Phase 2 of Governor Steve Sisolak’s reopening has come and, alas … still no live entertainment allowed. But there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Las Vegas Little Theatre is planning to stage its rescheduled run of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs July 10-26, Vegas Theatre Company has started an initiative called “Making Space” that’s intended to give local artists a place to present new work and share the proceeds from it, and Majestic Repertory Theatre’s most recent Facebook post (as of this writing) was a GIF showing off a digital thermometer with the caption, “Gettin’ ready for ya!”
If you just can’t wait for those openings, though, fret not. There are (at least) two virtual events and a college course coming up to get your theater fix in the meantime.
NEVADA CONSERVATORY THEATRE
UNLV Theatre students and staff are presenting a reading of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing live on Zoom Sunday, May 31, at 5 p.m. To get the link for the online event, the company asks that you message them or director Norma Saldivar on Facebook. And while you’re clicking around Nevada Conservatory’s page, you might find your way to UNLV College of Fine Arts’ You Tube channel, where they’ve posted six videos in their new Arts Worldwide series. This is a collection of interviews with professors and students organized around themes such as “Beauty as Meaning” and “Collaboration.”
MARRIAGE CAN BE MURDER
The long-running dinner theater company is doing an interactive online version of its comedy mystery June 5 at 6:30 p.m., and June 6 at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. (the “lobby” opens 30 minutes prior to each performance). Southern Nevada participants can pick up one of three optional meals — the Fowl Play, Dead Meat, or Hasta La Pasta, all including salad and cannoli — at either of Carrabba’s Italian Grill's Henderson or Summerlin locations. Adults of alcohol-consuming age can also get the Whodunit house white or Redrum house red wine. Over their meal, they’ll log into a Zoom conference (with specialized backgrounds, of course), where they’ll work with actors playing the detective, lieutenant, hostess, and suspects to solve the crime. For tickets, ranging from $25 to $105, visit Ivory Star Productions’ website or call 702-205-2775. For updates, the company suggests following them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @bestdinnershow.
A PUBLIC FIT
The theater company, per se, doesn’t have any upcoming events. However, artistic director and cofounder Ann Marie Pereth is teaching a UNLV theatre class called “Play Structure and Analysis” online June 8-July 10. The class covers four plays over the session, teaching students several techniques needed for a theatrical rehearsal process. “I would love to spend a month with you talking about theatre,” she says, on A Public Fit’s Facebook page, The class is listed in UNLV’s second summer term session as THTR 199. Pereth encourages people with questions to contact her at annmarie.pereth@unlv.edu.
