Meet
Jeffrey Alan Smith

Photo credit: Russell Jensen / Sage Studios

Actor, director,
graphic designer,
writer, drummer—
cat-enthusiast.

Jeffrey has an equally impressive background in the world of theatre arts and graphic design. After falling in love with theatre in the later half of his high school career in Rapid City, South Dakota, Jeffrey made the decision to dedicate his life to studying theatre and improving his craft. Simultaneously, his passion for graphic design was burning deep within his mind as he was getting better and better after being self-taught for so many years. Despite never being formally trained, Jeffrey decided to also pursue an education in graphic design alongside being a theatre arts generalist.

Jeffrey attended Minnesota State University, Mankato from 2005 - 2009 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, double-majoring in Theatre Arts and Graphic Design. The most formidable time during his college experience was spending time exploring different artistic mediums, experimenting with photography, painting, drawing, dance, choreography, and more. Throughout college, Jeffrey was successful in serving many design clients while maintaining his studies and performing in dozens of theatrical productions.

Following graduation, Jeffrey moved from Mankato, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington in hopes to make the Pacific Northwest his permanent home; however, following a debilitating diagnosis of severe generalized depression, an anxiety disorder, and insomnia— Jeffrey was forced to return home to his hometown of Rapid City, where he has remained ever since.

Jeffrey is a strong and vocal supporter for mental health advocacy, and he is a passionate ally for the LGBTQ+ community and strongly supports equal rights for women. Jeffrey realizes that politics can tear people apart and cause conflict, but he is confident in his belief that we are all human at the end of the day and that we have more in common that we may think. Above all else, Jeffrey prioritizes love and respect.

Since moving back to Rapid City in 2013, Jeffrey has appeared in countless stage productions with various performing arts organizations such as: ACTS, Black Hills Community Theatre, Catalyst Theater Company, Hapaloa Productions, and Seraphim Theatrical Entertainment.

In addition to acting, Jeffrey has a feverish passion for directing plays and musicals. One of his favorite things to do in life is to recognize potential in fellow actors and challenge them to step up to the plate and surprise themselves with the amazing things they are capable of doing. Bringing a show's vision from his mind's eye to a full scaled production is another one of his favorite aspects of directing.

Jeffrey is quite simply an artist at his core. Vita Opus, his graphic design business, is a latin phrase that means "live art." That is a mantra and core value that Jeffrey lives by every single day. To live for art.

Jeffrey has one cat named Athena, and dearly misses his beloved Puck, who left us back in 2019. He has frequently been known to be somewhat of a cat whisperer— perhaps getting along better with felines than human beings at times (kidding, of course!)

Clients

Black Hills Community Theatre
Catalyst Theater Company
Day One Dentistry
Dentists, Implants, and Worms Podcast
First Baptist Church of Rapid City
Implant Pathway
Justin Moody, DDS
Mankato Symphony Orchestra
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Performing Arts Center of Rapid City
Seraphim Theatrical Entertainment
Voices of Dentistry Conference (2018, 2019, 2020)

View the complete list of previous clients

Services

Art & Creative Direction
Branding & Identity
Design Problem Solving
Event Marketing & Management
Large Format Printing & Signage
Logo Design
Printed Design
Social Media Campaigns
Theatre Advertising Services
Theatre Posters
Theatre Playbills
Trade-show Materials