Published December 27, 2024

Ring in the New Year with the Performing Arts!

by Dennyse Sewell

Happy New Year from the Pioneer Center! As we celebrate the final days of the 2024 holiday season, we are eagerly anticipating an exciting kickoff of the new year. There is something for everyone in the coming months – or as we like to say, a stage for every story. From Broadway favorites to captivating concerts and plenty of family entertainment, we are looking forward to providing the community with many memorable shared experiences in 2025 that promise to connect, enrich, and inspire. As always, tickets and information can be found on www.pioneercenter.com. Be sure to check back throughout the season, as new events are added regularly!

 

We’re ringing in the new year with one of our very favorite things: Broadway! January 17-19, we will host a limited return engagement of one of Broadway’s biggest hits, THE BOOK OF MORMON. From the writers of South Park and Avenue Q, this “adult humor” musical comedy broke the mold when it won 9 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It’s consistently one of our most-requested shows, and we’re thrilled to have the chance to bring it back to our historic stage for the third time. This popular show sold out during its two past engagements at the Pioneer Center, but a few tickets are still available for the upcoming January run. If you’ve always wanted to see this show but haven’t yet had the chance, we encourage you to join us for this wickedly funny international sensation.

The Reno Phil continues their Classix Series with Hector Berlioz’s SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE, conducted by Music Director Laura Jackson. The January 25-26 program also includes Maurice Ravel’s La Valse and Camille Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 1 highlighting the tremendous talents of guest artist Sterling Elliot. January concludes with a return engagement of THE MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY presented by Artown on January 28. The company celebrates their 100 Year Anniversary with a program titled The Masterpieces, featuring some of Graham’s most prominent works curated around the question, “What is an American?”

 

February begins with the Broadway Comes to Reno presentation of SOME LIKE IT HOT, based on the hilarious 1959 film starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe. Reno is one of the first cities to receive the national tour of this brand-new Broadway musical, a Tony-winner for Best Choreography. With a musical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray), a new book by Amber Ruffin (The Amber Ruffin Show) and Matthew López (The Inheritance), and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Mean Girls), you won’t want to miss this production running February 4-9.  

Music legend AMY GRANT comes to the Pioneer Center on February 16 for a special evening of career-spanning songs, stories, and memories. Celebrated with a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Music City Walk of Fame, Grant has sold over 30 million albums and won 6 Grammy Awards. We will close out February with the next installment of the Reno Phil’s Classix series February 22-23, BRUCKNER’S ROMANTIC SYMPHONY. In addition to the title piece, the program also includes works by Mozart and Stravinsky that will be brought to life by guest violinist Alexi Kenney.

Rolling into March, we are thrilled to present the international tour of THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY on March 1, following the journey of the famous duo from their humble beginnings to their epic concert in Central Park. This critically acclaimed immersive concert-style show sold out quickly last year, before a snowstorm forced us to unfortunately implement a last-minute cancelation. We couldn’t wait to rebook them, and this time we are offering two performances; tickets for both the matinee and evening performances are available on our website.   

Resident company A.V.A. Ballet Theatre brings back another audience favorite with PETER PAN March 15-16. Featuring choreography by Artistic Director Alexander Van Alstyne and live accompaniment by the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, this family-friendly ballet based on the beloved classic children’s story is sure to send your heart soaring. March 22-23 we look forward to BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR CONCERTO, part of The Reno Phil’s Classix series. Conducted by Laura Jackson, this program also includes a World Premiere performance of The Sacrifice of Prometheus by Great Basin National Park’s Artist-in-Residence composer Marko Bajzer. This brand-new composition tells the story of the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, which is not only Nevada’s state tree but also the oldest species of tree in the world.

 

Finishing out the month of March, our 30^th Anniversary Season of Broadway Comes to Reno presents eight performances of THE WIZ, March 25-30. This groundbreaking musical just returned to Broadway for the first time in 40 years, celebrating its iconic soundtrack of soul, gospel, rock, and funk. We are among the few cities lucky enough to present this tour, and we can’t wait to “ease on down the road” with Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion while they journey to the Emerald City and beyond.

The fun continues into April as we welcome Alton Brown, the icon who reinvented the cooking show format while becoming a Food Network star. He returns to the Pioneer Center April 2 with ALTON BROWN: LAST BITE to share a hilarious and entertaining onstage culinary show like you’ve never seen. The Reno Phil’s Classix season concludes April 12-13 with LORD NELSON MASS. This dramatic “mass for troubled times” composed by Joseph Haydn will also feature the Reno Phil Chorus performing alongside the full orchestra.

In addition to all of these incredible performances taking place on our mainstage, our lifelong learning entertainment program tailor-made for seniors, GOLDEN ENCORE, also continues throughout the winter and into the spring. Check our website, subscribe to our email newsletter, and follow us on social media to stay up to date on these upcoming free performances taking place in venues all across the community.

 

As always, a word of consumer caution - fraudulent ticketing websites are abundant, and they use digital ads on online search engines that are specifically intended to target theater patrons.  Please remember that the ONLY official website to secure your tickets to performances at the Pioneer Center is www.pioneercenter.com. We do not guarantee the validity of tickets sold on any other site, and patrons who purchase tickets on third-party websites are at risk of fraudulent transactions and may not be granted admission to the event. 

We are thankful for all the incredible experiences we’ve shared with our community throughout 2024, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to our historic theater for even more exciting programming in 2025. During these dark and cold winter months, we encourage you to join your friends and neighbors here in the warmth, light, and camaraderie of your hometown performing arts center. We’ll see you soon!

Dennyse Sewell is the CEO of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno, Nevada

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