SMITH, ROBERT L.
Dr. Smith has a long history with the Civic, which dates back more than forty years when he performed on our stage as Fagin in Oliver! and as John Cleary in The Subject Was Roses. He also directed Beckett’s Endgame and served on our Board of Directors, including a term as president. A director of more than 150 productions and an actor in nearly 200, Dr. Smith’s most recent Civic stagings include On Goden Pond, Cinderella, Elizabeth Rex and A Raisin in the Sun. A former Director of Theatre at WMU, he most recently directed Marvin’s Room and acted in Escanaba in Love at the Farmers Alley Theatre. In 2008 he was awarded our Larkin H. Noble Award for lifetime achievement and outstanding service, and in 1999 he was honored by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo with the Community Medal of Arts. Bob holds BA and MA degrees from Bowling Green and a Ph.D. from Michigan State. He retired from the Western faculty in 1996.