continue to be enjoyed as digital masterpieces.

The Smith Center’s education facility, the Boman Pavilion, will also house offices, classrooms and additional multipurpose rooms suitable for workshops and presentations.

What is the Timeline?

The Smith Center broke ground in May 2009 and is projected to open in March 2012.

What Does it Look Like?

Inspired by many styles of architecture including Art Deco, The Smith Center will be constructed out of Indiana limestone and feature smooth masculine lines that are rich in detail. At 16 stories above it all will be an incredible bell tower that will house a four-octave carillon comprising 46 handcrafted bronze bells. The tower will be topped with a stainless steel silver crown.

What Kind of Performances Will Be Offered?

Designed to address the needs of community residents, The Smith Center will offer a blend of performances by local arts groups as well as first-run touring attractions. It will feature music, theater, and dance companies who celebrate cultures from all over the world. The Smith Center’s resident companies will include the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Nevada Ballet Theatre.

What Kinds of Educational Programs Will Be Offered?

The Smith Center will stage many performances, workshops and master classes for students in Clark County. The Smith Center has joined with the Clark County School District and the Cultural Division of Clark County to participate in the John F. Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program. This partnership features national and international artists who conduct workshops for teachers and students, connecting the arts to all areas of the curriculum.

In the fall of 2009, The Smith Center became one of 16 regional programs in the country in cooperation with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Virginia. This internationally recognized program enhances preschool education by training teachers how to incorporate creative music, theater and dance into their curricula. Southern Nevada Wolf Trap is in partnership with United Way of Southern Nevada Success By 6 and Citi in Nevada.

How Will The Smith Center Be Different Than Other Local Theaters?

Unlike many Las Vegas showrooms, The Smith Center will be a technical work of art with the latest advancements and amenities. It will accommodate the largest touring attractions, and yet be acoustically refined to showcase the finest soloists. It will be a stand-alone, family-friendly cultural arts center that will serve the needs of our community, local arts organizations, and our children.

Again, I urge you to please visit their Web site at www.thesmithcenter.com for more information.   And stop by the project downtown, it is AMAZING!  Last but not least buy your tickets!  Support this fabulous new facility we have as a part of our community.  I hope you are as excited as I am!

Ashley Massi is a kinda sorta stay at home mom of two amazing kids, Addison (3) and Dominic (5).  She works part time (from home) as a freelance publicist.  She worked for 5 years on the Nevada Silverman Triathlon and is handling the public relations and media outreach for the upcoming ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, in Henderson, Nevada.  She claims once this race is over she is going to retire, but we all know better than that! Ashley is a native Las Vegan’ and lives in Henderson with her awesome little family.  

Vegas Tours: Places to rock in Vegas with or without your little entourage. (c)

The Smith Center  did not provide us with anything for free except a tour of their facilities, nor did they pay us for this post.  All words and thoughts are 100% the writer’s.

The Smith Center | Las Vegas

30 Friday Sep 2011

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This is Post 1 in a series of posts about The Smith Center Las Vegas.

Stefanie came to me a few months ago and asked me if I would like to do a guest blog spot on RockStarMomLV, she said I could talk about whatever I was feeling passionate about at the moment.  Well…..at any given moment I am normally passionate about no less than 50 or 60 things.  But once I started thinking about her audience and what I thought would be a great and informative topic, my answer was crystal clear – The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.  For those of you that are not yet familiar with this project, hang on a few minutes and I can promise you, you will be just as excited as I am about it!

As a native Las Vegan I grew up going to “plays” at Cashman field, the Thomas and Mack Theatre, Spring Mountain Ranch and even a few oldies but goodies at the Huntridge Theatre in the 80’s.

My mother has always had a passion and a love for the arts.  She did her best to instill that passion in me. I still have vivid memories of being a innocent little 6-year old girl, sitting in the sticky green grass on a beautiful summer night, watching the Wizard of Oz on stage at Spring Mountain Ranch Park.  Seeing Dorothy and the Tin Man come to life before my very eyes was beyond amazing to me.  I have very fond memories of taking many mother/daughter trips to LA throughout high school and college to see various performances.  Thank God I had a mother who forced me to open my eyes to a whole other side of the world – the arts.

About 6 months ago, I took my 5-year-old son on a Mommy and Son weekend date to LA.  I took him to see Room on a Broom at the Orange County Theatre for Performing Arts.  Leading up to the play his little 5 year old mind, as sharp as it is, could not wrap his head around what exactly a play was.  He was filled with questions such as:  “Are we going to see a movie? Is it going to be a ride like at Disneyland? What will we PLAY with since it’s called a play?  Will it be like the Princesses on Ice that we took my sister to see at the Orleans arena?”

Trying to describe in detail (as my son demands) what theatre is– is next to impossible.

He did get increasingly more excited as we pulled into the parking structure and he began to see other kids walking towards the big mysterious theatre doors.  Once inside we quickly found our seats and I could see his little wheels spinning in that bright mind of his.  This big huge theatre was NOT what he was expecting! Plus characters from Room on a Broom were playing hide and seek through the aisles.  His eyes lit up and that beautiful smile that melts me every day slowly spread across his little cheeks.  The lights dimmed and the sound grew louder, the colors more vibrant and the characters came to life.  I saw him slowly go from sitting to standing and then bouncing on his knees.  He was hooked!  He did not make a peep through the entire production except for his loud and infectious laugh every 20 seconds or so!  We left the theatre and he had a spring in his step.  He has been asking consistently since that weekend when we can go to the theatre again.

So you can imagine my excitement to share with you more information about a FANTASTIC venue that is opening in March, 2012 right here in good ole’ downtown Las Vegas – The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

Here is a brief snap shot of what the Smith Center is all about.  I urge you to go on their Web site at www.thesmithcenter.com and explore the site, take the virtual tour, and if you are as excited as I am go downtown and drive around the Center!  Stop in the offices located at the Holsum Lofts to get a much more in depth feeling about what an amazing project this is!

Rendering of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts:

By the Numbers:

  • $150 million: Donald W. Reynolds Foundation donation
  • 32: Months to build The Smith Center
  • 1.5 million: Man-hours it will take to build
  • 1,000+: Construction workers building The Smith Center
  • 4,000: Tons of structural steel
  • 2,458: Tons of Indiana limestone
  • 29,500 lbs: Weight of bells in the carillon bell tower
  • 170 feet: Height of carillon bell tower
  • 47: Bells in the carillon bell tower
  • 23: Boxes on the Box Tier in Reynolds Hall
  • 25+: Architects, engineers, designers and consultants
  • 373: Windows in the Large Hall building
  • 2012: The Smith Center opening

Upcoming Broadway productions that are on sale now:

The Color Purple – April 3rd – 8th, 2012

Mary Poppins – May 22nd – 27th, 2012

Million Dollar Quartet – June 12th – 17th, 2012

Memphis – July 18th – 22nd, 2012

Coming Soon: 2012 – 2013 Broadway Las Vegas Series

Wicked – August 29th – October 7th, 2012 (see below for ticket info)

There will be MANY other awesome productions at The Smith Center, here are some that I definitely won’t miss:

March 16, 2012 (On sale as part of the Design Your Own Series, September 25, 2011 at 10:00am PST.)

The Imagination Movers began in 2003 when four friends from New Orleans joined forces to make rock and pop music for parents and kids to enjoy together. The Movers have become the soundtrack to many families’ lives thanks to their winning blend of rock ‘n’ roll energy, slapstick comedy and parental wisdom – all wrapped up in bright blue coveralls!

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

March 25, 2012 (On sale as part of the Design Your Own Series, September 25, 2011 at 10:00am PST.)

If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor straight faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch.

Ashley Massi is a kinda sorta stay at home mom of two amazing kids, Addison (3) and Dominic (5).  She works part time (from home) as a freelance publicist.  She worked for 5 years on the Nevada Silverman Triathlon and is handling the public relations and media outreach for the upcoming ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, in Henderson, Nevada.  She claims once this race is over she is going to retire, but we all know better than that! Ashley is a native Las Vegan’ and lives in Henderson with her awesome little family.  

Vegas Tours: Places to rock in Vegas with or without your little entourage. (c)

The Smith Center  did not provide us with anything for free except a tour of their facilities, nor did they pay us for this post.  All words and thoughts are 100% the writer’s.

 

The Smith Center DYS Options

23 Friday Sep 2011

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Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

March 12, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

This Grammy Award-winning quartet doesn’t care much for genres.  After all, why do one when you can play five or six genres at once? Fronted by master-banjoist Béla Fleck, the band covers it all from classical and jazz to bluegrass and electric blues, with a touch of Eastern European folk thrown in for good measure.  It really is impossible to describe their sound, so just call it amazing.

 

Imagination Movers

Reynolds Hall  – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

March 16, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

The good mood is infectious wherever the Movers appear, whether on stage or on the set of their hit Playhouse Disney series.  In 2003, four friends began assembling in a back room after their kids’ bedtimes to write songs and develop ideas for a television series.  Now, years later, the Movers are in the middle of filming 25 new shows and are on tour with the songs kids across the country have grown to love.

 

Canadian Tenors

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

March 17, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Breathtaking, talented and imported straight from Canada, these four gifted vocalists blend stunning classical sensibilities with toe-tapping contemporary pop to create an evening of magical voices, charming humor and memorable music.  They’re so good they’ve already shared the stage with some of the greatest performers of our day, including Andrea Bocelli, Paul McCartney, Neil Young and Sting.  Come catch a case of tenor fever.

 

Alvin Ailey American Dane Theater

Reynolds Hall – DANCE

March 20 and 21, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been heralded as America’s Cultural Ambassador to the World and described by The New York Times as “possibly the most successful modern dance company on the planet.”  The Theater is proud to showcase the vision of a new Artistic Director, Robert Battle, with programming that embraces the Ailey tradition of such beloved classics as Revelations and extends the legacy in dynamic new directions.

 

Straight No Chaser

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

March 25, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again.  Straight No Chaser (SNC) is neither strait-laced nor straight-faced.  They have become a phenomenon!  Straight No Chaser is the real deal – the captivating sound of ten unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.

 

Savion Glover “Bare Soundz”

Reynolds Hall – DANCE

March 27, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

“A revelation for eye and ear alike.” – The New York Times.  Newark’s own Tony Award-winning tap master Savion Glover (“Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk”) has single-handedly redefined the art of tap by combining it with the contemporary idiom of hip-hop.  Accompanied by a 10-piece classical ensemble, Glover will lend his distinct, high-energy dance style to works by Stravinsky, Bach, Vivaldi, Bartok, Mendelssohn, Astor Piazzola and others.

 

The Pink Floyd Experience

Reynolds Hall – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

March 30, 2012, 8:00 p.m.

Without question, Pink Floyd remains one of the most influential and legendary rock bands of all time. Now, get ready for THE PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE!  Complete with a dazzling new light show and full quadraphonic sound, six brilliant musicians reproduce all of Pink Floyd’sgreatest hits, including “Wish You Were Here,” “Time,” “Another Brick in the Wall” and much more…live!  Audiences are raving about this epic concert.

 

Women Fully Clothed

Studio Theater – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

April 13 and 14, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Martin Short calls them “totally hysterical…funny and smart…”  This four-woman show takes the best of these women’s distinctive improv careers and makes one laugh-until-you-cry evening.  In a world of Hollywood personas and artificial looks, comediennes Robin Duke (“Saturday Night Live”), Jayne Eastwood (Second City Toronto), Kathryn Greenwood (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) and Teresa Pavlinek (“The Jane Show”) take audiences on a hilarious journey through the lives of natural women, fully clothed.

 

MOMIX presents “Botanica”

Reynolds Hall – DANCE

April 20, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Revolutionary dance company MOMIX seemingly defies categorization as easily as its dancers defy gravity. Mesmerizing, magical and imaginative, MOMIX’s newest creation “Botanica” has played to packed houses and rave reviews around the world. Using light, shadow, larger-than-life props, humor and the human body, their spellbinding show transports you to a world of true fantasy and unrivaled beauty.

 

The Cleveland Orchestra

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

April 21, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Under the leadership of Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has become one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world. Founded in 1918, the Orchestra continues a nearly century-long legacy of unparalleled excellence and heartfelt commitment to community. With performances across the world and an acclaimed residency in Miami, the Orchestra will be making a special stop in Las Vegas for The Smith Center’s inaugural season.

 

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott with the Assad Brothers

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

April 24, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Four of the greatest musicians in the world are coming together for one reason only… to amaze you. Yo-Yo Ma, the 15-time Grammy Award-winning master of cello, is proud to present an evening of awe-inspiring Latin American music featuring sensational Brazilian guitarists The Assad Brothers. They will also be joined by acclaimed British pianist and longtime friend Kathryn Stott for a truly unforgettable event.

 

Paco de Lucía

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

April 25, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Flamenco phenomenon has returned just in time for The Smith Center’s inaugural season. Following five years of creative silence, Paco de Lucía is back to change the face of music again.  Known as one of the greatest guitarists in the world, Paco de Lucía’s music delicately plays between traditional Brazilian rhythms, jazz and classical music to create a unique sound all his own.

 

An Evening with David Sedaris

Reynolds Hall – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

April 26, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. Sedaris is the author of several collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, each of which became a bestseller, as well as a collection of fables entitled Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary.

 

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

April 28, 2012. 7:30 p.m.

The Washington Post calls it, “exemplary.” The LA Times says it’s “stunning.” Even after 50 years, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields continues to astound fans and critics alike. Now with the addition of acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell, the ensemble plans to perform an exquisite all-Beethoven program that, according to The Times (London), “can pierce the soul.”

 

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK™

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

May 9, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

In the best and in the hardest of times, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK® has come to communities across the U.S. and around the world, raising her voice in hope, love, justice, peace, and resistance.  SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK® invites her audiences to open their minds and hearts as, out of the rich textures of African American legacy and traditions, she creates a unique and unmatched experience in music and song.

 

Alan Safier as George Burns in

“Say Goodnight Gracie”

Studio Theater – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

May 11, 2012, 7:00 p.m. and May 12, 2012, 3:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

This hit Broadway play, starring Alan Safier, invites audiences to spend a hilarious, heart-warming evening in the uplifting company of the world’s favorite and funniest centenarian, George Burns, a man who laughingly lived and loved each day for all it had to offer, until he finally went “gently into that good night” to forever reunite with his beloved Gracie.  “Say Goodnight Gracie” was Broadway’s third longest-running solo performance show and was nominated for a 2003 Tony Award for Best play and won the 2003-2004 National Broadway Theatre Award for Best Play.

 

Lily Tomlin

Reynolds Hall – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

May 13, 2012, 2:00 p.m.

Lily Tomlin needs no introduction. Her list of iconic comedic characters is a mile long.  From her New York comedy club beginnings to her unforgettable Edith Ann and Ernestine characters on “Laugh-In,” to successful film and Broadway careers, Lily Tomlin has cemented herself in history as one of the premier comediennes in America.  She now comes to the stage with this must-see, one-woman show, guaranteed to make you laugh until your sides hurt.

 

“PSY” by Les 7 Doigts de la Main (7 Fingers)

Reynolds Hall – SPECIAL ATTRACTION

May 15 and 16, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

“A transfixing circus spectacle that boggles both mind and eye while also relocating your heart to your throat once in a while.” – The Boston Globe.  PSY travels through shifting landscapes of wildly entertaining distorted visions, fading dreams and fractured memories. It carefully delves into the surreal underworld of the human psyche to explore and celebrate the darker side of our unconscious, as well as the beauty. Created and performed by the masters of circus nouveau, the Canadian troupe 7 Fingers.

 

Buddy Guy with Quinn Sullivan

Reynolds Hall – MUSIC

May 19, 2012, 8:00 p.m.

Buddy Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues.  And on his “Living Proof” tour he brings this talent to life by looking back over his remarkable experiences.  Joined by 12-year-old guitar phenom Quinn Sullivan, he crafts a blues experience for the ages.