Leigh Smiley

lwsmiley@gmail.com

Leigh Wilson Smiley (Designated Linklater Voice Teacher 1998) is a theatre professional with over two decades of experience as an educator, voice specialist,performer, and director. She is Emerita Associate Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies in College Park, where she served as Director (2013-2020) and Head of MFA Performance (2009-2012).

As a voice and dialect coach, Smiley has collaborated with prestigious regional theatres including Ford's Theatre, Arena Stage, and the Kennedy Center. Her expertise contributed to the Helen Hayes Award-winning productions "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Ragtime."

Smiley's scholarly work appears in publications such as "Gender and Voice" and "Shakespeare Around the Globe." Her screen credits include roles in Jonathan Demme's films "Philadelphia,"and "Beloved," complemented by numerous classical and contemporary stage performances. She is a union member of Actors Equity and Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA.Smiley has been on the faculties of Fordham University, University of the Arts, University of Pennsylvania, and Emerson College, and led workshops for Shakespeare & Company, Walnut Street Theatre, People’s Light and Theatre, Pig Iron Theatre, and others. Smiley's innovations include the "Presentational Training for Linguists" DVD and the Visual Accent and Dialect Archive (VADA). She currently focuses on teaching voice and public speaking skills to professionals of all disciplines who want freer, more expressive voices, and on her research on archetypes and the expressive voice.

For more information: https://tdps.umd.edu/directory/leigh-wilson-smiley