Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith (she/her) is an actor, playwright, and comedian based in Chicago, Illinois. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she began studying theatre at a young age, taking any performance class she could. Upon graduating high school, she moved to Chicago to pursue a BA in Theatre, along with two minors in English and Shakespeare Studies, at Loyola University Chicago. In her time at Loyola, she led two projects...
Maggie Smith (she/her) is an actor, playwright, and comedian based in Chicago, Illinois. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she began studying theatre at a young age, taking any performance class she could. Upon graduating high school, she moved to Chicago to pursue a BA in Theatre, along with two minors in English and Shakespeare Studies, at Loyola University Chicago. In her time at Loyola, she led two projects with their Second Stage Program, Rats: The Musical and Saint Louise, Pray for Us, the former a devised absurdist musical and the latter a staged reading of her two-act play. Along with leading works, she participated in several student-led projects as a performer, deviser, and writer.

Maggie is a recent graduate of the Second City's Conservatory and Writing programs, where she spent over a year studying the creation and writing of sketch comedy. She is now focusing on both playwriting and sketch comedy, often finding ways to overlap her love for the two art forms.

Plays

  • Exquisite Corpse by Maggie Smith
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: ensemble cast, poetry + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: ensemble cast, poetry, all women
    The creative writing class of Mary Magdalene's Preparatory School for Girls have less than three hours to finish editing their school's literary magazine. Too bad they don't have any poems to edit. In a last-ditch effort to complete their task, the girls lock themselves in their classroom in order to have a long and hard conversation that even the smartest among us can't answer: What makes good poetry?
  • The Courtship of Winifred Edwards (Or: The Handkerchief Play) by Maggie Smith
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, period + 1 more
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    Keyword: Sapphic Love, queer + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, period, romantic comedy
    Keyword: Sapphic Love, queer, period piece, female protagonist, queer protagonist
    Set in 1890s America, The Courtship of Winifred Edwards (Or: The Handkerchief Play) tells the story of two families in the process of becoming one. When Winifred leaves her handkerchief at a dinner party, Anthony Tailor becomes convinced she did so as a means of gaining his attention. He enlists his cousin, Georgia, to help him return the handkerchief and scout out Winifred's feelings for him.
    ​...
    Set in 1890s America, The Courtship of Winifred Edwards (Or: The Handkerchief Play) tells the story of two families in the process of becoming one. When Winifred leaves her handkerchief at a dinner party, Anthony Tailor becomes convinced she did so as a means of gaining his attention. He enlists his cousin, Georgia, to help him return the handkerchief and scout out Winifred's feelings for him.
    ​
    But it's never that simple, is it?
  • Let's Ban Hamlet by Maggie Smith
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    8
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: features LGBTQ+ characters, social justice + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: features LGBTQ+ characters, social justice, ensemble cast
    Let's Ban Hamlet follows a group of queer teenagers in a midwestern Catholic high school, who have dubbed themselves the Underground Queer Alliance. While prepared for a normal school year, they are suddenly faced with a new ordinance created by their city's archdiocese that directly attacks their identities, threatening to expel each one of them. Their solution is simple: malicious compliance and...
    Let's Ban Hamlet follows a group of queer teenagers in a midwestern Catholic high school, who have dubbed themselves the Underground Queer Alliance. While prepared for a normal school year, they are suddenly faced with a new ordinance created by their city's archdiocese that directly attacks their identities, threatening to expel each one of them. Their solution is simple: malicious compliance and refusing to learn any academic material that directly contrasts any Catholic teachings— Starting with Hamlet.

    Content Warnings: This play contains themes of homophobia/transphobia, though no characters are ever dead-named or misgendered. While this play has comedic elements, there are some moments where serious topics are discussed. Any specific questions about these topics can be directed to maggiesmithwrites@gmail.com.
  • Saint Louise, Pray for Us by Maggie Smith
    Cast: 
    7–8
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: bonds between sisters, accepting death + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, faith-based
    Keyword: bonds between sisters, accepting death, unconditional love, imperfection, love, coping vs healing, sainthood, female protagonists
    After their youngest sister's unexpected death, two young women, Gen and Toni, take the logical next step in attempting to canonize her as a saint. In diving into he details of her life, however, the two learn much more about her than they bargained for.
  • Le Cirque de Fleurs by Maggie Smith
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic + 2 more
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    Keyword: circus, ensemble cast + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, docudrama/historic, movement/physical, period
    Keyword: circus, ensemble cast, mostly female cast
    A one-act play taking place over the course of one night, Le Cirque de Fleurs tells the story of six performers, all contracted to work with Le Cirque de Fleurs' during its 1919 national tour. They soon find, however, that they are spending their entire career making an unlivable wage in an unsafe environment. Their response: Set the circus on fire.
  • If I Die Before I Wake by Maggie Smith
    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: Faustian, LGBTQ+ + 2 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, drama, faith-based
    Keyword: Faustian, LGBTQ+, death, religion
    Based on the Faustus myth, a young woman sells her soul to the Devil in order to spark creativity. Told through poetry, this play focuses on what to make of our limited time on earth, asking if it is better to be known well or well-known.
  • Couch Tomb by Maggie Smith
    Cast: 
    7
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    Genre: docudrama/historic, mystery/thriller + 2 more
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    Keyword: based on a true story, Chicago 1880s + 4 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, mystery/thriller, period, young audiences
    Keyword: based on a true story, Chicago 1880s, vampires, childhood friendship, graveyards, coming of age
    Based on true events, Laura, Phoebe, Nellie, Alice, Ida, and Edgar embark on an all-night journey to protect the city they love from vampires. Despite their young ages and constant need for adult supervision, the six Chicago children are determined to prove their neighbor's disappearance is related to the supernatural, though their excursion may prove to reveal something more sinister.
  • Winchester Geese by Maggie Smith
    Cast: 
    3–6
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: death, afterlife + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: death, afterlife, moving on, historical, ghosts
    Inspired by the history of the Crossbones Graveyard, this play tells the story of Avis, Cecily, and Bridget, three young women stuck on earth since their burials, all of whom spend their afterlives clinging onto the hope of one day being remembered.