A.C. Smith is a scriptwriter and songwriter. Originally raised in Colorado, she has lived in London since 2007.

As a playwright, she has won awards from the Royal Shakespeare Company  and Soho Theatre, and been shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award and Adrian Pagan Award. She was a member of the 2016/17 Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group, and was invited to return on a followup attachment. Her work has been performed at venues including Soho Theatre, the Old Vic, RADA, Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503, HighTide Festival, Pleasance Theatre, The Space, Rose Theatre Bankside, and the Tristan Bates Theatre. She has developed a specialism in working with physical theatre and dance companies, including Theatre Re, Jorge Crecis, The Dandelion Collective, and Ciemulator Dance Theatre. She is interested in multi-media collaboration and experimental practices, and created This Is A Play an ongoing digital project with fine art photographer Julia Forsman.

As lyricist and bookwriter for musical theatre for Barlow & Smith (with composer Bella Barlow), she was shortlisted for the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Award. Their two-hander feminist thriller LOCK & KEY premiered at VAULT Festival in 2018 and was a Pick of the Week in The Stage. Barlow & Smith’s current project, VANYA’S (a reimagining of Chekhov’s classic play), has received development support from the Old Vic Workrooms, Criterion Theatre, and ArtsEd. Commissions include DREAM QUEEN for two-time Olivier Award winner Janie Dee at the Globe Theatre for the London Festival of Cabaret and “Just A Little” for the Canales Project in affiliation with the United Nations.  In 2015 they released their debut album of new holiday music “Christmas in the City”, produced by Ian Shaw, and have been featured artists of the week (“Duvet Date Icons”) on JemmThree Radio. Their songs have appeared in the St James Studio, Joe’s Pub (NYC), Aldeburgh Festival, Arts Theatre Upstairs,Duplex (NYC), The Pheasantry, Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Musical Theatre Tuesdays, Grand Northern Ukulele Festival, and Theatre Royal Haymarket as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday celebration gala. They are members of Mercury Musical Developments’ Writers Lab.

From 2012-15, A.C. was a Development Executive at First Born Films, working on new feature film projects. She has worked for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) as Resident Writer of the RADA Elders Company, and Head of Academic Studies (2009-12), and is currently a Playwriting Tutor on the MA Text & Performance.

Film work includes short films for BBC Ideas, a schools documentary for The Committed Project, and a feature-length co-writing commission from First Born Films.

A.C. holds BA from Harvard and an MA from RADA/King’s College London, and has participated in writing development programs with the Royal Court, Criterion Theatre, Book Music & Lyrics, Theatre Royal Stratford East, and the Royal Opera House. She is Co-Founder and Head of Creative Projects of the London Playwrights Workshop, providing support to emerging writers.

She is represented by Rachel Daniels at Berlin Associates.

Contact: contact@ac-smith.com