PBS Reno ARTS

Could you put a camera in someone’s face during their biggest disappointment?  Documentarians Nadia & Dominic Gill have experienced that type of challenge often over the years while producing compelling films like Feeding The Rat, Marcus & Me and The [Conserv]atives.  Recorded live at the 2nd annual Lake Tahoe Documentary Film Festival. 

Since the year 2000 Ageless Repertory Theatre has been performing in Reno, providing entertaining productions while offering performers a way to get on stage without the time commitment required for other actors.  Longtime PBS Reno friend and colleague Ron Smith, joined by his wife Pat, explain and demonstrate the experience of an A.R.T. show.    Learn more at https://www.renolittletheater.org/art-at-rlt

Now that his film Mimics is available for streaming, we revisit February's conversation with hometown boy turned Hollywood actor Kristoffer Polaha, who was in Reno premiering Mimics and dropped by for a conversation about his career and the role Reno played in shaping it.   Mimics is now available through Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Apple TV and other streaming services.

Reposting a favorite from August 2025 -  Sierra Arts Executive Director Tracey Oliver has been everything over her eleven years there, starting as a volunteer and growing over time into her current position.  She marks the 25 years of Sierra Arts in the Riverside Artist Lofts by telling us about the many programs Sierra Arts offers and the way they support local artists and encourage the growth and sustainability of the arts in this region. 

Reposting a favorite from October 2025 -  With the recent opening of the Charles and Stacie Mathewson Education + Research Center, the Nevada Museum of Art has expanded in a way that allows greater impact on the community in many ways.  The museum’s Charles N. Mathewson Senior V.P. of Education and Research, Colin Robertson, tells us all about the positive changes and new opportunities afforded by this growth.   

Hometown boy turned Hollywood actor, Kristoffer Polaha was in town premiering his new movie Mimics, and dropped by for a conversation about his career and the role Reno played in shaping it.  

How do you create characters and mysteries from just your imagination?  In the second of two parts (begun on Wild Nevadacast, Jack Kelly discusses his freshly published novellas, Cahill’s Journal, which came out in mid 2025, and The Pallbearer, just released.  Jack's books are available at https://books.by/jack-kelly

Celebrating the best of PBS Reno Arts with this re-posting from February 2025.   2024 Silver Pen Award winner Laura Newman had a new book releasing in March 2025.  She treated us to readings from a story in The Darling of the Black Rock Desert and discussed her work, which is partially informed by her insatiable desire to travel and experience the world.  

Director Stacey Spain and Actor Bradford Ka'ai'ai are about to open Lonely Planet, presented by Brüka Theatre.  This examination of grief, fear, and how they affect our behaviors should be a fascinating show to experience.  Spain and Ka'ai'ai explain in depth the work that goes into putting together a theatrical performance, considering all facets.  

Celebrating the best of PBS Reno Arts with this re-posting from April 2025.   Jessica Santina has been writing theater reviews for the Reno News & Review for years, and in a smaller city like Reno that can be sensitive work.  It can also be difficult working with your spouse, and since Jessica is married to this podcast’s host it might make for an unusual episode.   

Celebrating the best of PBS Reno Arts with this re-posting from November 2024.  It’s the 50th anniversary of Dr. Donald Johanson’s discovery of the Australopithecus afarensis Lucy in Ethiopia.  We learn how Dr. Johanson continues to emphasize the importance of science communication at the Institute of Human Origins at ASU, which he founded.  His continuing mission is to advance our understanding of human history.

Chuck Reider is a regular contributor to ART VIEWS and a longtime member of the Reno Jazz Orchestra. He talks about the art of writing about music and promotes Home for the Holidays, the upcoming December 7 RJO performance.  

ARTEFFECTS Season 11 has begun and Producer Rebecca Cronon tells us of the stories that launched the season and the exciting upcoming projects that we'll be able to see in December and beyond.  

Dave Mencarelli was a well-loved comic who we featured in an ARTEFFECTS story about standup comedy.  Dave passed away in September 2025, leaving a legacy of laughter, kindness and generosity.  Two of his friends, host Dave Santina and new PBS Reno Development Officer Connie Wray, share their memories.  Watch the story on ARTEFFECTS here: https://www.pbs.org/video/episode-515-vhnuav/Watch Dave's reaction to the story winning an award here: https://www.pbs.org/video/episode-629-9ea7y0/

This month sees the start of the 2025/26 season for Brüka, and Producing Artistic Director Mary Bennett is here to introduce us to the incredible variety of performance that is about to unfold this year, beginning with the wildly creative musical Club Inferno. 

With the recent opening of the Charles and Stacie Mathewson Education + Research Center, the Nevada Museum of Art has expanded in a way that allows greater impact on the community in many ways.  The museum’s Charles N. Mathewson Senior V.P. of Education and Research, Colin Robertson, tells us all about the positive changes and new opportunities afforded by this growth.  

We're approaching Halloween, where everyone is entitled to a good scare. Holly Spahr & Guinivere Clark aim to give it to us.  They explain how this year's Dark Corner Haunt has expanded to the old Nevada State Prison, turning an historic abandoned facility into the scariest place in town.  

Briana Dolan & Kevin O’Keefe, Reno Tahoe International Art Show.  The fourth annual RTIA is only days away, and the show’s founders update us on what’s new this year, including a Burning Man sculpture walk, a bespoke furniture section, and a combination of new artists and old favorites. 

Sierra Arts Executive Director Tracey Oliver has been everything over her eleven years there, starting as a volunteer and growing over time into her current position.  She marks the 25 years of Sierra Arts in the Riverside Artist Lofts by telling us about the many programs Sierra Arts offers and the way they support local artists and encourage the growth and sustainability of the arts in this region.  

 Already an established force in dance and choreography, Martina Young began the Reno-based portion of her career in 1988 and later became the first resident of the Riverside Artist Lofts.  Now, in celebration of 25 years of the Lofts, she, accompanied by Julie Smyres Machado has created “Arabesque,” an unique performance happening in her loft October 11.

A wide-ranging conversation with Kate Mulligan, who has had a fascinating acting career between stage and screen, most recently in the touring Broadway show A Beautiful Noise, where she has spent nearly a year on the road. Mulligan explains how that lifestyle can provide not only the wonderful moments on stage you’d expect, but also an unexpected loneliness and meaningful personal reflection. 

Ian Sorensen and Chris Daniels are two of the eight-person writing team that created Bottom Gun, Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company’s newest offering, and they are also reuniting as improv performers with Crocodile Nixon, a troupe performing monthly at Reno Little Theater.  Sorensen and Daniels talk about the collaborative process and challenges that came along with both projects.  

 One year after her first visit, Beth Macmillan returns to preview the 2025 Artown Festival.  This year features a new venue necessitated by the downtown bridge repairs, one notable reunion and many exhibits, activities and performances to appeal to everyone.  

Marla Paulina is an impresario, keeping cabaret style dance performances alive in the Reno area.  Her latest effort is Velvet Moon, opening later this month.  Marla details how a show like this, with multiple dancers, aerial acrobatics and vocalists, comes to life.  

Tim Young is just beginning his time as the Executive Director of Arts For All Nevada. As he settles into the job at the historic Lake Mansion, he introduces us to the many services the organization provides and invites us all to participate in the exploration of arts and culture.  

A few years ago, Kris Vagner saw that arts journalism was dwindling, so she decided to do something about it.  She founded Double Scoop, a statewide online arts news source that is in its seventh year providing information that may otherwise not be reported.  

When music lover Ford Goodman learned from professional musicians how the business of music works, with many great performers laboring with limited opportunities, he was motivated to find a better way, and the result is For The Song.  Goodman explains how this throwback model takes a retro approach to funding artists and brings more great performances to the Reno area. 

Jessica Santina has been writing theater reviews for the Reno News & Review for years, and in a smaller city like Reno that can be sensitive work.  It can also be difficult working with your spouse, and since Jessica is married to this podcast’s host it might make for an unusual episode.  

Emily Skyle-Golden founded and nurtured the Cordillera Film Festival in Reno into one of the coolest film festivals in the world, with year-round events including the upcoming Future Filmmakers Foundation Film Day coming up on April 19th.  Emily tells us about the event and why it’s such an important part of Cordillera’s mission 

Karen Terrey is the newly-appointed Poet Laureate of Nevada County and is just now beginning her term.  She describes her vision of “bridging the county” to unite the two distinct arts districts on either side of the Sierra and gives a reading of two of her powerful poems. 

Founding Artistic Director of Sierra Nevada Ballet and the SNB Academy in Reno Rosine Bena is also a contributor to Art Views at pbsreno.org/artviews and her latest column introduces this year’s Brew, Brats & Ballet event, which celebrates her 51 year career in dance.  

Laura Newman, Author, The Darling of the Black Rock Desert.  2024 Silver Pen Award winner Laura Newman has a new book releasing in March.  She treats us to readings from a story in The Darling of the Black Rock Desert and discusses her work, which is partially informed by her insatiable desire to travel and experience the world. 

The John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art is a relatively new museum, open since 2019 on the campus of the University of Nevada.  Director Stephanie Gibson introduces us to the museum, its exhibits, philosophy and desire to be a cultural touchstone for the entire community.   

Dana Nollsch is a familiar face to Reno area theater groups.  He talks about his transition from theater photographer to theater reviewer at renoarts.news, and now his new identity as a podcaster with Creatives Talk.

Melissa Taylor, Reno Little Theater.  How do you adapt a classic?  RLT is producing a new adaptation of Dial M For Murder and Director Melissa Taylor gives us a preview of the new production.  Taylor explains the process of directing a 70-year-old play and preparing it for a modern audience.

Megan Berner, City of Reno Arts and Culture Manager. We’ve all seen public art – sculptures and murals and the like – but what do you know about how it got there?  Megan Berner, Arts & Culture Manager for the City of Reno explains the process, tells about the updated master plan and asks for public input, then gives us a preview of some upcoming public art for 2025. 

Dennyse Sewell, CEO, Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. The Pioneer Center is more than just the place to see the Reno Phil, AVA Ballet and Broadway touring shows.  CEO Dennyse Sewell explains the ways the Pioneer is actively reaching out to the community, enriching lives by bringing the arts to the people who need them,and shares her excitement for the next few months of performances.

John Trent is a longtime journalist and University of Nevada, Reno alum who faced the enormous responsibility of writing the University’s 150th Anniversary retrospective book. Trent tells us how he managed it, and what he learned that inspired him during the journey to completing The University of Nevada 1874-2024, 150 Years of Inspiring Excellence.

Chris Lanier, 2024 Reno City Artist. As his term approaches its end, Reno City Artist Chris Lanier discusses the position he’s held since January, his solo exhibit Backyard Radiance  and Slow Draw, his curated City Hall show, plus his role as an art instructor, with all its joys and challenges.

Donald Johanson, Paleoanthropologist. It’s the 50th anniversary of Dr. Donald Johanson’s discovery of the Australopithecus afarensis Lucy in Ethiopia.  We learn how Dr. Johanson continues to emphasize the importance of science communication at the Institute of Human Origins at ASU, which he founded.  His continuing mission is to advance our understanding of human history.

Ryan Costella and Rod Hearn, Democracy Suicide. Can art help us bridge the divides that grip our country?  Ryan Costella has created Democracy Suicide, a nonpartisan stage play that is the result of his own soul searching, which he expressed in the form of poetry, and eventually a staged performance with actors.  Rod Hearn plays one of the four characters who create a moving and powerful experience intended to challenge and inspire audiences. 

Meet George Lam, the Assistant Director of Nevada Humanities, who introduces the 2024 Literary Crawl, happening Saturday, Oct 12 in Reno. The event features a wide spectrum of experiences for visitors: Family friendly activities, writers workshops, panel discussions with authors, readings, screenings and even an open mic. 

How does a curator create a unique and exciting experience for museum visitors?  Ann Wolfe is the Andrea and John C. Deane Family Chief Curator and Associate Director at the Nevada Museum of Art, and the curator of the brand new exhibit Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada. She tells us about the 2 year process to curate a presentation as complex as Deep Time and how she was able to include a personal contribution to the exhibit, a children’s book.

Frances Melhop has created unique art experiences since she abandoned the traditional gallery setting for a nomadic approach.  Her latest exhibit is in the last place you might expect an art gallery – the former Nevada State Prison building.  Melhop tells the story of this unlikely but powerful exhibit and describes how it came to be. 

Michelle Aguilar-Ficara, Lake Tahoe Documentary Film Festival. The first annual Lake Tahoe Documentary Film Festival arrives this year at the Tahoe Blue Event Center.  Film Producer and Festival Director Michelle Aguilar-Ficara introduces listeners to this new event as well as her own entry into the festival, Momentum, which is currently available for viewing on the PBS App. 

Scott Faulkner is well-known for his work with the Reno Philharmonic and Reno Chamber Orchestra, but as one of the writers of Art Views, Scott covers subjects far beyond classical music, and as the faculty director of the League of American Orchestras’ Essentials of Orchestra Management seminar he helps shape future leaders in the industry. 

What does it take to do improvisational acting? Actor and improv comedian Ian Sorensen takes us through his thinking in an improv performance and introduces us to the Midtown Improv Jam at Reno Little Theatre. 

Executive Director Joe Atack introduces the 2024 Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival season along with the exciting variety of musical performers who will appear on the Sand Harbor stage this summer and fall.

Steve Trounday tells the story behind AVA ballet, describes the challenges to the operation of a ballet company and looks forward to this upcoming season of performances.  

Executive Director of Artown Beth Macmillan previews the 2024 Artown festival, highlighting performances, exhibits and events she is most looking forward to throughout July.