THOMAS SMITH

I'm Thomas!  I grew up in The Garden State of New Jersey. The part with all the trees, where The Garden State isn't said ironically.  I grew up in a loving family full of wacky musical hobbyists, where my joy and appreciation for the arts was continuously fostered.  My Mom and all of my Aunts and Uncles were in the marching band and still play when the opportunities present themselves.  My dad served drinks to Sinatra and The Rat Pack on The Atlantic City Boardwalk decades before I was a twinkle in his eye.  My childhood was filled with the Standards, and I grew especially fond of Sinatra over the years.  Dad gave me my taste in music, the rest of the people in my life turned that into a passion, and my Mom taught me to pursue that passion with professionalism and determination.

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So, with the theatre hubs of NYC, Philly, and DC being so close to me my entire life, I made the sensible call to get my Musical Theatre degree all the way across the country at Arizona State University.  This is a decision I've come to be incredibly thankful for, having gotten to meet so many truly stellar people and instructors, while getting to tackle many interesting and varied roles both at school and in the community.  I've had the fortune to sing everything from Baroque Classical to Pop Punk, and getting to put myself into a broad spectrum of ages, beliefs and mindsets, and tell those stories with empathy.  I also can't overstate how nice it was going to school somewhere that effectively didn't have winter.

Since graduating, I've been fortunate to be continuously working in the arts in a variety of capacities. Currently I am the Development Apprentice at The Walnut Street Theatre, while working as the swing for their Touring Outreach program.  I have also played Wilbur Turnblad/Mr. Pinky and covered Edna in Hairspray on Royal Caribbean, Assistant Stage Managed for the Barrymore Award Nominated production of Water by the Spoonful at The Eagle Theater, and played the Inspector in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder at Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, while covering Curt Olds as The D'Ysquith Family. I am also the newly appointed General Manager of the Atlantic City Theatre Company, in preparation for their first season of mainstage programming in the Summer of 2024.  

Here's a little bit of my work!