Few Las Vegas entertainers enjoyed the success of star impressionist Danny Gans, and UNLV is ensuring permanence to his legacy in its upcoming Nevada Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Encore headliner Danny Gans died May 1, 2009. Photo by: Leila Navidi
The longtime Las Vegas headliner, who died unexpectedly in May 2009 at age 52, is among the inductees to the ninth annual event, set for Feb. 24 at 7:15 p.m. at UNLV’s Artemus Ham Hall. As part of the $60 ticket price, a pre-event cocktail hour and silent auction will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Ballroom of the UNLV Student Union (tickets are available at the UNLV Performing Arts Center Box Office or by calling 895-2787).
The Rainbow Company Youth Theater and famed resort designer Roger Thomas, who designed the interiors of The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio on The Strip and the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas, will join Gans as the hall's 2011 inductees.
The wide-ranging program also includes a tribute to the late Tony Curtis, who spoke frequently to students in UNLV’s film classes, and a new honor, the College of Fine Arts Dean's Medal, to be awarded to JMA Architecture Studios President and CEO Thomas Schoeman.
Already a member of the Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame, Schoeman is being honored with the inaugural award for his role in helping establish and grow the UNLV School of Architecture.
Honoring Gans is a bittersweet decision, as he had without question built a career that had entertained multitudes of visitors to Las Vegas and seemed to have a long career still ahead of him at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas at the time of his death. His children are expected to accept the award on his behalf.
Gans’ longtime friend and manager, Chip Lightman, said he was grateful the university moved to honor a man who, he said, deserved an enduring legacy in Las Vegas.
“It’s wonderful, just wonderful, a great way to honor Danny,” Lightman said today during a phone conversation. “The only other landmark in town that has his name attached is the Lili Claire Building on Twain (Lili Claire was a charity favored by Gans). If it isn’t for this type of recognition, a lot of people wouldn’t know he was ever here.”
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