The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Performing Arts Center and the Ira Aldridge Theatre Company presented their 2nd Annual “Hands Across the Arts” benefit on Friday, April 3 at the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre on CSN’s Cheyenne Campus. 

The event honored longtime Las Vegas headliner CLINT HOLMES with a “Lifetime Performing Arts Award” and COMMISSIONER LAWRENCE WEEKLY with a “Lifetime Community Service Award.”  John Fendi emceed the event.   

The evening began with a VIP Reception followed by an awards presentation.  Afterwards, a premiere of the 1964 Broadway hit “The Amen Corner” written by James Baldwin and produced and directed by WALTER MASON was presented. 

“The Amen Corner,” a play about faith and family, tells the story of how Sister Margaret Alexander moved her Harlem congregation with a mixture of personal charisma and ferocious piety. This was the second of several performances planned by The Ira Aldridge Theatre Company to benefit CSN’s Performing Arts Center. 

The Ira Aldridge Theater Company of Nevada was founded by producer, actor and director WALTER MASON. It is a professional theatre training program for at-risk children and people of all ages. The program provides quality theatre training for the beginner, who is exploring theatre and acting for the first time, as well as the advanced student with previous experience. The theatre’s name, Ira Aldredge, commemorates the American stage actor who made his career largely on the London Stage. He is the only actor of African-American descent among the 33 actors of the English Stage with bronze plaques at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon.

WALTER MASON, founder and artistic director of The Ira Aldridge Theater Company of Nevada, is a native of Detroit, Michigan, who earned a Master’s Degree in Theatre from Wayne State University, Mason is an award-winning actor, director and producer. He directed James Earl Jones in the European production of “Emperor Jones” and was an associate to Lloyd Richards, dean of the Yale University School of Drama, at Yale and on Broadway.  Mason also worked as production manager for Now Grove (formerly Coconut Grove) in Los Angeles where he worked with Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Gladys Knight, Ella Fitzgerald, Lola Falana, Duke Ellington, Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Diahann Carroll, Jimmy Durante and Jackie Gleason.  His fondest memory is serving as Sammy Davis Jr.’s production manager and drama coach for nine years. From 1986 to 1999, he was the first Black entertainment director of the LAS VEGAS HILTON.  He began his career more than 50 years ago conducting and performing for the Detroit Institute of Arts. He has performed in or managed the production of such plays as “A Raisin in the Sun,” “The Yearling,” “Golden Boy,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.”  He has played the title role in “Othello” seven times and Caliban in “The Tempest” on two occasions.

“Hands Across the Arts” was established by CSN’s Performing Arts Center with the Ira Aldridge Theatre Company to fund the development of, and access to the arts for underserved populations in the Las Vegas community.  The net proceeds of all “Hands Across the Arts” productions benefit both the CSN Performing Arts Center and the Ira Aldridge Theatre Company.  Under the capable and enthusiastic leadership of Ms. Brenda Talley, the CSN Performing Arts Center plays a pivotal role in shaping the artistic and cultural lives of young people in Clark County, especially those who are economically less fortunate but rich in talent and ability.

Due to the recent statewide budget cuts, the Performing Arts Center is in danger of not being able to continue educational programs of years past.  Cuts this year have already put its SchoolFest Program - two weeks of theatre performances by the Shakespearean Festival designed to provide education experiences for Clark County School District students - at serious risk.  

This Hands Across The Arts event raised much needed funding to support the performing arts students.  The Title Sponsor of the event was Cox Communications.

Dedication Of Robert “Bob” Price Recreation Center

Clark County Parks and Recreation dedicated the Robert “Bob” Price Recreation Center. The center replaces the long-standing Sunrise Recreation Center.

Former Clark County Assemblyman Robert E. “Bob” Price, Commissioner Tom Collins and representatives from Clark County Parks & Recreation were represented at the event. “He was a champion of that area for many years,” Commissioner Tom Collins said. “He is long overdue for this recognition.”

And I, having known and seen the work Bob Price has done for the community, totally agree. 

The center is named for former Clark County Assemblyman Robert E. “Bob” Price. A retired electrician, Price moved to Las Vegas shortly after high school graduation in the 1950s and went on to serve in the legislature for 29 years. During his tenure, he was the chair of Economic Development and created the Film Commission, spoke in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment, received the Ethics in Government Award from Common Cause, proposed and passed ethics legislation and “sunshine laws” requiring open meetings, served on the Bicentennial Committee and the Committee on the Constitution, served on all the legislative committees and proposed a resolution, that later passed, to remove a section of the Nevada Constitution that states women are not allowed to hold office.

Price and his wife Nancy now live in Sparks, Nevada where they leave on occasion to travel. When he’s home, you can often find him at political meetings or playing with Duke, a dog he and his family rescued. (This dog is the same breed as Senator Ted Kennedy’s dog and the breed that President Obama will have.) At the event, Bob and his wife, Nancy, celebrated their 25th anniversary.

Robert “Bob” Price Recreation Center is at 2050 Bonnie Lane, adjacent to the Cora Coleman Senior Center Located off of Lake Mead Boulevard between Hollywood and Nellis Boulevards  The 20,000-square-foot facility features a gymnasium with regulation basketball court and padded floor, rooms for classes such as gymnastics, yoga, piano, ballet, belly dancing and Samurai sword; tiny tot gym and meeting space.

The center replaces the Sunrise Recreation Center, the oldest recreation center in Clark County Parks and Recreation, which closed to the public in December after a storm damaged its electrical components. Clark County took over the park in 1971 with the center and pool opening in 1974. The center served the surrounding neighborhood for nearly 35 years. 

Congratulations to a most deserving individual, “Bob” Price.