PBS Reno ARTS

As we celebrate America 250, let's revisit another milestone anniversary celebration. John Trent is a longtime journalist and University of Nevada 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, 15...

First time author Madelyn Postman has written a powerful and personal book, part memoir, part narrative nonfiction based on her family’s story as it unfolds across more than a century.  She explains the path she took from childhood in Reno through her remarkable life up to now as a newly acclaimed writer.  Staring into the Sun is published by Orange Hat and available now.   https://www.orangehatpu...

Molly Carr is a world-class violist with the Juilliard String Quartet and half of the acclaimed Carr/Petrova Duo (with Anna Petrova), but with all that, her greatest passion is Project: Music Heals Us, an initiative that is making a significant difference in the lives of many who desperately need it.  

Summer is almost here and that means the Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series.  Brewery Arts Center Executive Director Spike McGuire tells us who’s coming and when, and fills us in on all the other good stuff happening at BAC.   See the concert list at breweryarts.org.

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/ar...

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 an...

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...

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 o...

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...

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 regi...

 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.