Tom Smith
Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance and Professor of Theatre
he/him
Phone: 253-535-7323
Email: smithtt@plu.edu
Office Location:Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts - Room 217
Website: http://www.tomsmithplaywright.com
- Professional
- Biography
- Personal
Education
- M.F.A., Directing and Acting, University of Missouri-Kansas City
- B.A., Dramatic Arts, Whitman College
- Certification, Secondary Education, Whitman College
Areas of Emphasis or Expertise
- Playwriting
- Directing
- Acting
- Improvisation
- Theatre Management
Selected Publications
- A Christmas Carol, published by YouthPLAYS
- What Comes Around…, published by YouthPLAYS
- ESL, published by YouthPLAYS
- Drinking Habits, published by Playscripts
- Two Gentlemen of Verona (editor), published by Eldridge Press
- Gray, published by Original Works Online
- Peter Pan: an awfully big adventure, published by Playscripts.com
- The Odyssey, published by Playscripts.com
- Marguerita’s Secret Diary, published by Baker's Plays
- The Pathmaker, published by Encore Performance Publishing
Books
- The Other Blocking: Teaching and Performing Improvisation (Kendall Hunt 2009) : View Book
Selected Presentations
- Association of Theatre in Higher Education, Integrating New Plays and Playwrights into a University Season (August 2015)
- Association of Theatre in Higher Education, Best Practices: Ideas, Exercises and Approaches for a Beginning Playwriting Course (August 2015)
- Association of Theatre in Higher Education, Association of Theatre in Higher Education (August 2015)
- NMSU College of Arts and Sciences, Adapting History to the Stage, Symposium (February 2014)
Selected Articles
- "More than Games: Integrating Improvisation with Stanislavski Actor Training." METHODs
- "Thinking Inside the Box." Playscripts Blog
- "Craig Lucas." The Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature 2008:
- "Charles Ludlam." The Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature 2008:
- "Charles Busch." The Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature 2008:
- "Broadway Musicals." The Nineties in America, Salem Press
- "Terrence McNally." The Nineties in America, Salem Press
- "Design for Living." The Nineties in America, Salem Press
- "Group Theatre." The Nineties in America, Salem Press
Accolades
- 2021 Faculty Excellence Award in Advising
Professional Memberships/Organizations
Biography
Tom Smith is a playwright, director and improviser. His plays are published by Samuel French, Playscripts, and YouthPLAYS, among others. Monologues from his plays appear in five collections of works, and his short plays have been produced internationally. His work has been enjoyed by audiences in cities across the U.S., including Seattle, Kansas City, San Francisco, and Chicago, as well as in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Tom is also the author of The Other Blocking: Teaching and Performing Improvisation(Kendall Hunt) and articles and reviews for Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, The Players Journal, and several resource books. Tom graduated from Whitman College with a BA in Dramatic Arts and Secondary Education certification, and earned his MFA in Directing from University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a proud member of the Dramatist’s Guild and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Interests
- Improvisation
- GLBTQ
- Coffee
- Finding the perfect chicken pad thai
Social Media