Michael Townsend Smith (born October 5, 1935) is an American playwright, theatre director, impresario, critic, and lighting designer.
Smith directed early works by Sam Shepard, Ronald Tavel, María Irene Fornés, Emanuel Peluso, Jean-Claude van Itallie, Soren Agenoux, H. M. Koutoukas, and William M. Hoffman, and others.
Smith's plays include Captain Jack's Revenge, Country Music, Cowgirl Ecstasy, Heavy Pockets, and Half Life.
These included The Next Thing (1966), directed by Jacques Levy and presented by The Open Theater at La MaMa;[3] Captain Jack's Revenge (1970), which Smith dedicated to Joe Cino;[4] and Prussian Suite, which featured music by John Smead and was in aid of H.M.
[10] Smith wrote the libretto for John Herbert McDowell's opera A Dog's Love, and played harpsichord in the 1971 production.
[15] The performance, called BbAaNnGg and organized by playwright Robert Patrick, consisted of over 25 three-minute skits and was reviewed by Smith in his Theatre Journal column.