Director makes queer art for the stage in the big city and the suburbs
Ryan Matthieu Smith By Rich Lopez North Texas is never short on performing arts. With symphonies, operas, dance and theater flourishing in abundance throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there are always plenty of options for entertainment onstage.
And the suburbs are no exception, especially with one area theatrical director finding ways to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the smaller cities as much as in the larger cities of the Metroplex.
Ryan Matthieu Smith has worked with a number of the area’s prominent theater companies, including Shakespeare Dallas which produces “Shakespeare in the Park” productions throughout the summer, and with the professional company Theatre Three.
He has also worked with Cara Mia Theatre, one of two Dallas companies focusing on Latinx theater experiences. While those companies are in Dallas proper, Smith has stepped outside the Dallas city limits to work as a director with North Texas Performing Arts Repertory in Plano on musicals such as “Heathers” and “Mamma Mia!” Smith spoke recently about his experiences in bringing his queer creativity to area stages, whether those stages are downtown or out in the ’burbs. What attracts you to the arts scene here as a director and performer? Ryan Matthieu Smith: I am a native of Oak Cliff, but I had moved to New York for college and did film work in Los Angeles.
