Dunbar native lives his dream in the spotlight as an actor
As a child, Stephen Smith remembers performing shows for his parents in the living room of their Dunbar home, building stage sets in the basement out of scrap firewood and dreaming of an acting career. Those childhood dreams finally became a reality for the 24-year-old Dunbar native, who now works as an actor in Washington, D.C., making a living doing what he loves the most – working around the clock to entertain others.
“It’s like anything else, it has its moments,” said Smith, a 1996 Connellsville High School graduate, during a recent interview.
And Smith is very familiar with moments. He has held numerous lead and supporting roles in many theaters in the D.C. area, including the highly regarded Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va.
Some of the recent roles and shows Smith has landed include Jimmy Curry in “110 in the Shade,’ Ren in “Footloose” and a part in “The Secret Garden.”
Smith said he has always been interested in acting, and he remembers how he reacted as a young child when he first saw his brothers on stage.
“My interest in acting began when both of my brothers, Jeff and James, were in their high school production of ‘No, No, Nannette.’ I saw them on the stage and knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he recalled. “Not soon after that, I began building stage sets in the basement out of scrap firewood and putting on shows in the living room for my parents.”
His parents, Roger and Cindy Smith of Monarch, vividly recall those shows.
“He used to take chairs from the kitchen into the living room and tell us to sit and watch him, and we did,” said his mother, Cindy Smith.
“There was never a dull moment,” added his father, Roger Smith.
And apparently, there still isn’t.
According to Smith, his days are long and the price of making it big in theatrical productions isn’t cheap. Smith not only works full time as an actor, he also works with animals and gives voice lessons to children.
“That’s one of the trade offs of making it in the industry. The work isn’t always there, and sometimes other jobs are necessary to make ends meet,” he said.
“When I’m acting, I do it full time and when I’m not, I’m auditioning for upcoming shows, but no matter what, I’m always working,” he added.
One gig that Smith is familiar with is working part time at the Doggie Day Care Center, where he entertains 20 to 50 dogs each day.
“It’s a dog day care center located on Capitol Hill,” he said. “Most of the Senate and Senate office staffers bring their dogs in five to six days a week. Basically, I baby sit them, and it works really well with my schedule.”
Smith explained that most of his auditions and rehearsals occur in early morning or late night, so the mid-day dog job really helps out.
“It would be tough trying to work full time as an actor and having another full-time job that doesn’t allow much room for a flexible schedule,” Smith said.
According to Smith, actors work either as a union or non-union performer.
“Basically, to become a union actor, you have to have 50 weeks of union shows under your belt, and I’m almost there,” he explained.
With three years of living in D.C. and only baby-steps left to get to union status, Smith is quite excited, but admitted that he has mixed emotions about his accomplishment.
“Well, once I’m in the union, many more doors open for me, but the competition gets harder and I can’t take non-union jobs anymore,” he said.
According to Smith, there are more than 130 theaters in the D.C. and Virginia area, which means there are many jobs available for actors.
“It’s actually kind of funny because so many people think of acting as a career, and they say they want to work on Broadway,” he said. “But little do they know that there’s more work here (Washington, D.C.), and it’s even better.”
Smith explained that he is more impressed with the shows in D.C. because they allow the actor and the audience to better relate to one another.
“Broadway is so huge, in my opinion, it’s not as powerful because of its size,” he said. “We have half the size here which allows us to be closer to the people in the audience. It’s more real… more believable.”
Smith recalled his first on-stage experience and the size of the audience there.
“It was at the Asbury Theatre Guild in Uniontown,” he said. “The stage and the audience seemed so big. I tried out for the lead role of Oliver. I was 9 years old, and I got the part and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
He’s also busy giving voice instruction to children, and he says he landed that job through coincidence.
“I was performing at a kids’ theater camp in Maryland, and one of the parents approached me,” he said. “I’ve been working with children and teaching them how to better utilize their vocal instruments ever since. It was really being in the right place at the right time. and then it just grew from there.”
Smith studied musical theater for four years at the Shenendoah University in Winchester, Va., and he advises anyone interested in pursuing an acting career to seriously weigh his or her options because acting offers many difficulties and challenges.
“Well, you don’t have a class in college that teaches you how to become an actor,” he said. “You have dance classes and voice lessons and techniques to study, but no one really explains how you find out about auditions or what union and non-union status is or how to accomplish it. It’s pretty hard at first, and there’s a lot to find out.”
Smith says that anyone who takes the challenge of becoming an actor seriously should do their homework, watch their finances and find a day job with a flexible schedule.
“You can’t work a day job and rehearse or try out for new shows unless the flexibility is there,” he said.
He added that familiarity with various types of music and the ability to work with many different people is also an asset.
“Well, five out of 10 people are decent and the other five aren’t,” he explained. “There are a lot of egos and attitudes, and it’s something you have to get used to. I’ve been working in the field now for a good while, and I still don’t like to be around some people, but I have to be.”
Smith explained a typical day for him begins at 5:45 am and ends after midnight.
“You show up for an audition or a rehearsal, go to work, perform in two shows for the evening, go home and start up the next morning,” he said. “It’s not all fun, but no matter what, you have to give it your all.”
Cindy Smith noted that Stephen does just that.
“He’s worked very hard and we’re very proud of him,” his mother said. “He gives 110 percent in every part he has – no matter how many times he has done the show.”
Cindy Smith added that she and her husband make it to all of their son’s shows.
“We see every show he’s in and sometimes we see the same show six or seven times,” she said. “But no matter what, he’s always professional. It doesn’t matter if it’s at the end, beginning or middle, he gives the same all the time.”
Laughing, Smith agreed, saying, “Well, I’ll just have to say I’m a singer who dances pretty darn well.”