The Cliff Smith Award for Outstanding Direction was established in 1989.
Cliff Smith was a native of Pittsburg, where he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. He came to the Washington area in 1968. Cliff worked as an actor, director and designer with many of the area community theatres, including Cedar Lane Stage, Greenbelt Arts Center, Sandy Spring Theatre Group, Silver Spring Stage, Rockville Little Theatre, Rockville Musical Theatre and Prince Georges Little Theatre.
Cliff believed in taking chances. He maintained the integrity of the playwrite's vision while challenging the audience as well as the actors and crew he worked with. His shows were beautiful to see. He directed more than 60 productions and won many awards. His many theatre talents included designing sets, lights, costuming and poster art.
Throughout his life Cliff fought a rare form of Sickle Cell Anemia. Despite it's painful treatments, he rarely missed rehearsals or performances and was an inspiration to many area theatre people. Following his death in 1988, the Best Director Award was renamed in his honor.
Past Recipients
| YEAR | Recipient/Group | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Betty Xander / Silver Spring Stage | The Typists |
| 1987 | Richard Foster / Montgomery Playhouse | Tell Me Another Story, Sing Me A Song |
| 1988 | Chappel Aldredge / Adventure Theatre | The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe |
| 1989 | Thomas Fenton / Montgomery Playhouse | An Actor's Nightmare |
| 1990 | Lil Medas / Port Tobacco Players | The Gin Game (Act II) |
| 1991 | Lisa Holland / Alliance Theatre Workshop | Seascape With Sharks and Dancer |
| 1992 | Richard Highby / Port Tobacco Players | Twelve Angry Men |
| 1993 | Mary Frances Northham / Colonial Players | Where Have All the Lightning Bugs Gone |
| 1994 | Eric C. Peterson / Montgomery Playhouse | Strangers In the Night - Afterglow |
| 1995 | Bill Kamberger / Montgomery Playhouse | No Riders |
| 1996 | Jane Wingard / The Pasadena Theatre Company | Home At Six |
| 1997 | Jeff Lesniak / Burtonsville Players | Sure Thing |
| 1998 |
(tie) Lorraine Murray Sampson / Cedar Lane Stage |
Patient A Midnight Caller |
| 1999 | John Morogiello / Montgomery Playhouse | The Matchmaker's Guide To Controlling the Elements |
| 2000 | Stephanie Mumford / Silver Spring Stage | A Little Trick |
| 2001 | Martin Blanco / Red Light Theatre | Men and Parts |
| 2002 | (tie) Richard and Deanne Highby / Port Tobacco Players Roxanne Fournier / Red Light Theatre |
Lone Star Men and Parts |
| 2003 | (tie) Bob Bartlett / Hard Bargain Players Bridget Muehlberger / Silver Spring Stage |
The Tar on Ferret Gough's Hands Sticks and Stones |
| 2004 | Michael Kharfen / Silver Spring Stage | Fin and Euba |
| 2005 |
Bob Bartlett / Hard Bargain Players |
xphiles, unrequited |
| 2006 | Leta Hall / Silver Spring Stage | Perfectly Good Airplanes |
| 2007 | James Kleyle / Port Tobacco Players | Never Swim Alone |
| 2008 | Kryss Lacovaro ? Sandy Spring Theatre Group | Not So Soft |
| 2009 | Alex Claxton / Colonial Players | Coax |
| 2010 | Amy Sullivan / Montgomery Playhouse | A Separate Peace |
| 2011 | Bill Scarafia / Newtowne Players | Woman: Revised |
| 2012 | Donna K. Shute / Silver Spring Stage | Winners |
| 2013 | Andrew Greenleaf / Silver Spring Stage | Spoken For |
| 2014 | Bruce Hirsch / Montgomery Playhouse | Commencing |
| 2015 | Cseni Szabo / Colonial Players | Tough Cookies |
| 2017 | Bruce Hirsch / Montgomery Playhouse | Virtual Reality |
| 2018 | (tie) Jennifer Cooper / Colonial Players Ally Cardinalli / Silver Spring Stage |
The Universal Language Stay |
| 2020 | Jeff Mikoni / Silver Spring Stage | The Rockefeller Special |
| 2022 | Bruce Hirsch / Kensington Arts Theatre | The Last Nickel |
| 2023 | Sarah Pollard & Trish Cole / Raging Hag Productions | Paradise |
