Wendy Smith

Wendy Smith is a contributing editor of the Scholar and the author of Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931–1940.

If You Can’t See the Stage, Turn to the Page

With theaters shut during the pandemic, reading plays has shed surprising light on works both familiar and strange

By Wendy Smith | Thursday December 2, 2021

The Sondheim Way

Ambition, freedom, and the importance of innovation

By Wendy Smith | Tuesday November 30, 2021

Encounters Of f the Page

After conducting 250 author interviews over four decades, I’m still engaged but a lot less awestruck

By Wendy Smith | Monday December 2, 2019

A Century at the Muny

The open-air St. Louis theater, set to undergo a renovation this fall, is a beloved summertime institution

By Wendy Smith | Monday June 4, 2018

The Price Isn’t Right

Premium ticket costs mean that Broadway shows are increasingly the province of tourists with deep pockets

By Wendy Smith | Tuesday September 5, 2017

All in the Family

Gazing into the soul of a lauded play and seeing glimpses of one’s past

By Wendy Smith | Tuesday September 6, 2016

As the Bard Turns

The international appeal of the man from Stratford-upon-Avon

By Wendy Smith | Monday February 29, 2016

The Naples Quartet

The novels of Elena Ferrante

By Wendy Smith | Wednesday September 2, 2015

Cold Truths

The Iceman Cometh and the destructiveness of dreams

By Wendy Smith | Monday June 8, 2015

The Director Who Named Names

Reconsidering the legacy of Elia Kazan

By Wendy Smith | Wednesday December 10, 2014

The Man Who Got His Way

By Wendy Smith | Thursday June 1, 2006

The Abuses of Enchantment

By Wendy Smith | Thursday September 1, 2005

Miller's Tale

By Wendy Smith | Tuesday March 1, 2005

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