profile
Lanterns light the sky
over the Mojave Desert.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
SETH
OLENICK
(REID);
JOAN
MARCUS
(WICKED)
RISE UP IN
THE DESERT
// return engagement //
SOMETHING WICKED...
Ryan Elisabeth Reid's
"soft rebellion"
reveals hard truths
about Alzheimer's.
Making Memories
VEGAS NATIVE RYAN ELISABETH REID'S NEW PLAY GETS TO
THE HEART OF BRAIN HEALTH.
BY SETH OLENICK
THE INAUGURAL BROADWAY SHOW to play The Smith Center when it
opened in 2012, Wicked returns by popular demand this month. The winner
of more than 50 major awards, Broadway's best-selling production six years
running continues to break box-offi ce records across the country. October 8–
November 9 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. thesmithcenter.com
When 23-year-old Ryan Elisabeth Reid made The New York
Times last yea r, it wasn't for her recog nizable last na me
(Senator Harry Reid, majority leader of the Senate, is her
grandfather, and Rory Reid, the former Clark County com-
missioner, is her father). It was instead her first play, One Day
in the Life of Henri Shnuff le, a n int imate glimpse into t he
life of a man living with A lzheimer's, which debuted in
Brooklyn, that garnered attention. In fact, Reid admits that
her life as an artist could be considered a "soft rebellion"
against her political family—although she considers her art
a form of activism. "My goal is to bring people face-to-face
with Alzheimer's, even if it's hard to watch," she says. After
the show's run ended, Reid's work with Alzheimer's patients
continued, which led her to revise the play, int roducing
more cha racters, moment s, a nd memor ies from Henr i's
life. T he new play, simply t it led Henri, is headed to T he
Smith Center for the Performing Arts for 13 performances,
each followed by a Q& A session w it h physicia ns f rom
t he Clevela nd Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Bra in Hea lt h.
Effecting change by eliciting emotion is Reid's political tool
of choice, and her goal is to tell stories of and for people who
cannot advocate for themselves. Henri runs October 17–26 in
the Troesh Studio Theater at the Smith Center for the Performing
Arts. Tickets are $49 and are available at thesmithcenter.com.
Each paper lantern
represents a hope, a
dream, a resolution, a
wish—and this month
thousands will release
their lanterns together
over the Jean Dry Lake
Bed in the Mojave
Desert as part of the
RiSE Lantern Festival,
promising a magical
desert display of this
centuries-old Balinese
tradition. Even better,
RiSE leaves no trace:
The organizers will be
able to retrieve nearly all
of the lanterns, and they
purchase carbon offsets
for every vehicle they
use in bussing people
in for the magical
nighttime event from
the Las Vegas Strip.
October 18 at sunset.
For more information,
visit risefestival.com.
54 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM
CULTURE Spotlight
