Before he took the full-time plunge into professional theatre, Chuck Smith established himself in unrelated fields–serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, working in the post office and, for about 20 years, he was employed as a computer programmer for the Illinois Department of Public Aid. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, the Goodman Theatre’s resident director and artist-in-residence at Columbia College Chicago has been instrumental in the city’s massive theatrical growth from the 1960s to the present day.

"I judge a city by how much theatre you can see in a week," says Smith from his office at Columbia College. "You won’t find a city in this country other than Chicago that has an abundance of theatre. It’s not always high quality. But it’s a lot, and a lot of it is good."

Smith, 64, first saw his aunt perform in the Skyloft Players’ production of The Monkey’s Paw at the Parkway Community Center. He was 12 years old at the time and recalls being struck by watching his aunt transform herself into a character.

"I was fascinated by the idea that you could be somebody else [on stage]," he says.

Interestingly, in 1984, Smith co-founded Chicago Theatre Company at the Parkway Community Center, which relocated to 67th St. Early on, though, he did not plan on hitting the boards.

Following service in the U.S. Marines, he got a job as a postal worker. Since his shift ended at 2:00 p.m., he would stop for a beer at the South Shore Lounge. There, he met ordinary guys–like steel workers and bus drivers–who were members of the Dramatic Arts Guild, a community theatre troupe that performed for patients in the psychiatric ward of Michael Reese Hospital. They invited Smith to attend a rehearsal.

But the director acknowledges, "Theatre is not a thing an ex-Marine does. Since I was a single guy, I thought I could meet a lot of ladies [in the theatre company]. So I went to the rehearsal. When I walked into the room, something clicked–and it wasn’t the nice lookin’ ladies.

"It was tech. Everybody was working together on so many different tasks. It reminded me of the Marines. Everyone at the theatre was working toward a goal. I still feel that way about theatre. I’ll do anything as long as I’m involved."

Smith got cast as a wayward preacher in the Dramatic Arts Guild’s production of McAdam and Eve. He was 25 years old, and it was his first time on stage. When the audience roared with laughter, he mistakenly thought they were making fun of him. It soon became clear to him that they were laughing at his character. Smith continued to perform with the group, which later extended its runs and number of productions.

The Dramatic Arts Guild whetted his theatrical appetite enough to inspire him to advance his education. Under the G.I. Bill, Smith studied theatre at Loop College, then went on to receive his BA in theatre and business from Governors State University. He credits director Sydney Daniels, one of his instructors at Loop College, with influencing his approach.

"To this day," specifies Smith, "my rehearsals are structured the same way Sydney Daniels structured them. The main thing is that you get the show on its feet as soon as you can, so you can mold and shape it from there. It also helps actors learn their lines faster, (because) there’s an association. They’re not learning their lines in a vacuum. It’s also a blessing for your designers."

As rehearsals progress, Smith concentrates on the actors’ character development. For him, a director is like a theatrical sculptor–continuously honing and refining the production. And, unlike most theatre artists, he welcomes tech week.

"I love tech!," announces Smith. "That’s when the magic happens. Everyone is working together. The actors are in their costumes with the lights hitting them. You see it all taking shape."

While Smith began as an actor, he says that he doesn’t have the passion for it. But when asked why he chose to be a director, he beams, "Control. I’m a control freak." Yet his warm smile negates the megalomaniacal implications of that remark. He believes the director is responsible for everything on stage.

Directing became his focus in the 1980s. But, earlier, Smith acted in African-American theatres on the South Side. In 1970, he landed his first paid acting role in Goodman Theatre’s The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail. Working permanently at the Goodman became a long-term goal. Why the Goodman? "Cause it’s the best thing in town," was Smith’s concise answer. More specifically, during that first production, he felt very involved.

"I remember the closing-night party," he shares. "I felt so bad leaving. I said, one day I want to say goodbye to the actors–and I’ll stay here."

Smith built a resume before he approached Goodman. In the late 1970s, he went back to Loop College and Governors State University to direct shows. Then, after learning that Victory Gardens was interested in producing one minority play every season, he sent his resume to artistic director Dennis Zacek, who invited him to direct Eden. Victory Gardens, where Smith directed for seven consecutive seasons, jump-started his directing career.

In the mid-1980s, he helped found CTC (where he directed for four seasons) in the same community center where he was involved with an organization called the Experimental Black Actors Guild. Still having his heart set on the Goodman, he felt he needed to broaden his experience. In 1991, Smith received a Minority Arts Administration Fellowship Grant from Arts Midwest. He focused on two areas: how to direct in a larger space; and coordinating touring productions. He was able to hone these areas at the 600-seat History Theatre in St. Paul, Minn., and with New York’s touring Cornerstone Theatre Company.

"I came back as a free agent," explains the director. "I put in an application at Goodman and, one year later, I was on board as an artistic associate."

His first job was to assist director Steve Scott on A Christmas Carol. Smith’s subsequent Goodman directing credits include the world premiere of Lydia Diamond’s The Gift Horse; James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, which transferred to Boston’s Huntington Theatre; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun; Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky; August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; the 1993 to 1995 productions of A Christmas Carol; and Vivisections from a Blown Mind.

In addition, he directed Knock Me a Kiss at the Victory Gardens, where his directing credits include Master Harold and the Boys, Home, Dame Lorraine with Ester Rolle, and Eden, for which he received a Jefferson Award nomination for best direction. Regionally, he recently directed Blues for An Alabama Sky at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and The Last Season for the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles.

Smith, who is attracted to a wide variety of scripts dealing mainly with the African-American experience, cites one of his most rewarding directing projects as The Meeting, starring Harry J. Lennix and Gregory Alan-Williams in this drama about a fictitious meeting between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. This production inspired these three artists’ formation of the touring Legacy Productions, which has taken plays to African-American colleges.

Another special work was Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which set a box office record for Goodman. Smith shows me a hand-written letter from August Wilson, stating "It (Ma Rainey) is really fine, fine work. I haven’t seen any better." The director is also proud of A Raisin in the Sun, for which he worked with an all-Chicago cast on a play that emphasized the Chicago vernacular.

Known to mentor up-and-coming artists, Smith recently directed Playboy of the West Indies and A Soldier’s Play for Congo Square Theatre. He has directed for MPAACT, CTC and eta, and will direct the world premiere of Carson Beckers and David Barr’s By the Music of the Spheres at Goodman in February.

Smith honors his own mentors. In the early 1970s, he was inspired by playwright Theodore Ward. "At the time," says Smith, "I was very deep in African-American theatre. He encouraged me to get out, to learn and work with other people. He told me, don’t just work with black people; work with everyone. It was the best advice I ever got."

Then he credits Woodie King, Jr., executive director of New York’s New Federal Theatre, for his willingness to answer questions and encourage him.

"I thought, if they can be generous, Chuck Smith certainly can be generous," he adds.

Smith is a board member of the African-American Arts Alliance of Chicago, a networking organization. He says that African-American artists can call the group for career advice or workshops (773/769-5201).

Some of his most generous efforts are in the realm of teaching. Smith was invited by Sheldon Patinkin to teach a basic acting class in the evening at Columbia College in the early 1980s. He had been working full-time at the Illinois Department of Public Aid. Teaching gave him the monetary security that allowed him to put in his resignation at his day job and pursue theatre full-time.

On staff at Columbia, Smith still teaches Acting One: Basic Skills and directs many of the student productions.

"I like to get them [students] in the beginning," says Smith. "I let them know that theatre is not an easy thing, so there’s no misunderstanding of what acting is about. I don’t want them to be disillusioned.

"When students leave my class, they know how to handle themselves in an audition. They also know that an actor is nothing but an athlete. If an actor stops working out, he can’t go on the stage."

Smith is also a facilitator for Columbia’s prestigious Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwriting, begun in 1986. Plays, like Bernard Cummings’ The Grandmamma Tree and Javon Johnson’s Hambone, went on to receive full productions at eta and Victory Gardens, respectively.

"I always say you’re a winner if you’re in the top five finalists," Smith points out. "Your play gets read by theatres –like Goodman and Steppenwolf–all over the city."

Additionally, Smith is the faculty theatrical director for the Columbia College-produced television drama series "Hungry Hearts." He won a Chicago Emmy Award as associate producer/theatrical director for the NBC teleplay "Crime of Innocence," and was theatrical director for the Emmy Award-winning "Fast Break to Glory" and the Emmy-nominated "The Martin Luther King Suite." He served as associate producer/theatrical director for the Iowa Public Television’s award-winning telecast of Legacy’s "The Life and Times of Deacon A.L. Wiley."

Smith is the recipient of the 1982 Paul Robeson Award and the 1997 award of merit presented by the Black Theatre Alliance of Chicago.

From his many years of experience in Chicago theatre, Smith views the city as "a mecca right now of African-American theatre." But he also laments the fact that we are losing talented Chicago theatre artists to other cities.

"You do reach a ceiling here," he laments, "and you can’t keep artists–like Harry Lennix–around. I think we need to put more money into actors’ pockets here. Ideally, I’d like to see them making Chicago their base, then taking local productions on tour to other cities. That way, they would be getting national exposure while still being involved in a Chicago production."

He also would like to see an African-American theatre company in Chicago working on a regional level.

Overall, Smith continues to have high hopes for the local theatre community:

"I think Chicago theatre has gotten slicker and savvier," he says. "Before, Chicago was always fighting to get in the playoffs. Now I see Chicago theatre as a playoff team which, on any given Sunday, can win it all."

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