Stage Director Benjamin Wayne Smith brings a balance of practical experience and innovative storytelling to his productions.  His work has been hailed by Opera News as “full of comic inventiveness."  He has led fifteen new productions since 1999 ranging from Mozart's Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni to Conrad Susa’s modern treatment of The Dangerous Liaisons.

Ben has directed for Seattle Opera's Young Artist Program, Tacoma Opera, Asheville Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, The Intermountain Opera Association, the Young Artist Program at Pittsburgh Opera, the University of Cincinnati/CCM, Baldwin-Wallace College and The Opera Theater of Lucca, Italy.

Recent productions include Don Giovanni, The Mikado, a double bill of Trouble in Tahiti with Pagliacci, and  Il barbiere di Siviglia.  In 2009/11 Ben served on the faculty of CCM Spoleto where he was stage director and dramatic coach.

In 2010, Ben recently finished his tenure as the Resident Assistant Director at Seattle Opera where he worked on eleven productions over two years.  He has also worked as an Assistant Director for Washington National Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Pittsburgh Opera and the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh.

In August of 2010, Ben joined the faculty at Baldwin-Wallace College as their first Director of Opera.  In  this capacity, he trains all of the vocal performance majors in a self-designed, eight semester opera workshop sequence.

Increasingly in demand as a clinician, Ben has given acting masterclasses at the University of Cincinnati/CCM, Penn State University, Western Kentucky University, University of Akron, University of Miami (Ohio),  Mars Hill College (North Carolina), Oakland University (Michigan) and the Venture Theater  in Montana.

Ben holds an MFA in Opera Stage Directing from the University of Cincinnati where he studied with Nick Mangano, Nic Muni and Sandra Bernhard.  He began his career in opera as a singer, performing twenty-one leading roles in opera, operetta and musical theater.  He has logged over 250 performances in the U.S. and Italy.

Ben's wife Bonnie is a percussionist, currently based out  of San Diego.  When not in the theater he can be found playing his ukulele or cooking for his family and friends.