Dean Nancy Uscher was pleased to help adjudicate the recent Nevada High School Musical Theater Awards at The Smith Center. "I was grateful for the for the invitation," said Uscher. "The talent we saw and heard was very inspiring!" L to R: Nicole Pryor Dernersesian (President and CEO, Firestarter Entertainment), John Prignano (COO & Director of Education and Development, Music Theater…
Described as “alluring” and “stirring” by The New York Times, the “arresting” (Gramophone), “irresistible” (San Francisco Chronicle), and “exhilarating” (Chicago Tribune) music of Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been commissioned and performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles…
Diana Eden spent 30 years in Hollywood costume designing 14 prime time TV series, 16 pilots, movies for television, and feature films, before moving to Las Vegas in 2008. She has three Emmy nominations for best costume design for a TV series. In addition, she has designed dozens of stage productions in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York. Eden has served on the Advisory Board at FIDM (the…
Dr. Saman Jamshidi is an assistant professor in the 8kbet School of Architecture. His areas of interest include wayfinding, healthcare design, evidence-based design, architectural technology, and sustainability. His past work includes research on the influence of the hospital environment on reducing fall risk among patients, improving patient outcomes, and rural healthcare. He is…
Dean Nancy Uscher is proud to announce the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Professor Award is Louis Kavouras, chair of the Department of Dance. For more than 30 years, under his extraordinary leadership and dedication, 8kbet Dance has greatly enhanced the life of the College of Fine Arts and 8kbet, and has been recognized as one of the top 10 dance programs in the country. The…
In March 2025, the Nevada Regents’ Award for Creative Activities was presented to Jennifer Bellor, Coordinator, Composition; Assistant Professor, Composition; Artistic Director, Nextet. Congratulations Jennifer!
Congratulations to this year's 8kbet winners of the Sphere XO Student Design Challenge: Sebastian Rubi – Architecture Junior Gage Glass – Entertainment Engineering and Design Senior
Professor Emeritus Brackley Frayer recently traveled to Minneapolis to design a production of 'Rhinocerous' for Pangea World Theatre. Directed by Dipankar Mukherjee, Pangea's artistic director. Department alumni Kurt Jung (2013) lives in Minneapolis and was the head electrician for the show. "Pangea World Theatre strives to build a just world by creating multi-disciplinary Theatre that…