Creativists in Dialogue
Creativists in Dialogue Podcast
A Theatre in Community Podcast: Part 1 of our Conversation with Molly Smith
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A Theatre in Community Podcast: Part 1 of our Conversation with Molly Smith

With Hosts Elizabeth Bruce and Michael Oliver

Today, we present another Theatre in Community podcast, Part 1 of our conversation with Molly Smith, former Artistic Director of Arena Stage and the Mead Center for American Theater.

The inimitable Molly Smith is a renowned theatre director and visionary who recently stepped down after 25 years as the Artistic Director of Arena Stage. Years before taking the helm at Arena, she earned an undergraduate degree in Theatre from the Catholic University of America, and a master's degree in Theatre from American University. In 1979, she returned to Juneau, Alaska, and founded Perseverance Theatre, where she was Artistic Director for 19 years.

As Artistic Director of Arena Stage, her 40 directing credits include large-scale musicals, new plays, and classics. She led the reinvention of Arena Stage, focusing on the architecture and creation of the Mead Center for American Theater and positioning Arena as a national center for American artists through its artistic program. During her time with the company, Arena Stage has workshopped more than a hundred productions, produced 50 world premieres, staged numerous second and third productions, and been an important part of nurturing nine projects that went on to have a life on Broadway.

Molly has also directed on Broadway and Off-Broadway and in many major theaters in the USA and Canada. The list of Molly's honors and achievements as a theatre director, producer, filmmaker, and national leader is very long indeed!

For more information about Molly, click here.

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Glossary, Part 1

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Special shout out to Creativists in Dialogue’s Audio Engineer Elliot Lanes, our Social Media Manager Erinn Dumas of Dumas83, and our Transcription Editor Morgan Musselman.

For more information about Creativists in Dialogue or our other projects, please visit elizabethbruceDC.com or rmichaeloliver.com.

This project is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, HumanitiesDC, and by subscribers like you.


Discussion about this podcast

Creativists in Dialogue
Creativists in Dialogue Podcast
Welcome to Creativists in Dialogue, a podcast embracing the creative life, with your hosts Elizabeth Bruce and Michael Oliver. In this weekly podcast, we interview people from all walks of life about the role that creativity plays in shaping who they are. We explore creativity at both the practical level, and the process level.
We also, on occasion, delve into the philosophical dimensions of creativity—that might have influenced a person’s life and work.
Importantly, not all the people we interview are “Artists”—though some are—but they all live their creativity every day in their fields of expertise, their relationships, and beyond.
In other words, we approach creativity as a vital force to a healthy life. Not only does it change the world but it changes who a person is and how they see themselves.