Duane Smith Auditorium
About Duane Smith Auditorium
Duane Smith Auditorium is the largest performance venue in Los Alamos County. Located on the campus of Los Alamos High School, DSA has hosted concerts, plays, musicals, ballets and other performances. It features a 2,800 square foot stage and seating for up to 944.
Renovations completed in 2018 included improved restrooms, updates in the lobby area and a new pre-concert area, which is available for chamber music performances and pre-concert lectures.
Built in 1950, the facility was originally called the Civic Auditorium. In 1994, it was renamed the Duane Smith Auditorium in honor of LAPS Superintendent Duane Smith.
Upcoming Community Events
Los Alamos Concert Association
The Los Alamos Concert Association was formed in 1946, when the town was still a closed military base for the Manhattan Project, and has been bringing world class artists to Los Alamos ever since. For more information about LACA or to purchase tickets for any of the upcoming performances, go to losalamosconcert.org.
Upcoming School Events
LAHS Olions Present [Title of Show]
Friday, May 14th; Saturday, May 15th, Thursday, May 21st and Friday, May 22nd
Shows start at 7 pm. Tickets are not sold at the door. Go to https://www.onthestage.com/show/los-alamos-high-school/title-of-show-50026 to purchase your tickets.
Duane W. Smith and the Los Alamos Community Foundation
Duane W. Smith worked for the Los Alamos Public Schools from 1959 until his untimely death in 1979, when he was Superintendent of LAPS. In 1994, the auditorium was named for him and in 2018 the auditorium was remodeled with funds from the Los Alamos Public Schools and the Los Alamos County. In 2018 an endowment was created by Duane’s wife, Joan Brown and his daughter, Kelly Myers. The Los Alamos Community Foundation is the fiscal sponsor of the Duane W. Smith Auditorium and funds collected so far are just shy of $30,000. These funds will be used to maintain and upgrade the facility.
Please consider donating to this endowment, especially if you or your children have had the opportunity to use this facility. It is the only venue in town that seats over 900 people.
To donate to The Duane W. Smith Auditorium Endowment, go to: www.losalamoscf.org, under “Giving.”
You may also send a check made out to:
The Los Alamos Community Foundation with “Endowment for Duane Smith Auditorium” in memo and mail to:
Los Alamos Community Foundation, Inc. 1200 Trinity Drive, Suite 143 P.O. Box 1225 Los Alamos, NM 87544
Additional questions on ways to give to the fund can be directed to LACF at 505-661-4420.
Los Alamos Schools Thankful for Duane Smith Endowment
The Los Alamos Public Schools and the Los Alamos Community Foundation are pleased to announce that the Endowment for Duane Smith Auditorium (DSA) has had a successful first year and is now actively paying out. These proceeds are used to fund the preservation needs of this valuable resource that serves not only LAPS, but the entire community.
According to Executive Director of the Los Alamos Community Foundation, Rachel Kizielewicz, the fund started earning interest with the establishing contribution from donors Joan Smith Brown and Kelly Myers in August 2018. Each year going forward the annual earnings from the fund will be put to immediate use. “It is rewarding to see an initial idea that Kelly and Joan had to preserve the auditorium for the community’s benefit now come to fruition. Over the past year, this fund has been supported by a number of people in the community,” said Rachel, “As the endowment continues to mature, we look forward to the annual distributions being larger and even more impactful.”
Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus said, “On behalf of the Los Alamos schools, we are very thankful and look forward to continuing to work with the Community Foundation for the benefit of students and everyone that uses the auditorium.”
The first tangible example of the impact of these proceeds is the recent installation of a new sound shell for music performances at DSA. The Los Alamos Concert Association (LACA) used the sound shell for the first time on Sunday for Shai Wosner and Orion Weiss’ performance.
The reception of the sound shell was positive. LACA’s Artistic Director, Ann McLaughlin said, “The new shell is much easier (and safer!) to set up.” She also noted that an unexpected bonus for LACA is that the new shell is more efficient in directing sound out into the audience. “We could really tell the difference and the wood grain finish looks great!” said Ann.
The Duane Smith Auditorium, originally called the Civic Auditorium, was built in 1950 and stood as the main facility in which local organizations could host plays and performances due to its spacious stage and seating area. The building was renamed in 1994 to Duane Smith Auditorium after well-loved LAPS Superintendent Duane Smith.
The Los Alamos Community Foundation is excited to share that a donor has put forth $10,000 in matching funds, which will provide a dollar for dollar match to the next $10,000 in public contributions that are made to the fund. Contributions can be made via check (mailed to LACF, PO Box 1225, Los Alamos, NM 87544, with Endowment for Duane Smith Auditorium in the memo line), or online at www.losalamoscf.org, under the ‘giving’ tab, then ‘available funds’.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards six local endowment funds and total assets of more than $266,500. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
Additional questions on ways to give to the fund can be directed to Kizielewicz at rachel@losalamoscf.org or 505-661-4420.
Contact Information
Duane Smith Auditorium Manager Ryan Daly
Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com