Feature: Nevada Ballet Theatre Brings The Wizard of Oz to The Smith Center

After Wicked, The Wizard of Oz continues the magical adventure of Dorothy and Toto. Experience an adventure of a lifetime when the Nevada Ballet Theatre presents its 2022-23 season finale and Las Vegas Premiere of The Wizard of Oz at The Smith Center May 13-21.

This astonishing journey to the Emerald City captures the heartfelt, daring, joyful dancing. Add fanciful costumes, stellar stagecraft, a superb score, and flying monkeys to the fantasy for an astounding performance.

Choreographer Septime Webre shines in the challenge to bring something new to the show using over 50 dancers. Septime is an internationally recognized ballet director, choreographer, educator, and advocate. He has served as Artistic Director for the Hong Kong Ballet, The Washington Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, and Halcyon, a Washington DC-based foundation, launching an annual international Festival for Creativity.

As a teen, he ran a youth summer program in partnership with a school for blind students and another with Down Syndrome. Septime directed a production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with most roles played by blind teens and the Munchkins played by youth with Down Syndrome. He would develop and choreograph the ballet adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz using the language of ballet.

Costume designer Liz Vandal and her team created over 250 costumes for this production, including 112 hats using nearly 4,000 yards of fabric and 7,000 hours of sewing time. The 115 pairs of pointe shoes, some of them made of rubies, completes the many looks of the show. Puppet designer Nicholas Mahon utilizes the magical use of puppetry to bring the world of Oz to reality with the dancers as part of the fantastic illusions.

A Presenting Sponsorship by Light & Wonder makes this Las Vegas premiere possible. "We are extremely grateful for the generous support of Light & Wonder for our Las Vegas premiere of The Wizard of Oz," said Nevada Ballet Theatre President and CEO Beth Barbre. "We are delighted to have the opportunity to align our brands creatively, and we look forward to working with Light & Wonder to bring a magnificent theatrical experience to local audiences."

"We are thrilled to partner with Nevada Ballet Theatre to celebrate our long-standing relationship with the Wizard of Oz franchise," said Tracy Skenandore, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Light & Wonder. "Just as meaningful to us is NBT's focus on educational programs for youth, and we look forward to finding ways to build upon this great work to continue fostering the arts and investing in diverse communities in the months and years to come."

Adding to the excitement, over 20 students from Nevada Ballet Theatre's affiliated school, the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre, will be featured in the roles of Poppy Seeds, Grasshoppers, and Baby Ballerinas.

Nevada Ballet Theatre will close its 2022-2023 Performance Season with the Las Vegas premiere of Septime Webre's The Wizard of Oz, with support by Presenting Sponsor Light & Wonder, May 13-21 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets may be purchased by calling The Smith Center Box Office at (702) 749-2000 or visit www.nevadaballet.org. For this series of performances, no children under five years of age are admitted to the performances; all patrons must have a ticket regardless of age, and babies held in arms will not be admitted

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