W
e caught up with Stef after
recently hearing that the play
‘Roadkill’, of which she was
a writer, had won the Olivier Award
for Outstanding Achievement in an
Affiliate Theatre. Since then Stef has
worked on a number of productions,
including writing her own show
‘Falling/Flying’ (pictured below).
Postcard
from
Stef
Smith
What are your best memories of QMU?
Definitely working together with the other
people on my programme. We formed a
really tight-knit group through our practical
work and collaborations and I still see a lot
of them out there, working in the theatre
industry.
What have you been up to since
leaving QMU?
Most of my work has been as a direct
result of my final year placement. I secured
What aspects of your degree do you
still use?
I learned about all aspects of the
theatre and the technical background to
creating and running a show. So whilst I
specialised in Direction, it’s really helpful
that I experienced all of these other things.
Everything I learned at QMU is so ingrained
in my daily work that I don’t really notice it –
it’s more of a solid grounding in all aspects
of theatre.
What does winning an Olivier Award
mean to you?
It’s weird because the show came out
two years ago and I’ve worked on a lot of
other things in the interim. It’s a great boost
to win something like that though. Olivier
Awards are internationally recognised so
to be associated with that is a great way
to have people take note of what you’re
doing.
Stef is currently working with the
National Theatre of Scotland’s Literary
Manager on some of her new creative
pieces.
BA(Hons) Drama and Theatre Arts
(Specialism in Directing) - 2009
What made you chose to study at
QMU?
I had an idea of what I wanted to study
at University and then I went along to the
QMU Open Day and had an opportunity
to meet with the staff and see some of the
programme first hand. All the academic
staff seemed incredibly supportive and the
programme looked to give a good balance
between the academic side of theatre and
the more practical, active skills that you
need to learn to get ahead.
a placement with David Leddy’s company
‘Fire Exit’, working as an Assistant Director
on his production ‘Sub Rosa’. After that
finished, David asked me to stay on for
a couple of other projects and it has all
snowballed from there.
QMYOU / Graduate News
23