Friday, March 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Members of a presidential arts committee are getting a close-up look at Las Vegas' cultural scene.
The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Arts, members of which are appointed by the president to represent the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., is holding its quarterly meeting this weekend at The Mirage.
In addition to working sessions and seminars, the group will be entertained by the Green Valley High School Madrigal Singers, attend a production of "Mystere" at Treasure Island, attend a seminar at UNLV, and take in other cultural events in the valley.
Robin Greenspun, wife of SUN Vice President Danny Greenspun, serves on the committee. She explained that through the Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration on Tour, "literature is brought to life" for Clark County School District students.
For instance, the center has brought a production of John Steinbeck's "The Pearl" to Las Vegas, as well as "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen.
The next production scheduled for a Las Vegas stop is Judy Blume's "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing." Performance dates and times are not yet firm.
The performances are free to local schoolchildren. The only expense involved is paying for the buses used to transport the students to the performance, which individual schools must pay.
Coordination of the Kennedy Center programs with the Clark County School District is handled by Candy Schneider, assistant director of the School-Community Partnership Program.
According to Dulce Zahniser, manager of national constituencies for the Kennedy Center, in addition to bringing performances to the community, the Imagination tour also provides arts workshops and educational material for teachers and a question-and-answer period after the performance for students.
Another Kennedy Center program that Las Vegas has benefited from is the American College Theatre Festival. Jeff Koep, dean of UNLV's College of Fine and Performing Arts, chairs the program. It awards prizes for acting, theatrical design, directing and play writing to college and university students.
The president's committee meets twice a year in Washington, D.C., and at locations throughout the United States two more times a year. The purpose of the non-Washington locations, according to Greenspun, is so that members "can see what is happening culturally" in other U.S. cities.
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