Robert Smith
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December 6, 1956 - May 16, 2018
Robert Smith probably designed a set you saw in some theater somewhere in Chicago over the past few decades. He was known as a kind, generous, passionate, ingenious designer by every performer, playwright, director, fellow designer who crossed his path. He made people feel like family. Some designs include: Hellcab, Fun and Nobody, Killer Joe, Fastest Clock in the Universe, BUG, Gagarin Way, Conquest of the South Pole, Elvis Costello’s Imperial Bedroom, Greenland, La Boheme, Empty, Lady From Dubuque He designed sets across the boards in the old Organic, Famous Door, Hull House, A Red Orchid Theatre, Next Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, Roundtable, Center Theater Ensemble, The Greenhouse, Theatre Building- just to name a few. Bob is a genuine piece of Chicago theater history. As a child, Bob loved Superman, Batman, Tarzan, Conan, Dark Shadows, Sherlock Holmes and Edgar Allen Poe among others. He graduated from Waukegan High School, and earned his degree from Illinois Wesleyan University. He worked at Northeastern Illinois University from 1985-2012. Sadly Robert died from complications from a kidney transplant. He is survived by his beloved wife, Catherine Gross Valladares-Smith and sister Pamela. |