Timothy Smith ’96
A science major might take it amiss when advised to stick to acting. But Tim Smith is grateful to his biology teacher, the late Dr. Barbara Stahl, for helping him realize where his real talent lay. And who knows? His natural sciences major may have influenced his favorite role—that of a carnivorous plant from outer space in the Abbey Players production "Little Shop of Horrors."

Smith starred in three musicals at Saint Anselm and went on to earn an MFA at Rhode Island College. He completed his studies at Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, where he developed a love of Shakespeare. After acting and directing in Rhode Island, Iowa, Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and Chicago, he returned to his home town, Worcester, Mass., to form Redfeather Theatre Company in 2003. He staged "Twelfth Night" and "Two Gentlemen from Verona" in the company’s first full season at Green Hill Park Amphitheatre. This year, he earned praise for his "highly charged" open-air production of "The Tempest."

When he’s not directing, Smith is teaching acting classes at the College of the Holy Cross; singing and dancing (in "Urine-town: The Musical" at Boston’s Lyric Theatre); or sifting through the hundreds of scripts sent to him by aspiring playwrights.

"I get a kick out of reading them. One out of a hundred is remarkable," he says. "I enjoy working with new writers; they’re so jazzed about their work, and it’s a daring thing to do."

Attention theatre buffs: contact Tim for a free ticket to Redfeather’s next production!