DIRECTING & DEVISING

Selected Productions

ASTUTULI

A theatrical stage performance with dancers in white costumes, some dancing in pairs, others standing or sitting, and a large puppet or figure dressed in gold with outstretched arms at center. The background features abstract, colorful visuals projec

The stage of a theater performance with actors in colorful costumes, a large green digital backdrop projecting a shadow of a person, and live musicians playing on the side.

The image shows a group of young women performing on stage, wearing colorful patchwork dresses, with some dancing and others watching. There is an older woman in black with a green patterned shawl standing to the side, holding a script or book. The b

A man with gray hair and glasses, conducting an orchestra or choir, is standing at a music stand with sheet music. Musical instruments, including drums and electronic devices with screens, are visible around him.

People sitting in a dark auditorium watching a performance with some individuals standing and gesturing on stage. Audience members are seated, observing the event.

A colorful stage performance featuring actors in costumes, with an audience clapping and watching. The stage background is colorful and vibrant.

EVERYBODY

A woman in a blue shirt standing with arms raised in front of a large illuminated circular sculpture on a dark wall.

Silhouettes of several people standing in a line against a bright light, creating shadowed profiles in a dark environment.

A group of people are dressed in skeleton costumes, standing in a line, with a woman sitting on a bench to the right, in front of a large circular neon light that is glowing pink and blue.

Performance on a stage with dancers in skeleton costumes under green lighting, with circular light projections in the background and green drapes on sides.

Three performers on stage, with one woman in the foreground wearing black and lace, another woman to her right in a blue jacket and patterned pants, and a woman in purple behind them. The background features a large, illuminated circular design and s

HEAR THEM ROAR

A diverse group of young people standing on a stage surrounded by colorful protest posters with messages supporting women's rights and equality, some wearing casual clothing and others dressed in vintage or themed costumes.

A group of nine actors on stage in historical costumes, standing in a row and smiling, with a blue backdrop and green stage design, in a theater setting.

A group of people at night engaged in a protest or demonstration. Some are dressed in historical clothing, holding signs, with one sign reading 'VOTE NO FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE'.

Two women wearing vintage clothing and hats, engaged in conversation on a stage with a sign reading 'Lotsa' in the background.

Two people dressed in vintage attire sitting close together, engaged in a serious conversation on a stage with a green and black backdrop, a wooden ballot box labeled 'Ballots' in the background.

Three people standing together in front of a colorful protest or rally poster wall, holding hands, dressed in vintage-style clothing, including hats and scarves, with an expression of surprise or concern.

THE TRIANGLE PROJECT

Dramatic scene of children in a dimly lit room with red lighting, some hugging and others reaching out, with a figure distantly visible on a raised surface.

Group of actors on stage in period costumes, some sitting and some standing, with a dark background and orange lighting.

Two women wearing elaborate, decorated hats with food items and accessories on them, sitting against a dark background; one is smoking a cigarette.

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Two young actors performing on stage; the male actor wears a flat cap and checkered jacket, the female actor holds a ukulele and wears a light-colored blouse and skirt; they are in a theatrical production with a gray backdrop decorated with map or di

A woman dressed in black with a dark hat and white gloves sitting on a park bench, surrounded by children and a woman dressed in historical clothing, in a park during autumn.

Three people dressed in vintage clothing, two women and one man, standing in a park during autumn. The women are holding signs with lists of demands, resembling a protest or demonstration.

A historical reenactment or theatrical performance in an outdoor park setting with a crowd watching. The performers are dressed in period clothing, and one appears to be attacking another on the ground. The scene is set against an urban backdrop with

A scene from the musical "The Sound of Music" with actors portraying the von Trapp family, seated at wooden tables on a stage with a backdrop featuring musical note and star outlines.

People in a dimly lit room with red lighting, some are standing and some are seated on benches, appearing to be dancing or performing.

The image depicts a classroom scene with children dressed in old-fashioned clothing, sitting at wooden desks. There are 12 children, with some sitting at the desks and others standing or leaning on the desks. A teacher, an adult male in vintage attir

Two women having a conversation indoors, one is smiling and holding a coat, the other is gesturing with her finger, with a background of abstract black lines on a gray wall.

Silhouettes of people dancing and socializing in a dimly lit room with orange lighting and smoke or fog, creating a lively, energetic atmosphere.

Dramatic stage scene with silhouettes of performers, bright spotlights shining downward, and stage props.

A group of people, possibly a theater cast, sitting around wooden tables in a room with a stage. The background features a large, schematic drawing of geometric or technical diagrams on the wall.

Costumed actors performing a historical reenactment for a small outdoor audience in a park.

People watching a street performer acting as a character from the 1800s in a park, with trees and a bench in the background.

People dressed in vintage clothing participating in a historical reenactment or demonstration in an outdoor park with autumn trees and lampposts.

The image shows a group of young women sitting at wooden desks in a classroom setting, with a diagram of geometric shapes and lines on the blackboard behind them.

Group of people dressed in vintage clothing standing outside a building with a sign that reads 'Joseph and Violet Pleas Hall, New York University'.

Two women dressed in vintage clothing and hats sit on a park bench surrounded by trees and fallen leaves.

A group of people gathered outdoors around two individuals seated on a park bench engaged in conversation, with trees and a fence in the background.

Group of four women and one man dressed in vintage clothing, standing outdoors in a park during daytime, with trees and buildings in the background.

Children on stage performing a play, with a backdrop of a large technical drawing or blueprint of a mechanical or architectural diagram.

A group of mannequins depicting a historical scene, including a firefighter in uniform holding a clipboard, in a dimly lit room.

A group of women in historical clothing standing in a dimly lit room.

SONDER

Four people are dancing on a stage with green lighting, surrounded by round illuminated platforms, in a dark room with a green wall backdrop.

Three people sitting at a white table with laptops in a dark room, engaging with each other.

The image shows three performers on stage with a green-lit background. The man in the front appears to be jumping or falling with an excited expression. The two women behind him are standing, one smiling and wearing a witch's hat, suggesting they are

Children performing on a stage with red circular platforms and a dark background.

Two women, one with dark skin and curly hair, and the other with light skin and short brown hair, are sitting close together on a stage, with the dark-skinned woman touching the other woman's face while the other woman closes her eyes.

Group of children standing on stage in a theater with red lighting and black background, some wearing casual clothes and one girl wearing bunny ears headband.

A group of people participating in a theater or stage performance, with some sitting around a circular stage and one standing behind a small elevated platform. The standing woman is holding heart-shaped signs with Chinese characters and smiling at a

A group of children and teenagers standing on circular white platforms on a stage, with some looking forward or to the side. There are theatrical lights and a plain backdrop behind them. Audience members are partially visible at the edges of the imag

TALES OF THE LOST FORMICANS

Stage scene with actors performing, some lying on the floor, others standing or bending, under string lights on a dark background. The scene has a theatrical, possibly comedic or intense tone.

A person wearing dark sunglasses and a colorful blazer holds a detailed miniature cityscape with tall buildings.

A man in a plaid shirt and khakis holds papers and looks at an alien figure dressed in a shiny gold spacesuit with large black eyes, standing on a stage with a dark background and star-like lights.

BEYOND THE NORTH WIND

Silhouettes of a person holding a child's hand and a large puppet of a wolf against a blue-lit backdrop.

A theatrical puppet show with a person in casual clothing interacting with a puppet on a stage.

A digital stage display featuring a glowing outline of a person with arms outstretched, with a dark background and another illuminated screen nearby.

SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL

Actors in a theatrical production dressed in historical costumes on stage, with a blue background and a bookshelf, performing a scene.

Two men dressed in 18th-century period costumes, one with a white wig and brown coat, and the other with gray hair and glasses, holding and examining a piece of paper.

Smithner has explored multiple genres with large casts in her directing projects, including Astutuli (Orff), Everybody (Jacobs-Jenkins), The Good Soul of Szechuan (Brecht), The Tempest, As You Like It, Macbeth, Love’s Labours Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare), The Eumenides (Aeschylus), The Imaginary Invalid (Moliere), School for Scandal (Sheridan), The Tales of the Lost Formicans (Constance Congdon), Sonia Flew (Melinda Lopez), Mad Forest (Caryl Churchill); Tongues (Sam Shepard); The Memorandum (Vaclav Havel) and Voices of women: women’s stories on culture and identity, with contributions from women solo artists in NYC.

Highlights of Smithner’s devised work include Sonder: The Dreams We Carry, created with both graduate and undergraduate NYU students, in collaboration with 18 middle schoolers from the Institute of Collaborative Education; The Last Rat of Theresienstadt, created with Hilary Chaplain, which won the Grand Prize for Best Original Play at the Lalka Też Człowiek Festival of 2018 in Warsaw Poland; A Chance Shadow, created with Spica Wobbe through a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation; Provocative Acts: (m)body, a play on perceptions of the body, created with graduate students at NYU, Suddenly there came a tapping: a retelling of the Raven, created with members of Smithner's company, the Ensemble of Movement Theatre, with whom she devised a children’s theatre performance work, Beyond the North Wind, with puppetry and shadow play.

She has created multiple site specific and environmental theatre works including Hear Them Roar: The Fight for Women’s Rights, a devised play about women’s suffrage in Washington Square Park; A Journey Through Time and Space, devised with middle school students of the Institute of Collaborative Education (ICE) in Stuyvesant Square Park; The Triangle Project, a play about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, in Washington Square Park and at the site of the fire; The Poetry Corridor, a collaboration with NYU Advanced Directing Students and middle school students of ICE, in ten floors of the stairwell of the NYU Education Building; Traversing the High Line, devised with 12 NYU graduate students on the High Line in Chelsea; and Evolution, a play created with the inmates of Woodbourne Correctional Facility, staged in a prison gymnasium.