How the Pioneer Center is Trying to Grow the Latino Theater Community

Theater fans from across Northern Nevada gathered in early June to celebrate the upcoming 2026-2027 Broadway Comes to Reno season at the Pioneer Center. Now in its 32nd season, which kicks off in October 2026, the Curtain Up! concert celebrated and featured performances from local talent as well as actors from the upcoming Broadway shows, and it previewed all seven shows for the upcoming season, as well as a newly announced eighth show. 

Despite it’s decades long operations in Reno, the representation of Latinos on the Pioneer Center stage has been few and far between.

While “Hamilton” – which is coming to the Pioneer Center this upcoming season for a second time – is well-renowned for its casting of Latino and other nonwhite actors, the story it tells is not about Latinos. The musical “Evita“ has played at the Pioneer Center twice, first in Broadway Comes to Reno’s inaugural season in 1995, and again in 2007. However, it does not address issues related to Latinos in the U.S. Otherwise, there have been very few Latino-centric Broadway shows to play in Reno’s premiere performing arts facility.

The Pioneer Center’s Chief Executive Officer Dennyse Sewell explained the connection between the lack of Latino stories on their stage and the financial restraints of the touring Broadway companies. 

“For the most part, Broadway in New York City is really pushing boundaries with casting decisions,” she said, “One of the biggest challenges with touring Broadway is getting a show that has been able to sustain itself […] And so shows that will sustain in the middle of the country as well as on the coasts, are typically the ones that have the financial backing to mount a tour.” 

Sewell added that the center puts a lot of focus on Latino outreach and inclusion in their other programs, such as their youth education programs and their summer dance festival, Dog Days of Summer. Sewell said that when it comes to student outreach, they always have bilingual programs and Spanish-speaking staff available, to offer Latino children the same experience as English-speaking ones.

She also spoke of Dog Days of Summer, which will be hosted on the outdoor plaza of the Pioneer Center this August for its fifth season.

“Every year, we commission a series of local dance companies out on the plaza for a three-night festival, and we’ve always, always hired Latino dance companies as part of that,” Sewell said. “This is exactly what we want to do with it, is make sure that it is a new voice in the community, in terms of what we would typically see.”

Broadway Comes to Reno has been growing each year, and 2026-2027 will be its biggest season yet with eight total shows. The series is also growing this year with a new title sponsor, Plumas Bank.

“Plumas Bank believes in the collaboration between business and the arts. And the reason is, our mission is to help local economies thrive,” Stacy Kendall, senior vice president of marketing said during a pre-show during the Tuesday. “That’s why we exist. And art springs vitality, creativity, economic diversity, to the communities that we serve.”

With the series getting stronger and the financial support growing, Broadway Comes to Reno hopes to grow even more in the coming years. Maybe this will bring a Latino-centric show soon to the Pioneer Center’s stage.

Written by Cecelia Arroyo